RPI's Smart Lighting Engineering Research Center opens registration for Smart Spaces conference

Date Announced: 23 Dec 2013 Troy, NY – The Smart Lighting Engineering Research Center (ERC) announces that registration is open for its upcoming conference, Smart Spaces: 5th Annual Industry-Academia Days to be held on February 12 -13, 2014 in Troy, NY. The ERC, funded primarily by the National Science Foundation and NYSTAR, is a multi-institutional research center headquartered at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, with Boston University and The University of New Mexico as partners.Most of us give little thought to the lighting in our spaces, whether in our offices, a retail environment or our homes. But lighting plays a significant role in our lives and can impact how we feel, work and sleep. Lighting of the future will consist of Smart Lighting Systems that See and ThinkTM, and will improve our health, safety, productivity, and energy efficiency.At this annual conference, the ERC will bring together leading researchers, students and industrial representatives, to showcase its research, innovation and educational activities. Topics include advanced light sources, sensors, adaptive controls, as well as human factors and visible light communications.The ERC Director, Dr. Robert Karlicek will kick off the meeting with an overview of the Center’s vision and strategic plan followed by faculty presentations and a synopsis of educational programs. Dr. Lee Brown, Professor of Medicine and Director of the Center for Sleep Medicine at The University of New Mexico, and Dr. George C. Brainard, Professor in the Department of Neurology from Thomas Jefferson University, new ERC faculty members, will participate in a panel discussion on Lighting and Health.Other highlights will include the role of industry in the ERC’s innovation ecosystem and the “Perfect Pitch” competition, where graduate students present their research in ninety seconds and are judged by industrial representatives. Attendees will have plenty of time to interact with ERC students, faculty and leadership at a poster session and laboratory tours.Keynote speakers will bring smart lighting perspectives from outside of the ERC. Steven Paolini, CEO of Telelumen, will present his insight on emerging technology trends in solid-state lighting, and Dr. Robert G. Davis, Senior Staff Lighting Engineer in the Advanced Lighting Team at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory will discuss how new lighting solutions are needed to meet the needs of future classrooms.The event is open to the public on February 12, 2014, at the Hilton Garden Inn in Troy, NY, and on the morning of February 13, 2013 for laboratory tours at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. The conference continues with in-depth discussions about the research, open only to Industrial members of the ERC.About the Smart Lighting Engineering Research Center (ERC)The Smart Lighting Engineering Research Center, funded primarily by the National Science Foundation, with additional support from NYSTAR, engages faculty members, graduate students, research staff, and undergraduatesto work on research leading to smart lighting systems with adaptive and controllable properties that will change the way society uses lighting. As an interdisciplinary, multi-institutional center, it joins academia, industry, and government in partnership to produce transformational engineered systems, along with engineering graduates who are adept at innovation and primed for leadership in the global economy. The Smart Lighting ERC is headquartered at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY, and partners with Boston University and The University of New Mexico to achieve its objectives. Visit the ERC website at: http://smartlighting.rpi.edu/About Rensselaer Polytechnic InstituteRensselaer Polytechnic Institute, founded in 1824, is the nation's oldest technological university. The university offers bachelors, masters, and doctoral degrees in engineering, the sciences, information technology, architecture, management, and the humanities and social sciences. Institute programs serve undergraduates, graduate students, and working professionals around the world. Rensselaer faculty are known for pre-eminence in research conducted in a wide range of fields, with particular emphasis in biotechnology, nanotechnology, information technology, and the media arts and technology. The Institute is well known for its success in the transfer of technology from the laboratory to the marketplace so that new discoveries and inventions benefit human life, protect the environment, and strengthen economic development.

Contact
Silvia Mioc, director of industrial collaborations and innovation - Smart Lighting ERC +1-518-276-4010

E-mail:[email protected]

Web Site:smartlighting.rpi.edu