BOZEMAN, Mont., Jan. 19 -- ILX Lightwave recently donated $10,000 worth of LDC 3700B series precision laser-diode control instruments to California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly). Dennis Derickson and Xiaomin Jin, assistant professors with Cal Poly, will use the laser-diode controllers to upgrade a photonics teaching lab in the electrical engineering department. The ILX Lightwave donation will provide programmable laser diode current and temperature controllers at each laboratory workstation. Among other projects, students will control 980- and 1480-nm pump devices while experimenting with erbium-doped fiber amplifiers. According to Dennis Derickson, "Our undergraduate photonics laboratory course is one of the most popular technical electives in the department. Cal Poly has the philosophy of 'learn by doing,' and we appreciate the help ILX is giving us to expand our laboratory course offerings." Steve Gwinner, ILX Lightwave's director of sales and marketing, added, "Our goal through university donations is to help colleges and universities create quality programs where the next generation of scientists and engineers can acquire the skills needed to remain at the forefront of photonic research and development. Through the donation of laser diode test and measurement instrumentation, ILX Lightwave is helping to arm the nation's colleges and universities with the state-of-the-art laser diode instrumentation technology they need to keep their photonics programs on the cutting edge." ILX Lightwave plans to donate $100,000 worth of equipment to North American universities over the next five years. For more information, visit: www.ilxlightwave.com