The Institute of Optics 2026 Summer Short Course Series

65th Annual Summer Short Course Series

Before registering, please read:

Please view the 2026 Summer Short Course Series schedule below. All times are listed Eastern Standard Time. There are options for full courses as well as individual classes; please note the dates and times for each.

Please do not register for other participants. Course lists are generated from the registrations and shared with the course instructors. Course instructors need each participant's name and email address, and will contact participants with Zoom information.

Registration will close 11:59 p.m. on May 22 for Alignment Intensive Optics Laboratory courses. Registration will close at 11:59 p.m. on June 1 for all other courses. Once registration is complete, course instructors will reach out to you with information (a link) on how to attend each lecture. Late registrations will not be accepted.

Please ensure to register for online courses using a personal email address, this will expedite your course materials arriving to you.

These courses are geared towards people working in the industry

2026 Course Descriptions:

Adaptive Optics in the Eye — The course is addressed to professionals in industry or academia willing to get acquainted with the practical implementation of adaptive optics technologies in the eye and specific applications in retinal imaging and in visual simulation.

Alignment Intensive Optics Laboratory—This is a three-week, in-person lab experience that can be taken in total or broken up into separate one- or two-week sessions. All laboratory units are equivalent to OPT 454 MS HOME Laboratory (OPT 401, OPT 402, and OPT 403 in succession). Each experiment is divided up into six- or twelve-hour sessions where students will construct optical systems from individual components encompassing disciplines utilizing polarization and wave retardance, fiber lasers, acousto-optics, diffraction, second harmonic generation, photovoltaic and photoconductive detection, continuous-wave infrared lasers, interferometry, and so much more. Space is limited.

Applied Concepts—Colorimetry and vision, wave guide photonics, and more.

Fundamental Concepts—Covering lenses, aberrations, principles of diffraction, optical systems, polarization, birefringence and crystal optics, and radiometry and detection.

Intergrated Photonics Circuits - Targeted for students, researchers, and engineers in industry, who want to learn the fundamental aspects of integrated photonics circuits.

Laser Engineering—This course introduces the fundamentals of lasers, laser performance, and applications. Topics include the physics of laser operation, laser cavities, laser types and applications, performance metrics, polarization optics in lasers, and laser amplifiers.

Modern Optical Engineering—Covering optical testing and instrumentation, optical manufacturing, optical thin film coatings, diffractive optics, and glass in modern optics.

Optical System Design—Introduces participants to both fundamental and advanced concepts in optical system design. Optical System Design covers image quality evaluation, aberration theory, optimization, refractive/reflective design forms, optimization techniques, stray light analysis, tolerancing, and illumination design.

Optical Thin Film Coating Technology—Covers all aspects of optical interference devices including thin-film design, digital design methods, and coating and characterization.

Optomechanical Design, Assembly, and Alignment—Building optical systems requires multiple disciplines to work in harmony to achieve system performance. An optical design is good only if the lenses can be manufactured and the tolerances can be met during assembly and alignment. Mastering the skills necessary to successfully design, build, and assemble complex optical systems can take years of practical experience. This course distills these concepts some fundamental aspects melded with practical examples to give participants a general background in the field.

Ultrafast Optics and Petawatt Laser Systems—This course serves as an introduction to ultrafast laser systems with an emphasis on chirped pulse amplification and the generation of ultrahigh peak powers and irradiances.

2026 schedule:

Adaptive Optics in the Eye - $900.00: Remote

Dates are June 8 - 10, morning session 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m., afternoon session 2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. June 10, morning session only 10:00am - 1:00pm

• June 8: Adaptive Optics for Retinal Imaging - $281.25
• June 8: Adaptive Optics for Visual Simulation - $281.25
• June 9: How to Build an Adaptive Optics System: Wavefront Sensing and Aberration Control - $281.25
• June 9: Step-by-Step Building of Adaptive Optics Retinal Imaging Systems - $281.25
• June 10: Step-by-Step Set-Up of Adaptive Optics Visual Simulators - $281.25

Alignment Intensive Optics Laboratory (OPT 401 Equivalent) - $1,650.00: In-Person. * PLEASE NOTE: Alignment Intensive Optics Labs: must be taken as a series. No individual labs.*

May 25 - 29, morning session 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m., afternoon session 1:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. each day. In-person

* Optics 401 is a prerequiset for Optics 402 and 403

Alignment Intensive Optics Laboratory (OPT 402 Equivalent) - $1,650.00: In-Person

June 1- 5, morning session 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m., afternoon session 1:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. each day. In-person

* Optics 402 is a prerequiset for Optics 403

Alignment Intensive Optics Laboratory (OPT 403 Equivalent) - $1,650.00: In-Person

June 8 - 12, morning session 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m., afternoon session 1:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. each day. In-person

Applied Concepts - $900.00: Remote

June 8 - 12, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. each day

• June 8: Design of Illumination Systems
• June 9: Radiometry and Detection - $281.25
• June 10: Photometry and Colorimetry- $281.25
• June 11: Optical Design
• June 12: Spectroscopy and its Biomedical Applications - $281.25

Fundamental Concepts - $900.00: Remote

June 1 - 5, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. each day

• June 1: Geometrical Optics - $281.25
• June 2: Interference and Diffraction - $281.25
• June 3: Electromagnetic Waves - $281.25
• June 4: A Survey of Lasers: Principles of Operation - $281.25
• June 5: Physics of Light Matter Interaction - $281.25

Integrated Photonics Circuits I - $825.00: Remote
* PLEASE NOTE: This class must be taken as a full series.

June 1 – 5 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. each day

• June 1: Waveguide Theory, PIC Sensors

• June 2: PIC Sensors

• June 3: Passive and Active Devices

• June 4: Quantum Photonics

• June 5: Packaging
  

Integrated Photonics Circuits II - $825.00: Remote
* PLEASE NOTE: This class must be taken as a full series.

June 8 – 12 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. each day

• June 8: Design Basics

• June 9: Advanced Design

• June 10: Advanced Design/Photonic Circuit Simulation

• June 11: Generating PIC CAD

• June 12: Modeling Si Indicator

Laser Engineering - $900.00: Remote

June 8 - 12, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. each day

• June 8: Introduction to Lasers, Types, and Performance Metrics - $281.25
• June 9: Gain, Loss, and How it All Works - $281.25
• June 10: Laser Cavities- $281.25
• June 11: Laser Amplifiers and Chirped Pulse Amplification - $281.25
• June 12: Polarization- $281.25

Modern Optical Engineering - $900.00: Remote

June 8 - 12 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. each day

• June 8: Optical Engineering for Biomedical Optics - $281.25
• June 9: Optical Testing & Instrumentation - $281.25
• June 10: Wave-Front Sensing - $281.25
• June 11: Optical Thin Films - $281.25
• June 12: Introduction to Electronic Imaging - $281.25

*First Order Layout of Optical Systems, Image Quality and Aberrations, & Optimization and Improving a Design will be offered as a three pack of courses for $843.75

Optical System Design - $1,650.00: Hybrid (Labs In-Person)
* PLEASE NOTE: This class must be taken as a full series.

June 15 - 19, morning session 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m., afternoon session 2:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. each day.

• June 15 morning: First Order Layout of Optical Systems - In person (remote available) - *See below
• June 15 afternoon: Image Quality & Aberrations - In person (remote available) - *See below
• June 16 morning: Optimization and Improving a Design - In person (remote available) - *See below
• June 16 afternoon: Laboratory - Introduction to Optical Design Software (CODEV & Zemax) - In person ONLY
• June 17 morning: Illumination Design - In person (remote available)
• June 17 afternoon: Laboratory - Introduction to Optical Engineering Software (FRED) - In person ONLY
• June 18 morning: Stray Light Analysis - In person (remote available)
• June 18 afternoon: Refractive and Reflective Optical Design Forms - In person (remote available)
• June 19 morning: Introduction to Tolerancing - In person (remote available)
• June 19 afternoon: Laboratory - Tolerancing a Lens Using Optical Design Software (CODEV & Zemax) - In person ONLY

Optical Thin Films - $1,650.00: Remote

June 1 - 10, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. each day

• June 1: Fundamentals of Optical Coating Design I - $281.25
• June 2: Fundamentals of Optical Coating Design II - $281.25
• June 3: Fundamentals of Optical Coating Design III - $281.25
• June 4: Fundamentals of Optical Coating Design IV - $281.25
• June 5: Fundamentals of Optical Coating Design V - $281.25
• June 8: Thin Film Uniformity - $281.25
• June 9: Optical Coating Propreties and Characterization - $281.25
• June 10: Optical Thin Films, Optica Coatings and Color - $281.25
  

Optomechanical Design, Assembly and Alignment: - $1,650.00: In Person
* PLEASE NOTE: This class must be taken as a full series.

June 8 - 12, morning session 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m., afternoon session 2:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. each day

• June 8 morning: Principles of Opto-Mechanical Engineering
• June 8 afternoon: Benchtop Optical Mounting and Alignment
• June 9 morning: Custom Optical Mounting I
• June 9 afternoon: Custom Optical Mounting II
• June 10 morning: Design for Manufacturing
• June 10 afternoon: Design for Environment
• June 11 morning: Design for Assembly & Test
• June 11 afternoon: The Lens Centering Station
• June 12 morning: System Assembly Techniques
• June 12 afternoon: Optical System Measurements

Ultrafast Optics and Petawatt Laser Systems - $900.00: Remote

June 1 - 5, 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. each day

• June 1: Introduction to Ultrafast Optics and Petawatt Lasers - $281.25
• June 2: Chirped Pulse Amplification - $281.25
• June 3: Broadband Laser Amplifiers - $281.25
• June 4: Ultrafast Pulse Characterization - $281.25
• June 5: System Design Considerations - $281.25
  
  
  Discount codes:
  If you are a Luminate member, UR Graduate student or alumni, IA Member not using a free seat or high school teacher, contact Dustin Newman at dustin.newman@rochester.edu for discount codes.