UC Davis Students Design Next-Generation LED Luminaires

Students in UC Davis Professor Michael Siminovitch’s Winter 2010 Lighting Design studio course, taught at the California Lighting Technology Center (CLTC), engaged in the hands-on design and development of prototypes for fully working LED luminaires.

On the day of the final critique, the classroom was set aglow with 26 designs ready for evaluation. Industry representatives listened to presentations and deliberated before awarding the top prizes. Each luminaire was evaluated on the creative use of the LED technology and whether the student provided a viable solution for the proposed market niche. This year, the course was sponsored by Tyco Electronics, Cree, Exclara, Lightech and Wattstopper.

This year, the top three designs included a downlight, garden luminaire and a wall sconce designed for wayfinding around corners. Although the prototypes for the class were required to be made of nothing more than matte board and glue, the results were impressive. Sometimes, as with energy-efficient light sources like LEDs, working with less can result in much more than expected. The top prototypes will be featured at LIGHTFAIR 2010 in the Tyco Electronics booth #2621. Small scholarships, also funded by the sponsors, will assist the winners with travel costs to attend the conference and trade show.

2010 Winners:

Anne Rubenstein, 1st place
Josephine Pan, 2nd place
Anna Lok, 3rd place

Kai Wan and Ashley Huot received honorable mentions for ingenuity and creativity.

Craig DiLouie

See Full Bio