PHOTONICS
Physics and Computer Science Department, Wilfrid Laurier University
Photonics is the science of light. Optics is the science of vision
Photonics program History
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In 2003, the department launched the unique Honours BSc Photonics program with specific emphasis on data communications and networks. The program leveraged existing faculty strength in photonics and communications (J. Lit, M. Wartak, S. Song). As physics faculty retired (H. Bezner, A. Read, J. Blackburn, J. Lit), replacement hires brought strength in photonics (L. Wei, B. West) and quantum computation and quantum optics (S. Ghose, A. Kaltchenko). Additional plans for postgraduate training and certification were shelved when segments of the telecommunication industry experienced a severe downturn, in particular our proposed corporate partner Nortel Networks. Also in 2006, the Academic Sequential Mobility Program with Jiangsu University started. For the Jiangsu 2+2 Photonics program, students from Jiangsu University do their first two years at the highly specialized Optical Electronics program in the Mechanical Engineering School at Jiangsu University and complete their last two years of study in the Photonics program at Laurier. In 2013 we started collaboration with Niagara College Canada on the creation of a pathway from a diploma to a degree.