The Optics Institute of Southern California (OISC) was a focal point for optics education and outreach in the arts and sciences.  We were dedicated to providing quality optics education & outreach to students and the general public from a broad spectrum of educational, cultural, economic, and technical backgrounds. The OISC always aimed at offering education that doesn´t just inform our students; to us, education has always been a combination of theoretical and practical experiences. By the time students left our programs, they had practical knowledge and experiences that served them well.

In 2003, the OISC became a project of Community Partners (our original Fiscal Sponsor) and this helped us focus on our core programs so we could grow and serve more people. The OISC has also been closely associated with the Optical Society of Southern California (OSSC), as many volunteers, teachers, presenters, students and others participating in OISC courses, events and programs are members of the OSSC.

Even as we have evolved, we have been present on several local campuses, beginning at Irvine Valley College and have been working  with UC Irvine for over 10 years. We encourage you to go through our site thoroughly in order to understand what we are, what we do, and how we deliver quality education and outreach programs on a consistent basis.

 In August 2014 The OISC became a tax exempt non-profit corporation in the State of California.  This designation is now suspended as are our operations. 

Should you need any further details about the Optics Institute of Southern California, please do not hesitate to contact us.