Second international summer school of the Light4Health project to train lighting designers

Students from the University of Wolverhampton are attending an international, virtual summer school to learn about the impact of lighting on human health in the workplace and in educational environments.

The event is the second summer school to be hosted by the LIGHT4HEALTH project and will investigate the peculiarities of human perception of lighting under various scenarios, among different age groups and those with disabilities. It will also examine national and cultural characteristics, geographic zones and climatic conditions.

The three students from the University of Wolverhampton taking part are Liam Maskell, BSc Psychology (Counselling), along with Chartered Surveying Degree Apprentices Stephen Smith and Nick Inglis who are working with Stafford-based Entrust Support Services.  

Stephen Smith said: “I’m delighted to be involved in this international project and I’m taking the learning not only to improve my knowledge and understanding of light but to better inform my home life in the use of technology and the influence light can have on health and wellbeing.

“I’m finding working with a multi-cultural and multi-disciplinary team of students most rewarding.”

The project is being led by academics Dr Paul Hampton and Dr Ezekiel Chinyio and Academic Enterprise Manager Natasha George. Natasha said: “We are delighted to be coordinating this prestigious project with five other international academic institutions. 

“On a personal level, I have been very impressed by the hard work and dedication of the team to change this opportunity for students into a virtual event and am pleased that we have been able to welcome 40 international students to the summer school. 

“It is a unique chance for them to learn skills that are not currently being taught in this way anywhere in the world.”

Over its three years duration, the Erasmus+ funded LIGHT4HEALTH project is developing a novel educational course to teach health research methods and findings to lighting designers at graduate level.

The project was officially launched in 2018 by the world's leading universities and European schools of architecture in the field of architectural light design from Denmark, Germany, Sweden, Russia, the UK and the USA.

The second summer school started in the first week of October and ends at the start of November after the original physical event, which was to be held in August in Wismar, Germany, was postponed.

During the event, students are working in international teams which include participants from each of the universities in the consortium.

The universities and schools involved are: Creative Lighting Department ITMO University, Russia; Thomas Jefferson University, USA; University of Wolverhampton, UK; Aalborg University, Denmark; Hochschule Wismar, Germany; and KTH Royal Institute, Sweden.

The coronavirus pandemic has affected the project’s timing of events but its hoped the third summer school in Copenhagen, Denmark, will take place next summer.

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