16 May 2020, International Day of Light (IDL)
The #SEETHELIGHT campaign is a collaboration between
- OSA – the Optical Society
- SPIE – the Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers
- IEEE – the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
The date of 16 May was chosen for the International Day of Light because it was the day that Theodore Maiman demonstrated the first laser in 1960. It recognizes the visible impact of science and engineering and their contributions like the laser.
We mark IDL 2020 through the release of a podcast created by our colleague Hannah Tonry, consisting of a series of interviews with artists, architects and technologists collaborating with the Applied Optics Group who all have a story to tell about how light shapes their work.
#SEETHELIGHT is a worldwide message encouraging all to join the conversation and celebrate the importance of the science of light and light-based technologies in our lives.