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The USDOT makes provision for bicycles, which are usually prohibited along Interstate Highways, along the freeway corridor in Glenwood Canyon. Rocky Mountains The highway departs the Colorado River near Dotsero, the name given to the railroad separation for the two primary mountain crossings, the original via Tennessee Pass/Royal Gorge and the newer and shorter Moffat Tunnel route. I-70 uses a separate route between the two rail corridors. From this junction I-70 follows the Eagle River toward Vail Pass, at an elevation of . In this canyon I-70 reaches the western terminus of U.S. Highway 24, which meanders through the Rockies before rejoining I-70. |
US 24 is known as the Highway of the Fourteeners, from the concentration of mountains exceeding along the highway corridor. Along the ascent, I-70 serves the ski resort town of Vail and the ski areas of Beaver Creek Resort, Vail Ski Resort and Copper Mountain. The construction of the freeway over Vail Pass is also listed as an engineering marvel. One of the challenges of this portion is the management of the wildlife that roams this area. Several parts of the approach to the pass feature large fences that prevent wildlife from crossing the freeway and direct the animals to one of several underpasses. |
At least one underpass is located along a natural migratory path and has been landscaped to encourage deer to cross. The highway descends to Dillon Reservoir, near the town of Frisco, and begins one final ascent to the Eisenhower Tunnel, where the freeway crosses the Continental Divide. At the time of dedication, this tunnel was the highest vehicular tunnel in the world, at . As of 2010, the facility was still the highest vehicular tunnel in the United States. The Eisenhower Tunnel is noted as both the longest mountain tunnel and the highest point on the Interstate Highway System. The tunnel has a command center, staffed with 52 full-time employees, to monitor traffic, remove stranded vehicles, and maintain generators to keep the tunnel's lighting and ventilation systems running in the event of a power failure. |
Signals are placed at each entrance and at various points inside the tunnel to close lanes or stop traffic in an emergency. There are several active and former ski resorts in the vicinity of the tunnel, including Breckenridge Ski Resort, Keystone Resort, Arapahoe Basin, Loveland Ski Area, Berthoud Pass Ski Area and Winter Park Resort. Clear Creek The freeway follows Clear Creek down the eastern side of the Rockies, passing through the Veterans Memorial Tunnels near Idaho Springs. Farther to the east, I-70 departs the US 6 corridor, which continues to follow Clear Creek through a narrow, curving gorge. The interstate, however, follows the corridor of US 40 out of the canyon. |
The highway crests a small mountain near Genesee Park to descend into Mount Vernon Canyon to exit the Rocky Mountains. This portion features grade-warning signs with unusual messages, such as "Trucks: Don't be fooled," "Truckers, you are not down yet," and "Are your brakes adjusted and cool?" Runaway truck ramps are a prominent feature along this portion of I-70, with a total of seven used along the descent of either side the Continental Divide to stop trucks with failed brakes. The last geographic feature of the Rocky Mountains traversed before the highway reaches the Great Plains is the Dakota Hogback. |
The path through the hogback features a massive cut that exposes various layers of rock millions of years old. The site includes a nature study area for visitors. Great Plains As the freeway passes from the Rocky Mountains to the Great Plains, I-70 enters the Denver metropolitan area, part of a larger urban area called the Front Range Urban Corridor. The freeway arcs around the northern edge of the LoDo district, the common name of the lower downtown area of Denver. Through the downtown area, US 40 is routed along Colfax Avenue, which served as the primary east–west artery through the Denver area before the construction of I-70. |
Through downtown, US 6 is routed along 6th Avenue before departing the I-70 corridor to join Interstate 76 on a northeast course toward Nebraska. The freeway meets Interstate 25 in an interchange frequently called the Mousetrap. From I-25 on to I-225, I-70 serves—together with those two Interstates—as part of an inner beltway around Denver. I-70 has one official branch in Colorado, Interstate 270, which connects the interstate with the Denver–Boulder Turnpike. Where these two freeways merge is the busiest portion of I-70 in the state, with an annual average daily traffic of 183,000 vehicles per day. While State Highway 470 and E-470 are not officially branches of I-70, they are remnants of plans for an I-470 outer beltway around Denver that were cancelled when the allocated funds were spent elsewhere. |
Leaving Denver, the highway serves the redevelopment areas on the former site of Stapleton International Airport; runway 17R/35L crossed over the Interstate at the runway's midsection. East of Aurora, I-70 rejoins the alignment of U.S. Highway 40 at Colfax Avenue. The freeway proceeds east across the Great Plains, briefly dipping south to serve the city of Limon, which bills itself as Hub City because of the many rail and road arteries that intersect there. I-70 enters Kansas near Burlington, a small community known for having one of the oldest carousels in the United States. History As first proposed in 1944, the western terminus of I-70 was Denver, along the corridor of US 40. |
The portion across the Rocky Mountains was added to the plans, after lobbying by Colorado officials, following the US 6 corridor. The origins of both the US 40 and US 6 pre-date the U.S. System of numbered highways, using established transcontinental trails. Earlier routes Before the formation of the United States Numbered Highways, the U.S. relied on an informal network of roads, organized by various competing interests, collectively called the auto trail system. The surveyors of most trails chose either South Pass in Wyoming or a southern route through New Mexico to traverse the Rocky Mountains. Both options were less formidable than the higher mountain passes in Colorado, but left the state without a transcontinental artery. |
When the planners of the Lincoln Highway also decided to cross the Rockies in Wyoming, officials pressed for a loop to branch from the main route in Nebraska, enter Colorado, and return to the main route in Wyoming. While the Lincoln Highway was briefly routed this way, the loop proved impractical and was soon removed. After losing the connection to the Lincoln Highway, officials convinced planners of the Victory Highway to traverse the state. The highway entered Colorado from Kansas along what was previously called the Smoky Hill Trail. The highway crossed the mountains along a trail blazed by a railroad surveyor and captain in the American Civil War, cresting at Berthoud Pass. |
After a round of political infighting between Utah and Nevada, the Victory Highway would become the Lincoln Highway's main rival for San Francisco-bound traffic. When the U.S. Highway system was unveiled in 1926, the Victory Highway was numbered U.S. Highway 40. While US 6 was also one of the original 1926 U.S. Highways, the road originally served the portion of the United States east of the Rocky Mountains. The highway was not extended to the Pacific coast until 1937, mostly following the Midland Trail. Around the time the U.S. Highway system was formed, the portion of the Midland Trail through Glenwood Canyon, known as the Taylor State Road, was destroyed by a flood. |
When US 6 was extended, the Works Progress Administration was rebuilding the road through the canyon and the Public Works Administration was nearing completion of a new highway over Vail Pass. In western Colorado, US 6 was routed concurrent with US 50 from the Utah state line to Grand Junction and eventually replaced US 24 from Grand Junction to near Vail. To keep these routes over the Rockies competitive with alternatives in other states, the Colorado Department of Highways relied on ingenuity to keep the roads safe. The department pioneered new machines to clear snow and various bridge and culvert designs to protect the roads from flooding. |
Interstate Highway planning Governor Edwin C. Johnson, for whom one of the tunnels along I-70 was later named, was a primary force in persuading the planners of the Interstate Highway System to extend the highway across the state. He stated to the Senate subcommittee: You are going to have a four-lane highway through Wyoming. You are going to build two four-lane highways through New Mexico and Arizona. Colorado needs to be able to compete with our neighboring states. We do not want to take anything away from them. We do not want them to get way out ahead of us, either, because these interstate highways are going to be very attractive highways for the East and West to travel on. |
Colorado held several meetings to convince reluctant Utah officials they would benefit from a freeway link between Denver and Salt Lake City. Utah officials expressed concerns that, given the terrain between these cities, this link would be difficult to build. They later expressed concerns that the construction would drain resources from completing Interstate Highways they deemed to have a higher priority. Colorado officials persisted, presenting three alternatives to route I-70 west of Denver, using the corridors of US 40, US 6 and a route starting at Pueblo, proceeding west along US 50/US 285/US 24. In March 1955, Colorado officials succeeded in convincing Utah officials with the state legislature passing a resolution supporting a link with Denver. |
The two states jointly issued a proposal to the U.S. Congress that would extend the plans for I-70 along the US 6 corridor. Under this proposal the freeway would terminate at I-15 near Spanish Fork, Utah, linking the Front Range and Wasatch Front metropolitan areas. Congress approved the extension of I-70; however, the route still had to be approved by the representatives of the U.S. military on the planning committee. Military representatives were concerned that plans for this new highway network did not have a direct connection from the central U.S. to southern California; and further felt Salt Lake City was adequately connected. |
Military planners approved the extension, but moved the western terminus south to Cove Fort, using I-70 as part of a link between Denver with Los Angeles instead of Salt Lake City. Utah officials objected to the modification, complaining they were being asked to build a long and expensive freeway that would serve no populated areas of the state. After being told this was the only way the military would approve the extension, Utah officials agreed to build the freeway along the approved route. Construction The first Colorado portion of I-70 opened to traffic in 1961. This section bypassed and linked Idaho Springs to the junction where US 6 currently separates from I-70 west of the city. |
The majority of the alignment through Denver was completed by 1964. The Mousetrap reused some structures that were built in 1951, before the formation of the Interstate Highway system. The last piece east of Denver opened to traffic in 1977. Eisenhower Tunnel Planning on how to route the freeway over the Rocky Mountains began in the early 1960s. The US 6 corridor crosses two passes: Loveland Pass, at an elevation of and Vail Pass, at . Engineers recommended tunneling under Loveland Pass to bypass the steep grades and hairpin curves required to navigate US 6. The project was originally called the Straight Creek Tunnel, after the waterway that runs along the western approach. |
The tunnel was later renamed the Eisenhower–Johnson Memorial Tunnel, after U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower and Colorado Governor Edwin C. Johnson. Construction on the first bore of the tunnel was started on March 15, 1968. Construction efforts suffered many setbacks and the project went well over time and budget. One of the biggest setbacks was the discovery of fault lines in the path of the tunnel that were not discovered during the pilot bores. These faults began to slip during construction and emergency measures had to be taken to protect the tunnels and workers from cave-ins and collapses. A total of nine workers were killed during the construction of both bores. |
Further complicating construction was that the boring machines could not work as fast as expected at such high altitudes, and the productivity was significantly less than planned. The frustration prompted one engineer to comment, "We were going by the book, but the damned mountain couldn't read". The first bore was dedicated March 8, 1973. Initially this tunnel was used for two-way traffic, with one lane for each direction. The amount of traffic through the tunnel exceeded predictions, and efforts soon began to expedite construction on the second tube (the Johnson bore), which was finished on December 21, 1979. The initial engineering cost estimate for the Eisenhower bore was $42 million; the actual cost was $108 million (equivalent to $ million today). |
Approximately 90% of the funds were paid by the federal government, with the state of Colorado paying the rest. At the time, this figure set a record for the most expensive federally aided project. The excavation cost for the Johnson bore was $102.8 million (equivalent to $ million today). The tunnel construction became unintentionally involved in the women's rights movement when Janet Bonnema was accepted for an engineering technician position in the construction of the Straight Creek Tunnel in 1970. Bonnema was restricted from entering the tunnel itself, however, due to the miners' superstition that women who entered underground mines and tunnels would bring bad luck. |
In 1972 Bonnema filed a $100,000 class action suit against the Colorado Department of Transportation, citing Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. As Colorado voters had passed the Equal Rights Amendment that year, the state settled Bonnema's case out of court for $6,730. Bonnema entered the tunnel for the first time on November 9, 1972, prompting 66 workers to temporarily walk off the job; most returned the next day. She continued with the project until the tunnel opened. Vail Pass While designing the Eisenhower Tunnel, controversies erupted over how to build the portions over Vail Pass and Glenwood Canyon. |
The route of US 6 over Vail Pass has a distinctive "V" shape. Initially engineers thought they could shorten the route of I-70 by about by tunneling from Gore Creek to South Willow Creek, an alternative known as the Red Buffalo Tunnel. This alternative sparked a nationwide controversy as it would require an easement across federally protected lands, through what is now called the Eagles Nest Wilderness. After the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture refused to grant the easement, the engineers agreed to follow the existing route across Vail Pass. The engineers added infrastructure to accommodate wildlife, and had significant portions of the viaducts constructed offsite and lifted in place to minimize the environmental footprint. |
The grade over Vail Pass reaches seven percent. Glenwood Canyon Glenwood Canyon has served as the primary transportation artery through the Rocky Mountains, even before the creation of U.S. highways. Railroads have used the canyon since 1887 and a dirt road was built through the canyon in the early 20th century. The first paved road was built from 1936 to 1938 at a cost of $1.5 million (equivalent to $ million today). With the Eisenhower Tunnel finished, the last remaining obstacle for I-70 to be an interstate commercial artery was the two lane, non-freeway portion in Glenwood Canyon. Construction had started on this section in the 1960s with a small section opening to traffic in 1966. |
The remainder was stopped due to environmentalist protests that caused a 30-year controversy. The original design was criticized as "the epitome of environmental insensitivity". Engineers scrapped the original plans and started work on a new design that would minimize additional environmental impacts. A new design was underway by 1971, which was approved in 1975; however, environmental groups filed lawsuits to stop construction, and the controversy continued even when construction finally resumed in 1981. The final design included 40 bridges and viaducts, three additional tunnel bores (two were completed before construction was stopped in the 1960s) and of retaining walls for a stretch of freeway long. |
The project was further complicated by the need to build the four-lane freeway without disturbing the operations of the railroad. This required using special and coordinated blasting techniques. Engineers designed two separate tracks for the highway, one elevated above the other, to minimize the footprint in the canyon. The final design was praised for its environmental sensitivity. A Denver architect who helped design the freeway proclaimed, "Most of the people in western Colorado see it as having preserved the canyon." He further stated, "I think pieces of the highway elevate to the standard of public art." A portion of the project included shoring up the banks of the Colorado River to repair damage and remove flow restrictions created in the initial construction of US 6 in the 1930s. |
The freeway was finally completed on October 14, 1992, in a ceremony covered nationwide. Most coverage celebrated the engineering achievement or noted this was the last major piece of the Interstate Highway System to open to traffic. However, newspapers in western Colorado celebrated the end of the frustrating traffic delays. For most of the final 10 years of construction, only a single lane of traffic that reversed direction every 30 minutes remained open in the canyon. One newspaper proudly proclaimed "You heard right. For the first time in more than 10 years, construction delays along that stretch of Interstate 70 will be non-existent." |
The cost was $490 million (equivalent to $ million today) to build , 40 times the average cost per mile predicted by the planners of the Interstate Highway system. This figure exceeded that of Interstate 15 through the Virgin River Gorge, which was previously proclaimed the most expensive rural freeway in the United States. The construction of I-70 through Glenwood Canyon earned 30 awards for the Colorado Department of Transportation, including the 1993 Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement Award from the American Society of Civil Engineers. At the dedication it was claimed that I-70 through Glenwood Canyon was the final piece of the Interstate Highway System to open to traffic. |
For this reason, the system was proclaimed to be complete. However, at the time there were still two sections of the original Interstate Highway System that had not been constructed: a section of Interstate 95 in central New Jersey, that was not completed until 2018 and a section of I-70 in Breezewood, Pennsylvania. Legacy When first approved, the extension of I-70 from Denver to Cove Fort was criticized in some area newspapers as a road to nowhere; an information liaison specialist with the U.S. Department of Transportation in Baltimore, Maryland—the eastern terminus of I-70—claims people have asked "did we think Baltimoreans were so desperate to get to Cove Fort that we were willing to pay $4 billion to get them there?" |
However, a resident engineer with the USDOT has called the extension one of the "crown jewels" of the Interstate Highway System. In Colorado, the freeway helped unite the state, despite the two halves being separated by the formidable Rocky Mountains. The Eisenhower Tunnel alone is credited with saving up to an hour from the drive across the state. Prior to I-70's construction, the highway through Glenwood Canyon was one of the most dangerous in the state. With the improvements, the accident rate has dropped 40% even though traffic through the canyon has substantially increased. The Colorado Department of Transportation is considering the nomination of various portions of I-70 as a National Historic Landmark, even though the freeway will not qualify as historical for several decades. |
The freeway is credited with enhancing Colorado's ski industry. The ski resort town of Vail did not exist until I-70 began construction, with developers working in close partnership with the Department of Transportation. By 1984, the I-70 corridor between Denver and Grand Junction contained the largest concentration of ski resorts in the United States. The towns and cities along the corridor have experienced significant growth, luring recreational visitors from the Denver area. As one conservationist lamented, I-70 "changed rural Colorado into non-rural Colorado". One accident at the Mousetrap, a complex interchange, had national ramifications. On August 1, 1984, a truck carrying six torpedoes for the U.S. Navy overturned. |
The situation was made worse as no one answered at the phone number provided with the cargo, and an unknown liquid was leaking from one of the torpedoes. It took more than three hours before any military personnel arrived on the scene, U.S. Army personnel from a nearby base. The incident left thousands of cars stranded and Denver's transportation network paralyzed for about eight hours. Approximately 50 residents in the area were evacuated. Investigations later revealed that the truck driver did not follow a recommended route provided by state troopers, who specifically warned the driver to avoid the Mousetrap. The Navy promised reforms after being criticized for providing an unstaffed phone number with a hazardous cargo shipment, a violation of federal law, and failing to notify Denver officials about the shipment. |
The Mousetrap was grandfathered into the Interstate Highway system, with some structures built in 1951. The incident provided momentum to rebuild the interchange with a more modern and safer design. Construction began in several phases in 1987 and the last bridge was dedicated in 2003. In 2014, mile marker 420 was altered by CDOT to read "Mile 419.99" following repeat thefts of the original sign due to the significance of the number 420 in cannabis culture. Future CDOT plans to rebuild the elevated section of I-70 between Brighton Boulevard and Colorado Boulevard in Denver as a below-grade highway and widen other sections between I-25 and Chambers Road in Aurora, beginning construction in 2018. |
The $1.2 billion project, financed through a public–private partnership with Kiewit and Meridiam, would add a new express toll lane and build frontage roads; the below-grade freeway would have a park built over the top between Clayton and Columbine streets. The project has attracted controversy from activists opposed to highway expansion, including lawsuits filed over changes to federal air quality standards that would allow the project to be built. |
Exit list See also Business routes of Interstate 70 in Colorado References External links I-70 Road conditions, construction updates, traffic cameras, and traveler alerts by Colorado Department of Transportation I-70 Guide by AARoads Glenwood Canyon: An I-70 Odyssey – History of the Canyon and Construction of I-70 by Matthew E. Salek Truckers, You Are Not Down Yet – Unnerving highway signs on eastbound I-70 approaching Denver by Dale Sanderson Colorado 70 Category:Colorado River Category:Transportation in Mesa County, Colorado Category:Transportation in Garfield County, Colorado Category:Transportation in Eagle County, Colorado Category:Transportation in Summit County, Colorado Category:Transportation in Clear Creek County, Colorado Category:Transportation in Jefferson County, Colorado Category:Transportation in Denver Category:Transportation in Adams County, Colorado Category:Transportation in Arapahoe County, Colorado Category:Transportation in Elbert County, Colorado Category:Transportation in Lincoln County, Colorado Category:Transportation in Kit Carson County, Colorado |
The International Year of Light and Light-based Technologies 2015 or International Year of Light 2015 (IYL 2015) was a United Nations observance that aimed to raise awareness of the achievements of light science and its applications, and its importance to humankind. Under the leadership of UNESCO, the IYL 2015 brought together hundreds of national and international partners to organize more than 13,000 activities in 147 countries. The audience reached by the IYL 2015 is estimated to be over 100 million. History The first idea for an International Year of Light dates back to 2009 when John Dudley, IYL 2015 Steering Committee Chair, proposed the idea whilst representing the Quantum Electronics and Optics Division (QEOD) of the European Physical Society (EPS) at a meeting of the International Council of Quantum Electronics (ICQE) in Baltimore, USA. |
An item that was discussed at this meeting was how to follow up activities that were planned to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the laser (LaserFest) in 2010 with something even more ambitious. The photonics community felt that there was a real opportunity to reach out beyond the scientific sector to raise much broader awareness of the problem-solving potential of light-based science in so many areas of life, and to make a global effort to influence education and policy in both developed and developing countries. The proposal was endorsed by ICQE and thus began the adventure towards IYL 2015. International Years are part of the United Nations (UN) declared observances that promote awareness of issues relevant to its aims and international programmes. |
The first step to successfully achieve the proclamation of the International Year was to work through UNESCO to prepare and submit a resolution to the UN General Assembly. But before this, EPS had to construct the proposal in detail and build a consortium amongst the major optics and physics societies. During 2010 and 2011, the main motivations and goals for IYL 2015 were drafted, and it was decided that 2015 would be the target year based on several key scientific anniversaries. With the support of the EPS President Luisa Cifarelli, an important milestone occurred in September 2011 when the Italian Physical Society and EPS organized in Varenna, Italy, the Passion for Light launch meeting for IYL 2015, where representatives of UNESCO and the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (UNESCO-ICTP) were present, both to learn more about our plans and to show their support. |
This was the essential step that brought the guidance and experience of UNESCO's International Basic Science Programme to the proposal. With the help of the Institute of Physics (especially Sir Peter Knight who was the president at the time), EPS led a delegation to the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP) General Assembly in London, United Kingdom, during November 2011 to obtain endorsement, providing an important green light recognizing the international nature of the proposal. |
At this point there were many partners involved: in addition to EPS and its own European member societies, the IYL 2015 team included the African Physical Society, the American Physical Society, the Association of Asia Pacific Physical Societies, the Chinese Optical and Physical Societies, the European Optical Society, the International Commission for Optics (ICO), the IEEE Photonics Society, the Optical Society (OSA), the international society for optics and photonics (SPIE), as well as many other partners and societies from Africa, Australia, Canada, the Middle East, New Zealand, South America, and elsewhere. From March 2012 things moved quickly. With help from the Director of UNESCO's International Basic Science Programme Dr. Maciej Nalecz, a consortium of supporting UNESCO member states was assembled. |
Much support was needed from a number of international scientific partners at this stage, and it is essential here to acknowledge Francis Allotey (Ghana) and Ana María Cetto (Mexico) for their leading roles. Other assistance was provided by Zsolt Fulop (Hungary), John Harvey and Geoff Austin (New Zealand), Zohra Ben Lakhdar and Mourad Zghal (Tunisia), Joe Niemela (UNESCO-ICTP), Lluis Torner (Spain) and Sergei Bagaev and Victor Zadkov (Russia). A resolution supporting IYL 2015 was prepared and was adopted by the UNESCO Executive Board at its 190th session which took place at the UNESCO HQ in Paris, France, 3–18 October 2012. |
The resolution was placed before the Executive Board by Ghana, Mexico, the Russian Federation (Board Members), and New Zealand (UNESCO Member State). UNESCO delegates from Ghana and Mexico introduced the proposal to the Executive Board. The resolution was adopted by the Executive Board joined by co-signatories from a further 27 Board Members: Angola, Bangladesh, Brazil, Burkina Faso, China, Congo, Cuba, Djibouti, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Kenya, Indonesia, Italy, Malawi, Nigeria, Peru, the Republic of Korea, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Thailand, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates, the United States of America, Venezuela, and Zimbabwe. Other Member States of UNESCO who declared support for the initiative were Hungary, Serbia, and South Africa. |
UNESCO's official support opened the gate to approach the UN General Assembly to officially endorse the International Year. In early 2013 a meeting amongst the international stakeholders proposed ICTP as the Global Coordination Secretariat. Later in the year, with the help of UNESCO, the IYL 2015 Steering Committee was invited by Mexico to defend the proposal in New York, United States of America, at an information meeting held at UN Headquarters in May 2013. Ana Maria Cetto and John Dudley led a delegation that also included representatives of the African Physical Society (Yanne Chembo), ICTP and OSA (Anthony Johnson) and SPIE (H. Philip Stahl). |
After the May 2013 meeting, Mexico led the political process to draft a resolution for the 68th Session of the UN General Assembly which would begin in September 2013. The second half of 2013 was extremely busy, as the IYL 2015 Steering Committee really did need the declaration to be made before the end of 2013 in order to have a full 12 months to prepare. The UNESCO Executive Board resolution was endorsed by the UNESCO General Conference at its 37th session on 19 November 2013. In parallel, a resolution was submitted to the United Nations Second Committee on 6 November 2013 by the nation of Mexico, with delegates from both Mexico and New Zealand speaking in support. |
The resolution was adopted with co-sponsorship from 35 countries: Argentina, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Chile, China, Colombia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, France, Ghana, Guinea, Haiti, Honduras, Israel, Italy, Japan, Mauritius, Mexico, Montenegro, Morocco, Nepal, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Palau, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, Somalia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine and United States of America. Finally, the resolution A/RES/68/221 proclaiming the IYL 2015 was adopted on 20 December 2013 during a plenary meeting of the 68th Session of the UN General Assembly. Vision goals and objectives The IYL 2015 was a yearlong series of events and activities with the aim of highlighting to the citizens of the world the importance of light science and optical technologies in leading to improved quality of life and for the future development of society. |
A particular objective was to focus on application areas related to sustainable development, and to show how light-based technologies can provide practical solutions to global challenges in areas such as renewable energy, education, agriculture, and healthcare. Motivation Light plays a central role in human activities. People throughout the world and across history have always attached great importance to light. We have seen this in cultural symbolism, universal myths and legends, and in the many ways that studying the science of light and applying it in practical applications has shaped the societies in which we live. Light is the means by which human beings see themselves, each other, and their place in the Universe. |
Light is an essential part of culture and art, and is a unifying symbol for the world. On the most fundamental level through photosynthesis, light is necessary to the existence of life itself, and the many applications of light have revolutionized society through medicine, communications, entertainment and culture. Industries based on light are major economic drivers, and light-based technologies directly respond to the needs of humankind by providing access to information, promoting sustainable development, and increasing societal health and well-being. Goals The major goals of the International Year of Light 2015 were: Improve the public understanding of how light and light-based technologies touch the daily lives of everybody, and are central to the future development of the global society. |
Build worldwide educational capacity through activities targeted on science for young people, addressing issues of gender balance, and focusing especially on developing countries and emerging economies. Enhance international cooperation by acting as a central information resource for activities coordinated by learned societies, NGOs, government agencies, educational establishments, industry, and other partners. Focus on particular discoveries in the history of science that have shown the fundamental centrality of light in the development of knowledge, and highlight the continuous nature of discovery in different historical and cultural contexts, Emphasise the importance of basic research in the fundamental science of light, the need for investment in light-based technology to develop new applications, and the global necessity to promote careers in science and engineering in these fields. |
Promote the importance of lighting technology and the need for access to light and energy infrastructure in sustainable development, and for improving quality of life in the developing world. Raise awareness that technologies and design can play an important role in the achievement of greater energy efficiency, in particular by limiting energy waste, and in the reduction of light pollution, which is key to the preservation of dark skies. Highlight and explain the intimate link between light and art and culture, enhancing the role of optical technology to preserve cultural heritage. Maintain these goals and achievements in the future beyond the International Year of Light. |
The International Year of Light contributes significantly to fulfilling the missions of UNESCO to the building of peace, the alleviation of poverty, to sustainable development and intercultural dialogue through education, science, culture, and communication. In this context the goals of IYL 2015 align with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals which were adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015. Anniversaries during 2015 The year 2015 was a natural candidate for the International Year of Light as it represented the remarkable conjunction of a number of important milestones in the history of the science of light. Great works on optics by Ibn Al-Haytham - over 1000 years The year 2015 marks the 1000th anniversary since the appearance of the remarkable seven-volume treatise on optics Kitab al-Manazir, written by the Arab scientist Ibn al-Haytham (also known by the Latinization Alhazen or Alhacen),. |
Born around a thousand years ago in present-day Iraq, Ibn Al-Haytham was a pioneering scientific thinker who made important contributions to the understanding of vision, optics, and light. Today, many consider him a pivotal figure in the history of optics and the "Father of modern optics". He was the first person to explain that vision occurs when light bounces on an object and then is directed to one's eyes. Ibn Al-Haytham was one of the earliest scientists to study the characteristics of light and the mechanism/process of vision. He sought experimental proof of his theories and ideas. During many years living in Egypt, he composed one of his most celebrated works, Kitab al-Manazir, whose title is commonly translated into English as Book of Optics but more properly has the broader meaning Book of Vision. |
Ibn Al-Haytham made significant advances in optics, mathematics, and astronomy. His work on optics was characterised by a strong emphasis on carefully designed experiments to test theories and hypotheses. In that regard he was following a procedure somewhat similar to the modern scientific method. Fresnel and his theory of light as a wave - 1815 Augustin-Jean Fresnel (1788-1827) was a French engineer and physicist who contributed significantly to the establishment of the theory of wave optics, publishing a pioneering memoire on diffraction in 1815. At the end of the 18th century, physics was dominated by Newton's particle theory of light. |
Fresnel disliked Newton's theory of light mainly because of its failure to explain such basic optical phenomena as the interference effect. By developing his ideas on the wave nature of light into a comprehensive mathematical theory, Fresnel determined properties that every future theory of light would have to satisfy, and created the groundwork for the later work of James Clerk Maxwell. The wave view did not immediately displace the ray and particle view, but began to dominate scientific thinking about light in the mid 19th century since it could explain polarization phenomena that the alternatives could not. It was not until the early 20th century that the photoelectric effect introduced firm evidence of a particle nature of light as well, therefore, paving the way for the wave-particle duality of light. |
Maxwell describes his theory of light - 1865 Another milestone commemorated in the IYL 2015 is the 150th anniversary of Maxwell's electromagnetic theory of light, a theory that changed the world forever. James Clerk Maxwell (1831-1879), born in Scotland, is considered as one of the most important scientists of all time and one of the greats in the history of physics along with Newton and Einstein. Undoubtedly, his most important scientific contribution is the theory of the electromagnetic field, fundamental not only for the comprehension of natural phenomena, but also for its many current technical applications, particularly in telecommunications. His 1865 paper, A Dynamical Theory of the Electromagnetic Field, provides a complete theoretical basis for the treatment of classical electromagnetic phenomena. |
He proved that the equations of the electromagnetic field could combine into a wave equation and suggested the existence of electromagnetic waves. Calculating the speed of propagation of these waves, he obtained the value of the speed of light, and concluded that it was an electromagnetic wave. Maxwell also left us outstanding contributions to colour theory, optics, Saturn's rings, statics, dynamics, solids, instruments, and statistical physics. However, his most important contributions were to electromagnetism. Einstein and the General Theory of Relativity - 1915 The year 2015 marked the 100th anniversary of Einstein's General Theory of Relativity. Albert Einstein (1879-1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist who revolutionized our understanding of the universe, and who is widely acknowledged as the most important scientist of the 20th Century. |
Einstein's General Theory of Relativity fundamentally changed the way we understand gravity and the universe in general. He gave us a way to understand the universe as a whole and created one of the most beautiful theories in the history of science. The General Theory of Relativity gives us the law of gravitation and its relation to the other forces of nature. From Newton we knew about the "strength" of gravity, but his theory did not tell us how gravity pulls on things. In the General Theory of Relativity, the doctrine of space and time no longer figures as a fundamental independent of the rest of physics. |
Rather, the geometrical behaviour of bodies and the motion of clocks depend on gravitational fields, which in turn are produced by matter. General Relativity helped to predict the existence of black holes, which are regions of the spacetime exhibiting such strong gravitational effects that nothing – not even light – can escape. The theory also has important implications for cosmology, the study of the structure of the Universe. One of the consequences of the theory is that not only is the universe finite, but should be contracting or expanding, something that was confirmed years later by the US astronomer Edwin Hubble. |
One of the most revolutionary predictions of the theory was the existence of gravitational waves, ripples in space-time that propagate in much the same way that ripples spread across the surface of a pond. It was only in 2016 that the LIGO experiment finally confirmed their existence, opening a new window for observing the cosmos that could change our understanding of the universe. It is worth noting here that this experimental confirmation of General Relativity, like that of Special Relativity before it, was based on using an optical instrument - an interferometer. This reveals the power of light-based technologies in not only driving applications but also supporting research into very fundamental physics. |
Penzias and Wilson discover the Microwave Background - 1965 In 1965, the American astronomers Arno Penzias (1933) and Robert Woodrow Wilson (1936) announced the discovery of Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) Radiation. This radiation is a relic of the light that filled the early cosmos almost 14 billion years ago, that can still be observed today across the sky at much longer wavelengths than visible light, in the domain of microwaves. Finding the CMB represented a triumph for the "Big Bang" description of the Universe. Penzias and Wilson won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1978 for their discovery. The detection of the CMB triggered a series of increasingly accurate experiments and detailed theoretical calculations over the past fifty years, searching for more information about the universe in this early cosmic signal. |
Initially NASA's COBE and WMAP satellites, and in recent years ESA's Planck satellite, have provided precise maps of the CMB that enable astrophysicists to delve into the history of the Universe, constraining its geometry and the properties of its constituents. Together with other observations, these data led to the "standard model" for cosmology: a spatially flat Universe dominated not only by dark matter, but also by the mysterious dark energy, responsible for accelerating the present expansion of the cosmos. Charles Kao develops optical fibre communications - 1965 Charles K. Kao (1933) is a Chinese-born Hong Kong, American, and British electrical engineer and physicist who pioneered the development and use of fiber optics in telecommunications. |
Kao's research laid the groundwork for high-speed data communication and the Information Age. When Kao started work, it seemed impossible to use light for transmitting information because the available materials simply had too much loss. But Kao showed that the fibre-manufacturing process was the cause of the absorption problem, and that under better technical conditions, light could travel vast distances before being weakened by absorption. These findings unleashed a series of technological improvements and advancements, launching a new age in the history of telecommunications. For this reason Charles Kao is regarded as the "father of fiber optic communication." In 2009, Charles Kao was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics "for groundbreaking achievements concerning the transmission of light in fibres for optical communication." |
Organization IYL 2015 Governance The coordination of IYL 2015 was through its steering committee that provided overall direction and guidance for IYL 2015 activities. A smaller executive board of the steering committee was responsible for many operational matters, supported by the IYL 2015 Global Secretariat located at the UNESCO Category I Institute, ICTP in Trieste, Italy. A broader advisory board played an important role in allowing them to link with diverse communities worldwide. IYL 2015 Global Secretariat The central hub for the IYL 2015 was the Global Secretariat located at the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) in Trieste, Italy. |
The secretariat coordinated activities during the planning, execution, and evaluation of the IYL 2015. The secretariat liaised continuously with UNESCO, the National Nodes, Partners, the media, and the general public to ensure the progress of the IYL 2015 at all levels. IYL 2015 National Nodes The IYL 2015 facilitated the creation of an international network to act at national and local levels. National Nodes were formed in 94 different countries to coordinate, promote, and implement IYL 2015 activities taking into account the needs and characteristics of different regions around the world. These nodes established collaborations between major national and local communities involved with IYL 2015 in each country and established a national committee that included a wide range of different partner representatives. |
In some cases, UNESCO National Commission members played an important role in such committees. Relying on National Nodes was indispensable for the success of the whole project as they provided local contact points for all those interested in participating in the IYL 2015. They also provided invaluable service in translating the international resources that were developed in English into local languages. This was especially vital in reaching school-age children and the public at large in many countries. Of course, within some countries, activities were not organised centrally via a national node, but events during 2015 still took place through ad hoc local organising committees. |
Partners IYL 2015 brought together 189 national and international partners in a multi-disciplinary consortium. IYL 2015 was endorsed by a number of scientific unions and the International Council of Science. Amongst the German Physical Societythe Founding Partners of IYL 2015 were: American Institute of Physics (AIP) American Physical Society (APS) German Physical Society (DPG) European Physical Society (EPS) Abdus Salam International Centre of Theoretical Physics (ICTP) IEEE Photonics Society Institute of Physics (IOP) Light: Science and Applications The international lightsources.org network 1001 Inventions Optical Society (OSA) International Society for Optics and Photonics (SPIE) IYL 2015 Activities Overview The IYL 2015 has been one of the most successful and visible of any of UNESCO's international observances, with 13,168 registered activities involving an estimated reach of more than 100 million people. |
IYL 2015 was visible in a total of 147 countries worldwide through a combination of: event organisation (129 countries), or political support and commemorative stamps and coins (a further 18 countries). Event Breakdown An analysis of the different type of events carried out during 2015 is given in the figure below described in terms of a number of different categories. Note that some events included several different activities (e.g. scientific lectures embedded within an art show) but in such cases we chose to include the event in the category corresponding to the primary activity that appeared in promotion. An approximate regional breakdown of the events that took place during 2015 is as follows: Africa (27 countries, 654 activities); the Americas (30 countries, 4,501 activities); Asia (39 countries, 2,000 activities); Europe (45 countries, 5,844 activities) and Oceania (2 countries, 169 activities). |
An indicative breakdown of the distribution of activities is as follows: Multi-day scientific conferences (30%); Light-themed exhibitions and festivals (25%); One day conferences and special events (22%); Activities in schools (10%); Art and music and light shows (6%); Citizen Science activities (3%); Other e.g. Light-themed competitions, Open Days, Launch Events, Stamps and Coins etc. (4%). Selected Activities Opening Ceremony 19–20 January 2015, Paris, France The IYL 2015 Opening Ceremony took place over 19–20 January at the iconic UNESCO Headquarters Fontenoy Building in Paris, France. More than 1,200 participants from more than 86 countries gathered to listen to 55 speakers covering diverse topics in light science and applications. |
Speakers included diplomats and UNESCO leaders, five Nobel laureates, NGO representatives, and industry CEOs. Subjects addressed themes such as: education and outreach; the basic physics of light; applications to the life sciences and health; energy and climate change; new light technologies; astronomy and light pollution; and culture and art. A panel discussion amongst political leaders addressed challenges for the future, and the speaker programme was complemented by performances from the New Zealand Maori group Ngāti Rānana and the American violinist Joshua Bell. The Opening Ceremony also featured an extensive exhibition of educational resources from sponsors and partners, art and culture and music displays, and a historical exhibit on 1001 Inventions and the World of Ibn Al-Haytham. |
And outside the conference hall, the faces of the UNESCO building were lit up for three nights in the colours of the Aurora Borealis in a spectacular large-scale installation, Light is Here, by the Finnish Artist Kari Kola. Closing Ceremony 4–6 February 2016, Mérida, Mexico The IYL 2015 Closing Ceremony took place over 4–6 February 2016 in the city of Mérida, Mexico. Over 300 participants reviewed the activities and major outcomes of the IYL 2015 and discussed enduring legacies. A message from the Secretary General of United Nations, Ban Ki Moon, stressed the tremendous positive outcome of the year, stating how "IYL 2015 has shown how the science of light, photonics, and related technologies can promote sustainable development in many fields, including climate change and energy, agriculture, health, and education." |
Speakers included two Nobel laureates and representatives from many other diverse sectors, and the topics covered in talks included health and life science, architecture and urban environments, new light sources for research, optics and photonics, cultural heritage, light pollution awareness, and science education. An important component of the Closing Ceremony were a series of interactive Panel Discussions which encouraged audience participation in defining follow-up actions for the future, going beyond the IYL 2015. Cultural and educational activities for the general public in Mérida were also organized to accompany the Closing Ceremony. Events such as a film festival, art installations, and an outreach programme in high schools and universities attracted 14,000 participants. |
The ceremony was officially closed with a visit to the archaeological site Chichén Itzá, with lectures on Mayan culture and archeoastronomy, and a light and sound show over the Temple of Kukulcan. Education Focus Teaching activities involving light and optics naturally lend themselves to student participation and can serve as a very effective gateway into science for young people. All countries participating in IYL 2015 included a strong focus on education, and indeed in some cases light was chosen as a major theme of centrally coordinated National and Regional Science Weeks. This was the case, for example, in: Australia, Brazil, Czech Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, France, Germany, Mexico and Slovakia. |
It is worth describing the impact of several of these national initiatives in more detail: activities in Brazil in October–November 2015 included specific events with indigenous communities and visually impaired people; 3,500 people attended the Week of Science in Kinshasa in April 2015 on the theme of Light and Energy in the Democratic Republic of Congo; Mexico's 22nd National Science Week in November 2015 was dedicated to the IYL 2015 reaching out to over 100,000 people; the Czech Academy of Sciences dedicated its annual November science and technology festival to light and held interactive workshops for children; the Canary Islands (Spain) organized its Science Week in November 2015 combining both IYL 2015 and the International Year of Soils 2015 as its theme for the activities. |
Many events had special focus on school-age children. In Bangladesh, a hands-on programme Spark of Light was conducted in 37 schools in the country reaching 2,500 high-school students; around 1,500 elementary and middle school students in five schools in China participated in the Seed of Light programme; El Salvador and Mongolia organized their National Physics Olympiads around IYL 2015; a particular regional activity in Europe was the eTwinning initiative which ran a contest for students from 62 classes from 22 different countries who had to design an experiment to explain the properties of light; the Franche-Comté region in France organised a public outreach programme LUX! |
which reached 13,000 young people and members of the public in one weekend; the Children's Museum in Jordan organised an exhibit and storytelling activities on "Colours" for three months in 2015 which was visited by 36,000 children; a three-month programme of the Macedonian Montessori Association implemented children's workshops in art and science of light; a Portuguese programme "Bringing Light to Schools" included teacher training in how to use light-based technologies to stimulate student interest; one event in South Africa was a year-long programme bringing light-based teaching resources to the disadvantaged area of Mamelodi targeting five local schools and 400 pupils; events in Tunisia included hands-on activities in six secondary schools in rural regions of the country. |
Light Poverty Globally, around 1.1 billion people still do not have access to electricity and reliable lighting infrastructure. A central aim of IYL 2015 was to raise awareness of this issue, since eradicating such "light poverty" is clearly a vital step in addressing numerous development goals. |
Many IYL 2015 partners made this topic a major feature of their activities: the CEO of the IYL 2015 Patron Sponsor Philips Lighting spoke on this subject at the Opening Ceremony held at UNESCO HQ, and indeed the company focussed on providing practical solutions in many regions of the world, including an agreement to provide street lighting for 800 villages in Uttar Pradesh in India; IYL 2015 partners also participated in the public-private collective Power for All campaign that kicked off during 2015 to promote universal energy access by 2030; the IEEE Photonics Society teamed up with the NGOs SolarAid and Unite-to-Light to donate 3,200 solar lamps to remote regions in Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa, and the Philippines; the Solar Lights for Learning project organized educational activities and solar lantern distribution to children from schools in Namibia, Guatemala, Kenya, Chile, and Peru; a multipartner initiative led by the ICTP-linked LAM Network in Senegal delivered solar lamps also used as cell phones chargers, to schools and populations in remote villages; the VELUX Group collaborated with the social business Little Sun to distribute 14,500 solar lamps in Zambia, Zimbabwe and Sierra Leone. |
Other organizations focussed on raising more general awareness through novel initiatives. For example, CCT-SeeCity - a partner of NGO Liter of Light - ran a night-time artistic and cultural walking tour of cities in Europe (Rome, Madrid, London, Berlin, and Paris) to raise funds for low-cost solar lighting installation at a centre for women and children in a suburban village of Dakar in Senegal. Gender, diversity, and inclusion Promoting the need for gender parity in science has been a major theme of the IYL 2015, aiming to address the well-known problem of minority participation of women in science, particularly at the highest level. |
The IYL 2015 has worked hard in addressing this issue from its inception, and achieved 35% participation of high-level women scientists in its governing bodies and as speakers in the official Opening and Closing Ceremonies. Although such gender ratios are superior to those usually associated with the organisation of scientific bodies and conferences, clearly much more still needs to be done. Many IYL 2015 partners worked on particular initiatives to promote careers in science and engineering for young girls, as well as to improve the gender-balanced representation of scientists at all levels. Such initiatives included hands-on workshops, panels, seminars, competitions, and exhibitions highlighting women in science. |
Particular partner activities included: the organisation of 64 activities by the IEEE Photonics Society's Women in Photonics and Young Professionals initiative, and the Introduce a Girl to Photonics Week in October 2015; SPIE organized events such as the annual Women in Optics Presentation during their flagship Photonics West Conference in the US in February 2015, including a panel discussion amongst women scientists on The Road Less Travelled: Women in Science & Technology Leadership; the OSA organized the Minorities and Women in OSA program/reception during the Frontiers in Optics conference in October 2015 and was involved with community initiatives such as the Girl Scouts USA/hands-on science demonstrations during the OFC conference in March 2015; the European project LIGHT2015 created a new prize for Early-Career Women in Photonics; ICFO in Spain organised a Girls and Boys and Photonics event and Girls Guide Australia developed specific educational resources on light for IYL 2015. |
Other initiatives reached out to tackle problems such as the violence against women. The Woman Scream International Poetry and Arts Festival 2015 - organized from the Dominican Republic - used the theme of "Women of Light" in over 160 events in 36 countries during March 2015 to honour women and create a conscious call against violence to women through artistic expressions. A number of IYL 2015 initiatives focussed especially on those affected by war and natural disasters: the Physics for All activity from the German Physical Society DPG brought the themes of IYL 2015 to newly arrived refugee communities within Germany, and the Nepalese IYL 2015 committee focussed mainly on activities and support for students and schools in areas impacted by the severe April 2015 earthquake. |
IYL 2015 also supported the other inclusion challenges faced by society. In Thailand, UNESCO Bangkok and many other partners cooperated to light the façade of the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre with a rainbow-coloured display on 17 May 2015 to commemorate the International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia. In another initiative, iconic landmarks and buildings throughout the Ireland were lit orange to commemorate World Suicide Prevention Day on 10 September 2015. High-Level Support The IYL 2015 partners and national committees worked very hard to reach out towards high-level decision makers through targeted events during the year. Although certainly one aim of outreach is towards the public at large, initiatives that brought together scientific and political partners were considered essential to ensure that IYL 2015 initiatives would have a lasting impact well beyond the international year itself. |
One approach to this was to seek high level patronage from figures of state. Such support included: Queen Letizia of Spain chairing the Spanish Committee of Honor of the International Year of Light; Prince Andrew, Duke of York was the patron of IYL 2015 in the UK; the President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, acted as patron of IYL 2015 in Ireland; President Francois Hollande was patron of the launch of the International Year of Light in France. In addition, President Mahama of Ghana provided a message for the African Regional Conference and Exhibition on Harnessing Light and Light-based Technologies for Africa's Development. |
Governments also recognized the IYL 2015 at the highest levels: The National Assembly of Korea passed a resolution in support on 16 February 2015; the Puerto Rico House of Representatives passed a resolution in support on 1 June 2015; and the International Year of Light was highlighted in the United States Senate with a statement that appears in the US Congressional Record for 17 December 2015. Other official events also commemorated IYL 2015. In the UK, two events were organised by the Parliamentary and Scientific Committee to raise awareness of the photonics sector; the closure of the IYL 2015 in Andorra was celebrated at the headquarters of the Parliament of Andorra; Member of the Duma and Nobel Laureate Zhores Alferov spoke on the IYL 2015 and topics of light technology at the Russian Parliament. |
In addition to the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, high-level events with participation of UNESCO leadership included: two events at UNESCO HQ as part of the UNESCO Executive Board Future Prospects initiative with the participation of Nobel Laureates William D. Phillips (21 January 2015) and Hiroshi Amano (8 June 2015); the participation of the UNESCO Director General at the launch of IYL 2015 in Algeria (11 April 2015); the participation of the UNESCO Assistant Director General at the world's largest combined academic-industry photonics conference in Germany on 22 June 2015 and at the opening of The Islamic Golden Age of Science for the Knowledge-Based Society conference at UNESCO HQ on 14 September 2015. |
Other significant events of this type also included: the UNESCO National Commission of Ghana organised the African Regional Conference and Exhibition on Harnessing Light and Light-based Technologies for Africa's Development in Accra from 14–16 September 2015; a special session on IYL 2015 held at the UNESCO co-organised World Science Forum in Budapest on 6 November 2015; a side event to the 2016 ECOSOC Youth Forum held at the UN HQ in New York on 2 February 2016 organised by Founding Partner 1001 Inventions. IYL 2015 also stimulated many national and regional initiatives to promote light science and technology. |
The European Commission provided strong support through its Photonics Unit and the Photonics21 Public Private Partnership; an event organised at the National Academy of Sciences on 12 September 2015 brought together high-level partners within the USA; many other countries such as Canada, Singapore, and the UK developed new networks and/or reports promoting the impact of photonics and the need for continued investment. France hosted the highly significant COP21 climate change conference from 5–12 December 2015, which included the participation of IYL 2015 Partner Liter of Light that promoted ecologically sustainable and cost-free lighting in developing countries. Scientific Conferences Nearly all optics conferences on the regular scientific calendar for 2015 made some special effort to promote the broader goals of the IYL 2015. |
A description of some particular events organised especially for 2015 follows. In addition to the African Regional Conference and Exhibition in Accra, major conferences were held elsewhere in Africa. In Cameroon, an international workshop from 24–27 November 2015 in Yaoundé attracted 100 students and young professionals from Africa and internationally. The IEEE AFRICON 2015 conference in Addis-Ababa Ethiopia from 14–17 September 2015 included a workshop focused on photonics research for African Development. In South Africa, the University of Fort Hare together with ICTP organized a workshop in Alice, Eastern Cape, South Africa from 28 September - 1 October 2015 that was attended by 80 delegates from over 25 countries. |
A major scientific conference in South America was Colombia in the International Year of Light 2015 that was held in the cities of Bogotá and Medellín on 16–19 June 2015 attracting over 2,000 participants. In Ecuador, the OptoAndina 2015 event in Quito from 11–13 November 2015 attracted students from Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Colombia, and México. In El Salvador, an international workshop on optical spectroscopy from 25–30 March 2015 brought together academic and governmental institutions from Mexico and El Salvador, with a focus on concerns related to using optical techniques to detect dangerous materials and narcotics. |
Elsewhere, a three-day international symposium on Light and Life was organized in Islamabad, Pakistan, from 14–16 October 2015; events in Europe during 2015 included the Laser World of Photonics congress from 22–25 June 2015 in Germany, and a workshop on an African synchrotron facility held at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility in Grenoble, France from 16–20 November 2015. In the US, the 2015 Fitzpatrick Institute for Photonics Annual Meeting from 9–10 March 2015 in Raleigh, North Carolina included Nobel Laureate speakers and many panel discussions covering themes in science and development. In the Republic of Korea, the Optical Society of Korea meeting in Gyeongju included a panel discussion on the future of light science and technologies. |
Worldwide, many laboratories and photonics institutes worldwide held open days for students and the public to learn about the work of research and optical science. One coordinated event in particular was the International Illumination Commission (CIE) Gold Open Lab where over 50 laboratories in 19 countries held open days in the period from 9–25 May 2015. IYL 2015 Festivals and Events running over Multiple Days Many science festivals and other public events running over multiple days placed particular emphasis on the theme of light during 2015. Such large-scale visibility brought the important messages of the year to millions. A selection of highlights gives a flavour of the diversity of such events, and illustrates also how the international aspects of IYL 2015 could be sometimes effectively linked with national themes. |
In New Zealand, for example, the Illuminating NZ celebration began in mid-winter to coincide with the Māori New Year Matariki (heralded by the appearance of the Pleiades on the horizon) and closed with a 9-day celebration of the coming of spring: Te Kōanga. The event programme involved thousands of participants of all ages and included art, music, and science activities. In the Philippines, a two-day public symposium IlumiNASYON from 9–16 March 2015 highlighted optics in the arts, science, and in Philippine history and culture. And in Mozambique, events in Maputo celebrating IYL 2015 were held on 10 November 2015 to coincide with celebrations of the city's founding. |
Many large-scale events took place in Europe during 2015. An exhibition Discover the Power of Light! organised by the Vrije Universiteit Brussel attracted 270,000 visitors to the iconic Atomium Centre in Brussels. The European Researchers' Night on 25 September 2015 in 24 countries attracted over 1.1 million visitors, and many activities used the theme of light to align with IYL 2015. One notable example is CERN's activities on light and poetry. The art festival Nuit Blanche was organized in Bratislava on 10 October 2015, and together with the Festival of Light (10-12 October 2015) attracted 100,000 people to the streets of the Slovak capital. |
The science festival organised by the German Physical Society (DPG) and the Federal Ministry of Research in Jena, attracted more than 53,000 visitors from 27 September-1 October 2015. The Athens Science Festival celebrated from 17–22 March 2015 chose as its main theme light and its applications, and attracted 33,000 participants, including 8,000 students. Elsewhere, the TECNOPOLIS exhibition in Argentina from July–November 2015 attracted more than 700,000 visitors, and included prominent stands with experiments and art performances on the theme of light. The Light Fest event organized in Concepción (Chile) on 11 October 2015 combined the science of light, art, photography, and dance, attracting 25,000 people. |
In Hong Kong, the K11 art and shopping mall displayed an exhibition Supernova Xmas Luminastic from 3 November 2015 to 3 January 2016 during the crowded Christmas season. IYL 2015 Anniversaries and History of Science Many activities highlighted milestones in the history of science during 2015. The lives and works of Ibn Al-Haytham were the focus of the majority of such events, with activities in 27 countries. As well as individual events from IYL 2015 partners, coordinated programmes were run by 1001 Inventions in partnership with UNESCO and by the Ibn Al-Haytham International Working Group. An important two-day conference on the Islamic Golden Age of Science for the Knowledge-Based Society ran through 14–15 September 2015 at UNESCO HQ in Paris, which included an exhibition from the Qatar National Library on efforts to preserve Islamic archives and manuscripts. |
Many events on 25 November 2015 celebrated the 100th anniversary of Einstein's General Theory of Relativity. Articles in major newspapers on TV and in other media appeared around the world, and there many dedicated scientific conferences, including a three-day conference in the Philippines, "Project Einstein 2015: An International Conference Celebrating 100 Years of General Relativity." Over the week comprising 29 May 2015, events were held on the island of Principe to celebrate the 96th anniversary of the experimental confirmation of the theory during the total solar eclipse of 1919. Maxwell and his theory of electromagnetism were a particular focus in Scotland. |
As well as many lectures and special events throughout the year, Maxwell's Torch, an illuminated mobile artwork created by the Institute of Physics in Scotland was used to accompany many activities, and there was a special musical composition In Time of Light created by musician PJ Moore. The work of Augustin Fresnel was showcased in a special Fresnel Lecture on 10 March 2015 held at the Royal Institution in London and organised by the Society of Light and Lighting. The event attracted 400 people and was attended by the Duke of York. Possible links between Fresnel and the development of links between art and science were discussed in a multidisciplinary event Au Prisme d'Augustin Fresnel held at the Louvre in Paris on 2 November 2015. |
IYL 2015 and Astronomy The International Astronomical Union (IAU) organized activities under the Cosmic Light banner, recognizing both the importance of light to astronomy as well as promoting the preservation of dark skies. The latter theme focuses on raising awareness of and reducing light pollution that results in more than 80% of the world's population living under light-polluted skies. Dark Sky awareness was raised through many local events, as well as the citizen-science Globe at Night programme (globeatnight.org), an international citizen scientist project to measure the degree of light pollution all around the world using the human eye, and through the development of the Quality Lighting Teaching Kit. |
Thousands of people around the world also participated in astronomical observation, especially during the solar eclipse on 20 March 2015 and the total lunar eclipse on 28 September 2015. Many countries and institutions held similar events under the banner of the "Night of the Stars" for public observing and one such programme on 28 November 2015 in Latin America attracted 200,000 participants. The IAU also supported over 20 national or regional outreach efforts as part of Cosmic Light during 2015. Building on developments during the 2009 International Year of Astronomy, over 10,000 Galileoscopes were distributed during 2015 to science educators in the US, Puerto Rico, and Guam, and the GalileoMobile astronomy outreach project worked with a network of 20 schools in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. |
In addition to the IAU-coordinated activities to recognize the start of IYL 2015 in January 2015, the Chandra X-ray Center released a set of images that combined data from telescopes tuned to different wavelengths of light. In addition to these images, the Chandra X-ray Center created the Light: Beyond the Bulb image bank. Lighting and Architecture The year 2015 also saw many examples of the symbolic power of light with illumination of major monuments and buildings worldwide. The opening of IYL 2015 saw the Fontenoy building at UNESCO HQ in Paris illuminated from 19–20 January 2015, and on 24 January 2015, the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the old port of Valparíso (Chile) saw a public event Post Tenebras Lux attracting 50,000 people. |
The launch of the IYL 2015 in Ireland on 13 March 2015 saw the first ever illumination in green of the Dublin Spire, and the Night of Heritage Light organised by the Society of Light & Lighting illuminated nine UNESCO World Heritage Sites across the UK on 1 October 2015. On the truly global level, the celebration of the UN's 70th anniversary on 25 October 2015 saw 300 iconic monuments worldwide lit up in the colours of UN blue. A number of other international lighting events took place 2015. The Circle of Light Moscow International Festival from 26 September - 4 October 2015 saw 10 million visitors experience lighting and projection mapping of iconic building such as the Bolshoi Theatre. |
Similar mapping displays included the Legenda Aurea show on 11 October 2015 on the Colosseum in Rome, and the Brandenburg Gate from 9–18 October 2015 as part of Berlin's Festival of Lights. Amongst other events, The Chinese Taipei Lantern Festival ran from 5–15 March 2015, included a special lantern featuring Einstein, and attracted more than 8 million visitors. A winter light festival Montréal en lumière in Canada presented an array of free outdoor light-based activities integrating digital arts and interactive initiatives. To close the IYL 2015 in South Africa, two laser projection shows were shown at the V&A Waterfront site in Cape Town, where members of the public were encouraged to "follow the light" to the source where they found an IYL 2015 stand. |
Subsets and Splits