Grant Programs
The OSA Foundation supports programs that fall into three primary fund areas:
Please click here for more information about these funds.
Programs currently supported by the Discovery Fund
Girl Scouts of the USA Collaboration
Lighten Up! Discovering the Science of Light, a resource guide for girls, ages 11–15 developed by the OSA Foundation, OSA volunteers, and the Girl Scouts of the USA, won the Association of Educational Publishers 2008 Distinguished Achievement Award for best science instruction book, grades 6–8. Through fun, hands-on activities such as making their own sunset in a bottle, using Jell-O to understand how lenses work, and even making their own telescope, girls learn about the exciting world of optics and why it is so important to everyday life. The guide also shows girls how the concepts they are learning relate to current research that impacts them today, and career profiles to highlight some of the many job opportunities in the field.
The Foundation encourages OSA's Student Chapters, Local Sections, and individual members to visit a local Girl Scout troop to assist them with the book’s activities and to give them an opportunity to meet real scientists and engineers! If you are interesting in volunteering your time, please contact the OSA Foundation Staff.
Rochester Museum: Light Here Light Now: A National Distance Learning Program
The OSA Foundation has partnered with the Rochester Museum to develop a “virtual field trip” distance learning program using the Light Here | Light Now exhibits currently on display at the museum. In addition to lesson plans and videotaped segments, experiment kits based on the Optics Suitcase and Optics Discovery Kits will be sent to classrooms for hands-on classroom learning. The program will be available worldwide via a high-bandwidth internet connection. This program supports National Science Education Standards curriculum, and focuses on students in grades 4-12.
EastConn Optics Curriculum Program
The Foundation has granted EastConn, a non-profit serving school districts in rural northeast Connecticut, funds to enhance their current curriculum with optics-related material. This is a multi-dimensional program that provides teachers with professional development, optics resources, and funding to attend “Optics in the Classroom!” workshops. Plus students can get involved by participating in “Dark Skies,” a program to study the effects of light pollution, promote interest in astronomy and encourage students to collaborate with each other.
Optics Education and Demonstrations Program
The OSAF is partnering with the OSA’s Rochester Local Section to increase the distribution of the Section’s Optics Suitcases and the “Liquid Crystal Mood Patch Lesson.” This grant will also assist local groups/educators with finding a volunteer to help with optics demos. This program is also supported by a generous donation from James Ferguson.
The Optics Suitcase is an innovative, interactive presentation package designed to introduce middle school students to a variety of science concepts. The Suitcase provides students with packets of materials that can be taken home to show to friends and family members as a reinforcement of the classroom lessons. Reprints of articles about the Rochester Section’s outreach and a copy of the Optics Suitcase guide for presenters are available at http://www.opticsexcellence.org/SJ_TeamSite/index.html; you can also view a video of Dr. Steven Jacobs using the Suitcase on the OSA Member podblog.
Apply for a free Optics Suitcase!
Please note: there is currently a waiting list for the Optics Suitcase. New requests will be processed beginning in mid-May.
PHOTON Problem Based Learning (PBL)
The OSA Foundation supports the New England Board of Higher Education (NEBHE) and its mission to promote greater educational opportunities and services for the residents of New England through an OSAF grant to the NEBHE’s PHOTON Problem Based Learning (PBL) program. The PBL is a series of professional development workshops that use problem-based, active learning as an alternative to the traditional lecture-based instruction common in education. To do that, PHOTON PBL is creating eight industry- and research university-based multimedia challenges that use real-life problems and solutions. This approach helps high school and community college science, math, and technology/engineering instructors better prepare their students for science careers.
Optics and Lasers at Oakridge High School
Building on the PHOTON-PBL program, the OSA Foundation has provided the Oakridge High School with PHOTON Optics Kits, which enable students to participate in hands-on activities. Through exposure to real world optics equipment and PBL learning, students are provided the opportunity to explore careers in the field of optics and photonics.
Youth Science Education Outreach Grants
These grants support the grassroots education efforts of OSA Local Sections and Student Chapters. These programs focus on local educators, parents, and students with the objective of sharing information and generating excitement about science.
View a list of 2010 Winter/Spring Grant Recipients
Learn more about this program
Education Materials for Developing Nations
This new grant program provides optics education materials to volunteers and educators residing in developing nations. Materials include: “Optics: Light at Work” (DVD), Terrific Telescopes, Optics Discovery Kits, multi-lingual posters with lesson guides, and more. If you are interested in receiving materials please contact us at opticseducation@osa.org.
Programs currently supported by the Future Innovators Fund:
Student Professional Development Program
To further support our mission to help students from around the world build successful careers in optics and photonics, the OSA Foundation is a proud sponsor of professional development programming at CLEO and FiO. Programming includes: networking events to establish relationships between students and OSA leaders; professional development sessions covering topics such as resume writing, presentation skills, and career development; and numerous guest presenters from academia and the industry.
Robert S. Hilbert Memorial Student Travel Grants
Established in memory of Robert S. Hilbert, President and Chief Executive Officer of Optical Research Associates (ORA), this program recognizes the research excellence of students in the areas of optical engineering, lens design and/or illumination design. All students submitting their papers during the regular “call for papers” process for International Optical Design Conference (IODC) are eligible for the competition. Please see the meeting page for complete details.
Optical Fabrication and Testing (OF&T) Student Awards
The OF&T Best Student Paper Award has been established to encourage excellence in research and scientific presentation skills in the student optics community. All students submitting their papers during the regular “call for papers” process for OF&T are eligible for the competition. Please see the meeting page for complete details.
Corning Outstanding Student Paper Competition
This competition, endowed by Corning, Inc., recognizes innovation, research excellence, and presentation abilities in optical communications. All students submitting their papers during the regular “call for papers” process for OFC/NFOEC are eligible for the competition. Please see the Submission section of www.ofcnfoec.org for complete details.
Maiman Student Paper Competition
This competition, endowed by HRL Laboratories, LLC, IEEE Photonics Society (formerly LEOS), and APS Division of Laser Science, honors Theodore Maiman for his amazing invention, the first working laser, and his other outstanding contributions to optics and photonics. All students submitting their papers during the regular “call for papers” process for CLEO/QELS are eligible for the competition. Complete details will be available in the Student Programs section of www.cleoconference.org. This new competition was announced during the Theodore Maiman Tribute Symposium: Invention and Demonstration of the World’s First Laser, which took place during CLEO/QELS 2008. View photos from the symposium.
Harvey M. Pollicove Memorial Scholarship
This annual scholarship is awarded to a student pursuing a degree in the field of precision optics manufacturing. This program honors the work of Harvey Pollicove and was made possible by the contributions of Harvey Pollicove’s friends and colleagues to the H.M. Pollicove Memorial Fund. The 2009 scholarship was presented to Katie Schwertz, University of Arizona. Students from the University of Central Florida will be eligible for the 2010 scholarship.
Emil Wolf Outstanding Student Paper Competition
This competition has been established in honor of Professor Emil Wolf’s many contributions to science and the Optical Society, and recognizes the innovation and research excellence of students presenting their work during the Frontiers in Optics (FiO) conference. The first prizes will be presented in 2009. Winners will receive a complimentary one-year OSA Student Membership, an award stipend of $300 USD, and an award certificate. This competition is administered by the OSA Foundation and sponsored by Optics Communications published by Elsevier. Additional support has also been provided by Physical Optics Corporation, the University of Rochester Physics Department, the Institute of Optics, and individual contributors. Additional funds are needed to permanently fund this program. We hope you will consider making a contribution to this program.
Jean Bennett Memorial Student Travel Grant
This program was established in memory of Jean M. Bennett, a highly decorated research physicist who was recognized for her contributions to the studies of optical surfaces and served as OSA’s first female president. This travel grant program will recognize the research excellence of a student presenting their work at the Frontiers in Optics (FiO) conference. The OSA Foundation is currently raising fund to endow this program and plans to present the first grant in 2010. Contribute to this program.
Programs currently supported by the Global Outreach Fund:
International Student Travel Grants
The Foundation provides travel support to students from developing nations so that they may attend OSA-managed technical meetings and conferences.
OSA Student Ambassador Program
This new initiation is intended to foster communication and relationships between OSA, its members, and optical engineers and scientists working in developing nations by providing second and third year US graduate students with an opportunity to spend three to four weeks during the summer in a country/region with a strong optics program as OSA Ambassadors. The Ambassadors are expected to make an oral presentation of their research and interact with professors, researchers, students, and staff in the host institution. They will integrate into the culture and exchange their ideas with fellow optical engineers and scientists.
Click here for a list of completed OSA Foundation programs.
