Oct 30, 2018

Forum for Illumination Research, Engineering, and Science (FIRES)The ability to control fire is considered one of the most important factors in expanding and developing our human ancestors’ societies. The societal importance of fire required larger and larger groups to work together in order to maintain and sustain the fire; individuals had to work together to find fuel for the fire, maintain the fire, and complete other necessary tasks. Ultimately, fire had a significant influence on the development of language and the size and social interactions of communities.

The 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.

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Editorial Disclaimer
The views expressed in articles published on FIRES do not necessarily reflect those of IES or represent endorsement by the IES.

January 9, 2023

This article is an abridged version of a study that demonstrates how lighting installations designed with slow design principles can culture (cultivate and propagate) wellbeing.

By Amardeep M. Dugar, PhD

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September 19, 2022

For over a century, lighting designers have modeled luminaires as point light sources. This made perfect sense for a half-century of incandescent lamps. However, when linear fluorescent lamps were introduced in the late 1940s, it became clear that the point source model had its limits.

By Ian Ashdown, KC Fletcher, and Emil Radkov

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August 29, 2022

Across human history, we have used “artificial” lighting to allow us to interact with our environment and perform tasks under conditions where the scarcity of daylight would otherwise prove an impediment.

By Timothy Brown, University of Manchester

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August 3, 2022

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

Marc Descoteaux
Senior Software Engineer, SunTracker Technologies

Written in 2015, “Greenhouse Design and Control” (Ponce et al. 2015) is extraordinarily comprehensive in its coverage of greenhouse design issues, from site selection through structural load bearing analysis and ventilation technologies to greenhouse automation using adaptive neural fuzzy inference systems. On the topic of greenhouse lighting, however, it has only this to say: “The light level in the greenhouse should be adequate and uniform for crop growth.”

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May 11, 2022

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

Visible light disinfection is a lighting industry innovation wherein violet light is claimed to inactivate pathogens such as bacteria and viruses.

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April 4, 2022

By Robert F. Karlicek, Jr.
About 2,500 years ago, the Greek philosopher Heraclitus postulated that the only constant thing in life is change. Perhaps this statement is more true today than it ever has been.

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April 4, 2022

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

The phrase déjà vu translates from French as “already seen,” which nicely describes a current issue with horticultural lighting design.

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October 7, 2021

By Michael L. Grather, CTO, LightLab International Allentown, LLC

We have all seen the wide range of new products claiming to be effective against pathogens of all sorts. Common claims range from the rather ambiguous “fights germs” to the more specific but questionable claim “can disinfect up to 40 square meters of the surface at a time.” Maybe it’s just the times we’re living in, but my first reaction is to take a very skeptical view of these claims. It also seems that I’m not the only one. My neighbor, who is not in the lighting field, asked me if I thought “these UV lights” are safe. Almost without taking another breath he followed it up by asking “… do they actually work?”

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July 29, 2021

By Manuel Spitschan

Around 20 years ago, a new type of cell was discovered in the human retina, the fine layer of tissue at the back of our eyes that enables us to see the world in its colourful detail. These cells, the intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs), are sensitive to light independent of the canonical photoreceptors, the cones and the rods.

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July 1, 2021

By Brian Liebel
IES Director of Standards and Research

This article is an expanded version the article found in the 50th Anniversary issue of LD+A, July 2021, providing additional background, more references, and personal insights by the author.

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April 19, 2021

By Ian Ashdown, Senior Scientist
SunTracker Technologies Ltd.

Nighttime light pollution is sadly familiar to all of us. While our grandparents and great-grandparents may talk fondly of seeing the Milky Way in their youth, with thousands of stars scattered across the dark summer sky, we are mostly content with seeing a few dozen stars through the never-ending dusk of urban and suburban skies.

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February 23, 2021

Authors: Ellen Kathrine Hansen, Mihkel Pajuste; Aalborg University, Copenhagen

In this new dynamic lighting approach, the sky type and daylight inflow are taken into consideration actively, bringing the dynamic office lighting to life instead of only meeting the static illuminance requirement through artificial lighting.

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