Integrated Photonics: Illuminating the History and Expanding Photonics Education

Photonics today is on the cusp of revolutionizing computing, just as it has already revolutionized communication, and becoming to this century what electricity was to the last (Sala, 2016). Even so, most people don\u27t know just how essential optics and photonics are, and today those fields face a major staffing shortage. In order to combat this, various initiatives have strived to drum up more interest in optics and photonics, with several focusing on pre-college age groups in order to get students involved sooner. To contribute to this effort, a partnership with the Boy Scouts organization is recommended. For this purpose, a proposed \u27Optics and Photonics Merit Badge\u27 is a focus of this project, including requirements, educational materials, and criteria for awarding it