Mike Powlin

Mike Powlin is a retired Physics and Optics educator with over 32 years of teaching experience at Irondequoit High School in Rochester, New York. A graduate of SUNY Potsdam, he dedicated his career to inspiring curiosity and a deep understanding of the physical world in generations of students.

Throughout his tenure, Mike taught AP Physics and Regents Physics, and in the final five years of his career, taught a dual enrollment Optics course that introduced high school students to the rapidly growing field of optics and photonics. This experience offered him a front-row seat to the exciting opportunities and career paths emerging in Optics and related technologies-many of which his students went on to pursue.

Mike now serves as Coordinator of High School Partnerships for the Optical Systems Technology program at Monroe Community College—the world’s first college to award associate degrees in Optical Systems Technology. In this role, he builds connections between high schools and MCC to expand access to optics education and inspire the next generation of skilled optics professionals.