The United Nations’ International Year of Light (IYL 2015) was launched in the City of Light (Paris, France) on January 19. France Córdova, Director of the US National Science Foundation (NSF), participated in a session on “The International Community of Light and Light-based Technology,” where she said, “Light has been and will continue to be a compelling field of basic research and education crossing many disciplinary boundaries. In today’s global economy, we believe it is important to nurture a scientific and engineering workforce capable of successfully performing in an international research environment.”

NSF has a long history of supporting research in optics and photonics as well as projects that use them as research tools. Among the agency’s research emphases are a new photonic electronics platform paradigm; extreme UV and x-ray sources that represent new frontiers in research; science and engineering in the quantum realm; biophotonics, which sits at the crossroads of photonics and biology, offering potential innovation for health care and medicine; and manufacturing innovations.

According to a news report from SPIE, one of the founding partners of IYL 2015, South African Minister of Science and Technology Naledi Pandor spoke during a session on science policy, pointing out that Africa is often excluded from international initiatives. She said that the countries of Africa need to develop a well-crafted science policy and provide academic freedom and the infrastructure for their researchers. According to the SPIE report, other panelists included Ana María Cetto of the National University of Mexico and Maciej Nalecz, UNESCO Director of the Division of Science Policy and Capacity-Building.