Morelle announces $850K for new optics lab at MCC

Morelle announces $850K for new optics lab at MCC

WXXI News |
By
Veronica Volk
Published July 30, 2026 at 4:10 PM EDT

Monroe Community College will receive $850,000 in federal funding to establish a new Precision Optics Finishing Lab. It’s part of an effort to expand workforce development in the Rochester region’s optics and photonics industries

U.S. Rep. Joe Morelle announced the funding Thursday at MCC

The new lab will be located in the college’s Advanced Technology Education Center and is scheduled to open in the fall

MCC President Deanna R. Burt-Nanna said the investment will give students access to the same technologies used in the field

“It will expand hands-on training opportunities and equip learners with critical skills, including optical coding processes that support everyday technologies from advanced manufacturing to semiconductor production,” she said

The funding will be used to purchase and install equipment for the lab, including technology used in optical coating processes that support semiconductor and optics industries. College officials said the project will expand hands-on training opportunities

Jason Brightful with the Optical Systems Technology Department said many students enter the program unaware of the industry and the opportunities it offers

“They’re blown away,” he said. “Their minds are blown by the education, the skills that they’re learning, and then they realize employers are coming to MCC to find them.”

Morelle said the investment will help strengthen Rochester’s longstanding role as a center for optics and photonics innovation while preparing workers for jobs in high-demand fields