LightFest- an exhibition aiming to educate the public about the importance of light in the world and its potential to solve global environmental issues is under way.
The festival showcases cutting-edge research from the University of Sheffield, focused on harnessing light for applications like solar energy and healthcare.
Professor Graham Leggett, Principal Investigator on the research grant from the University of Sheffield, said: “This event has been organised by members of the research team that I lead and it’s exploring ideas around the subject matter of our research program.
“Our program is about designing new concepts to capture, transfer and store energy. So, the exhibition is exploring those ideas in a way that is accessible to people outside of our field.”
LightFest is part of a prestigious £7.3M research grant for the Molecular Photonic Breadboards project, a partnership between the University of Sheffield and University of Bristol, funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).
The project aims to design new materials that harness the power of light for sustainable technologies, vital to the UK’s economic success in areas like solar energy, quantum technologies and healthcare diagnostics.
Professor Robert Mokaya, Provost and Deputy Vice-Chancellor at the University of Sheffield, said: “We hope that through LightFest you will be able to share our excitement about the remarkable properties of light, the inspiration we can find in nature and the tremendous possibilities that light provides to solve the greatest challenges of our time.”
Though quantum physics may seem complex for younger children, LightFest has a range of interactive and educational/ exhibits for all ages.
The LightFest highlights include: The Wonders of Light, Plasmonics: The Magic of Tiny Metals, Photosynthesis: Unleashing the Power of the Sun and finally Polaritons: Where Light and Matter Dance.
Professor Jenny Clark from the University of Sheffield led the development of LightFest and said: “We’re aiming to light that
crucial spark of wonder, the one that inspires future scientists.”
The exhibition began this morning and is set to run until Sunday, for keen and curious minds to explore the wonders of light, with a special ‘Discovery Night’ set to take place on Thursday evening.