Judy Donnelly

	Judy Donnelly Professor of Physics and Program Coordinator for Photonics Engineering Technology, Three Rivers Community College Country of origin: USA
Judy Donnelly (center) shows students Dustin Laro and Naomi Parker how to fusion splice optical fiber, while professor Randy Seebeck of the Electrical Engineering Technology program looks on.

For many years, I taught classical physics, which hasn't changed in a hundred years. Since 1995, I've been teaching photonics technology and now my job involves learning as much as teaching. That keeps it interesting! My graduates work in several optics-related industries, so they need to be exposed to variety of applications. That means I need to keep current on a range of topics and to be constantly learning new techniques, software, and instruments so our students have up-to-date knowledge and skills. Each year, I take students on company tours and to trade shows where we have a chance to see what's new in the industry. I hope that I'm teaching students by example that learning is lifelong. The most rewarding experience is to have a former student as a tour guide, assuring the current students that what they are learning in class is important in the "real world".