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| Source: UNESCO. |
Aimed at raising global awareness of how light-based technologies can provide solutions to global challenges in energy, education, agriculture and health, this UNESCO-led initiative is an opportunity to celebrate the work of the 10th-century scientist Ibn Al-Haytham, also known as Alhazen.
Born Abū Alī al-Ḥasan ibn al-Ḥasan ibn al-Haytham, Al-Haytham was a polymath from Basra (in modern-day Iraq) who is often referred to as the ‘father of modern optics’. He made significant advancements in optics, mathematics and astronomy, and helped lay the foundations of the present day scientific experimental method.
His life and works will be the subject of several major initiatives during 2015, beginning at the Opening Ceremony of the International Year of Light and Light-based Technologies on 19 January 2015 at UNESCO HQ in Paris. The ceremony will see the launch of 1001 Inventions and the World of Ibn Al-Haytham, a global campaign where UNESCO will partner with the science and cultural heritage organisation 1001 Inventions to announce a series of interactive exhibits, workshops and live shows illustrating the world of this scientist.
Born Abū Alī al-Ḥasan ibn al-Ḥasan ibn al-Haytham, Al-Haytham was a polymath from Basra (in modern-day Iraq) who is often referred to as the ‘father of modern optics’. He made significant advancements in optics, mathematics and astronomy, and helped lay the foundations of the present day scientific experimental method.
His life and works will be the subject of several major initiatives during 2015, beginning at the Opening Ceremony of the International Year of Light and Light-based Technologies on 19 January 2015 at UNESCO HQ in Paris. The ceremony will see the launch of 1001 Inventions and the World of Ibn Al-Haytham, a global campaign where UNESCO will partner with the science and cultural heritage organisation 1001 Inventions to announce a series of interactive exhibits, workshops and live shows illustrating the world of this scientist.
Said UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova: “A ground-breaking scientist and a humanist from a thousand years ago, the life and work of Ibn Al-Haytham have never been as relevant as they are today.”
Following the January launch, the campaign will roll out in countries around the world. Other initiatives to celebrate Al-Haytham include educational actions coordinated by a high-level Ibn Al-Haytham Working Group, and a dedicated conference and exhibition at UNESCO HQ starting on 14 September 2015 entitled The Islamic Golden Age of Science for the Knowledge-Based Society.
Following the January launch, the campaign will roll out in countries around the world. Other initiatives to celebrate Al-Haytham include educational actions coordinated by a high-level Ibn Al-Haytham Working Group, and a dedicated conference and exhibition at UNESCO HQ starting on 14 September 2015 entitled The Islamic Golden Age of Science for the Knowledge-Based Society.
This conference will see experts in science, history and culture engage world leaders and the public with insights into the era of discoveries and innovations by scientists of different cultures and faiths who lived during that period of Muslim civilisation over 1,000 years ago.