Dear Editor
International Day of Light is observed on May 16 each year. The date commemorates the anniversary of the first successful laser operation in 1960 by physicist and engineer, Theodore Maiman. The study of light has led to promising alternative energy sources, lifesaving medical advances in diagnostics technology and treatments, light-speed internet and many other discoveries that have revolutionized society and shaped our understanding of the universe.
The theme for the 2026 International Day of Light is “Light for a Sustainable Future’. This year’s theme highlights how light-based science and technologies drive sustainable development around the world, encompassing advancements in areas like energy-efficient lighting, green manufacturing, and agricultural innovations. International Day of Light is grounded in a global platform to facilitate dialogue and knowledge-sharing, with a focus on the role of light-based research infrastructures in supporting inclusive scientific development, fostering innovation, and generating socio-economic impact. The science and technology of light play a significant role in the development and positive evolution of societies, and are essential for maintaining our expanding connectivity to one another. Photonics is the physical science and technology of generating, controlling, and detecting light (photons). It is essentially the optical equivalent of electronics, but it manipulates particles of light to transmit, process, or store data rather than using electrons to carry a charge. Photonics connects the citizens of the world through the Internet and communications networks, and is a vital enabler for business and education. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Science Report: towards 2030, states that while women achieve parity at early stages of scientific careers; their participation diminishes with career progression such that women represent only 28.4% of the world’s active researchers.
Light-based Technology in Education
Undoubtedly, there is an intersection between light and the pursuit of education. Light is an exciting subject in many disciplines, and is the perfect channel to promote science education among young people. Additionally, teaching programmes using light science and technology build worldwide educational capacity through activities targeting children, addressing issues of gender balance, and focusing especially on countries with emerging economies. In addition to the use of light-based technologies to improve educational infrastructure, light science is an ideal subject to stimulate interest in STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) subjects in a classroom context. Teaching material based on light and optics is widely available and can be inexpensive, and is perfectly suited to inquiry-based or active learning strategies which encourage students to construct the knowledge from their own observations. Light-based technologies have the capacity to power our classrooms. It spurs innovation and creativity and allows students to see what is possible now. This is in contrast to the normal classroom scenario in which the teacher lectures and the students passively absorb as much information as they can, which, by itself, is known to be inadequate in developing correct conceptual understanding of the underlying physics. Moreover, education in light and light-based technologies acts as a lever to encourage careers in science and engineering, as well as stimulating entrepreneurship.
Light-based Technology in Medicine
In recent years we have witnessed dramatic strides in the field of telemedicine in general, the use of telecommunication and information technologies to provide access to medical services that would often not be consistently available at a distance. Optical technologies play a key role in medicine from simple diagnostics and monitoring, to advanced treatment options, and research. Photonics appears in very simple and widespread devices: clip-on pulse oximeters use the transmission of light from an LED through a finger to measure oxygen saturation and heart rate, and skin thermometers use infrared light detectors to provide a safe and reliable measurement of body temperature. Imaging and surgery have been revolutionized with the use of endoscopy and laparoscopy, and light-based technologies and lasers find important uses in many medical procedures including neurosurgery, dermatology, dentistry, vision correction, heart surgery, and reconstructive procedures.
Light-based Technology in Agriculture
Light-based technologies play an important role in improving agriculture and farming through the area of agri-photonics. Lasers and imaging sensors on planes can be used to map soils and crop density, and reflectance data from vegetation can be used to determine very specific information such as the amount of nitrogen present in plants. Lasers and telescopes can be used to monitor evaporation and guide decisions on irrigation, and with appropriate lighting, vegetables and fruits can be grown indoors outside of their normal season, opening up possibilities for year-round crop cultivation, even in inhospitable regions.
As the 2026 Atlantic Hurricane Season approaches we must ask ourselves what role can light based technology play in disaster management. The location of the Caribbean makes it more prone to natural disasters such as earthquakes and hurricanes. As a region we must also consider the rapid changing environmental factors such as climate change and global warming. Light-based technologies are critical for monitoring and predicting the consequences of climate change. They are extensively used to map radiation emitted from the Earth’s surface using radiometers, scanners, and sensors placed in satellites orbiting our planet. These measurements are transmitted to ground stations where the data is converted to images that provide information on ocean currents or global carbon-dioxide distribution.
On this the anniversary of International Day of Light, let us reimagine the possibilities that light technologies have in the transformation of local as well as global situations. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals are an intergovernmental set of goals and targets developed by the United Nations that cover a broad range of sustainable development issues. Light-based technologies can make a fundamental contribution to help accomplish these goals. Communicating these messages is a key component of the International Day of Light.
Wayne Campbell is an educator and social commentator with an interest in development policies as they affect culture and or gender issues.
Yours truly
waykam@yahoo.com
@WayneCamo
