TCU interior design students attend lighting boot camp

Fort Worth, TX

8/10/2006

Some college students enjoy their summer fulfilling travel, work, and academic goals. Three TCU interior design students ventured off to a different type of summer activity – attending a lighting boot camp, hosted by General Electric (GE).

The inaugural Student Boot Camp Lighting Conference, held at the GE Lighting and Electrical Institute in Cleveland, Ohio included three full days of professional instruction, discussions, and workshops.

Led by industrial lighting professionals, the conference covered such topics as heritage of lighting, light and color, lighting trends, light and health, lighting legislation, and the role of research in the design process. They also toured various lighting plants and participated in a behind-the-scenes lighting tour of a refurbished theater.

TCU’s Center for Lighting Education was one of four lighting programs invited to the Boot Camp, and was the only undergraduate program represented. Other programs included Pennsylvania State University, Lighting Research Center, University of Nebraska, and Parsons School of Design.

The three TCU interior design students included recent graduate Darin Fowler and two current students Megan Gover and Ericka Bailey.

"At this Boot Camp, it was very exciting to be the only program that was represented that worked and developed lighting in actual application," said TCU student Ericka Bailey. "When in discussion with the research and development students, they found our take on what would actually be functional and useful as a great balance to doing something for pure science."

"I enjoyed meeting people from all over the country and the world who were interested in different aspects of lighting, including mechanical, research and design," said TCU student Megan Gover. "Through the lecturers and attendees, I was able to make many contacts and was exposed to all facets of lighting from manufacturing and the mechanics of lighting to different applications and design."

The Lighting Institute, founded in 1933, at historic Nela Park in Cleveland, Ohio, was the first facility of its type in the world devoted solely to the teaching of lighting. Visitors experience lighting simulations and demonstrations of lighting techniques as active participants in workshops and discussions led by the Institute’s world-renowned staff.

The Center for Lighting Education at TCU was founded in 1998 to provide students the opportunity for experiential lighting education. Through the Center, students experience all of the various qualities of light that are central to the interior design program and the associated lighting minor. Additionally, the experiential philosophy extends to the Center’s outreach programs to both the University and the Metroplex communities. The Center’s 600-square-foot facility contains a flexible ceiling system designed to maximize the ability to demonstrate all aspects of halogen, fluorescent, and metal halide lighting.

For more information on the Center for Lighting Education at TCU, visit http://www.demt.tcu.edu/.

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