[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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