Let There Be Light

It's official: the International Year of Light (IYL) is now underway!

More than 1000 participants converged in Paris at UNESCO headquarters for the IYL's two-day, grand Opening Ceremony on 19 and 20 January. ICTP is hosting the IYL Global Secretariat, working with UNESCO, the IYL lead UN agency, to promote improved public and political understanding of the central role of light in the modern world.

The Opening Ceremony introduced all key themes of the year, acting as inspiration for events worldwide during 2015 to raise awareness of the importance of light-based technologies in providing solutions to worldwide challenges in areas such as energy, education, communications and health.

Speakers and attendees included international diplomats and decision-makers, Nobel laureates, CEOs, and science and industry leaders from across the globe. After high-level opening addresses by international political leaders, a series of keynote lectures, symposia and round-tables covered areas of basic science, innovative lighting solutions for society, light pollution, emerging trends in photonics, the Einstein Centenary, light in art and culture, the history of science, and science policy.

Keynote speakers from the light science community included Nobel laureates Ahmed Zewail, Steven Chu, Zhores Alferov, William Phillips and Serge Haroche, pioneering and inspiring scientists who spoke on a diverse range of topics: light and life, energy, telecommunications, and the fundamental physics of light-matter interactions. The programme also included contributions by many other leading scientists and representatives from international NGOs. In addition, leading science and cultural heritage organization 1001 Inventions launched their international campaign to promote the life and works of the pioneering Muslim scientist Ibn al-Haytham, considered to be the father of modern optics.

The event also paid tribute to the cultural aspects of light. These were illustrated through exhibits and performances, notably a recital by American violinist Joshua Bell, a performance of the Maori founding myth Te Ao Mārama – From Darkness to the World of Light, and an installation by Finnish light artist Kari Kola that illuminated the outside of the UNESCO Building in Paris with a display entitled “Light is Here”, reflecting the powerful elements of the Northern lights.