Light Work: The First Class That Proved a Program
Dr. McGregor presented each student with a custom plaque.
On a warm spring afternoon in the Flag Room at Keene State College, a small but meaningful ceremony took place. Seven people — a theater lighting technician, a finance graduate, a photographer, a multimedia designer, and others from corners of life you might not expect — received their Precision Optics Certificates. They are the inaugural class of a program that, just a few years ago, existed only as an idea born from a diamond turning machine and a recognized gap in New Hampshire's optics workforce.
New Hampshire is a quiet giant in the world of precision optics. Clustered largely in and around the Monadnock Region, dozens of companies design and fabricate the lenses, mirrors, and optical assemblies that find their way into defense systems, space instruments, medical scanners, and semiconductor manufacturing tools. The demand for skilled technicians has outpaced supply for years. The Precision Optics Certificate Program at Keene State was built to start changing that.
"Five years ago, this program was nothing more than a pipe dream," said Matt Zabko, CEO of Bond Optics and a founding member of the Monadnock Optics Advisory Board, who delivered the keynote address. "To see it standing here today, graduating its first class, says a lot about the effort behind it."
The program, developed over two years by Academic Director and Professor of Physics Sarah McGregor and a dedicated team of faculty, is designed to be accessible — no prior optics background required. In one year, students move from learning the physics of light to operating diamond turning machines, working with interferometers, applying thin film coatings, and engaging with industry professionals at events like the SPIE Defense and Security Conference in Washington, D.C. The experience blends the classroom and the shop floor deliberately, because the optics industry demands fluency in both.
Matt Zabko, CEO of Bond Optics and a founding member of the Monadnock Optics Advisory Board spoke at the ceremony.
"You are starting with a head start. What you have learned over the past year here at Keene State puts you ahead of where most people in this industry begin." - Matt Zabko, CEO of Bond Optics
The seven graduates arrived from remarkably different places. Ryan Hamel came with a passion for physics ignited by his late grandfather and deepened through work at Rapid Spectral Solutions. Brian Warner transitioned from theater lighting. Evan Murphy was drawn in by the sheer scale of the optics industry in New England. Alex Chabak connected the program directly to his photography work, even redesigning his final project filter so he could use it behind the lens. Jeff Sword traveled from California to New York to Baltimore before landing in Keene and finding a new direction. Matthew Freitas, a Keene native with a finance degree from UNH, engraved his own woodworking shop logo for a laser engraving project — a small detail that told a larger story about someone who takes pride in everything he makes. And Julian Burdick, raised in the Keene area, quietly built confidence week by week, developing a particular talent for working with interferometers.
Several graduates have already accepted full-time roles in the region's optics industry. Brian Warner is headed to Precitech, where he'll work in assembly, buy-ins, and diamond turning. Alex Chabak has joined Janos Technology as a Diamond Turning Technician. Others are planting roots in the Keene area as they launch their careers.
At the ceremony, each graduate received a plaque — individually engraved on the very laser system they had trained on throughout the year. It was a deliberate choice by the program: a reminder that the skills these graduates have built are real, tangible, and already in their hands.
Zabko closed his remarks with advice that carried the weight of a career built from the ground up. "Take pride in what you are doing. Learn everything you can. Pay attention to the small stuff. The tolerances are tight. Microns matter. Surface quality matters. Cleanliness matters." And then, more simply: "Stay curious. Stay hungry. Never stop learning."
For a program built on the belief that optics can be taught — and that the right people, given the right opportunity, will rise to meet it — May 11, 2026 was proof of concept.
JOIN THE NEXT CLASS
Applications for the 2026–27 Precision Optics Certificate cohort are now open. Keene State College will host an open house on Wednesday, May 20, 2026, for anyone interested in learning more about the program. No prior optics experience is required — only curiosity and drive.
Learn more and apply: keene.edu/optics