Welcome to the LEDs Magazine News & Insights newsletter for June 23, 2021. It’s been a long time in the works — our 2021 Sapphire Awards program. It was yet another program that was impacted by COVID-19. Still, the pandemic could not deter innovation. We are very pleased to announce the finalists for the 2021 Sapphire Awards. As in prior years, the entries receiving finalist recognition simply represent the finest work in the LED and solid-state lighting (SSL) sectors over the course of 2020 and the first quarter of 2021.
We will announce the winners at a virtual gala to be held at the close of the first day of the virtual Strategies in Light. Watch our newsletters and website for more details. The good news is that even more people will be able to celebrate the winners virtually with no travel required. And our marketing team has some clever ideas relative to making the ceremony special.
Speaking of the pandemic, I’m happy to say that I’m writing way less about it these days. The fast flow of germicidal ultraviolet (UV) technology has subsided. We do have a few stories for you with a UV connection this week, but even those acknowledge a lessening of focus on COVID-19. Indeed, the Center for Lighting Enabled Systems & Applications (LESA) lab director Bob Karlicek questions the urgency and the long-term outlook for UV-C systems development in a new Strategies in Light spotlight piece written by co-chair Clifton Stanley Lemon.
Moreover, specialist SSL manufacturer Healthe has hired Gerard Meyer as its new CEO. And our Mark Halper reports that the change marks a shift in strategy for Healthe to target the broad sanitation market using UV-C technology. Meyer’s past success in the food and beverage sector may position Healthe to develop products that can protect people from E. coli and other bugs.
Also, Leviton through its Viscor brand has announced a troffer fixture that integrates GE Current’s 365DisInFx technology. Specifically, the product uses UV-A-band (315–400-nm) technology intended to primarily battle bacterial pathogens rather than viral ones such as SARS-CoV-2. The product announcement follows a licensing deal that Leviton signed with Current last fall.
Our Carrie Meadows, meanwhile, attended the virtual Industry-Academia Day presented by LESA researchers. Read the blog for more on student presentations in areas such as advanced sensing, autonomous control, and the built environment relative to smart buildings.
Carrie also learned more about the new Rensselaer Institute for Energy, the Built Environment, and Smart Systems (EBESS). The EBESS program was announced back in April at the Leaders Summit on Climate initiative hosted by US President Biden. A joint effort between RPI engineering and architecture schools, EBESS will focus on smart buildings and a holistic approach to a cleaner and lower-energy future.
You will find many more stories of interest in the body of today’s newsletter. And always feel free to contact me to discuss content we post or to pitch a contributed article.
- Maury Wright, (858) 208-9442, [email protected]