[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 184 (Thursday, December 17, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Page S8791]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      THE INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF LIGHT AND LIGHT-BASED TECHNOLOGIES

  Mr. COONS. Mr. President, as the year comes to a close, I would like 
to highlight a proclamation from the U.N. General Assembly recognizing 
2015 as the International Year of Light and Light-Based Technologies. 
This global initiative is aimed at raising awareness of the vital role 
of light in our daily lives and its importance to 21st century 
technology and innovation. For centuries, light has transcended all 
boundaries from geography and gender, to age, culture, and race.
  For centuries, light-based technologies have provided solutions to 
worldwide challenges in energy, agriculture, telecommunications, 
security, and health. To start, light has revolutionized medicine 
through technologies such as x ray imaging, laser surgery, and cancer 
treatments. Light has transformed international communication via the 
Internet, a tool we cannot imagine living without today. It has helped 
us improve safety through sensors in cars and aircraft, advanced 
infrastructure monitoring, and weather prediction. Furthermore, light 
has helped millions around the globe work, study, and play after dark 
through low-cost and sustainable light sources for families who do not 
have access to grid electricity. From agriculture to forensics to 
virtual reality, light and light-based technologies continue to fuel 
innovations and improvements that touch nearly every aspect of lives 
around the world.
  In fact, the science of light is becoming increasingly critical in 
growing our economy and keeping American manufacturing competitive on a 
global scale. The contribution of light-based technologies to our 
economy starts with fundamental optics and photonics education and 
research. Look no further than the work being done in my home State at 
Delaware State University's Optical Science Center for Applied 
Research, OSCAR, where researchers are developing new detectors for 
night vision technologies, methods for determining the composition of 
complex materials, and technologies with applications in space 
exploration, to name just a few. These economic contributions continue 
with investments in manufacturing to increase the development and 
production of new optics and photonics applications and technologies, a 
market that supports more than 7.4 million jobs and $3 trillion in 
annual revenue in the United States.
  The transformative value of light-based technologies was reaffirmed 
earlier this summer with the establishment of the American Institute 
for Manufacturing Integrated Photonics, AIM Photonics, as part of the 
National Network for Manufacturing Innovation. Continued investment in 
public-private partnerships like AIM Photonics accelerates research and 
development that leads to technologies like integrated photonic 
components and circuits. This vital work helps ensure that 
breakthroughs in related fields like biophotonics, high-resolution 
imaging, next generation wireless communications, and quantum computing 
will not only occur, but also be built right here in America.
  The International Year of Light is also a real opportunity to provide 
the general public with a better understanding of the science of light; 
promote STEM education; and inspire the next generation of scientists, 
researchers, innovators, and entrepreneurs. This past year, optics and 
photonics organizations have held events around the United States such 
as the Light for a Better World symposium held in September in 
Washington, DC, that featured two Nobel prize winners as keynote 
speakers, Dr. Eric Betzig and Dr. Shuji Nakamura. In October, the 
University of Delaware also hosted Green Light: Prospects in Lighting 
Design and Technology, which brought together artists and scientists 
from around the world, while other groups across the country have 
hosted similar symposia through local sections and student chapters of 
organizations. Events such as these provide public outreach on the 
importance of optics and photonics, promote youth interest and 
engagement in science, and educate us all on the crucial role that 
light-based technologies play in the U.S. economy and in everyday life.
  Events like these have been happening not just here in the United 
States, but all over the world throughout 2015. Across the globe, 
events have been organized to learn more about the science of light and 
to celebrate the innovation and imagination that has fueled incredible 
discoveries and inventions. The storied history of innovation in light 
dates back to the first studies of optics 1,000 years ago and continues 
today with breakthroughs in the field of optical communications.
  These activities would not be possible without the hard work and 
dedication of people in the optics and photonics field, both in 
industry and in academia. This includes the optics and photonics based 
societies and organizations that have sponsored the initiative, 
including the Optical Society, the American Institute of Physics, the 
American Physical Society, the European Physical Society, the German 
Physical Society, the Abdus Salam International Centre of Theoretical 
Physics, the IEEE Photonics Society, the Institute of Physics, Light: 
Science and Applications, Lightsources.org, 1001 Inventions, and the 
International Society for Optics and Photonics. In fact, the 
International Year of Light has been endorsed by the International 
Council of Science, as well as several international scientific unions 
and professional societies, and has more than 100 partners from over 85 
countries.
  By highlighting the critical role light plays in our everyday lives 
and its unique potential to improve the world in ways we cannot yet 
imagine, celebrating the International Year of Light provides a 
valuable opportunity to inspire, educate, and connect all of those who 
are fighting to make the world even brighter. From scientific societies 
to educational institutions to trade groups, from nonprofit 
organizations to private sector partners, the global community has 
recognized 2015 as the International Year of Light not only to 
commemorate achievements past, but also to set the stage for 
technologies of the future.

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