In light of a worker shortage in the manufacturing field, Keene State College will host a STEM summer camp next month for middle- and high-schoolers focusing on optics.
The GoSTEM summer camp, which originated nine years ago and focuses on a different scientific field each summer, is introducing 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th-graders to the science of light this July as part of a larger partnership between the local college and optics industry.
Optics is the branch of physics that studies light, and its uses in industry are wide-ranging — aerospace, biomedical and defense manufacturing all use it. Chances are, if it has a lens, then optics was in play.
Susan Silk, GoSTEM organizer and former career counselor at the Cheshire Career Center, said optics is an in-demand industry that is perfect for students who may not want to pursue a four-year degree — the problem is that very few people know what it is. Students sometimes confuse it for eyeglasses manufacturing, she said.
“We have to hit kids with optics early, or they won’t know what it is,” Silk said. “(The thinking here is,) ‘Let’s try to get to the younger population and teach them what it is.’ ” GoSTEM is taught by the “cream of the crop” in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, Silk said. This year, the five-day course will be taught by Sarah McGregor, head of the physics department at Keene State College, and Susan Romano, a physics teacher at Keene High School.
The week consists of both classroom instruction and hands-on experiments, Silk said, as well as a tour of Corning Advanced Optics’ manufacturing facility in Keene. Students will learn about the science of light, including how rainbows work.
Campers always leave with a gadget that they build during the week, which in the past has been a kaleidoscope, a drone and a solar-powered phone-charging station. Sticking with the optics theme, Silk said miniature telescopes are this year’s gizmo.
Keene State has been a hive of optics-related activity in the past few years. In April 2024, the college received a $3 million federal grant to expand its programs for manufacturing education and training. The following May, it launched a partnership with AmeriCOM, to expand opportunities for students, staff and regional employers in the precision manufacturing workforce.
The U.S. Department of Defense chose AmeriCOM to “to drive an effort to grow and sustain the manufacturing base in this important sector,” according to a May 29 Keene State article, and Keene State is now one of six schools in the nation to host an AmeriCOM program. AmeriCOM’s website describes the role of an optic technician as “critical to the companies the United States relies on for defense superiority and national security efforts.”
The ever-growing field can lead to many career opportunities, including here in the Monadnock Region, which is home to myriad companies — 30 within 100 miles of Keene State — that use optics when manufacturing their products, according to the college’s website. Moore Nanotechnology in Swanzey, ABTech in Fitzwilliam and Corning, are just a few of them.
Megan Estrada, engineering supervisor at Corning Inc. in Keene, said her company has been strengthening its partnerships with several colleges to create a workforce pipeline. That effort includes awarding grants to Lenoir-Rhyne University in North Carolina and Monroe Community College in New York, according to the company’s website.
“Most new technicians entering the field require extensive training to meet the spe cialized skill demands of the job,” Estrada said in an email. “By investing in education and workforce development, the company aims to address the skills gap and ensure it has the talent needed to sustain its role as a leader in optical innovation.”
Corning has developed several optics-related products that have spurred technological advancements in the 21st century, including the glass used by Samsung smartphones and image-capture technologies that were used in the James Webb Space Telescope, Estrada said.
“Optics technicians are the unsung heroes behind precision lenses, lasers and fiber optics that power industries like health care, telecommunications, aerospace and defense,” she said. “Their daily tasks include fabricating and polishing optical components, inspecting defects, conducting quality tests, assembling systems and troubleshooting functions.”
It costs $275 per child to attend the GoSTEM camp, and there are scholarships available for those who need them.
The 18-student camp will run from July 21 through the 25.
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