“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
Stitch Raises $25M Series A Led by Andreessen Horowitz14.5.2026 10:00:00 EEST | Press release
Stitch, the operating system built for modern financial institutions, today announced it has raised $25 million in Series A funding led by Andreessen Horowitz (a16z). The investment marks a16z’s first in the GCC and brings Stitch’s total funding to $35 million. In addition to a16z, existing investors Arbor Ventures, COTU Ventures, Raed Ventures, and SVC also participated in the round. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260514070694/en/ Mohamed Oueida - Founder & CEO, Stitch (Photo: AETOSWire) Despite spending over $1 trillion on digital transformation in the last three years, most financial institutions are still running on the same fragmented, legacy infrastructure that has defined the sector for decades. Globally, banks spend $700 billion a year on technology — yet launching a new product still takes years, and upgrading a core system still risks bringing operations to a halt. Now, as AI reshapes every industry
Corona Global Named Most Valuable Beer Brand in Kantar BrandZ Rankings for Third Consecutive Year14.5.2026 07:01:00 EEST | Press release
Corona global has been recognized as the most valuable beer brand in the world for the third consecutive year in Kantar's BrandZ 2026 Most Valuable Global Brands report, released today. Eight out of the top ten most valuable global beer brands belong to AB InBev (Brussel:ABI) (BMV:ANB) (JSE:ANH) (NYSE:BUD), according to the report ranking the best brands in the world. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260513211378/en/ In 2025, Corona led AB InBev’s performance, increasing revenue by 8.3% outside of its home market with double-digit volume growth in 30 markets, while Corona Cero delivered strong double-digit volume growth. As the brand celebrated its 100th anniversary, Corona launched its global “Corona 100” platform, including a multi-year sponsorship of a renowned concert at Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro. Strong momentum continued in Q1 2026, with AB InBev delivering all-time high revenues and volume growt
The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela Announces the Initiation of a Comprehensive Public Debt Restructuring Process13.5.2026 23:08:00 EEST | Press release
The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela announces today its decision to initiate a comprehensive restructuring of its external public debt obligations. CONTEXT & RATIONALE Over the past decade, Venezuela's economy has been severely impacted by external shocks – from the end of the commodity super-cycle to foreign sanctions and COVID-19 – resulting in a sharp economic contraction, a protracted default since 2017, and a ballooning of public sector liabilities. The country nonetheless possesses a strong economic potential, including unique hydrocarbon and mineral endowments. A recovery is underway, and Venezuela is committed to accelerating it through a comprehensive reform agenda in support of growth, fiscal sustainability, monetary stabilization, and enhanced governance. Restoring public debt sustainability is central to this agenda: the current debt overhang constrains external financing, limits public investment capacity, and prevents full re-engagement with the international financial s
Boomi Announces Intent to Acquire Lunar.dev to Deliver Governed Agent Connectivity Across the Enterprise13.5.2026 22:00:00 EEST | Press release
Boomi, the data activation company for AI, today announced it has signed a letter of intent to acquire Lunar.dev, an innovator in AI and MCP gateway. The proposed acquisition is expected to enrich the Boomi Enterprise Platform and Boomi Connect with advanced capabilities to govern and scale AI usage across enterprise systems. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260513850557/en/ Boomi Announces Intent to Acquire Lunar.dev to Deliver Governed Agent Connectivity Across the Enterprise As organizations move from AI experimentation to production, controlling how agents and AI applications interact with LLMs at scale has become critical. Lunar.dev addresses this need with an AI gateway that delivers granular, policy-driven control over AI interactions, with the visibility, security, and performance required for enterprise environments. These capabilities enable organizations to move from pilot to production with confiden
BeOne Medicines’ BEQALZI ™ (sonrotoclax) Approved by U.S. FDA as First and Only BCL2 Inhibitor for R/R Mantle Cell Lymphoma13.5.2026 20:27:00 EEST | Press release
BeOne Medicines Ltd. (“BeOne”) (Nasdaq: ONC; HKEX: 06160; SSE: 688235), a global oncology company, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted accelerated approval to BEQALZI™(bee-KAHL-zee; sonrotoclax), a foundational, next-generation BCL2 inhibitor, for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory (R/R) mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), after at least two lines of systemic therapy, including a Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor. BEQALZI was designed to enhance BCL2 inhibition—with greater potency, selectivity, and a pharmacologic profile with potential to improve efficacy, tolerability, and convenience over others in the class. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260513542161/en/ BeOne Medicines' flagship U.S. biologics manufacturing and clinical R&D facility at the Princeton West Innovation Campus in Hopewell, N.J. Michael Wang, M.D., Global Principal Investigator
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