AOIA Activities
- Serves to create direct economic benefits to member companies
- Provides active links from the AOIA Website to member company Web sites and other vital resources
- Develops and maintains a searchable database/directory that provides contact data and capabilities of companies and research labs throughout Arizona, accessible to the public via the World Wide Web.
- Serves as a clearinghouse for contacts between external and internal interests within the industry sector (posting of positions, partnering opportunities and needs, networking, etc.)
- Facilitates technology transfer and access between universities, research labs, and the private sector, including serving on various University of Arizona committees
- Articulates and engages in workforce development/recruitment that supports the industry
- Identifies and provides educational opportunities for members, i.e. workshops, seminars and Cluster-specific luncheons with distinguished speakers
- Explores and identifies state and federal opportunities (grants, labs, etc.) for the industry members and facilitates university-industry partnerships
- Educates the public and elected officials about the issues, opportunities, and benefits of industry, technology, and optical sciences research throughout Arizona
- Meets with State and National legislators to promote beneficial legislation and funding in many different ways
- Serves as an interface between the optics industry cluster and other industry clusters (advanced material/plastics, aerospace, environmental technologies, information technology and bio-sciences) as well as the economic development community
- Promotes cross-cluster activity through the Southern Arizona Technology Council (SATC)
Education
Arizona Optics Industry Association (AOIA) is composed of individual consultants and companies with world-class expertise in optical science, engineering, manufacturing, and business in general. AOIA members have significant experience and expertise in optics education. The AOIA optics education focus group has been active in promoting projects which have benefits at the local, state, national and even international levels.
Recently, optics educators have started a dialog with optics companies, the University of Arizona (Education, Optical Sciences, Astronomy) faculty, local and state government agencies, and public and private schools on forming educational partnerships to promote a greater awareness of optics.
