The document discusses how photonics technology has revolutionized daily life through applications in telecommunications, imaging, healthcare, environmental monitoring, agriculture, food safety, water treatment, solar energy, automotive safety, and more. It then summarizes that the IEEE has updated its emeritbadges.org website to provide hands-on STEM educational materials and information about supporting the Electricity and Electronics Merit Badge booths at the 2010 National Scout Jamboree.

1. Photonics for Our Daily Life
With th e c ate gory of th e 2 0 0 9 N ob e l P h y sic s p riz e b e ing “ ligh t” , it is ap p are nt th at p h otonic s h as b e c om e an ind isp e nsab le
te c h nology to b e ap p lie d in ne arly e v e ry , if not all, ind ustry , allow ing us to h av e b e tte r, safe r and h e alth ie r liv ing.
In te le c om m unic ations, m assiv e am ounts of d ata or m e ssage s, b e th e y te x t, im age s or v oic e , are c onv e rte d into ligh t-
w av e s b y transm itting d e v ic e s b e for e b e ing se nt to e v e r y c orne r of th e w orld th rough op tic al fib e rs in sp ac e or und e r
w ate r. T h e se m e ssage s are th e n re c e iv e d instantly b y re c e iv ing d e v ic e s th at c onv e rt ligh t-w av e s b ac k to e le c tronic signals
to b e p roc e sse d . T h e total op e rating e ne rgy of suc h a c om m unic ation sy ste m is low e r and th e sy ste m p e rfor m anc e is
sup e rior.
For im age d ata, a c h arge -c oup le d d e v ic e (CCD ), a d igital im age se nsor, c onv e rts th e op tic al im age into e le c tronic signals
in d igital for m and th e im age c an sub se q ue ntly b e re c onstruc te d b y d e v ic e s, suc h as c om p ute rs. T h e CCD h as b e c om e th e
te c h nology of our e v e ry d ay d igital p h otograp h ic c am e ras. In th e m e d ic al im aging ind ustry , th e CCD te c h nology allow s
im aging c ap ab ilitie s to go b e y ond trad itionally inac c e ssib le m e d ic al se ttings. Wh e th e r for h e alth m onitoring, d ise ase
d e te c tion or surgic al p roc e d ur e s, th is CCD te c h nology c an im p r ov e th e q uality of life for m any p e op le . In ob se r v atorie s,
re m ote se nsing sate llite s c olle c t im age d ata of th e E arth for surv e illanc e and und e rstand ing glob al c lim ate c h ange s th at
m ay im p ac t h um an ac tiv itie s, suc h as th e c h ange in ic e c ov e rs and se a – le v e l and – surfac e te m p e rature s, allow ing us to
m ak e p re v e ntiv e m e ans. T h e se sate llite s c an also m onitor for natural d isaste rs, h om e land se c urity and agric ulture . For our
h e alth , sate llite -c olle c te d d ata c an b e use d to fore se e w arm ing tre nd s and w h e n an e p id e m ic w ill b re ak out in w h ic h
affe c te d are as, so th at p re c autionary m e asure s m ay b e tak e n. Wh e th e r in sp ac e or on ground , p h otonic s te c h nologie s c an
b e use d to re d uc e air p ollution and c onse q ue ntly , low e r re late d c osts.
In op tic al farm ing and food p roc e ssing, p h otonic s h e lp to d e te r m ine th e h e alth of soil, nutrie nt c onte nt, w h e n to h arv e st
and th e h y d rology of agric ultural are as and to sc re e n for b ac te rial c ontam inants in food . N ob e l silk op tic s m ay also b e
use d to d e te c t th e p re se nc e of b ac te ria in food p rod uc ts. Crop h e alth c an b e m e asure d b y fib e r op tic s, w h ic h is le ss
d e struc tiv e to c rop s. A ll of th e se e nsur e th at food , d rink s and p h arm ac e utic als are safe for us c onsum e rs. O ur d aily
d rink ing w ate r, is tre ate d w ith , or d isinfe c te d b y , ultrav iole t-ligh t rad iation th at c an k ill ge r m s in th e usual c h lorinate d
w ate r, e nsuring us a safe r d rink ing w ate r. T h is tre atm e nt only re q uir e s a low -e ne r gy inp ut. In th e solar e ne r gy ind ustry ,
solar p h otov oltaic sy ste m s c an c ap ture d ire c t sunligh t and ge ne rate solar e le c tric ity , an alte rnativ e e ne r gy , b y c onv e rting
sunligh t in th e sy ste m . T h is w ay , b e tte r e ne r gy e ffic ie nc ie s c an b e ob taine d . T h us, it w ill b e m ore e ne rgy -e ffic ie nt if our
h ouse s c onsum e solar th e r m al e ne rgy . In th e autom otiv e w orld , c am e ras and se nsors c an b e use d to im p rov e auto safe ty
b y d e te c ting ne arb y ob je c ts, suc h as c ars, p e d e strians and anim als, w h ic h m ay c ause a h az ard and se nd out w arnings to
d riv e rs. T h e se c am e ras and se nsors c an also h e lp d riv e r s in p ark ing and to se e b lind -sp ots.
A ll of th e ab ov e are just a fe w ap p lic ations of th e p h otonic s te c h nology th at h ad re v olutioniz e d our liv ing.
W ing -Y ing K w ong , I E E E S enior M em b er
I E E E em eritb ag es.org U p d ates W eb site
T h e IE E E e m e r itb ad ge s.org p roje c t h as up d ate d its w e b site , h ttp ://w w w .e m e r itb ad ge s.org, fe aturing h and s-on, p re -
c olle ge te c h nology e d uc ational m ate rials for b oy s and girls. T h e up d ate d site w ill fe ature infor m ation on th e p rogram ’s
sp onsorsh ip of th e E le c tric ity and E le c tronic s M e rit B ad ge b ooth s at th e 2 0 1 0 N ational Sc out J am b or e e , to b e h e ld from
2 6 J uly to 4 A ugust, 2 0 1 0 , at Fort A .P . H ill, in Caroline County , V irginia
T o foste r an inte re st in th e e ngine e ring p rofe ssion, IE E E se rv e s stud e nts, m e m b e rs and c olle ge s
around th e w orld . IE E E re aliz e s th at h igh sc h ool stud e nt e x p osur e to th e ac c om p lish m e nts of
e ngine e rs is c ritic al to inc re ase e ngine e r ing e nr ollm e nt signific antly at th e univ e rsity le v e l. T h us,
th e IE E E c re ate d and sp onsors th e IE E E Sc outing p rogram , p rim arily th rough th e B oy Sc out
organiz ation and loc al G irl Sc out group s. T h e p rogram is d e signe d to re ac h p re -univ e rsity
stud e nts and e d uc ators to “ e nh anc e th e le v e l of te c h nologic al lite rac y of p re -univ e rsity e d uc ators
and stud e nts w orld w id e .”
Sim ilar to its c ounte rp art, th e IE E E G irlsG oE ngine e r ing.org m ission is to e ne r giz e girls tow ard c are e rs in e ngine e r ing,
m ath e m atic s, and th e p h y sic al sc ie nc e s. A m ajor c om p one nt is a v olunte e r d e v e lop e d and run w e b site ,
w w w .G irlsG oE ngine e r ing.org, w h ic h p rov id e s sc ie nc e and e ngine e r ing c are e r and instruc tional p rogram s, ac tiv itie s,
m ate rials and w e b re sourc e s of inte re st to girls, e d uc ators, and ad ult le ad e rs. O th e r p lanne d ac tiv itie s inc lud e p artic ip ation
in G irl Sc out e v e nts and sim ilar organiz ations to e nligh te n girls ab out c are e rs in sc ie nc e and e ngine e ring.
T h ank s,
R alp h W . R ussell, I I , C hair, I E E E S couting Prog ram
FWCS SunCoast Signal 4 J anuary 2 0 1 0