Our friends at TryEngineering and the IEEE Photonics Society are digging into Photonics! They post about it every Tuesday of March. Here is a little peek at what they are up to!

What do light, lasers, and fiber optics all have in common? Photonics! Without a doubt, photonics is really cool! From smartphone applications and laser shows to solar power and biomedical advancements, photonics is making our world a better place.

Photonics is the science and technology of generating and controlling light particles called photons, and, in particular, using light to carry information. The IEEE Photonics Society is transforming science into technology. Explore how you can too, through this exciting world of photonics.

• Learn what photonics is and why it is important. Watch “What is Photonics?“ video by Innovation Trail and enjoy this fun animated video called the Stolen Cup by Photonics4ALL. 
• Hear about photonics innovations in Cheryl Schnitzer’s, “We are in a Photonics Revolution“ Tedx Talk and take a look at the indispensable role of photonics in our lives on Photon Terrace’s applications of light site.
• Many of our everyday technologies rely on photonics, even our smartphones run on or are created by over 100 different photonics applications. Watch this “A Bright Future with Photonics” video by Sci2 to learn more.

Have fun and learn more about photonics and optics by trying out some hands-on activities.

• Build a classroom cave using Laser Classroom’s Light is for Seeing activity and explore how light illuminates objects and allows us to see them.
• How fast does light move? Measure the speed of light with a chocolate bar in this fun activity from Laser Classroom.  
• Test your Heart Rate with a Photonics app! GoPhoton! Heart Rate is an educational app created by GoPhoton!. This app, using your camera phone, allows you to measure your heart rate by analyzing the changes in absorption of light by the blood as your heart beats.
• Discover how to transmit music over a laser beam by manipulating mirrors. Check out this Laser Challenge by DiscoverE. 
• Optical Illusions can use color, light and patterns to create images that can trick to our brains. Anamorphic cylinder art is an optical illusion developed by artists as far back as the 1600’s as a way to hide and code messages in their artwork.Try creating your own version with Instructables, Cylinder Mirror Art. 
• Have you watched a movie with 3D glasses? If you have, you will know that 3D glasses make it appear as if images are jumping right off the page. If you haven’t, now is your chance. You can make your own 3D glass with steps provided by Wikihow. Learn how 3D glasses work in this video by Scientific American.
• Design a lens system, to improve vision with TryEngineering’s lesson an Eye for Optics
• What exactly is color?  Why is it that one M&M is red and another one is green? Of course, it all has to do with light! Explore all about color in Laser Classrooms activity, Color Absorption and Reflection with M&M’s

Be Inspired by hearing how your peers are making a difference in their communities and then try it yourself! 

• International Day of Light is May 16 each year. Let’s celebrate what light can do for all of us. #SEETHELIGHT is a worldwide message encouraging all to join the conversation and celebrate the importance of the science of light and light-based technologies in our lives.
  • Find hope in the research into light-based solutions for infectious diseases such as COVID-19.
  • Discover how light is expanding clean energy access with solar technologies, lighting the world with efficient LEDs and monitoring the health of our planet with laser light.
• Read how students are making a difference with Lasers in the Forbes article by Rich Blake, From LEGO To Lasers: Kids Invent The Coolest Things.
• IEEE Senior Member Lidia Galdino and her team at the Optical Networks Group at University College London set a world optical fiber transmission record. Learn more via at IEEE Spectrum and how their advancement could carry 100 million Zoom sessions over a single optical fiber.
• Solar power is the conversion of energy from sun-“light” into electricity, through photonic design of photovoltaics. Solar provides clean, affordable light and energy to underserved communities and millions of families all around the world. Learn more about Unite-to-Light and SolarAid, two non-profits making a solar difference.
  • Middle, high school and college solar competitions take place annually. Learn more about the PVSC Solar Energy Video Pitch Competition, the winning Solar4Students: School Pavilions project and the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon collegiate competition.
• COVID-19 Response:
  • IEEE Kenyatta University Student Branch and IEEE Photonics Student Chapter in Nairobi design a low-cost ventilator using locally sourced materials to combat COVID-19, which come with a UN Persons of the Year Award and Chapter of the Year. Read more via IEEE Spectrum.
  • Learn more about how viruses and bacteria can be destroyed by UV light exposure via this IEEE Virtual Tech Talk: UV lighting vs. COVID-19.

Have a different idea on how to make a positive difference in your community? Be creative! Then share with the TryEngineering family to inspire others to do the same.

• Write down at least one thing you learned about photonics.
• Think about how to inspire others and make a difference in your community through light science.  
• Have you, a family member, or teacher share your work on Facebook or Twitter using #tryengineeringtuesday. We want to hear from you!  
• If you tried any of the activities, make sure you download your IEEE Photonics Society Badge. Collect them all and store them using this badge collection tool.

Thank you to the IEEE Photonics Society for making this TryEngineering Tuesday possible!

If you are interested in engineering and you want to explore more about your potential future in the industry check out the TryEningeering Summer Institute. At this summer engineering program for high school students, you’ll explore various engineering fields, such as electrical, civil, mechanical, and aerospace. Our engineering summer camp allows for you to meet and work alongside real life professional engineers, which can be a rewarding experience not found at other engineering camps.

This summer the TryEngineering Summer Institute has added two brand new locations to our roster! Join us at Case Western Reserve University (July 11-24, 2021) or the University of San Diego (June 27 – July 10 or July 11 – July 24, 2021). These two locations will be touting our IEEE developed curriculum and the best of the best in hands on learning.

No matter which location you choose to attend you can be sure that you will be fully immersed into a variety of engineering practices. Everything from mechanical, electrical, civil, aerospace engineering and more!

Enroll today: https://tryengineeringinstitute.ieee.org/

We are so excited to share information about the TryEngineering Summer Institute Scholarship Program with you and your students.

A number of additional need-based scholarships are available for students who have a passion for engineering, but who don’t have the financial means to attend the TryEngineering Summer Institute program. As a scholarship recipient, they’ll have the opportunity to attend tuition-free with room and board included.

Scholarship Deadline: April 9th, 2021

IEEE, the world’s largest not-for-profit technical association for engineers and technologists, created this program to inspire the next generation of problem-solvers and difference-makers. Held on university campuses across the United States, this two-week summer program helps teenagers explore STEM in a whole new way—and the experience looks great on college applications!

During the program, students ages 13-17 will experience:

• Hands-on design challenges
• Life on a college campus
• A chance to speak to working engineers about their career paths
• Field trips to engineering facilities (previous visits have included NASA’s Johnson Space Center, ConEdison power stations, and more)

If you’d like, I can provide informational materials about the program that you can share with your students. You can also access information materials here on our website.

Thanks for being part of our mission to introduce the next generation to a fulfilling career in engineering and helping to make a difference in the lives of these students. Together, we can help put more kids on the path to STEM careers.

Teach your students the basics of electricity and magnetism with the IEEE TryEngineering lesson plan, “Basic Electricity & Magnetism: “But it’s the Law, Doktor Ohm!”. This is a simple activity great for kids ages 8 – 18. Learn more today about our high school engineering camps here.

Lesson Focus

This lesson focuses on the basics of electricity and magnetism. It begins by outlining the work of some of the early experimenters and the sequence which eventually led to the realization of how a changeable electromagnetic field could be harnessed to other purposes. From there the lesson goes on to demonstrate how electric currents, magnetic fields and electrostatic fields are so closely related.  A series of simple hands-on activities are provided at the end of the lesson. The lesson ends with a section in which the students are invited to discuss with the teacher, various ways in which they think these demonstrations could be improved.

Very young engineers are inventing solutions to some very old problems. Recently, the prestigious 2020 Broadcom MASTERS® competition released its list of finalists. The program is the leading STEM competition for middle school students in the United States. It aims to encourage young scientists, engineers and innovators to solve major problems that plague the 21st Century. Out of the 3,476 students who applied, 300 were selected. Of these, 52 percent were girls and 47 percent were boys hailing from 34 states, including Puerto Rico. 

Ishana Kumar, a 6th grader from New York, took home the top award — the $25,000 Samueli Foundation Prize — for her project “Color Is in the Eye of the Beholder: The Role of Retinal Fatigue on Imaginary Fechner Colors,” which examines how retinal fatigue impacts the way we see color.

Charlotte Lenore Simon Michluk, an 8th grader from New Jersey, won the $10,000 Department of Defense STEM Leadership Prize for inventing an environmentally friendly coating that can prevent barnacles from growing on ships, which create drag and increase the cost of fuel during transport. 

Julia Olshwang, an 8th grader from California, won the $10,000 Lemelson Award for Invention category for his device “Talk to the Hand,” a glove that allows hearing-impaired people to translate sign language into text or speech.  

Anita Genko, an 8th grader from Michigan, won first place in the Engineering Award category for a test she developed that detects lead chromate, an additive, in turmeric, a popular spice. The additive brightens the yellow color of turmeric, making it more appealing to buyers, but can be toxic.

JT Mulvihill, an 8th grader from Arizona, won second place in the Engineering Award category for his football helmet design, which protects a player’s head during various kinds of impacts.

Click here to see the full list of 2020 Broadcom MASTERS® and watch their presentations.