Kimberly Arcand
In astronomy, light – in all of its many forms -- is the language we use to learn about the Universe. From radio waves to gamma rays, those of us who work in astronomy are used to thinking about light in its true sense: the full span of the electromagnetic spectrum.
This is why my colleagues and I were thrilled to hear that the United Nations declared 2015 to be the International Year of Light and Light-based Technologies (IYL2015). On the heels of the successful International Year of Astronomy in 2009, IYL2015 provides an excellent opportunity to build on pre-existing projects, re-energize networks, and expand into new areas of science content.
During the International Year of Astronomy in 2009 (IYA2009), we created “From Earth to the Universe” (FETTU) that placed large-scale astronomical imagery in 1,000 public spaces around the world. We found that this “public science” model was a useful way to communicate with the people we want to engage in such venues as shopping malls, outdoor parks, hospitals, cafes, and more.
Many people might not realize that visible light makes up just a small fraction of all light available in the Universe. Our intention was to create a project that would use the public science model to highlight the light-based science being researched today across the electromagnetic spectrum, across scientific disciplines, and across technological platforms. To do that my colleagues and I created “Light: Beyond the Bulb” for IYL2015.
Light: Beyond the Bulb is an open-access international exhibition program containing striking images that were crowd-sourced and then expert-curated for science content, high-quality printability, stunning beauty and ability to engage the greater public. Along with experts in the field we developed short, descriptive captions designed to focus on various aspects of light and its properties. Light: Beyond the Bulb showcases materials in a range of topics and scales, from microbiology to astronomy, and creates connections with physics, optics, photonics, atmospheric and earth sciences, astrophysics, and more.
We have over 150 exhibit locations in progress or being planned for 2015, in more than 25 countries, from an airport in New Zealand to a mall in Canada. And the list is still growing. There are another 500 hundred locations (schools, science centers, libraries, parks and other learning spaces) that are hosting a small exhibit of Light: Beyond the Bulb posters. Translations are complete or in-progress in several languages by our “volunpeer” networks in languages such as Spanish, French, Portuguese, Brazilian Portuguese, Afrikaans and others.
The response to projects such as these continues to surprise us. In that, even with a digital repository of free materials to work with, it’s still quite a bit of effort to create an experience or event to share with others that will have value and add meaning. Having so many people download these materials to create an exhibit to share with those around them is just wonderful to be a part of.
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Kimberly Arcand is the Visualization Lead for NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and the principal investigator of the Light: Beyond the Bulb project for the International Year of Light 2015.
