Breakfast Networking Interactive Workshop

Unplugged but Illuminated: Finding Balance in a Technological World

CEU TYPE: 2.0 LUs

Join three leading experts in lighting research and design as they reveal how syncing with nature’s rhythms can improve our health, enrich our environments, and transform the spaces where we live and work. At its core, this interactive discussion focuses on reconnecting with nature—using what we now know about light’s impact on well-being, applying technology wisely, and recognizing when less is more.

Learning Objectives

  • Understand how artificial lighting can, or cannot, replicate natural conditions, and the potential risks and benefits of relying on artificial lighting.
  • Analyze new findings in lighting science should prompt us to reconsider our current approaches to lighting, considering their impact on energy and our overall well-being.
  • Identify simple solutions are the best solutions for our human condition, yet they are frequently overlooked or underutilized.
  • Be aware of how widely divergent interests often create tensions, and why it’s essential to educate ourselves on these topics.

Speaker(s)

Tom Butters

Moderator

Tom Butters

Founder & Executive Director, , The Lighting Agora

An industry educator with over three decades of experience, he develops globally recognised lighting education programs. Founder of The Lighting Agora and Executive Director of the National Lighting Bureau, he co-developed the “IES Ready Reference” app and organises industry events, shaping the future of lighting education.

Brian Liebel

Brian Liebel

PE, Chief Programs Officer, , DarkSky International

With over 35 years in the lighting industry, Brian Liebel has dedicated his career to balancing human needs for light with environmental responsibility. A graduate of the University of Kansas Architectural Engineering program, he has worked as a lighting designer, engineer, educator, and consultant, holding leadership roles with the Pacific Energy Center, the US Department of Energy, and the Illuminating Engineering Society. He now leads technical, educational, and policy programs at DarkSky International.

Eric Bretschneider

Eric Bretschneider

Ph.D., , Expert in LED Technology & IP Matters

Eric Bretschneider has over 30 years of industrial experience spanning all levels of LED manufacturing, from semiconductor design and phosphor conversion to luminaire development. A longtime member of the Illuminating Engineering Society, he chairs the Life and Projection Subcommittee and serves on several other technical committees. A founding member of the IES Science Advisory Panel, he is also active in CIE, Optica, SPIE, SID, and the Materials Research Society, and is recognized globally as an expert in LED technology and IP matters.

Robert F. Karlicek

Robert F. Karlicek

Jr., Ph.D., Director, LESA, , Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Dr. Robert Karlicek is Professor of Electrical, Computer and Systems Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Director of the Center for Lighting Enabled Systems & Applications (LESA). With over 30 years in industrial research at AT&T Bell Labs, General Electric, and other corporations, he has led advances in optoelectronics, telecommunications, and lighting. He holds a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from the University of Pittsburgh, over 60 technical papers, and 50 U.S. patents.