The Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) announced the elevation of two of its members to the status of Fellow. This year’s recipients are Mariana Figueiro and Kevin Houser. The IES Fellow designation is given to a member of the IES “for valuable contribution to the technical activities of the Society; to the art or science of illumination; or to the related scientific or engineering fields.” Figueiro and Houser join more than 400 colleagues who have received this honor since the 1940s.
Figueiro is the light and health program director at the Lighting Research Center (LRC) and an associate professor of architecture at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), both in Troy, N.Y. Figueiro has been recognized by the IES for her ongoing contributions in research on the topic of light and health and her particular area of expertise—circadian cycles and human productivity. The author of more than 60 scientific papers, her work has been funded by many institutions including the National Institutes of Health.
Houser, professor of architectural engineering at Pennsylvania State University, in University Park, Pa., is the other 2013 IES Fellow in recognition of his contributions in teaching, education, research, and publication. He has authored 27 technical publications, served as one of four editors for the 10th Edition of the IES Lighting Handbook (2011), and is the current editor-in-chief of Leukos, the Journal of the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America.
In 2007, Houser launched Project CANDLE (Create an Alliance to Nurture Design in Lighting Education), with funding from the IALD Education Trust’s Grant to Enhance that focuses on strengthening industry-university partnerships to increase the number of lighting students and create an educational curriculum that is responsive to industry issues. “I’ve had the good fortune to work in supportive environments with wonderful colleagues and students,” Houser says. “It’s truly an honor and privilege for me to receive this recognition, even knowing that it’s for collaborative work that I’ve done with others.”
