AmeriCOM’s Story: What’s Ahead and How the Optics Industry Can Participate
Presented by:
Alexis Vogt, AmeriCOM and Monroe Community CollegeIn April 2021, the American Center for Optics Manufacturing (AmeriCOM) was established by optics manufacturers in partnership with the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). The mission: to build the nation's industrial base through innovative research, address the DoD's most challenging manufacturing issues, and increase the pipeline of skilled optics technicians. Support for AmeriCOM continues to grow as optics manufacturers, academic institutions, regional government agencies, professional organizations, and others collaborate in this national effort, which is led and funded by the DoD.
Alexis Vogt presents AmeriCOM's innovative approach to developing the workforce by building partnerships with high schools, apprenticeship programs, community colleges, and optics cluster organizations. Session participants will also learn about the opportunities for U.S.-based organizations to participate in developing and executing the precision optics manufacturing and development agenda.
About the presenter
Alexis Vogt, Ph.D., serves as executive director of workforce and higher education at AmeriCOM and is a tenured professor of optics and the endowed chair of the Optical Systems Technology program at Monroe Community College (MCC). In her first five years at MCC, Dr. Vogt secured over $6 million for the program. Prior to joining MCC, Vogt worked in the optics industry as Applications & Business Development Manager at Melles Griot (IDEX) and at Bausch + Lomb, where she designed contact lenses and intraocular lenses. In addition to her industry experience, she holds three patents and has authored hundreds of papers, presentations, and publications in the field-including the definitions of "light" and "polarization" for
World Book Encyclopedia. Vogt received her bachelor's degree and her doctorate in optics from the Institute of Optics at the University of Rochester (UR), where her research focused on polarization engineering, coherence theory, and microscopy.