“Our Future is Light” Campaign Kicks off 2022 International Day of Light
16.5.2022 18:03:00 EEST | Business Wire | Press release
An action-packed video styled as a blockbuster-movie trailer provides the linchpin for this year’s International Day of Light (IDL) campaign, “Our future is light. Play your part.” Released today, Day of Light features diverse characters successfully solving global-level problems using photonics-enabled technologies.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220516005150/en/
Sponsored by SPIE, Optica, and IEEE Photonics Society, this year’s International Day of Light celebration showcases exciting, critical career opportunities in optics and photonics. (Graphic: Business Wire)
Three professional societies – SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics, IEEE Photonics Society, and Optica, Advancing Optics & Photonics Worldwide – partnered to create the video and the accompanying 2022 IDL campaign. “Our future is light. Play your part” promotes the importance of light-based technologies and interesting careers in optics and photonics, while raising awareness of the annual IDL celebration on 16 May. From technologies that improve vision and power smartphones to those that provide tools to study Earth and Space, from healthcare to communications at the speed of light, photonics is the key enabling technology of a brighter future.
The video, its look and feel inspired by the 2010 science-fiction thriller Inception, features Dawn, an optical-engineer action hero, who is busy saving the world with light-based technologies such as prisms, solar panels, spectral imaging, lasers, and lidar. The video also issues a lively invitation to real-life future scientists, technicians, engineers, and industry leaders: consider a career in photonics.
In conjunction with the video’s release, the related website includes an overview of the technologies mentioned in the film; depictions of professionals working in the field of optics and photonics, from optical engineers and laser technicians to academic researchers; and a selection of downloadable resources for education and careers.
“Many of the devices we use every day are comprised of light-based technologies made possible by the optics and photonics community,” said Optica CEO Elizabeth Rogan. “On the International Day of Light, we celebrate these contributions from our community and hope this celebration inspires others – particularly students – to study and work in light science and technology.”
“The International Day of Light is the perfect time to highlight the many varied and exciting career opportunities in optics and photonics,” noted SPIE CEO Kent Rochford. “Light-based technologies are providing much-needed solutions to some of our biggest global challenges and will continue to do so. This is a terrific time to be considering a career in the industry and we hope this year’s IDL campaign will reach and inspire future scientists, engineers, and technicians.”
"Each International Day of Light, we celebrate the long and rich history of optics and photonics that has brought so much to our everyday lives," said IEEE Photonics Society Executive Director Doug Razzano. "By continuing to advance light science and make known to the world the importance of the technologies derived from it, we will help to grow and support this vibrant technical community."
About the International Day of Light
The International Day of Light (IDL), celebrated annually on 16 May, is a global initiative highlighting the central role that light and light-based technologies play across science, culture, education, and sustainable development, in areas as diverse as medicine, communications, and energy. The 16 May date honors the anniversary of the first successful demonstration of a laser by physicist and engineer Theodore Maiman in 1960; the broad theme of light allows many different sectors of society worldwide to participate in activities that demonstrate how science, technology, and art, can help achieve the goals of UNESCO – education, equality, and peace. lightday.org.
About IEEE Photonics Society
The IEEE Photonics Society is the professional home for a global network of scientists, engineers and allied professionals who represent the laser, optoelectronics, and photonics community. As a Technical Society of the IEEE, the world’s largest technical professional organization dedicated to advancing technology for the benefit of humanity, the IEEE Photonics Society inspires community through highly cited publications, conferences, technology standards, and professional and educational activities. www.photonicssociety.org.
About Optica
Optica (formerly OSA), Advancing Optics and Photonics Worldwide, is the society dedicated to promoting the generation, application, archiving and dissemination of knowledge in the field. Founded in 1916, it is the leading organization for scientists, engineers, business professionals, students and others interested in the science of light. Optica’s renowned publications, meetings, online resources and in-person activities fuel discoveries, shape real-life applications and accelerate scientific, technical and educational achievement. Learn more at optica.org.
About SPIE
SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics, brings engineers, scientists, students, and business professionals together to advance light-based science and technology. The Society, founded in 1955, connects and engages with our global constituency through industry-leading conferences and exhibitions; publications of conference proceedings, books, and journals in the SPIE Digital Library; and career-building opportunities. Over the past five years, SPIE has contributed more than $22 million to the international optics community through our advocacy and support, including scholarships, educational resources, travel grants, endowed gifts, and public-policy development. www.spie.org.
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220516005150/en/
Contact information
Daneet Steffens
Public Relations Manager
daneets@spie.org
+1 360 685 5478
@SPIEtweets
Ashley Collier
Corporate Communications Manager
ACollier@optica.org
+1 202 416 1419
@OpticaWorldwide
Kristen Mahan
Marketing Manager
k.mahan@ieee.org
+1 732 562 6694
@IEEEPhotonics
About Business Wire
For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
CFO Worx Named No. 448 on the 2026 Inc. 5000 List, the Most Prestigious Ranking of America’s Fastest-Growing Private Companies13.8.2026 23:21:00 EEST | Press release
CFO Worx today announced it has been ranked No. 448 on the 2026 Inc. 5000 list, the annual list of the fastest-growing private companies in America. The list is the most prestigious ranking of the nation’s most successful independent and entrepreneurial businesses, recognizing companies that have achieved remarkable growth while driving innovation, creating jobs, and shaping the future of the economy. Past honorees include companies such as Microsoft, Meta, Chobani, Oracle, and Patagonia. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260813927944/en/ Brian Alvarez, CEO of CFO Worx "Earning a place on the list comes down to the trust our clients place in us and is a testament to the caliber of the team behind every engagement," said Brian Alvarez, CEO of CFO Worx. This year’s Inc. 5000 recognizes a new class of companies redefining what growth looks like. From AI and advanced manufacturing to healthcare, consumer products, a
BTG Pactual TIG and Conservation International Reach 20,000 Hectares of Cerrado Under Restoration, Accelerating Latin American Reforestation Strategy, Increasing Biodiversity and Social Impacts13.8.2026 18:47:00 EEST | Press release
BTG Pactual Timberland Investment Group (BTG Pactual TIG) and Conservation International today announced that native ecosystem restoration is now underway across more than 20,000 hectares of Brazil's Cerrado biome, marking a significant acceleration of the firms' Latin American reforestation strategy. According to data recorded by the Brazilian Restoration and Reforestation Observatory, an independent platform that tracks and maps native vegetation recovery, this further cements the strategy’s position as the largest ever restoration effort in the region. Conservation International serves as Impact Adviser for social and environmental outcomes. The strategy focuses on conserving, restoring and reforesting degraded landscapes across Latin America, including Brazil's Cerrado, one of the world’s most biodiverse and fastest disappearing seasonally dry ecosystems. More than half of the Cerrado has already been cleared for cattle ranching and farming. The strategy targets degraded cattle pas
Milliman names Jim Fulton next CEO13.8.2026 18:40:00 EEST | Press release
Milliman, Inc., a leading global actuarial and consulting firm, today announced that Jim Fulton has been named Milliman’s next Chief Executive Officer. Fulton has served as Milliman’s Chief Financial Officer since 2015 and has been a leader driving the firm’s organic growth and M&A strategy. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260811027168/en/ Milliman, Inc., a leading global actuarial and consulting firm, today announced that Jim Fulton has been named Milliman’s next Chief Executive Officer. Fulton has served as Milliman’s Chief Financial Officer since 2015 and has been a leader driving the firm’s organic growth and M&A strategy. Fulton’s appointment reflects Milliman’s evolution from an actuarial firm to a multidisciplinary consultancy, risk management, and technology solution provider. His expertise includes stints with Big 4 accounting and private equity-owned firms as well as technology startups. Fulton’s com
Clinilabs Announces Leadership Expansion and Welcomes Laura Shannon as Chief Executive Officer and Promotion of Founder Gary Zammit, Ph.D., to Executive Chairperson13.8.2026 17:05:00 EEST | Press release
Clinilabs, a leading specialty contract research organization (CRO) focused on central nervous system (CNS) drug and device development, today announced leadership expansion. Laura Shannon joins the organization as Chief Executive Officer as Gary Zammit, Ph.D., the Company’s founder, assumes the role of Executive Chairperson. This expansion of the senior leadership team is a recognition of a growing organization with global capabilities and continuing commitment to advancing treatments for patients with psychiatric and neurological disorders. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260813362140/en/ Laura Shannon joins Clinilabs as Chief Executive Officer as Gary Zammit, Ph.D., the Company’s founder, assumes the role of Executive Chairperson Ms. Shannon is a dynamic leader with more than 30 years of biopharma industry experience, known for her ability to build high-performing teams, forge strategic alliances, and drive
Resurgens Technology Partners Invests in Qarma to Advance the Future of Quality and Compliance13.8.2026 16:00:00 EEST | Press release
Resurgens Technology Partners (“Resurgens”), a software-focused private equity firm, today announced its partnership with Qarma, a leading global provider of AI-powered quality and compliance software for brands, retailers, and manufacturers managing complex, global supply chains. Qarma has built a platform that combines best-practice quality and compliance with hands-on execution where it matters most, on the factory floor. Qarma will continue to be led by its Co-founders, CEO Jacob Nedergaard and CTO Søren Mønsted. Founded in 2016, Qarma serves customers across industries, including furniture and home, apparel, consumer goods, and electronics. Its platform connects quality and compliance teams, sourcing professionals, suppliers, and inspectors. Over the past decade, Qarma has built one of the industry’s deepest operational quality platforms, combining best-practice workflows with software designed to work natively on factory floors worldwide. This unique operational foundation has ge
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom