The programs include an online bachelor鈥檚 degree in exceptional student education 鈥� learning and language, and online master鈥檚 degrees in elementary education, reading education, and optics and photonics.

Because not all potential students can attend in-person classes, 麻豆原创 Online is adding these to its growing list of fully online programs.

鈥淎s someone who originally worked my way through school as a paraprofessional, I personally understand the challenges when coursework is not accessible,鈥� says Associate Professor Rebecca Hines, director of one of the new online programs.

The programs are:

Exceptional Student Education 鈥� Learning and Language

This bachelor鈥檚 program prepares students to work with children with disabilities, and jointly with the university鈥檚 noncertificate learning and language track prepares students for a career in a school setting or with other agencies serving children with disabilities

Special education is a critical shortage area in school systems in Florida and around the country, but attending college may not always be an option for those who need to work their way through school.

Hines says this program was set up for students who already may be working as paraprofessionals in special education classrooms, parents who may have set aside their careers while raising a family, those looking to follow a path into a second career, or parents of children with disabilities interested in learning more about how to support their children.

Students interested in teaching can align specialization courses to meet state requirements and apply for certification after graduating. The learning and language track includes courses that cover language development and communication disorders, Autism Spectrum Disorder, child and adolescent development, and ethical and legal concerns.

鈥淭his option may be an attractive stepping-stone for students who wish to continue in school and pursue a career as a speech pathologist,鈥� Hines says.

Elementary Education

This master鈥檚 program is designed for elementary educators with at least one year of teaching experience who hold a temporary or professional certification. Educators who are teaching on a temporary certificate can earn their professional teaching certificate upon successfully passing the Florida Teacher Certification Examinations.

鈥淒istricts throughout the state are working hard to make sure their teachers are highly qualified, and the online elementary education M.Ed.聽provides an outstanding opportunity for them to earn qualifications and endorsements,鈥� says Associate Lecturer Lisa Brooks, coordinator of the program. 鈥淲ith busy schedules and high work demands, teachers need flexibility regarding coursework. Providing an online degree is one way to ensure access to anyone who would like to further their knowledge and skills.鈥�

Certified teachers have the option to choose from several highly sought-after endorsement and specialization options, including reading endorsement, English to Speakers of Other Languages endorsement (ESOL), gifted education specialization, exceptional education specialization, and more.

Nonprofit private school teachers in Florida are eligible for tuition reimbursement from the Florida Department of Education, and teachers who have supervised interns from any Florida university are also eligible for tuition waivers.

鈥淭here is a current teacher shortage in Florida. At the same time, many teachers in the state are teaching out of field,鈥� Brooks says. 鈥淭hat means they must earn the necessary qualifications to keep their positions. Earning a master’s degree provides more than the minimum requirements. It ensures professional growth opportunities.鈥�

Reading Education聽聽

This master鈥檚 program is designed for practicing or prospective K-12 teachers with courses aligned to the International Literacy Association鈥檚 Standards for the Preparation of Literacy Professionals.

The program meets Florida鈥檚 requirements for K-12 reading certification and fulfills recent Florida legislation requiring reading intervention content for recertification.

鈥淢any public schools are in need of literacy/instructional coaches to provide high-quality. job-embedded, professional development for in-service teachers鈥his degree meets this demand,鈥� says Associate Professor Andrea Gelfuso.

There has been an increase in nonprofit and private organizations that target the literacy needs of children, and this degree would help someone secure a job as a director, curriculum specialist or reading specialist in one of those organizations.

Although the classes are within a fully online program, the college will still offer opportunities for students to engage in research with faculty and present at national conferences to help develop experiences and a resume that reflect leadership qualities, Gelfuso says.

Optics and Photonics

This program is designed for students with a bachelor鈥檚 degree in electrical engineering, physics, mechanical engineering or related fields.

The in-depth curriculum covers electromagnetics, physical optics, lasers, optoelectronics, fiber optics, imaging and other fields.

鈥淲e are one of the few programs in the United States to offer a graduate program in optics and photonics,鈥� says Professor David J. Hagan, interim dean of the college. 鈥淢any potential photonics masters students are already working in industry鈥nd creating a fully online option allows students around the state of Florida and nationwide to have access to our program.鈥�

The study of optics and photonics is a relatively young field and has advanced greatly in recent years because of the impact across all aspects of our daily lives, from medicine to communications, manufacturing, security and defense. The field is becoming a dominant factor in today鈥檚 technological advances.

The college鈥檚 Center for Research and Education in Optics and Lasers (CREOL) pioneers collaborations and research with widespread applications.

Hagan says graduates will have enhanced career opportunities in the areas of imaging and remote sensing, electro-optic systems, fiber optic and laser communications, laser systems, directed energy, laser materials processing and optical design.

鈥淭he college is an exciting place for students to have an outstanding educational experience to interact with world-leading researchers in a broad spectrum of programs,鈥� says Professor Jim Moharam, graduate program interim associate dean.

Hagan joined 麻豆原创 in 1987 and is a founding faculty member of CREOL, 麻豆原创鈥檚 renowned Center for Research and Education in Optics and Lasers. Since December 2019, he has served as the college鈥檚 interim dean and was previously an associate dean for academic programs.

鈥淒avid is a top scholar and a seasoned leader. I am grateful that he has accepted this important responsibility, as I know his colleagues are as well,鈥� says Johnson. 鈥淚 look forward to working with him to keep the College of Optics and Photonics on its remarkable upward trajectory.鈥�

As dean, Hagan will direct efforts to advance the college鈥檚 world-class excellence in optics, lasers and photonics, particularly in research, education and industry partnerships. Hagan鈥檚 appointment concludes an intensive search process for the successor of former Dean Bahaa E.A. Saleh, who led the college for a decade before returning to the faculty.

Hagan has been a major influence in shaping curriculum in the college and is highly accomplished in teaching and research. Aside from being a Pegasus Professor, which is the highest distinction a faculty member can earn at 麻豆原创, Hagan is an International Society for Optics and Photonic Fellow, an Optical Society of America Fellow and a senior member of the IEEE Photonics Society.

鈥淚 am honored to have been chosen to lead the exceptional group of faculty, students and staff that form CREOL and the College of Optics and Photonics,” Hagan says. “This is an exciting time for 麻豆原创 as we pursue the goal of becoming a top 50 U.S. public research university. I will make sure that optics and photonics are right up front, leading the charge.鈥�

Hagan earned his bachelor of science and his doctorate in physics at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland.

麻豆原创 Assistant Professor Jayan Thomas, in collaboration with Carnegie Mellon University Associate Professor Rongchao Jin chronicle their work in the July issue of the journal Nano Letters.

Thomas is working with gold nanoparticles and studying their properties when they are shrunk into a small size regime called nanoclusters. Nanoparticles are already microscopic in size, and a nanometer is about 1/80000 of the thickness of a single strand of聽 human hair. Nanoclusters are on the small end and nanocrystals are on the larger end of the nanoregime. Nano clusters are so small that the laws of physics that govern the world people touch and smell aren鈥檛 often observed.

鈥淣anoclusters occupy the intriguing quantum size regime between atoms and nanocrystals, and the synthesis of ultra-small, atomically precise metal nanoclusters is a challenging task,鈥� Thomas said.

Thomas and his team found that nanoclusters developed by adding atoms in a sequential manner could provide interesting optical properties. It turns out that the gold nanoclusters exhibit qualities that may make them suitable for creating surfaces that would diffuse laser beams of high energy. They appear to be much more effective than its big sister, gold nanocrystal which is the (nano)material used by artists to make medieval church window paintings.

So why does it matter?

Think of commercial pilots or fighter pilots. They use sunglasses or helmet shields to protect their eyes from the sun鈥檚 light. If the glasses or helmet shield could be coated with nanoclusters tested in Thomas鈥� lab at 麻豆原创, the shield could potentially diffuse high-energy beams of light, such as laser. Highly sensitive instruments needed for navigation and other applications could also be protected in case of an enemy attack using high energy laser beams.

鈥淭hese results give me great pleasure since the technique we used to study the optical properties of these atomically precise particle is one invented by 麻豆原创 Professors Eric VanStryland and David Hagan many years ago,鈥� Thomas said. 鈥淏ut the progression we鈥檝e made is very exciting.鈥�

Because nanoclusters appear to have a better ability to diffuse high beams of energy, they are a promising area for future development. There is still plenty of applications to be explored using these very interesting atomically engineered materials. Until now, much research has been focused on the larger nanocrystal.

Thomas is also exploring the use of these particles in the polymer material used for 3D telepresence to make it more sensitive to light. If successful, it can take the current polymers a step closer to developing real time 3D telepresence.

3D-Telepresence provides a holographic illusion to a viewer who is present in another location by giving that person a 360-degree view (in 3D) of everything that鈥檚 going on. It鈥檚 a step beyond 3-D and is expected to revolutionize the way people see television and in how they participate in activities around the world. For example, by allowing a viewer to 鈥渨alk around鈥� a remote location as if in a virtual game, a surgeon could help execute a complicated medical procedure from thousands of miles away.

Others who contributed to the new material include: Reji Philip from the 麻豆原创鈥檚 NanoScience Technology Center, Panit Chantharasupawong from 麻豆原创鈥檚 College of Optics and Photonics, and Huifeng Qian from Department of Chemistry at the Carnegie Mellon University.

Thomas joined 麻豆原创 in 2011 and is a part of the NanoScience Technology Center with a joint appointment in The College of Optics and Photonics and the Department of Material Science and Engineering in the College of Engineering. Previously he was at the University of Arizona in its College of Optical Sciences. He has several degrees including a Ph. D. in Chemistry/Material Science from Cochin University of Science and Technology in India. He鈥檚 earned several awards and grants.

麻豆原创 Nanotech Unlocks Big Possibilities

Professor Laurene Tetard uses nanoscience to detect new diseases before they spread, improve plant health, boost solar energy, and aid biofuel production.

Optics and lasers researchers at the 麻豆原创, led by Professors David Hagan and Eric Van Stryland, have found a technology that could eliminate the need for cold and the weight, making it possible to jettison expensive and bulky cooling units for large infrared devices.

The exciting discovery was made with a common material called gallium nitride that is currently used to read Blu-ray DVDs.

The team鈥檚 research is featured in the September issue of out this week.

Much more research is needed. But Hagan said the new material may offer an alternative to expensive liquid nitrogen, which boils at a chilly 200 degrees Celsius below zero.

鈥淚f you have to cool with liquid nitrogen, it鈥檚 not very practical,鈥� Hagan said. 鈥淭his discovery opens up possibilities.鈥�

Lightweight cameras are one possibility. Another is an infrared sensor on a military airplane that wouldn鈥檛 be bogged down by a bulky cooling unit.

Infrared detection and other thermal imaging systems are usually based on the material mercury cadmium telluride, or MCT. Researchers had long wanted to see if the material gallium nitride, or GaN, could detect infrared light and produce similar results compared to detectors with MCT.

The researchers used uncooled GaN detectors and an effect called two-photon absorption in which they tested two photons of light of different wavelengths.

鈥淭here are other technologies that measure infrared, but they are not very sensitive,鈥� Hagan said. 鈥淲e made the two-photon absorption very strong, and we found that using gallium nitride as a semiconductor provides surprisingly good sensitivity to infrared.鈥�

Hagan and Van Stryland authored the paper with post-doctoral researchers Dmitry Fishman, Lazaro Padilha and Scott Webster and graduate students Claudiu Cirloganu, Trenton Ensley and Morgan Monroe in 麻豆原创鈥檚 College of Optics and Photonics.

The researchers used short bursts of light to conduct their initial experiments. Next, the team will test longer bursts that would be required to make the new technology practical. They also will be looking to develop devices that can house this new technology.

鈥淧eople are always interested in new types of infrared detection,鈥� Van Stryland said. 鈥淢y guess is we鈥檙e going to find some application niches people couldn鈥檛 do before.鈥�