Future Lights up for Scientists at LIT courtesy of Swedish Green Technology Company
The future is looking bright for scientists at LIT. Two award winning intelligent LED light systems from Heliospectra AB are now installed in the Controlled Environment Laboratory for Life Sciences (CELLS) at LIT. Heliospectra, a world renowned company in green technology, recently received the 2013 SACC New-York-Deloitte Green Award in recognition of its ground-breaking work in the development of the intelligent LED system and its application to enhancing agricultural production and supporting sustainable greenhouse farming.
Receiving Heliospectra’s unique LED light system at LIT comes on foot of the recent success of another research project led by LIT Professor Gary Stutte. LIT and Professor Gary Stutte pulled off a major international coup by having their research project chosen by the Space Florida International Space Station (ISS) Research Competition as one of just eight projects selected to travel to the ISS on the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in November 2014.
Picture: Professor Gary Stutte, LIT with Mr Christopher Steele, VP Sales and Marketing, Heliospectra meeting at the LIT campus.
Ms Michele Bennett, Head of Department of Applied Science at LIT and Principal Investigator for the CELLS laboratory said “This is fantastic opportunity for students to gain hand’s on training with state of the art technology. We are delighted to have these intelligent LED lights to support the research and teaching mission of CELLS. We look forward to this technology being utilised in the EU Horizon 2020 & European Space Research Call in 2014”
As for Heliospectra’s thoughts about their products being used at LIT, Christopher Steele, Vice President of Sales and Marketing with Heliospectra, stated “…having Professor Stutte and the CELLS laboratory at LIT working with our technology is a pleasure to see. They do amazing work here – as shown by being selected for the Space X mission – so it’s exciting to know our products will support the efforts of this advanced lab at a great Irish institute.”
President of LIT, Dr Maria Hinfelaar said, “The LED arrays from Heliospectra are another step in LIT’s commitment to developing the CELLS laboratory and the Department of Applied Science at LIT into a world class research centre”.