Wanted: photonics ambassadors

Being an ambassador for the
International Year of Light
is easy -- and we hear that
it's fun as well.

Solving the challenges of the 21st century will depend as much on photonics as the 20th century's solutions depended on electronics.

Particles of light are the key ingredients for science and technology, from smartphones to medical imaging to synchrotrons. The United Nations’ International Year of Light initiative will show the world how optical and photonic technologies are vital to their futures and development of the whole society.

Some very big names have already gotten behind the initiative, and will be investing much time and considerable money in the effort. In addition to several professional societies who are Founding Partners, two companies and a professional society have signed on as Patrons, and a very long list of companies, research institutes, publications, universities, and associations are giving their support as well.

Even the Duke of York is getting involved, having declared his support as Patron in the UK.

And you, too, can be an ambassador for the International Year of Light! Here are a few ideas:

Nice IYL tie --
how can I get one?

Get your organization involved: Create an exhibit using a gallery of dazzling images displaying examples of the myriad wonderful things that light can do, and how it plays a critical role in our lives every day.
Give a presentation to a service group, classroom, youth group, or peer group, using a ready-built slide deck – and top it off with eight minutes of “terror” via the short video, “A Day without Photonics: a Modern Horror Story.”
Wear an IYL t-shirt, tie, or scarf. They’re not only attractive, but they'll help you tell the photonics story as well, by sparking conversation about why and how light plays such important roles in our lives.
Download the IYL bookmark and give one to all of the people in your life who read print-on-paper books – and drop off a supply at your local library or bookstore.
Print out an IYL poster for your workplace, dorm room, or classroom.

There are many other materials and resources available at www.spie.org/iyl to help you start your new ambassadorship – have fun! and keep it light ….

Comments

Ten Ways to Celebrate the first International Day of Light

The first International Day of Light (IDL) is less than a month away. A global initiative highlighting the importance of light and light-based technologies, communities around the world are planning events celebrating IDL on 16 May. First Place Winner of the 2017 SPIE IDL Photo Contest SPIE will participate in outreach events local to our community in Bellingham, Washington, attend the inauguration in Paris, France, and host an IDL reception for our conference attendees at SPIE Optical Systems Design in Frankfurt, Germany taking place May 14-17. SPIE is also supporting local events in 13 different communities from the US to India, Canada to South Africa, who were awarded SPIE IDL Micro Grants to create activities that highlight the critical role light plays in our daily lives. Do you need some ideas on how to show your appreciation of light on the 16th? Here is our top ten list of ways you can celebrate IDL 2018: 1. Throw a Celebration: Light up your party with ligh...

#FacesofPhotonics: NASA Intern Elaine Stewart

MIRROR, MIRROR: Elaine with the JWST at Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland Meet Elaine Stewart: chemical engineering student, world-traveler, intern at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, and this week's SPIE Face of Photonics. Elaine is fascinated by space exploration and how optics impacts our ability to "study distant stars that have never been seen before." Her research has taken her around the world -- from Bochum, Germany, where she studied material science and engineering at Ruhr-Universität, to Houston, Texas, to work on the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) while it was under cryogenic vacuum chamber testing, to Melbourne, Australia, where she studied biochemical and product engineering at the University of Melbourne in 2017. And, when she's not busy traversing the globe, she is focusing on graduating from the University of Delaware in 2019 with a Bachelor's in Chemical Engineering. Elaine makes a point of remaining an active...

Cataract surgery: misnomer?

On left, the patient’s left eye has no cataract and all structures are visible. On right, retinal image from fundus camera confirms the presence of a cataract. (From Choi, Hjelmstad, Taibl, and Sayegh, SPIE Proc. 85671Y , 2013) Article by guest blogger Roger S. Reiss , SPIE Fellow and recipient of the 2000 SPIE President's Award. Reiss was the original Ad Hoc Chair of SPIE Optomechanical Working Group. He manages the LinkedIn Group “ Photonic Engineering and Photonic Instruments .” The human eye and its interface with the human brain fit the definition of an "instrument system." The human eye by itself is also an instrument by definition. After the invention of the microscope and the telescope, the human eye was the first and only detector for hundreds of years, only to be supplemented and in most cases supplanted by an electro-optical detector of various configurations. The evolution of the eye has been and still is a mystery. In National Geogr...

Photonics for a Better World

Search This Blog