Oct 15, 2019

Forces of Change with Mark LienThe Forum for Illumination Research, Engineering, and Science (FIRES) is the IES online space for our lighting community to openly share and discuss the latest research and innovations in illumination engineering and science. As a space for the free dissemination of knowledge and exchange of ideas, FIRES is intended to foster relationships between individuals and larger institutions, and reignite the emphasis on science and engineering in the lighting industry. Through FIRES, we hope to have a significant influence on the development and advancement of lighting. We are now proud to offer this essential series in podcast form.
 

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast series are those of the interviewee and do not necessarily reflect the official policies or positions of the IES and its staff.

            


CIRCADIAN LIGHTING: A NEUROSCIENTIST’S PERSPECTIVE

By Douglas Steel, Ph.D., NeuroSense

The purpose of this article is to evaluate from a biological standpoint the rationale for the establishment of a Circadian Lighting standard put forward by UL under the direction of Dr. Mark Rea of the Lighting Research Center at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. This critique is limited in scope but also applies to utilization of the Circadian Stimulus (CS) calculator also developed by the LRC.


CIRCADIAN LIGHTING: AN ENGINEER’S PERSPECTIVE

By Ian Ashdown, P. Eng. (Ret.), FIES
Senior Scientist, SunTracker Technologies Ltd.

Whether you call it “circadian lighting,” “biologically effective lighting,” or some other name, the principle is the same: the color and intensity of light can be used to regulate the timing of our biological clocks, or “circadian rhythms.” For architects and lighting designers, this is an opportunity to provide healthy and comfortable environments for building occupants.


MELANOPIC GREEN THE OTHER SIDE OF BLUE

By Ian Ashdown, P. Eng. (Ret.), FIES
Senior Scientist, SunTracker Technologies Ltd.

Numerous medical studies have shown that exposure to blue light at night suppresses the production of melatonin by the pineal gland in our brains and so disrupts our circadian rhythms. As a result, we may have difficulty sleeping. It is therefore only common sense that we should specify warm white (3000 K) light sources wherever possible, especially for street lighting.

True or false?


THE SCIENCE OF LIGHT AND HEALTH: HOW TO INTERPRET THE CLAIMS THAT UNDERLIE MEDICAL AND WELLNESS EFFECTS

By Douglas Steel, PhD
Founder and Chief Scientific Officer of NeuroSense

These are transformational times for the lighting industry. The cost of LED-based products has dropped dramatically. At the same time, increased sophistication and capabilities of tunable LED arrays, controls, and sensors now enable the commissioning of platforms that can precisely control light intensity, correlated color temperature, and relative spectral content.


THE SCIENCE OF NEAR-INFARED LIGHTING: FACT OR FICTION

By Ian Ashdown, P. Eng. (Ret.), FIES, Senior Scientist, SunTracker Technologies Ltd.

There is a common-sense argument being presented in the popular media that since humans evolved under sunlight, our bodies must surely make use of all the solar energy available to us. Given that more than 50 percent of this energy is due to near-infrared radiation, we are clearly risking our health and well-being by using LED lighting that emits no near-infrared radiation whatsoever.