The grand opening of the International Year of Light will take place at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, later this month.

The Ceremony, which will take place from the 19-20 January 2015, will introduce all key themes of the year.

The International Year of Light (IYL) Secretariat hopes the ceremony will act as inspiration for events around the world during the year.

Ultimately the goal as described by the United Nations is to raise awareness of the importance of light-based technologies in providing solutions to worldwide challenges in areas such as energy, education, communications and health.

The secretariat is expecting over a thousand participants to converge on Paris for the two day event.

Some of the speakers and attendees will include international diplomats and decision-makers, Nobel laureates, CEOs, and science and industry leaders from across the globe.

After high-level opening addresses by international political leaders, a series of keynote lectures, symposia and round-tables will cover areas of:

• basic science
• innovative lighting solutions for society,
• light pollution,
• emerging trends in photonics,
• the Einstein Centenary,
• the role of light-based technologies in addressing global challenges,
• light in art and culture, the history of science, and science policy.

South Africa will also be participating in the IYL with two official events on the IYL calendar. The Light: Beyond the Bulb exhibition will run from the 23 February – 27 February, in Pretoria. The exhibit will showcase what light can do and how it can be harnessed.

The Advanced School/Workshop on Fibre Optics: Light in action from science to technology, will take place in Alice and run from 28 September- 1 October.

The workshop will offer introductory lectures for students on the basics of fibre optics, starting with the science and indicating the applications and future technologies we are likely to see.