Introduction to Penn State University’s Lighting Lab

David Shiller March 15, 2023

I recently had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Alp Durmus, Assistant Professor in the Department of Architectural Engineering at Pennsylvania State University (PSU). Many in the lighting industry know this department as a top academic lighting program in the US, but fewer know about its lighting lab. My tour of the lab’s capabilities was very interesting, including its 15-channel color-mixing research lights. Also notable was a demonstration of some unpleasant spectrums to be immersed under, which the lab affectionately calls “zombie light.”

The Lighting Laboratory is focused on research and education on illumination systems, solid-state lighting, and the interaction between humans and the built environments with respect to a wide range of applications on energy consumption, user interaction, and environmental impacts. The lab facilitates cross-disciplinary research to address socioeconomic, sociotechnical, and sociocognitive aspects of illumination design.

The Lighting Laboratory conducts research both in fundamental and applied scientific disciplines. Fundamental research enabled by the lab is aimed at improving the understanding of the human response to visual stimuli, while the applied research will explore novel ways of utilizing this basic knowledge to design, operate, optimize, and maintain lighting systems. Some of the research topics are:

Architectural lighting
Museum lighting
Horticultural lighting
Visual perception
Applied cognitive neuroscience
Color science
Light and health

Learn more here.

Image: PSU Department of Architectural Engineering

David Shiller

David Shiller is the Publisher of LightNOW, and Senior Business Development Consultant at Capacity Consulting, a North American consulting firm providing business development services to advanced lighting manufacturers. The ALA awarded David the Pillar of the Industry Award. David has been co-chair of the ALA’s Engineering Committee since 2010. David established MaxLite’s OEM component sales into a multi-million dollar division. He invented GU24 lamps while leading ENERGY STAR lighting programs for the US EPA. David has been published in leading lighting publications, including LD+A, enLIGHTenment Magazine, LEDs Magazine, and more.

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