Could there be a new kind of light in the universe? Since the late 19th century, scientists have understood that, when heated, all materials emit light in a predictable spectrum of wavelengths. But a new research published in Nature Scientific Reports by researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute presented a material that emits light when heated that appears to exceed the limits set by that natural law. The new material discovered by Shawn Yu Lin, lead author and a professor of physics at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, defies the theory proposed by Max Planck in ...

The study, utilizing a variety of commercial LEDs, compared the effectiveness of different LEDs on the growth of red lettuce Rouxai. The best combined yield and antioxidant concentrations in the lettuce was observed using LUXEON SunPlus Series LEDs.

The Lighting Research Center (LRC) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is collaborating with Cornell University on a $6.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Specialty Crop Research Initiative to develop the next generation of grapes. The project, VitisGen2, is a collaboration of 25 scientists from 11 institutions who are working in multidisciplinary teams to accelerate development of new grape varieties that are more flavorful and sustainable.

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has signed a sponsored research agreement with Acuity Brands Lighting, Inc., a North American supplier of LED-based lighting solutions. As part of this project, the Center for Lighting Enabled Systems and Applications (LESA) will develop light protocols for specialized LED lighting with integrated feedback for efficient plant growth.

In an effort to study the effects of lighting on human health and diseases, the Smart Lighting Engineering Research Center (ERC) atRensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), recently installed a novel hospital inpatient lighting testbed for the study of automated lighting at theUniversity of New Mexico Health Center (UNMHC) in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The testbed is a demonstration of the success of the multi-institutional, interdisciplinary Engineering Research Center Program funded by the National Science Foundation.  

The Lighting Research Center (LRC) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute recently evaluated a newly constructed building at Siena College—Rosetti Hall, a 25,000 square foot, 3-story, contemporary brick building that includes classrooms, meeting rooms, and offices. The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) awarded funding to change the lighting specification from the originally specified conventional fluorescent lighting to all light emitting diodes (LEDs), designed by Engineered Solutions of Clifton Park, N.Y., and to have the project evaluated as a DELTA demonstration project by LRC. The 20-page full color, illustrated report, “LED Lighting in a Campus Building” detailing the project evaluation and findings, is available for free download from the LRC website.

The Lighting Research Center (LRC) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has launched a new collaborative initiative, the Lighting Energy Alliance, to increase the benefits of lighting while reducing its environmental and monetary costs.

On May 6, a group of 30 lighting and healthcare industry professionals will travel to the Lighting Research Center (LRC) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y. to attend the launch of the first “flagship” Light and Health Institute a two-day, hands-on seminar to teach the many ways in which light affects, and can be used to improve, health and wellbeing. The seminar is taught by Dr. Mariana Figueiro, LRC Light and Health Program director and professor at Rensselaer; Dr. Bernard Possidente, professor of biology at Skidmore College; Dr. Mark Rea, LRC director and professor at Rensselaer; and Andrew Bierman, LRC research scientist.

The Lighting Research Center (LRC) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has launched a new collaborative initiative—the Light and Health Alliance—to bridge the science of light and health to practical applications, and to provide objective information based on basic and applied research. The Alliance is led by Dr. Mariana Figueiro, LRC Light and Health Program director and associate professor at Rensselaer.

Light and plants expert Tessa Pocock, Ph.D., recently joined the Lighting Research Center (LRC) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute as a senior research scientist, leading the development of a new plant physiology lighting program. Her research focuses on plant photosynthesis, and plant development and regulation by light for traditional greenhouse crops and the emerging field of medicinal plants.