The kick-off meeting of the Committee in charge of promoting education and outreach activities for celebrating the International Year of Light in Spain has been held. Many scientific outreach activities will be organised to highlight the importance of light science and light-based technologies in areas like health, communications, economy, environment or society in 2015 .
On 23rd December 2013, the UN declared 2015 as the International Year of Light aiming at showing the society how science and light-based technologies can improve quality life of people.
In order to develop a program of events for celebrating the International Year of Light in Spain, a national Committee has been designated to promote and coordinate the outreach activities in all the country. Chaired by Professor María Josefa Yzuel from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, the Committee wants “to make the society aware of the role that light has in their everyday life and to contribute to a better education and knowledge of the light-based technologies”.
An event for and with the society
Bringing closer the applications and benefits of light-based technologies to society is the main purpose of the activities to be developed in different places of the country during 2015. Talks and debates of renowned scientists, hands-on experiments and games addressed to younger audiences and apps or exhibitions will be some of the events organized during the International Year of Light.
These events will start at the beginning of 2015 and will involve many different institutions: universities, research centres, high schools, schools, museums, etc.
Multidisciplinary committee
The Spanish Committee for celebrating the International Year of Light is composed by academic and industrial members from multidisplicinary knowledge areas related to light: physics, communications and GPS, environment, cultural heritage or artistic expressions.
Members of the Spanish Committee for celebrating the International Year of Light are:
- Dr. Caterina Biscari, Director of the ALBA Synchrotron
- Prof. María Luisa Calvo, Complutense University of Madrid (UCM) and Vice President of the Royal Spanish Physical Society (RSEF)
- Dr. Joaquín Campos, director of the Institute of Optics CSIC
- Prof. Alberto Galindo, President of the Royal Spanish Academy of Sciences (RAC)
- Dr. Gastón García, Deputy Director of the ALBA Synchrotron
- Prof. Luis Roso, University of Salamanca and director of the Centre for Ultrashort Ultraintense Pulsed Lasers (CLPU)
- Prof. Lluís Torner, Universidad Politécnica de Catalunya and Director of the Institute of Photonic Sciences (ICFO)
- Prof. Santiago Vallmitjana, Universidad de Barcelona (UB) and President of the Spanish Optical Society (SEDOPTICA)
- Prof. María Josefa Yzuel, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) and member of the Royal Academy of the Sciences and Arts of Barcelona (RACAB)
- Comité Español de Iluminación (CEISP)
- Southern European Cluster in Photonics and Optics (SECPhO).
The photograph above shows the attendants of the first meeting of the Spanish Committee for celebrating the International Year of Light. From left to right. Luis Roso (CLPU), Lluís Torner (ICFO), Mariona Pedrós and Vaclovas Radvilas (SECPhO), Maria Josefa Yzuel (UAB and RACAB), José Ignacio Fernández Vera (FECYT), Caterina Biscari (ALBA), Joan R. Sarroca (CEISP), Santiago Vallmitjana (UB and SEDOPTICA), Joaquín Campos (IO- CSIC), Mª Luisa Calvo (UCM and RSEF) and Gastón García (ALBA).
Further information: www.light2015.org