C. Webster Marsh brings 14 years of applied experience with lighting and controls and is the owner of Penumbra Controls, where he provides lighting controls design and specification for a wide range of project types. Ron oversees Port’s Architectural and Theatrical Lighting Design & Installation departments, as well as our Lighting Control Systems and Equipment Sales teams. In this first episode of our Conversation Series, Web and Ron discuss design and integration of controls, plus going the extra mile for your client. Got a big light installation coming up? You want these guys on your side. 

Al Uszynski is an experienced executive with over 25 years of experience in the lighting industry. He is Principal of inside.lighting, an online media company that provides valuable insights and information to lighting industry professionals. Just like the title says, Al, Michael and Greg review 13 lighting predictions made by industry professionals you’ll know, like Trevor Palmer, the President of Acuity and Daniel Salinas, the interim Executive Director of the IES. Keep this episode linked in your browser and see if any of these have come true this time next year.

Founder of Equilume Ltd, Dr. Barbara Anne Murphy is Head of Equine Science and Programme Director of the BAgrSc Animal Science-Equine degree at University College Dublin.  Her research has led to a revolution in the Thoroughbred industry.  By administering blue light with the Equilume Light Mask, you can cue certain circadian and biological rhythm’s in your thoroughbred champion in order to breed at the optimal time, all while keeping your horse happy and healthy. In fact, many of the principles Dr. Murphy discusses with Mike and Greg could possibly be applied to humans.

Following teaching at the University of Florida, opening a roadside restaurant with a neon theme, apprenticing at a neon shop, opening his own custom neon sign business, and collecting old neon signs, he finally opened the Neon Museum of Philadelphia. Len tells us about the fascinating culture of neon, the dwindling supply of glass and artisans and how neon is quickly being superseded by LED.

Ruth is a lighting consultant with a background in engineering, lighting design and academia. She’s passionate about the role of daylight and sunlight in bringing buildings to life, and the impact of daylight exposure on the health and wellbeing of building occupants. Ruth,  Michael and Greg discuss the challenges of measuring negatives and positives.  That is, you can measure the effects of taking away flicker or blue light, but how do you measure the effects of improving people’s health with human centric lighting or air purification?

David Warfel is Midwestern farm boy turned lighting designer, author, and educator who passionately shares the gift of light.  David has extensive experience in lighting design, from theater to Las Vegas to cruise ships to pizza joints. In his own words, “there’s nothing magical about design.” His ideas are reasonable and sensible and aimed at making lives better.  You want nice interior lighting, this is your guy.

Hannah Moon is a PhD Candidate at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa in Dr. Megan Porter’s vision lab.  Her work focuses on understanding the physiological and molecular aspects of light perception in birds and has won multiple awards at scientific conferences.  In other words, she’s trying to understand what birds are seeing. As you’ll hear, it goes beyond just the molecular structure of the bird's eyes.  And yes, it’s but another species that can’t make it to the sea because of our nonchalance towards light pollution. 

Todd Straka currently serves as global industry director for UL’s Lighting and Electrical Products Retail business.  Michael and Greg grill Todd on product safety, the verification processes, labeling, surveillance and enforcement, and counterfeit labels.  This stuff will make your head spin but this episode will give you a better understanding of the topic.

Dr. Meredith Kernbach is a postdoctoral scholar at the University of South Florida, St. Petersburg in the lab of Dr. Mya Breitbart. For her doctoral dissertation, she studied how light pollution may affect zoonotic disease dynamics, specifically West Nile virus in House sparrows. Dr. Kernbach has found that even low light levels have allowed sparrows to hold the disease longer which means more mosquitos acquire it. And you can guess what that means for us.  Turn off your lights! 

Dr. Andreas Jechow is an interdisciplinary physicist with a broad expertise in photonics, the science of light. Earlier in his career Andreas worked in laser physics and quantum optics, for example on imaging the "shadow of a single atom" with lasers. In 2015, Andreas transitioned to environmental sciences where he applies his knowledge of light in research on light pollution.  Some of the fascinating studies Andreas is involved in include the impact of light on bats and insects and also on aquatic ecosystems. You’ll love the story of his daughter’s astute observation of the moon, and you’ll be jealous to hear that the city of Berlin where he lives is one of the darkest cities in Europe.