The scientific mission of the Applied Photonics Research Group is to use photons to study and manipulate objects and information. It is an applied research group which means that we are interested in practical applications as well as fundamental science. These applications include information and sensing technology. Through campus visits and outreach efforts we will introduce cutting edge concepts to the public and bring them into primary, secondary, and university science classrooms. Our broader mission is to produce trained scientific experts, intellectual property, and published knowledge, which have a positive local, regional, and global impact.