Profile – Energy Zone

My Work: I’m a PhD Researcher in Optical Engineering
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I started my PhD in optical engineering. I study the interaction between light and materials in dye-sensitised solar cells, which are solar cells the process mimic photosynthesis. I am also researching the effect of LED light in our life.
My Typical Day: There are no typical days, generally I’m either in the lab working on experiments or in the office writing.
What I'd do with the money: I want to make a “Lighthouse” (not a real Lighthouse)
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The UN has declared 2015 the International Year of Light. I want to spend the money on creating “Lighthouse”, a mobile pop-up darkroom. It’ll be a marquee with blackout curtains and lots of interesting optical experiments and illusions inside.

The problem is that the cool optical experiments that we can do requires darkness. For example, it’s very hard to see lasers in daylight. This Lighthouse will be a large marquee with blackout curtains to make it nice and dark. It’ll be like a House of Horrors but without the scary stuff, just really cool light stuff and optical illusions.

Laura Tobin