Precision Optics Lab

Within 100 miles of Keene State, more than 30 companies thrive in singlepoint diamond turning machining, thin films, specialty glass, and advanced optics, with Moore Nanotechnology Systems in Swanzey and AMTEK Precitech in Keene among them.

Starting this fall, Keene State will offer a one-year precision optics certificate that provides practical skills to get job-ready quickly and help fill an important—and hyper-regional—workplace need.

Enrollees will learn in the College’s new dedicated optics lab, the Kingsbury Center for Diamond Turning Excellence, on the same high-end ultra-precision lathes used in the field.

The Kingsbury Fund awarded a substantial grant to kickstart the new learning space, which features two types of high-end diamond turning lathes that create optical components at nanometer-scale accuracy.

Metrology systems are also in the lab to provide students with handson experience to prepare them for measuring precision components to ensure accuracy.

Nanotechnology has diverse applications, including medicine, materials science, electronics, and environmental science. In 2024, Keene State launched a partnership with the American Center for Optics Manufacturing, Inc., to increase capacity for work-ready technicians.

Keene State is the first four-year post-secondary institution to partner with the US Department of Defense consortium, which has capacity-building goals, including upping the number of trained technicians nationwide from fewer than 50 each year to 800 annually.

Keene State is proud to be part of that frontline effort. Its new startup program, lab, and state-of-the-art equipment would not be possible without the generous financial support of donors and the strength of its local and national ties and partnerships.