Drive around Rochester, New York long enough, and you are bound to run into an optics or imaging corporation. There are the giants, of course: Xerox Corp., Bausch & Lomb, Inc., and Eastman Kodak. Rochester is also home to around 50 small and midsized optics companies, which produce everything from optic technologies for motor vehicle sensor systems to the lenses of the Hubble telescope. The study of light, and all its many applications, has been a part of Rochester’s history for over 150 years.

It is no wonder, then, that organizations across Rochester are taking part in the 2015 International Year of Light, a United Nations initiative designed to build awareness of the role of optics and optical technologies in education, energy, science, agriculture, healthcare, and communications.

Together with partners from around the Rochester area, Second Avenue Learning is taking part in this global celebration of all things light by showcasing Martha Madison: Optics. This collaborative videogame that allows students to play and create with light, while learning about key principles of the optics and optical components. Through Martha Madison, we are excited to support student learning in optics and inspire the next generation of optics professionals.

To learn more about Rochester’s celebration of the International Year of Light, read Year of Light in Motion in Rochester, an article co-written by Kate Bennett, president of the Rochester Museum and Science Center and Wade Cook, general manager of ASE Optics. Also visit the official IYL website at: http://www.light2015.org/Home.html