International Day of Light - the activities go on
The international Day of Light ist over but the activities will go on for the rest of the year. Several events will also take place in Switzerland.
The "International Day of Light" (IDL) took place on 16 May. This day was initiated by UNESCO. It provides an annual focal point for the continued appreciation of light and role it plays in science, culture and art, education, and sustainable development, and in fields as diverse as medicine, communications, and energy. For example a photo contest for photographers age 13 to 17 started organized by the International Society for Optics and Photonics. It is still running until 16 September.
Switzerland also contributes to the Day of Light with various events throughout the year. For example, there was a symposium in honour of Albert Einstein in April. For Einsteins' work on the theory of relativity it was crucial that the speed of light is a natural constant. Light cannot travel at any speed.
These events take place in the future:
- 20-21 May, Basel St. Margarethen Observatory, "From dawn to dusk", lectures and light measurements.
- 15 June, Basel Congress Center, Daylight Symposium 2022, exchange platform for architecture, planning, industry, research and authorities
- 18 - 22 September, Basel Congress Center, European Conference on Optical Communication, the largest European conference on optical communication
You find more information on the Day of Light under the link on the right.
Related topics
Around the Day of Light on 16 May, numerous events will take place in Switzerland.
Image: UNESCO
In November 1922, it was announced that Einstein would receive the Nobel Prize for the year 1921. Namely "for his services in theoretical physics, and in particular for his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect". The symposium first recalls the historical background and then presents modern developments in photonics.
Image: SPS