Exhibition and symposium this weekend will celebrate the International Year of Light
September 8, 2015 | Emily Conover
The festival aims to help the public gain a better understanding of light and to learn about the exciting research going on in optics, photonics, and other light-related sciences, says Rebecca Thompson, APS Head of Public Outreach. "I think people don't realize how much we're still learning about these things." Many of the presenters are practicing researchers, so students will have the chance to chat with real scientists.
Following the science fest, a symposium will feature Nobel Prize-winning scientists in an event entitled "Light for a Better World: A Celebration of U.S. Innovation," from 6 to 9 p.m. at the National Academy of Sciences. Participants in the symposium include Nobel Laureates Eric Betzig of Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Shuji Nakamura of University of California Santa Barbara, France Córdova, director of the National Science Foundation (NSF), Gerald Duffy of GE, and Michael Liehr of AIM Photonics.
A group of scientific organizations joined forces to put on the show, including the NSF, APS, the American Institute of Physics, the IEEE Photonics Society, the National Academy of Sciences, the Optical Society, and the International Society for Optics and Photonics.