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Dear Supporters of the International Day of Light,
 
We are delighted to be able to say that the enthusiasm for next year’s International Day of Light in 2019 (IDL2019) is rapidly growing, and many events worldwide are being organized. Please make sure to register your event on our event calendar as soon as possible, and don’t hesitate to send us more details if you have them, as we’ll be delighted to consider this for our newsletter or website.  
 
Although the International Day of Light was declared by UNESCO on the day of May 16 when laser oscillation was first observed in 1960, many other important dates can be a focus for a celebration. For example, the announcement of the laser to the world was made on July 7th, 1960 when Hughes Aircraft Company held a press conference in New York, and the corresponding scientific paper was published in Nature on August 6th. Therefore, there is much flexibility in when you organize events and we’ll be happy to place them under the International Day of Light banner if you let us know what you are planning. See in our newsletter below for one such example of an event being planned in Japan. In this newsletter, we also summarize activities in Palau by our Steering Committee member, the Hawaiian Eye Foundation, events in Brazil that will celebrate the centenary of the 1919 Solar Eclipse that confirmed Einstein’s theory of relativity, and the exciting 100-day voyage of the Peace Boat in collaboration with Liter of Light which begins from Japan on 26 December. 
 
We also welcome new organizations coming on board to support the goals of the International Day of Light. Don’t hesitate to reach out to us at for more information on sponsorship and support opportunities.
 
As we mentioned in the first newsletter, 2019 is a busy year for science outreach with the UN International Year of the Periodic Table of the Elements (IYPT2019) and the 100th anniversary of the International Astronomical Union (IAU100).  The official launch ceremony of IYPT2019 will take place at UNESCO headquarters on 29 January 2019, and registration is now open.  You can read details of the programme and register to attend here. The IAU100 Secretariat is also organising  their kick-off event for 2019, the 100 Hours of Astronomy global event taking place from 10-13 January 2019. Any astronomy or space-related event or activity is welcome to register on their website.
 
Finally, please regularly check the IDL2019 website for updates and news items and continue to reach out to us via Twitter and Facebook @IDL2019 or by email if you have any questions about IDL or you want to share any idea or resources. For a successful International Day of Light in 2019, your involvement is essential! 

John Dudley and Joe Niemela

International Day of Light 2019
Steering Committee Chairs
 
Save the Date!
 
15-16 May 2019 - UNESCO International Day of Light: Illuminating Education Conference
The International Day of Light conference at the UNESCO Category 1 Institute ICTP in Trieste on 16 May 2019, “Illuminating Education”, will cover a wide range of topics, from inspiring science to practical career advice. A limited number of travel grants to assist students and researchers from developing countries to attend this event will be available. More information about how to apply as well as an updated programme will be available by the end of January 2019

IDL in Japan
Complementing the IDL celebrations that in May around the date of first laser oscillation, events in Japan are being planned for July corresponding to the period when the laser was first announced to the world (see Editorial above). This was the case in 2018 for example where a major symposium took place on July 7 at the Science Council of Japan.  Similar plans are underway for 2019 where a special symposium will take place for young researchers to gather and discuss optics and photonics, tentatively scheduled at the Auditorium of the  Science Council of Japan in Tokyo on July 5th.  Early career and senior scientists are encouraged and welcome to participate in the symposium.
 
For more information about this event, please contact Yasuhiko Arakawa by email.
 


 
Hawaiian Eye Foundation IDL 2019 Event in Palau
The Hawaiian Eye Foundation is excited to join UNESCO's International Day of Light Steering Committee to host another training program as part of the IDL on May 16, 2019. This event will include a surgical eye care mission for poor and blind patients in need, while simultaneously training local healthcare providers and leaders in Palau. Activities will also teach vision care techniques to island medical personnel. Through the gift of sight, the Hawaiian Eye Foundation gives children new education opportunities, adults can resume to work and provide for their families, and elderly are kept safe. 
 
For more information about this event, please visit their website or contact Darrah Kauhane.
 


 
IDL in Brazil: Centenary of the 1919 Solar Eclipse 
The year 2019 will mark the 100th anniversary of the “Einstein solar eclipse”, which was observed on 29 May 1919. The measurement of the deflection of starlight by the Sun during this eclipse confirmed Einstein´s Theory of General Relativity and deeply changed our understanding of the Universe. To perform these measurements during the 1919 eclipse, two British expeditions were organized: one was headed by Arthur Eddington in Príncipe Island (Africa) and the other was under the direction of Charles Davidson and Andrew Crommelin in Sobral (Ceará, Brazil).  After months of careful analysis of the photographs taken during the eclipse, Frank Dyson, Eddington and Davidson revealed that the measurements agreed with Einstein’s hypothesis. The results were announced in London on November 6, 1919 and newspapers worldwide reported headlines declaring a revolution in science. 

Throughout 2019, many commemorative activities will be organized in Brazil, Portugal and Príncipe Island. In Sobral, there will be strong public engagement as the local authorities have pronounced it as the Year of Science for the city. And linking with the International Day of Light, there will also be a major international event that will be attended by astronomers, physicists, historians of science, teachers and students in May 2019. The Brazilian Society for the Advancement of Science and other Brazilian scientific societies and institutions are also carrying out various commemorative activities. 

For more information, please visit their Facebook page or contact Ildeu de Castro Moreira, of the Institute of Physics – Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and President of the Brazilian Society for the Advancement of Science - SBPC.

 
Peace Boat participants learning how to make sustainable solar lights during a workshop in Tokyo.
 
Partners in Sustainable Development: Liter of Light joins Peace Boat’s 100th voyage
Marking the milestone of their 100th Global Voyage, Peace Boat, a Japan-based non-governmental organization is partnering with Liter of Light (1LL). During this voyage, Peace Boat and 1LL are committed to traveling the world to spread awareness about their causes, which includes promoting peace, human rights, equal and sustainable development and respect for the environment, with 1LL focusing on addressing energy poverty. The journey will start in Yokohama Japan on December 26, 2018, and will circumnavigate the world for a hundred days, returning to Yokohama on March 31, 2019.

One of the journey’s highlights is workshops from 1LL Executive Director Illac Diaz during which Peace Boat participants on board will learn how to make sustainable solar lights. The finished products will be donated during the voyage through local partners to communities accessible from the ports where Peace Boat’s vessel will dock.

SDGs in Action: As a committed campaigner for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in partnership with the UN SDG Action Campaign, Peace Boat works to inspire people onboard and in countries visited during voyages to make an active engagement in achieving the goals to achieve a peaceful and sustainable world. Since August 2016, Peace Boat's ship has been sailing with the Global Goals logo on its hull. The collaboration between the two agencies will help create awareness about SDGs, with 1LL focusing on SDG 7, “Affordable and Clean Energy”.

For more information please visit the Liter of Light website.
 

IDL2019 Opportunities for Partnership and Sponsorship
We are engaging with a number of partners to provide sponsorship for our international actions so that we may support worldwide efforts for IDL2019, such as international communication products, educational kits, local IDL events in developing countries, and organising the Illuminating Education conference to be held at the UNESCO-ICTP Category I Institute in Trieste, Italy on 16 May 2019.
 
Sponsorship opportunities begin at 500 Euros, and sponsors will benefit from international recognition and visibility, event publication on the official website, and priority for invitations to the Illuminating Education conference. Sponsorship will also open the door to interactions with new partners from the scientific community, governments, industry insiders and many other leading decision makers. The constructive and energetic atmosphere of an International Day with large volunteer involvement is highly conducive to unique networking opportunities on a global stage.
 
For more information about partnership and sponsorship opportunities, please contact the IDL Secretariat.
 






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International Day of Light Secretariat · Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics ICTP · Str. Costiera 11 · Trieste, TS 34151 · Italy

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