United Nations proclaims an International Year of Light in 2015

The United Nations General Assembly has proclaimed 2015 as the International Year of Light and Light-based Technologies (IYL2015).

Championed by scientific organizations around the world including SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics, IYL2015 will promote improved public and political understanding of the central role of light in the modern world and celebrate significant scientific anniversaries occurring in 2015.

In proclaiming an International Year focusing on the topic of light science and its applications, the United Nations has recognized the importance of raising global awareness of how light-based technologies promote sustainable development and provide solutions to global challenges in energy, education, agriculture and health, organizers said.

"An International Year of Light is a tremendous opportunity to ensure that policymakers are made aware of the problem-solving potential of light technology," said John Dudley, chairman of the IYL2015 steering committee. "Photonics provides cost-effective solutions to challenges in many different areas: energy, sustainable development, climate change, health, communications, and agriculture. For example, innovative lighting solutions reduce energy consumption and environmental impact, while minimizing light pollution so that we can all appreciate the beauty of the Universe in a dark sky."

"Light gives us life through photosynthesis, lets us see back in time towards that cosmic big bang, and helps us communicate with the other sentient beings here on earth—and should we find any, perhaps those in outer space as well," noted Nobel Laureate John Mather, a NASA scientist and Fellow of SPIE. "Einstein studied light in developing the theory of relativity, believing that the laws of nature that give us light must surely be true no matter how fast we are moving. Now we know that even electrons and protons behave similarly to waves of light, in ways that continue to astonish us. And the optics and photonics technologies developed for space exploration have rendered many valuable spin-off applications in everyday life."

"Science expands our ability to solve the pressing challenges we face in areas important to quality of life for every person. Photonics is a crucial technology in many of those cross-disciplinary solutions as well as our ability to learn more through exploring the universe," said SPIE President-Elect Philip Stahl. "The International Year of Light will help raise awareness of the possibilities inherent in light-based science and engineering, and inspire new hope in those who are still waiting for solutions to their challenges. SPIE is delighted with the United Nations proclamation and excited about this powerful opportunity to help further greater understanding of photonics."

Light is more than just science and technology, Stahl noted: "It is one of the ways we experience and represent our world, through vision and the visual arts. And, it is central to how we express our deepest emotional and philosophical thoughts."

"Light matters to all of us," said Ana María Cetto from the National Autonomous University of Mexico. "The IYL will create a forum for scientists, engineers, artists, poets and all others inspired by light to interact both with each other and with the public so as to learn more about the nature of light, its many applications, and to discuss its role in our culture."

"Civilization would not exist without light; light from our Sun and light from the focused and coherent lasers which now have become an important part of our daily lives-from scanning packages at supermarkets, to eye surgery, and to IT communications across oceans," said Nobel Laureate Ahmed Zewail of the California Institute of Technology. "The International Year of Light will surely raise awareness of these powerful discoveries and their present wide-ranging, light-based technologies which are significant contributors to the world market. As importantly, the International Year of Light will inspire future discoveries and applications for one of the most important element of our existence: light."

More information:
spie.org/Documents/AboutSPIE/P … 015-proclamation.pdf

Provided by International Society for Optics and Photonics