Welcome to the Photonics Explorer web portal.
The Photonics Explorer program will equip science teachers at Europe's secondary schools free-of-charge with up-to-date educational material to really engage, excite and educate students about the fascination of working with light.
Take a cup of tea or coffee, make it yourself comfortable and explore the information this site offers to you. If there is anything you would like to tell or ask us, please do not hesitate to send us an email.
Your Photonics Explorer team.
Photonics Explorer Workshops for teachers from Brussels
08.05.2012 -
By the support of 'Brussels-Capital Region ', the teachers from Brussels have the opportunity to receive free of charge a 'Photonics Explorer kit'. Each kit contains a class set of generic, durable and versatile optical experimental components (including o.a. 10 lasers, 10 LED modules, 30 lenses, an optical fiber, 20 polarizers, .... ) for a class of 25 - 30 students. This is supported by a didactic framework consisting of worksheets, factsheets, teacher guide and multimedia material available o.a. in Dutch , French, English and German.
Read more
Photonics Explorer - prize winning photonics innovation at SPIE Photonics Europe 2012!
The EYESTvzw was awarded a special category prize at SPIE Photonics Europe 2012. 18 competitors from 12 countries participated in the Photonics Innovation Village which provided broad exposure and publicity to young innovators who are developing photonics-based products of the future. Prizes were provided by the Brussels Capital Region and SPIE and were awarded for five technical projects along with a special-category prize for a project to provide science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education materials to secondary school students.
Photonics Explorer commended as a ‘great initiative’ by Vice President of the European Commission Neelie Kroes.
Following a very successful presentation by Amrita Prasad (CEO-EYESTvzw) at the Photonics21 Annual Meeting of Stakeholders, Vice President of the European Commission, Neelie Kroes, commended the great effort of the EYESTvzw team. In her keynote speech, she emphasised the need to support EYESTvzw in the distribution of the Photonics Explorer kits. On her blog she commented saying that it is ‘a great initiative going on to bring photonics to Europe’s schools’ [http://blogs.ec.europa.eu/neelie-kroes/photonics/].
EYESTvzw and Photonics Explorer in the press
SPIE has showcased the Photonics Explorer in their latest press release following the Photonics21 Annual Meeting of Stakeholders. Read the full article: http://spie.org/x86708.xml
EYESTvzw at the Innovation Village at Photonics Europe
EYESTvzw will participate with a booth at the Innovation Village to showcase the Photonics Explorer at Photonics Europe 2012 in Brussels to be held between 16-19thApril 2012. Photonics Europe is the largest Photonics conference in Europe. In 2012 the programme includes 1500 presentations showcasing research from 18 conferences. The Innovation Village gives start ups the opportunity to highlight their work and connect with funding organisations. Two prizes are also awarded in the categories of "Best Innovation by an Individual Researcher" and "Best Innovation by a Multilateral Project, Organisation or Company". For more information visit http://spie.org/x85380.xml#
CYMER Inc joins EYEST vzw as its first effective member to help engage, excite and educate students across Europe!
CYMER Inc, a leading manufacturer of light sources for semiconductor chips, is supporting EYESTvzw as its first effective member. The CYMER Inc. in Netherlands will work with Local Associated Partners of EYESTvzw to bring the Photonics Explorer kits to schools in Netherlands.
Photonics Explorer to be presented at Photonics21 Annual Meeting
Amrita Prasad, CEO of EYESTvzw and co-developer of the Photonics Explorer kit, has been invited to speak at the Photonics21 Annual Meeting on 28th March 2012 in Brussels. Photonics21 is the European Technology Platform for photonics. The platform represents photonics research priorities at European level and aims to implement a common photonics strategy for Europe and to align synergies between industry, science and politics.
Europe wide field testing
The Photonics Explorer successfully tested in 7 countries with over 1500 students!
The Photonics Explorer kit was extensively tested in secondary schools across Europe from September - December 2011. Over 1500 students participated in the field tests that took place in 7 EU countries – Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Poland, Spain and UK. In each country the kit was tested in the local language. The developer team and evaluation team from IPN visited several classrooms to interact with the students and teachers and watch the kit in action!
EYESTvzw – Excite Youth for Engineering Science and Technology
A non-profit organisation has been established to ensure the sustainability of the Photonics Explorer kit and mass distribution throughout Europe.
The EU funded EXPEKT project supported the development and testing of the Photonics Explorer kit in its scope. The Photonics Explorer team, with support from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, have now established a non-profit organisation, EYESTvzw, to ensure the sustainability of the kit beyond the EU funded phase. EYESTvzw, is dedicated to raising the interest of young people in science, technology and engineering. The organisation will achieve its goals through the creation and dissemination of educational programs to schools which will always be distributed free of charge. EYEST is responsible for the exclusive distribution of the Photonics Explorer throughout and beyond Europe.
Photonics Explorer now being field tested!
The pilot field tests of the Photonics Explorer kits commence in seven countries across Europe
After a successful workshop held at the DESY in Hamburg on 30th August 2011, the pilot field tests of the Photonics Explorer kit have now begun. The kit is being tested in seven European countries; Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Poland, Spain and the United Kingdom with the didactic material translated into the corresponding seven languages.
Workshop at DESY, Hamburg, Germany on August 30, 2011
We kindly invite you to the Photonics Explorer workshop at the Deutsches Elektron-Synchrotron in Hamburg, Germany
The EXPEKT team invites you to the first Workshop of the Photonics Explorer kit. The Photonics Explorer is now completed with 8 Educational Modules spanning upper and lower secondary age groups. The kit is now ready to be tested in 7 European countries.
The first prototypes of the Photonics Explorer are the result of over 12 months of development and the valuable input of several volunteers from the field, who have contributed their time and efforts. These prototypes will be presented at the workshop.
The full programme and the registration form can be found under the read more link. Please note that attendance is free of charge but registration is required.
Why we love to work in science
Survey provides interesting insights into how researchers see their jobs and themselves
One of the educational modules developed for the Photonics Explorer is designed to let students picture themselves in a career as researcher. To give them a feel for working as a researcher, we asked researchers working in industry, academia and for NGOs to share their view on what a career as scientist or engineer can offer - and what it takes to be a researcher.
Lots of fun at light workshops for schools
Students enjoy the "Light works" workshops
The Photonics Explorer Team has been involved in various local and European events over the last 6 months. More than 150 secondary school students enjoyed working with light at different workshops and 'lab-skills competitions'. Although these activities aim primarily at having fun with light, they are at the same time a valuable testbed for components and educational concepts of the Photonics Explorer kit.
EXPEKT's Strategic Advisory Board meeting
EXPEKT's board meets to discuss the long-term strategy for the Photonics Explorer Program
EXPEKTS first Strategic Advisory Board meeting was held in Paris on the 29th of October 2010. The Board members were updated with the progress in the development of the Photonics Explorer. They also discussed the best strategies with respect to dissemination, industry collaborations and the establishment of a non-profit organisation to continue the program beyond the EU-funded project EXPEKT.
Students impress with nanometer accuracy
Around 100 students participated in the Photonics Explorer "lab-skills competition" at the ICT 2010 conference in Brussels - and achieved really impressive results.
Successful experiments and accurate measurements require creativity, ingenuity, patience, fingerspitzengefühl, and - last but not least - luck. That is what students experienced when they were confronted with the measurement challenges at the Photonics Explorer lab-skills competition.
The Photonics Explorer on Scientix.eu
New links to the wider science education community in Europe.
The European Commission has launched Scientix (www.scientix.eu), a new web portal targeted towards teachers, researchers, policy makers, local actors, parents and anyone interested in science education. The Photonics Explorer program will be included into this portal and thus be even stronger linked to the wider science education community in Europe.
Fyke says hello
Fyke will join the students in discovering photonics.
Artist Erwin Heylen has his own view on the physics of light. And he knows how to express it with a few lines - not always too serious, but to the point.
EXPEKT - Support from the European Union
The European Union invests in the development of the Photonics Explorer.
The European Commission has granted 550 000 Euros for EXPEKT, a project dedicated to the development and testing of the Photonics Explorer. The EU will thus support teachers in their efforts towards the common goal of better, and more up-to-date science education.
The project progress bar
See where we stand, and where we will go next.
A single glance at the project progress tells you where we stand with our work and what the next steps will be.
Photonics Explorer goes online
The new Photonics Explorer website is up and running.
A warm welcome to the new 'virtual home' of the Photonics Explorer program. At www.PhotonicsExplorer.eu you can read from now on the latest news about our program and keep up-to-date with related events and projects for secondary level science education.
Online communication and collaboration platform launched
A new online tool will support the Educational Advisory Panel at its work.
With more than 30 specialists in science education located in 10 different countries, the Educational Advisory Panel requires advanced tools to ensure an efficient collaboration. The new online platform provides each panel member with her own 'virtual office' for their work.
Fast Answers
What is it all about?
The Photonics Explorer program will equip Europe’s secondary schools with up-to-date educational material on topics related to light and its technical use. The Photonics Explorer provides teachers with a class-set of components for hands-on experiments together with an inquiry-based didactic framework. It will be distributed free-of-charge and support teachers to engage, excite and educate students about the fascination of working with light.
What is photonics?
Photonics is the art of making light work for you. Just as electronics has changed the world by turning electrons into our every-day workhorses, photonics has changed our way of living by harnessing photons, small energy-units of light. We use them to carry information around the globe (e.g. for the internet), to generate electric energy, to detect diseases and heal, to cut and weld metal, to measure without touching or simply to read when it's dark outside. From the generation and shaping of light, to the transportation to its destination and its exactly controlled impact, photonics encompasses all aspects of handling electromagnetic radiation.
Why is it needed?
As more as teenagers like to possess and use the latest technological gadgets, as less they seem to be interested in what actually happens behind the user interface. At the same time, our society and everyone individually becomes increasingly dependent on science and technological progress. This raises the questions: Who is going to work on the scientific answers to the challenges we face as a society? How can we motivate young people to engage in the informed discussion about steering the efforts of scientists and the responsible use of technology?
The best place to raise young people’s interest in sciences is at school. Teachers play a key role in encouraging the next generation of scientists and engineers. The Photonics Explorer program therefore aims to support teachers in their efforts to make science an exciting and fun subject, while giving students a clear understanding of physical concepts and showing their relevance to the student’s every-day life.
For whom?
The work in this program is done for school kids. To make them experience the fascination of working with light first-hand, the Photonics Explorer will equip teachers for more engaging and exciting science lessons.
Who are we?
The Photonics Explorer program is teaming up teachers, scientists in pedagogy and experts in photonics to design an intra-curricula educational kit for secondary schools. More than 30 educators from 10 countries volunteer their time and expertise to ensure a high educational value and an easy integration of the material into the regular teaching.
This educational program is actively supported by sponsoring companies from several European countries.
The program is coordinated at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (Belgium) and scientifically evaluated by the Leibniz Institute for Science and Mathematics Education in Kiel (Germany).
How can I get involved?
The Photonics Explorer program builds on the enthusiasm of many volunteers that donate their time and expertise to improve science education in Europe. There are several ways you too can get involved, and each support is appreciated:
- Get informed and spread the word
- Share your ideas with us
- Apply as a pilot teacher to test the Photonics Explorer*
- Sponsor the program or donate in kind
- Contribute photos to illustrate the educational material
*Currently only possible in Bulgaria, Belgium, France, Germany, Poland, Spain and the UK.
Our sponsors
Our partners
Photonics Explorer movie
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