“Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.” This powerful quote by J.K. Rowling embodies the profound impact that light has on all our lives. To recognise this phenomenon that brightens every sphere of our life, the department of applied optics and photonics at Calcutta University (Salt Lake campus) celebrated International Day of Light on May 16.
The day began with a lecture on quantum clocks by Subhadeep De, associate professor at Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics. De deconstructed the marvel behind this invention, which was 37 times more precise than the existing international standard. “Quantum clocks are extremely important in our day-to-day life, especially because of the role they play in satellite navigation. It was very encouraging to see the students and researchers engaging together on this topic,” he said.
Subhadeep De delivered a comprehensive lecture on quantum clocks and their use in satellite navigation.
This was followed by the release of The Pop Steam Talk Show, a special online show which will explain interesting scientific concepts through dropping short-format content. The name signals how the show will integrate science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics. “Last July, when the Chandrayaan 3 was launched in space, we noticed a renewed interest amongst people in science, with both mainstream and social media fuelling it. The desire to reach out to common people led us to integrate art with science, and add an ‘A’ into STEM,” said academician and filmmaker Subha Das Mollick.
Mollick added that it was difficult to switch from long form content to 90 seconds, and horizontal to vertical. However, they now have a repository of 30 reels, of which, two will be dropped every weekend. “Now, I can spot 10 potential reels in every lecture!”
Oindrilla Hazra Pratapan from SRFTI explained how lighting is used as a tool in cinematography.
Following the launch, students from several schools battled it out in a fiery quiz. The first round of the quiz tested their understanding of optics in daily life, while the second round was about its history. The third round was about optics trivia. In the end, Team B comprising Debayush Das (CA School Salt Lake), Shinjini Dey (Apeejay School Salt Lake), Priangshu Bhanja (Apeejay School Salt Lake) and Ishani Ghosh (Loreto Convent Entally) emerged victorious. “This was a great opportunity for us school students to learn something different and enriching. The knowledge we gained will definitely help us all in the future,” smiled Ghosh.
(From left) Ishani Ghosh, Shinjini Dey and Debayush Das bagged the first prize in the quiz on light.
After the quiz, students settled in for another session, this time on utilising lighting in cinematography by Oindrilla Hazra Pratapan, the associate professor of cinematography at Satyajit Ray Film & Television Institute (SRFTI). The session enlightened students about how frames were illuminated through a variety of techniques, including the standard method of three-point lighting. “It was incredible to see students from school being so responsive to the use of light in cinematography. The fact that they had watched films like Black Swan really impressed me,” she said.
The lectures were followed by a prize distribution ceremony.
“I’ve always found the dedication of a day to celebrate light very exciting because it throws up innumerable possibilities. This event was directed to remind us of the role that light plays in all our creative endeavours as well as scientific explorations,” Mollick signed off.