Innovation is in full swing in the Applied Technology Building! A team of SUNY Broome’s standout Engineering Science: A.S. students was recently selected as one of just 12 finalist teams at the Community College Innovation Challenge (CCIC).
Hosted by the American Association of Community Colleges and the National Science Foundation, the CCIC challenges squads of community college students to creatively solve real-world problems with inventive STEM-based solutions. SUNY Broome’s team entered the CCIC with a response to the extreme shortage of a quantum-ready workforce.
Under the guidance of Professor Mo Hasanovic, Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at Syracuse University, Broome students Alexandra Bouillon, Vivianna Ricci, Marko Boyko, and Tobias Doak developed a Portable Quantum Optics Lab that is geared towards meeting workforce needs. The students received additional instruction from Professor Andrew Glenn in their Physics 2 course, and were able to apply this theory to their design concepts.
Addressing the issue at its core, the team focused on creating a portable, affordable quantum optics lab that offers students hands-on training with light, lasers, and measurement. By creating a compact, transportable optics kit, STEM students can apply theories in lasers and polarization into practical, in-the-field examples of superposition and quantum measurement. The team’s primary goal with the kit is to help students turn abstract concepts into digestible experiential learning without the hard math, ultimately helping to build a larger, highly skilled workforce.
The CCIC competition has produced products to address the issues of water quality, flooding, road maintenance, scam protection, and power grid maintenance. What distinguishes SUNY Broome’s innovation is that the team solved a workforce pipeline challenge as quantum industries are advancing faster than technician readiness.
As CCIC finalists, the SUNY Broome students, alongside their faculty mentor, Robert Lofthouse, Chair of Engineering Science, are required to attend the Innovation Challenge Boot Camp in Washington, D.C., this June to further develop their project. The Boot Camp is designed to strengthen the students’ innovation, entrepreneurship, and strategic communication skills.
Congratulations to the Portable Quantum Optics Lab Team on this impressive accomplishment – we wish you the best in Washington!
Meet the Portable Quantum Optics Lab Team! Marko Boyko, Tobias Doak, Alexandra Bouillon, and Vivianna Ricci. Photo Credit: Matt Ebbers
