Michigan photonics group awards scholarships, adds members

June 24, 2014

Mi-Light, the Michigan photonics industry cluster, announced the funding and award of $5,000 in scholarships to four in-state academic institutions and the addition of six new members.

Conard Holton

Mi-Light (Ann Arbor, MI), the Michigan photonics industry cluster, announced the funding and award of $5,000 in scholarships to four in-state academic institutions. Each college or university was allocated $1,250 in funds to be awarded to students enrolled in a photonics programs. Funds were provided by the 21st Century Jobs Fund, a program designed to accelerate the growth and diversification of Michigan’s economy.

The recipients are: Baker College (Flint, MI), which started a new program in photonics and laser technology in the fall of 2013; the school of engineering at Grand Valley State University (Grand Rapids, MI), which offers courses on fiber optics and photovoltaic systems for undergraduate and graduate students, respectively: the college of electrical and computer engineering within Michigan Tech (Houghton, MI), which offers an undergraduate concentration in the area of photonics; and Northwestern Michigan College (Traverse City, MI), which offers a photonics specialization as part of their engineering technology degree.

Mi-Light recently announced that it has grown to over 30 members with the addition of Clark-MXR, Micro-LAM, Ophir-Spiricon, OSA, Thorlabs-UFO, and Michigan Technological University. The cluster was formed in late 2012 with the support of 11 founding sponsors and funding from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. The award of $89,000 enabled Mi-Light to start up activities supporting and promoting the growth of the State’s photonics industry. Since that time, Mi-Light has held three member meetings and launched a number of committees to work on goals to grow the organization and its capabilities.

For more information, contact Michelle Stock, chair of Mi-Light, at [email protected] or visit www.mi-light.org.

About the Author

Conard Holton | Editor at Large

Conard Holton has 25 years of science and technology editing and writing experience. He was formerly a staff member and consultant for government agencies such as the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority and the International Atomic Energy Agency, and engineering companies such as Bechtel. He joined Laser Focus World in 1997 as senior editor, becoming editor in chief of WDM Solutions, which he founded in 1999. In 2003 he joined Vision Systems Design as editor in chief, while continuing as contributing editor at Laser Focus World. Conard became editor in chief of Laser Focus World in August 2011, a role in which he served through August 2018. He then served as Editor at Large for Laser Focus World and Co-Chair of the Lasers & Photonics Marketplace Seminar from August 2018 through January 2022. He received his B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania, with additional studies at the Colorado School of Mines and Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.