Applying Light for Human Health
SLL Lighting Research & Technology Symposium 2020
Following the discovery of the intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cell in the human retina, a lot of effort has been expended by researchers on exploring what are called the non-visual effects of light.
While this effort has resulted in an increase in understanding by researchers it has also produced several premature claims for lighting systems that will enhance human health.
This, in turn, has caused anxiety amongst lighting designers and manufacturers. Their concern is that the claimed benefits may not be evident in practice, or worse, they may be detrimental to human health, or, alternatively, they may be true and to ignore them will mean being left behind.
The objective of this symposium was to set out where and how lighting can confidently be applied to enhance human health.
The SLL Lighting Research & Technology Symposium: Applying Light for Human Health took place online, spanning 5 sessions from 2 – 6 November 2020.
See the full programme and speaker list below. Please note, session recordings are currently only available to registered attendees.
| SESSION ONE (13:00 - 14:30) - Monday 02 November 2020 |
| Session Chair - Geoff Cook, Chair of the Lighting Research & Technology Editorial Board |
| How Light Exposure Affects Human Health |
Russell Foster, Professor of Circadian Neuroscience and Head of the Department of Ophthalmology, University of Oxford |
| What Manufacturers Need to Know |
Peter Thorns, Head of Strategic Lighting Applications, Thorn Lighting |
| What Lighting Designers Need to Know |
Florence Lam, Arup Fellow and Global Lighting Design Leader, Visiting Professor of Lighting Design and Engineering at UCL The Bartlett Institute for Environmental Design and Engineering |
| LIVE Q&A |
| SESSION TWO (13:00 - 14:30) - Tuesday 03 November 2020 |
| Session Chair - Bob Bohannon, SLL President |
| Lighting for Day-work and Schools |
Mariana G. Figueiro Ph.D., Professor of Medicine
Chief, Division of Sleep and Circadian Medicine
Department of Medicine, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Director, Center for Healthy Aging, Institute for Health, Rutgers University |
| Nightshift Work |
Arne Lowden Ph.D., Sleep and Stress Researcher, Stockholm University |
| Lighting for Homes |
Luc Schlangen Ph.D., Senior Researcher Light & Health, Director CIE Division 6 “Photobiology and Photochemistry”, Eindhoven University of Technology |
| LIVE Q&A |
| SESSION THREE (13:00 - 14:30) - Wednesday 04 November 2020 |
| Session Chair - Ruth Kelly Waskett, SLL President Elect |
| Lighting for Sleep |
Mark Rea Ph.D., Professor of Architecture and Cognitive Sciences, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute |
| Lighting Instability, Headaches and Migraines |
Arnold Wilkins Ph.D., Emeritus Professor at the University of Essex |
| Lighting for People with Dementia |
Mariana G. Figueiro Ph.D., Professor of Medicine
Chief, Division of Sleep and Circadian Medicine
Department of Medicine, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Director, Center for Healthy Aging, Institute for Health, Rutgers University |
| LIVE Q&A |
| SESSION FOUR (13:00 - 14:30) - Thursday 05 November 2020 |
| Session Chair - Dr Peter Boyce, former Chair of the Lighting Research & Technology Editorial Board |
| How can natural lighting necessary for human health be implemented? |
John Mardaljevic Ph.D., Professor of Building Daylight Modelling, Loughborough University |
| How can electric lighting necessary for human health be implemented? |
Peter Raynham, Professor of the Lit Environment, Bartlett School of Environment, Energy and Resources, Faculty of the Built Environment, UCL |
| LIVE Q&A |
| SESSION FIVE (13:00 - 14:30) - Friday 06 November 2020 |
| Session Chair - Teresa Goodman, incoming (2021) Chair of the Lighting Research & Technology Editorial Board |
| The Future of Lighting and Health |
John O'Hagan, Public Health England, Visiting Professor in Laser and Optical Radiation Safety at Loughborough University & Vice President Standards, CIE |
| LIVE Q&A |
| Interactive Panel Discussion - Including Speakers from ALL sessions |
This event is supported by:
