Assistant Professor of Physics Michael Tripepi took 10 Hillsdale College students on a field trip to Thorlabs Ultrafast Optoelectronics facility in Ann Arbor last weekend. Thorlabs, Inc. produces photonics equipment used in research and biomedicine, with this Michigan facility specializing in high-speed optoelectronic products.
Freshman Henry Lennington said the tour made concepts about lasers easy to grasp.
“At Thorlabs they research new applications for optics and lasers, while also manufacturing lasers,” Lennington said. “Although their tour was geared toward upperclassmen with more experience and knowledge, they made it very understandable for our group of mostly freshmen.”
Tripepi wanted to take students on a field trip in order to connect them to what physics looks like in the real world.
“I really think it’s just a matter of seeing a side of society that maybe you don’t normally see,” Tripepi said. “You know, our world is just built on so many different technologies so it’s really cool to see how it gets made like, what these environments are like, the technology that these advanced pieces of equipment get developed in, and what kinds of people do this work.”
Thorlabs was founded in 1989 and manufactures optical and optomechanical systems that are needed by life science researchers. The Ann Arbor facility focuses on addressing a need for high-speed optoelectronic devices. It has more than 20 different locations worldwide, including in Japan, Germany, and Sweden.
Thorlabs usually only offers field trips for middle and high schoolers, making this Hillsdale group the first group of college students to formally tour the facility. Freshman physics and mathematics student Paige Lettow described the two demonstrations the group saw.
“One demonstration showed how lasers can be used to carry information, such as songs on a radio station,” Lettow said. “The other demonstrated how lasers can be used to cut various materials and how the use of crystals affects the output of the laser.”
Sophomore Erik Teder found that the experience helped him see what a potential future job may look like.
“The branch of Thorlabs we visited was a great example of an environment where engineers are given the freedom to tinker, collaborate, and develop products without wading through oceans of bureaucracy,” Teder said. “Thorlabs has more of a start-up culture in that respect, which is much more appealing to young people.
Tripepi said he is interested in doing more field trips in the future to help students gain a practical understanding of the concepts they learn in the classroom. If you’re interested in coming along on the next field trip or anything physics-related, contact Tripepi.
“The trip was my first look at what it might be like to work in the industry of physics,” Lettow said. “I haven’t done much with optics or lasers, so it was cool to see what kinds of things you can do with those areas.”
