Expand your knowledge of lighting by registering for our series of engaging presentations that highlight the transformative potential of LED lighting technology. No matter your interests or level there is something for you at the LEDucation Conference!
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Thursday April 9
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Friday April 10
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Tuesday April 14
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Wednesday April 15
Digital Practice Management with BIM Focus
Samuel Mikhail, 4 Ideal Design
BIM is transforming how architects, lighting designers, and manufacturers collaborate and manage projects. This session will explore how digital practice management helps firms streamline workflows, improve coordination, and maintain strong BIM standards. Attendees will learn how to develop efficient BIM templates, train teams effectively, and integrate BIM into their lighting and architectural workflows. Through real-world examples, we’ll show how structured BIM implementation can reduce inefficiencies, enhance teamwork, and improve project outcomes.
MORE >Lighting Design for Revit using TM32 and IFC
Friedrich Wilhelm Bremecker, DIAL
Lighting design requires both specialized expertise and dedicated tools. General BIM software excels in architecture but falls short on lighting details. The new IES TM-32 defines the essential luminaire data for accurate BIM-based lighting design. DIALux fully supports this standard: over 450 manufacturers supply product data, and results integrate seamlessly with BIM authoring tools via IFC (OpenBIM) or a dedicated Revit App (ClosedBIM). This enables lighting professionals to participate directly in BIM workflows without owning Revit—bridging architecture and lighting while ensuring compliance with TM-32.
MORE >Beyond the Building:
Mapping Health-Centered LED Lighting with GIS
Jianchuan Tan, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and Shengliang “Daniel” Rong, Delos Living LLC
Healthy lighting has long been discussed, but often within the walls of individual buildings. This presentation introduces a spatial, data-driven approach using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to assess the broader public health implications of LED lighting aligned with the WELL Building Standard. By layering open datasets on light pollution, sleep insufficiency, demographics, and lighting infrastructure, we reveal spatial disparities in light exposure and wellness conditions across communities. This methodology highlights where circadian-friendly, low-glare lighting could deliver the greatest health and equity benefits. Attendees will gain a replicable analytical framework to advance evidence-based, health-oriented lighting strategies at the community scale.
MORE >The Challenge of Talking Technical to Customers
Mary Beth Gotti, American Lighting Association | Jeffrey Dross, Lighting by Jeffrey | Laurie Gross, Gross Electric
In the last twenty years, lighting in the residential space has undergone a massive transition. Recent scientific findings have indicated that the connection between light and humans, the environment and animals is even more pervasive than originally believed. That means the user community will be inundated with more lighting information and choices. This shift will require the lighting professional to communicate in a way that helps, rather than baffles design professionals, salespeople, contractors and end consumers. This session lays out the problem and offers solutions and suggestions for better lighting communication.
MORE >More Time for Design:
Leveraging AI and Coding to Boost Efficiency and Quality
Junrui Wang, Spark Studio Lighting Design
Lighting designers often face time-intensive administrative tasks that limit opportunities for creative exploration. This session demonstrates how coding, AI, and unconventional digital tools can streamline workflows, reduce errors, and free more time for design thinking. Real-world examples will cover automating manufacturer lists with PyCharm and Google Sheets, generating cut packages using ChatGPT and Adobe Acrobat, and producing fixture schedules and lighting power density (LPD) calculations through BIM360 Revit integrations. Attendees will leave with actionable strategies to improve efficiency, enhance quality, and focus on delivering exceptional lighting design solutions.
MORE >Tools for Impactful Decision-Making in Lighting Systems
Kate Hickcox, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Explore the luminaire life cycle inventory (LCI) template developed by PNNL, designed to drive advancements in resource efficiency and supply chain security. This session showcases its alignment with North America’s first Product Category Rules (PCR) for luminaires, co-developed by industry experts. Learn how the LCI template streamlines data-driven decision-making across economic, resource, and supply chain dimensions. Discover how PNNL is leveraging this tool to assess impacts related to critical materials and supply chain security, as well as compliance with the Build America, Buy America (BABA) Act.
MORE >How 3D printing can bring positive change to the lighting industry (and the world)
Bart Maeyens, Signify NV
There is a new era in lighting happening through advanced 3D printing, offering customizable, sustainable solutions that meet the evolving needs of specifiers, designers, and end-users. By leveraging local production, recycled materials, and digital design tools, we can reduce environmental impact while enhancing speed, flexibility, and aesthetic freedom. 3D empowers professionals to create lighting that is both beautiful and responsible—supporting circular economy goals without compromising performance. This presentation explores how these innovations can elevate industry standards and deliver meaningful benefits to the lighting industry and it’s consumers.
MORE >Beyond NLCs:
What Is Next For Connected Lighting
Simon Slupik, Silvair, Chair of the Bluetooth Mesh Working Group / Bluetooth SIG
High end trim, dimming, occupancy/vacancy and daylight harvesting have been the mainstream applications for connected lighting systems. But this is just a beginning, as bringing connectivity to lighting systems can offer much more.
MORE >The AB3s of Effective Project Labeling
Stephen Cannella, Synapse Audio Visual Designs, LLC
The increasingly complex landscape of LED lighting fixtures and their controls often leave designers conflicted on what approach is best to convey the vast amount of data involved in today’s lighting projects. This course will classify key project information, as well as best practices for conveying that information in a manner that invites clarity, avoids friction in the procurement process, removes scope gaps, and adds flexibility from project inception to as builts.
MORE >Hospitality Lighting Case Studies at Scale:
Dynamic Lighting on Network Controls
Tyler Andrews, PoE Texas | Mark Simpson, Celano Designs | Joe Herbst, PoE Texas
Join industry experts as they review two successful luxury hospitality project case studies focused on the user experience using current Power over Ethernet (PoE) in lighting controls: Black Desert Resort (2M sqft) and Resorts World’s Villa 66 (exclusive penthouse suite). The Case Studies will include video footage and project participants.
MORE >MAYRIT. Light and Vibration, a Sensory Experience for Everyone
Ezequiel Nobili, Don Lucero
“Mayrit. Water, Stone, Fire, and Flesh.” It’s an ephemeral site-specific work from the LuzMadrid 2023 Festival, that revalues the Arab wall of Madrid. Using olfactory, tactile, visual, and auditory devices, it offers an accessible multisensory experience that dissolves boundaries, leaving a lasting mark in the memory of participants.
MORE >Design for the Mind:
Neurodivergence, PTSD, and the Future of Biophilic Lighting
Xander Cadisch, Light Tribe by Phos Ltd
This presentation combines personal insight and professional expertise to explore how neurodivergence and trauma-informed design can revolutionize biophilic lighting. Drawing on my own experience of living with PTSD—alongside research and findings from my book, The Light Within Us—I examine how thoughtful design can profoundly impact emotional health, sensory comfort, and overall wellbeing.
MORE >Endogenously Triggered Visual Gamma Stimulation for Alzheimer’s Disease Prevention
Matthew Maa and Judy Luo, Aleddra LED Lighting
Traditional 40Hz light stimulation has shown potential to improve brain health in Alzheimer’s, but the flashing light often causes visual discomfort, limiting its practicality and effectiveness. This presentation introduces a ground-breaking technology that induces non-perceptible gamma stimulation in the brain. The method of a double-blind clinical trial of a table lamp will be presented, followed by clinical trial data showing clear gamma stimulation and observe cognitive improvement after 1-month treatment. More importantly, this innovation opens the door to embedding such technology in almost all indoor lighting applications thus creating a healthy indoor space that improves memory and prevents Alzheimer’s.
MORE >BABA, BAA, and Tariffs:
Tools for Executing in a Complex and Changing Landscape
Paul Kennedy and Veena Cagle, U.S. Outdoor Lighting
Lighting project requirements for BAA and BABA have increased complexity for current and future compliance, while changing tariffs on components and finished products have further challenged how to comply for manufacturers, reps, and specifiers. This presentation will help to simplify understanding of the project compliance challenges, while providing simple tools to optimize product design and selections (and costs) especially considering changing requirements and future uncertainty.
MORE >Rugged ITS:
Deployment in Rural and Remote Locations
Matt Pollard, Leadsun, Inc.
Rural and remote areas in countries like Australia and the United States have vast land areas, diverse environments, extreme weather conditions and highly dispersed populations that can be more disadvantaged than urbanized populations. Crashes in remote locations tend to be more severe because of delays before help arrives due to large distances and low passing traffic volumes. Remote regions like these present unique challenges in supporting situational awareness and effective network, incident and disaster management.
MORE >Future of LED Drivers
Michael Kulkarni, Sintel Power Systems (Division of Sintel Inc.)
What does the Next Generation LED Driver look like? Can we make smaller fixtures with less materials that are greener and less reliant on global supply chains?
– Background of Gallium Nitride material (GaN) and the path it has taken to reliability and cost effectiveness, especially proven in consumer electronics, now coming to Lighting
– GaN ability to drastically reduce the size of drivers – faster switching, greater power density, improved efficiency
– Smaller drivers for smaller fixtures, less material use
– More intelligent Lighting with less expense
– What solutions exist today/2027 for OEMs, Specifiers and others?
Lighting to Support Human Health and Wellbeing
Dr. Mariana Figueiro is the Mount Sinai Professor of Light and Health Research and Director of the
Light and Health Research Center at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
This course will provide information on how light affects people through human vision, perceptual, and the circadian/alerting system. The presentation will start with basic concepts of each system and how they work. The presentation will then review lighting characteristics affecting the visual and perceptual systems, and how these characteristics impact visual acuity, glare, comfort, and color perception. The remainder of the presentation will describe lighting characteristics affecting human health and wellbeing through the circadian system including how light can impact sleep, mood, cognition, behavior and other factors. Content will include instruction on designing lighting to meet the requirements of both the UL24480 Lighting Design Guideline for Circadian Entrainment, and the WELL Building Standard. Content will also cover how our eye physiology changes as we age and how light can mitigate some of these effects.
MORE >Beyond Illumination:
Smart Lighting in the 2030 Smart Building Environment
Beatrice Witzgall, In3Design (Siemens)
By 2030, lighting will move far beyond fixtures and LEDs, becoming an intelligent, adaptive system at the heart of smart buildings. This talk explores how lighting integrates with building ecosystems, driving sustainability, energy optimization, and occupant well-being. From wireless controls and interoperability to AI-driven personalization, lighting is poised to shift from siloed hardware to dynamic, data-rich platforms. We will examine industry challenges, new business models, and the innovations in reshaping design, controls, and circularity. Attendees will gain insights into what it will take for lighting suppliers and building stakeholders to succeed in this rapidly evolving landscape.
MORE >Lighting in Trauma-Informed Design
Mariel Acevedo, ALR and Amanda Schaneman, Kirlin
Trauma Informed Design (TID) is a newer field of research and design focusing on creating low-stress, comfortable, and supportive spaces for people who have experienced or are currently in a traumatic event. There are many different principles, depending on the type of building, but there are a few constant throughlines: safety, connection to nature, control of the space, autonomy, and low stress. As you can imagine, lighting & its interaction with interior design and architecture (colors, textures, wayfinding) plays a massive role in the successful implementation of TID practices. We will talk through the principles of TID and how to design lighting for a space with these in mind.
MORE >Egos, Intuition, and Lumens:
Decoding the Architect’s Mind
Brian Maite, ALW, an LMPG Brand and Katie Hawk, FSA Lighting
Architects sit at the center of design, balancing countless technical responsibilities with instinct & vision, and communicating it all in language that is uniquely “Architect”. This often creates communication gaps with lighting professionals. The combination of responsibility, ego, and distinct vernaculars can both challenge and drive project success. In this panel—composed of former architects and project managers, now in lighting—we will explore where disconnects arise, and the importance of bridging the language of lighting. By fostering collaboration with empathy and open-mindedness, rather than frustration, lighting and architecture can align more effectively, making complex projects not only manageable but genuinely rewarding.
MORE >Whose Daylight Is It Anyway? Scope, Money, and Control Across the Design Team
Doug Kafka, Lutron | Ryan Merluza, M Moser Associates | Brian Stacy, Arup | Michael Mehl, JB&B
This panel will unpack scope, risk, and responsibility for daylight design and control integration. An architect, a lighting designer, and a daylight study specialist trade lessons on aligning design intent, sequences of operation, and budgets. We’ll show why electric lighting rarely performs as intended without coordinated window treatments and smart controls, and how to specify, contract, and commission accordingly. Through case studies and Q&A, attendees will learn practical, proven strategies to deliver healthier, smarter, more profitable projects—clarifying roles, closing gaps between disciplines, and turning daylight from liability into measurable performance.
MORE >Bright Ideas Need Safe Spaces – Building a Culture of Creativity
Rebecca Mintz, Peak Wavelength Strategies/George Mason University and David Seok, The Lighting Practice
Lighting design depends on creativity, but creativity doesn’t flourish by chance. It grows in cultures that support risk-taking, idea-sharing, and cross-disciplinary collaboration. Drawing from design practice and organizational psychology, this session explores what separates teams that consistently produce innovative work from those that stall. Attendees will gain tools to cultivate environments where experimentation is encouraged, burnout is reduced, and engagement is high. Whether you lead a studio, manage projects, or sell products, you’ll walk away with strategies to intentionally design a culture that sparks innovation.
MORE >When AI Turns on the Light:
Algorithmic Creativity in LED Lighting Design
Alex Souza, Celera LLC
This session would explore how Generative AI is revolutionizing thermal management in LED lighting design. Drawing from a Celera Thermal case study, we demonstrate how AI-driven generative design significantly reduces fixture mass—up to 30%—while maintaining optimal thermal performance. Using advanced simulation tools and hybrid engineering approaches, we highlight methods that cut material costs, shorten development cycles, and advance sustainability goals in lighting systems. Attendees will gain actionable insights into integrating AI into product development to create lighter, more energy-efficient, and eco-friendly luminaires. This presentation is ideal for engineers, designers, and decision-makers seeking innovative strategies for next-generation LED lighting solutions.
MORE >More isn’t Always Enough:
Light and Perceived Safety of Subway Platforms
Hyesoo Chun, The Lighting Practice
Since 2024 New York City subway platforms have been undergoing fluorescent-to-LED conversions in an effort to improve safety and comfort of transit travelers. Examining the assumption that increased lighting equates to improved safety in transit environments, field surveys of subway riders and online survey studies were completed to evaluate perceptions of safety across different lighting scenarios. Findings reveal that higher brightness alone does not enhance perceived safety, and rather luminance ratio plays a more significant role in fostering visual comfort and sense of security. This presentation will address how thoughtful lighting design strategies can improve community security in transit environments.
MORE >Seeing Like a Cinematographer:
Lighting That Shapes Emotion
Tal Lazar, Latent Images
Cinematographers don’t just light a space, they choreograph emotion, guide attention, and shape meaning through light. Every frame of a film is a lesson in how illumination tells a story, directs behavior, and transforms perception. This workshop invites lighting professionals to step onto the film set and see light the way a director of photography does. Through vivid examples from iconic movie scenes, participants will explore cinematic techniques that unlock fresh ways of thinking about their own work, discovering how light can move beyond function to inspire, persuade, and captivate.
MORE >Integrating VR into Lighting Design:
Vision and Application
Xiaoxiao Cui, Bard, Rao + Athanas Consulting Engineers
This presentation explores the potential of integrating Virtual Reality (VR) in lighting design, covering both vision and application. It begins with research on lighting psychology in immersive environments, revisiting John Flynn’s Lighting Modes Theory to demonstrate how VR offers new perspectives on spatial perception and supports lighting simulation. The focus then shifts to application, exploring how VR can be integrated into design workflows, when and for whom it is most effective, and where it adds value across project types. The session concludes with a live VR lighting demonstration.
MORE >Sustainable Lighting:
A Perspective from the Value Chain
Maurice Loosschilder, Signify | Migda Colón-Dieppa, Columbia University Facilities and Operations | Beth Brenner, Signify
What is sustainable lighting? This panel discussion will provide various perspectives along the value chain, including the end user, the lighting designer, the installer and the manufacturer. It will shed light on the considerations and obstacles each party faces in order to make a difference. Panel participants will address how they design, procure and implement sustainable choices and manage stakeholders. They will share real-world examples as well as guidelines, processes and programs they’ve developed or follow to achieve sustainability goals.
MORE >Exploring Emerging Battery Technology
Sima Tawakoli, Renee Borg, and Todd Judd, sixteen5hundred
This presentation explores the critical role of advanced battery technologies in addressing energy needs for remote, off-grid, and extreme environments. It highlights California’s leadership in clean energy and its goal of 100% clean electricity by 2045.
Key focus areas include:
21st Century Lighting Technology and Historic Artifacts, Fine Art, Ancient Infrastructure
Megan Carroll, Carroll Consulting | Amy Nelson, The Metropolitan Museum of Art | Naomi Miller PNNL, FIES, FIALD, Naomi Miller Lighting Design
Intersections: Technology’s impact and opportunity illuminating ancient art and objects in old infrastructure and new construction; converting from incandescent to LEDs in a world class cultural institution.
MORE >The Broken Windows Theory as Applied to Lighting:
Designing Environments that Signal Care
Francesca Bastianini, Sighte Studio
The criminological Broken Windows Theory suggests that visible signs of neglect, if left unaddressed, invite further disorder. Applied to lighting, this is not just about replacing burnt-out bulbs—it is about how the relentless pursuit of efficiency and cost savings can erode community pride and trust in public spaces. High-output, low-cost fixtures may illuminate broadly, but often create glare, discomfort, and the perception of surveillance rather than care. Through case studies and a review of current NYC standards, this presentation explores strategies for working with municipalities and agencies to prioritize quality, stewardship, and human experience over lumens and dollars.
MORE >Next Level Lighting and Controls:
A Guide to Lighting Features in WELL v2
Carson Alsop, Lutron Electronics
This course explores the critical role of lighting in promoting health, comfort, and performance within the built environment. Participants will examine the WELL Building Standard v2 framework, with emphasis on how daylight access, glare control, shading, and window proximity enhance visual comfort and occupant well-being. Strategies for daylight simulation in lighting design will be introduced to extend natural light deeper into interior spaces. The program also highlights how light quality, color rendering, and controllability affect satisfaction and safety. Attendees will gain practical knowledge to create healthier, more sustainable environments where lighting design supports both wellness and productivity.
MORE >Beyond the Blueprint:
Navigating ASHRAE and IECC 2024 Codes with Measured Success
Joe Briscoe and Paul Farris, Leviton Manufacturing
With the release of ASHRAE and IECC 2024, lighting control professionals face a new frontier of code compliance that demands deeper understanding and smarter strategies. This presentation offers a guided tour through the latest lighting control requirements, with an emphasis on how measurement and verification (M&V) plays a critical role—especially in major urban markets like New York City where local energy laws and enforcement are rapidly evolving.
MORE >Where’s My Money, Lebowski? Lighting Procurement Uncovered
Amer Maleh, DeltaLight Group
Behind every lighting specification lies a journey through what some call the dark side—the sales and procurement maze where markups multiply, stakeholders scramble for their slice, and budgets bend under pressure. This session pulls back the curtain with insider guidance on how deals really get done, from hidden influencers to value-engineering pitfalls. We’ll explore how conflicts arise, where harmony can be found, and how multiple sales channels shape outcomes—while keeping design intent alive amidst competing interests. Participants will leave with a clear roadmap to navigate procurement across multiple project typologies—without losing their light.
MORE >Lighting the Night Responsibly:
Ecology, Beauty and Control
Gabrielle Peace, Lux Botanica
Explore how well-designed outdoor lighting can protect ecosystems, support human wellbeing, and deliver beautiful results. This session covers the effects of glare, spectrum, and light spill on wildlife, and how we perceive low light. We’ll also touch on material choices for outdoor luminaires—highlighting corrosion resistance, thermal performance, and manufacturing considerations for high-output applications. Learn practical design strategies, case studies, and available control technologies.
MORE >TM-30 for Designers:
A Phase by Phase Approach
Jason Livingston, Studio T+L, LLC
The new ANSI/IES LP-30 is a user’s guide to TM-30. This presentation reviews LP-30 and its phase-by-phase explanation of how lighting designers can integrate TM-30 into their design workflow. It includes examples of deliverables for each phase. Attendees will also receive discounts on the purchase of TM-30 and LP-30.
MORE >Meeting NFPA Backup Power Requirements with Central Inverter Strategy:
Code Compliance Without Compromising Design
John Rimbos, Myers Emergency Power Systems
This session will explore how a Central Inverter strategy can be used to meet NFPA backup power requirements for emergency lighting systems—while preserving architectural design intent and reducing costs compared to decentralized battery solutions.
MORE >The Greenest Watt Is the One Never Used:
Six Lighting Philosophies for a Sustainable Future
Andy Letwin, EN-POWER GROUP
How can lighting professionals make decisions that hold up against shifting codes, evolving technologies, and client aesthetic demands? In this session, Andy Letwin, Director of Lighting at EN-POWER GROUP, shares six philosophies that have guided 140+ New York City projects, generating over $25 million in energy savings. From retrofit-first strategies to prioritizing product quality and emphasizing serviceability, attendees will learn practical methods to maximize efficiency, preserve aesthetics, and avoid costly mistakes. Case studies—including the Bowery Hotel and The Dakota—illustrate how these philosophies deliver lasting results and actionable lessons for lighting projects across sectors and scales.
MORE >