International Year of Light facts for kids
International Year of Light logo
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| Date | 1 January – 31 December 2015 |
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| Type | Exhibitions |
The International Year of Light 2015 (or IYL 2015) was a special event organized by the United Nations. Its main goal was to help everyone understand how important light science and its uses are for people around the world. The big opening parties for IYL 2015 happened on January 19–20, 2015, in Paris, France.
Contents
Why Light Matters: The Story of IYL 2015
The International Year of Light was a worldwide effort. It aimed to show how technologies based on light can help with big global challenges. These challenges include finding new energy sources, improving education, growing more food, making communication better, and helping with health.
The idea for this special year came from delegates from Ghana and Mexico at UNESCO. They explained why it was so important to focus on light. Many other countries supported their plan. The official decision to make 2015 the International Year of Light was made on December 20, 2013, by the UN General Assembly.
Who Helped Organize IYL 2015?
Many important science groups and organizations supported IYL 2015. An international committee, led by John M. Dudley, helped manage the year's activities. They worked closely with UNESCO and a special office at the International Centre for Theoretical Physics.
Some of the main science groups that helped start IYL 2015 were:
- European Physical Society
- SPIE (an international society for optics and photonics)
- Optical Society
- IEEE Photonics Society
- American Physical Society
- The international lightsources.org network
Many other groups, like scientific societies, schools, and companies, also joined in. They all worked together to celebrate light and its uses throughout 2015.
Exciting Events and Activities
Many events took place around the world to celebrate the International Year of Light.
Grand Opening Ceremony
The International Year of Light officially began on January 19, 2015. A two-day opening ceremony was held at the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris. Over a thousand people attended, including world leaders, Nobel Prize winners, and top scientists. The event showed off the main ideas of the year. It also featured amazing art from light artists, like Kari Kola from Finland.
Special Events in the United States
Two major events were held in the United States:
- Wonders of Light: Family Science Fun at the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian.
- Light for a Better World – A Celebration of U.S. Innovation at the National Academy of Sciences.
The Wonders of Light event was a big hit with kids and their parents. It had many hands-on displays about optics and light science.
The Light for a Better World event brought together many experts. Speakers included Nobel Prize winners and leaders from science and industry. They talked about how light technology helps make the world better.
Ibn al-Haytham: A Campaign About Light's History
A special campaign called "1001 Inventions and the World of Ibn Al-Haytham" was launched at UNESCO. This campaign featured interactive exhibits and shows. They taught people about Ibn al-Haytham, a famous scientist from long ago. He made huge discoveries in optics, math, and astronomy. He also helped create the idea of the scientific experimental method.
As part of this campaign, UNESCO also held an exhibition and conference. It was called "The Islamic Golden Age of Science for the Knowledge-Based Society."
Celebrating Key Scientific Discoveries
IYL 2015 also celebrated important moments in the history of light science:
- 1015: Ibn Al-Haytham wrote important books about optics.
- 1815: Fresnel suggested that light travels as a wave.
- 1865: Maxwell showed that light is an electromagnetic wave.
- 1915: Einstein explained the photoelectric effect (in 1905). He also showed how light fits into the universe through his theory of general relativity.
- 1965: The cosmic microwave background was discovered by Penzias and Wilson. Also, Charles Kao made breakthroughs in sending light through fibers for communication.
International Conference in Colombia
An international conference called "Colombia in the International Year of Light 2015" was held in Colombia. It brought together scientists from around the world. They discussed the latest discoveries and ideas in light science.
See also
- International observance
- 2015 in science
