Abstract

Visible and near-infrared spectroscopy is growing at a very fast in many areas, including forestry, medical, agriculture, defense, homeland security and food safety. Raman spectroscopy is also experiencing strong growth, because of its high sensitivity in detection of atmospheric molecules, bomb detection, and early detection of cancer. These growing applications have resulted in increased spectrometer sales, and increased demand for technical talent. This technical talent growth includes a higher demand for photonics/laser technicians in the field of spectroscopy.

To help better prepare graduates of the laser and photonics technology program, Central Carolina Community College, funded by the NSF ATE LASER-TEC grant, developed a module on “Advanced Spectroscopy” for inclusion in the “Laser Applications II” course, to complement the existing “Basic Spectroscopy” module. The “Advanced Spectroscopy” module’s focus is Raman Spectroscopy. Due to the high cost of Raman spectrometers, the module lab did not include a hands-on portion.

Recently, Wasatch Photonics has developed a Raman spectrometer for educational lab use. Students learn from hands-on assembly, alignment and calibration about the internal working of the spectrometer. During the spectrometer lab, students may also use different gratings and light sources.

During this session, LASER-TEC Co-PI Gary Beasley, Central Carolina CC, and Chrys Panayiotou, LASER-TEC PI will demo the spectrometer. A copy of the presentation will be shared with all participants.

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