The International Year of Light and Light-based Technologies officially launched today with a two-day opening ceremony at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, with more than 1,000 attendees including international diplomats, Nobel laureates, CEOs, and science and industry leaders from across the globe.
The opening events highlight the themes of IYL 2015 programs designed to promote improved public and political understanding of the central role of light in the modern world while also celebrating noteworthy anniversaries in 2015 – from the first studies of optics 1,000 years ago to discoveries in optical communications that power the Internet today.
The International Year of light is a global initiative adopted by the United Nations to raise awareness of how optical technologies promote sustainable development and provide solutions to worldwide challenges in areas such as energy, education, communications, health, and sustainability.
SPIE, a founding partner of IYL 2015, is promoting the year-long celebration by sponsoring an international photo contest, encouraging participation of those in academia and industry, and providing free downloadable lesson plans and materials for educators to inspire the study of light and light-based technologies.
British photographer Paul Reiffer has been selected from among nearly 800 entries as the winner of SPIE’s photo contest with his 35-second exposure of Shanghi’s Nanpu Bridge at night. The movement and complexity of the man-made light in the photo was judged to most effectively illustrate the goal of ILY 2015 as well as light in everyday life, the contest theme.
Reiffer, from Weymouth, England, is an award-winning professional photographer whose photography has appeared in numerous international exhibits. His IYL winning image was also selected for the Royal Photographic Society’s International Print Exhibition at the Royal Albert Hall in London where it will be on display from Jan. 16 to Feb. 15.
For more information, visit http://spie.org/x93905.xml