With growing use of optics in high-technology, health care and other industries, UC Davis' Department of Applied Science is establishing a new undergraduate program in optical science and engineering. The program will be the third of its kind in the nation and the first in California, according to a proposal by the Department of Applied Science. The major also marks the first undergraduate program for the applied-science department, which currently has about 90 graduate students. Courses will be taught by existing faculty members in the applied science, physics and electrical and computer engineering departments. Two new teaching assistant positions will be added to support the program. In addition, optics experts at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, where UC Davis' applied-science department is based, may also teach specialty courses. The program expects to admit its first students next fall, when the new Engineering III building opens on campus. The Livermore laboratory will donate equipment for new instructional labs. To foster transfers from community colleges, the applied-science department is also planning to offer a prerequisite course via distance learning for local community college students. While more than 100 universities in the United States award bachelor's degrees with specialization in optics, only the University of Arizona and the University of Rochester have had formal programs in optical science and engineering. Demand is high for engineers with optical training, particularly in California. About half the U.S. technologists employed in optics, optics communications and optical component manufacturing reside in the state.