Teaching Image Processing and Optical Engineering to University Biology Students
Thomas Zimmerman, Raymond Esquerra, Yee-Hung Mark Chan, Anagha Kulkarni, Nicole Adelstein, Ashley Albright, Jiayu Luo, Ziah Dean, Salma Ahmed, Michelle Phillips, Simone Bianco, Sara Capponi- General Earth and Planetary Sciences
- General Environmental Science
ABSTRACT
Biophysics is an interdisciplinary pursuit requiring researchers with knowledge and skills in several areas. Optical instruments and computers are fundamental tools in biophysics research to collect and analyze data. We developed a 1-semester Optical Engineering Laboratory course to teach image processing, optical engineering, and research skills to undergraduate students majoring in biology and biochemistry. With the use of development systems on students' laptops and in the cloud, students learned image processing with Python and OpenCV. Each student constructed a microprocessor-based lensless holographic microscope, gaining hands-on experience with optical engineering. The class culminated in original, student-designed research projects. All lectures, hands-on labs, and student research projects were performed both in person and remotely, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.