From Classroom to Career

News
Written By Kris Light

AIM Photonics Summer Interns Gain Experience While Contributing to Industry Advancement

Developing the skilled workforce needed to support U.S. integrated photonics manufacturing requires more than classroom instruction. Students also need opportunities to apply what they are learning in real-world environments. AIM Photonics’ internship program allows students hands-on experience, experiential learning, while gaining an understanding how their skills contribute to the broader process of advancing technology from development through manufacturing.

This summer, AIM Photonics provided students from U.S. colleges and universities with the opportunities to contribute to current and ongoing Institute projects. Interns worked alongside Institute staff in design and modeling, manufacturing process development, testing and characterization, and emerging tech marketing. They also learned about the integrated photonics industry and built up their practical knowledge and be able to contribute their own ideas to  the biggest technological, industry, and real-world problems.

This year’s cohort also reflected the range of skills required for the growing integrated photonics industry. As the need for advanced technologies and domestic manufacturing capabilities expands, so does the need for professionals who can support, coordinate, and communicate that work. In addition to traditional science and engineering disciplines (STEM), AIM Photonics expanded internship opportunities to prepare for a future in a high-tech world such as technical marketing, where an understanding of complex technologies must be paired with the ability to communicate the application and research, and the value of that work to a broader range of stakeholders.

“As engineers and technicians accelerate the research and development needed to meet our future technology demands so does the need for a composite of workforce-ready professionals,” says Leah Scott, Director of Communications and Information Management, who hosted one of the interns this summer. “Developing expertise in technology-adjacent fields—including technical marketing, finance, IP management, program administration, and operations—is equally important to support innovation and move discoveries forward. We have to build those skills up in parallel as well.”

Internships are just one component of AIM Photonics’ Education and Workforce Development program. Preparing a highly skilled workforce with the knowledge and experience needed by the U.S. integrated photonics industry is an Institute imperative. By engaging students in meaningful work across technical and supporting disciplines, the program helps strengthen the talent pipeline needed to support continued innovation and onshoring of domestic manufacturing.

Related links:

Kris Light
Next

AIM Photonics Introduces Assembly Design Kit to Streamline Photonic Packaging Design