OP-TEC

{{distinguish|OPTEC (kettles)}}

The National Center for Optics and Photonics Education, known as OP-TEC for short, was a joint effort by educational institutions and other groups to develop curriculum materials for photonics.{{Cite journal|last1=Hull|first1=Dan|last2=Souders|first2=John|date=2009-06-05|title=Efforts of the National Center for Optics and Photonics Education (OP-TEC) to prepare the technician workforce for photonics industries|url=https://www.osapublishing.org/abstract.cfm?uri=ETOP-2009-ESCA1|journal=Education and Training in Optics and Photonics (2009), Paper ESCA1|language=EN|publisher=Optical Society of America|pages=ESCA1|doi=10.1364/ETOP.2009.ESCA1|doi-access=free}} Headquartered in Waco, Texas, it was funded by the National Science Foundation.{{Cite web|title=NSF Award Search: Award # 0603275 - OP-TEC: The National Center for Optics and Photonics Education|url=https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0603275|access-date=2022-01-18|website=www.nsf.gov}}

OP-TEC held workshops at various institutions around the United States to promote the use of optics and photonics in secondary and post-secondary curricula.