The Light Fantastic
Physicists describe the wave-particle duality of light. At Jefferson, faculty explore another duality in light—between health and art.
Lyn Godley, MFA’s InFlight solo exhibit in Cologne, Germany
Light is elemental to human life, affording the power to see and interact with the world around us. Yet light does so much more, affecting physiological, psychological, and emotional health and well-being.
Light captured the imagination of professor of neuroscience George C. “Bud” Brainard, PhD, early in his life. He says, “At age 12, I read an article in Life magazine about the western fence lizard, also called the blue-belly, which has a small, functional third eye on its forehead that detects light, and is closely associated with the pineal gland, found in the center of the brain. That grabbed my attention.”
A pioneer in the study of how light affects biology, Brainard has directed Jefferson’s renowned Light Research Program since 1984.
He says 90% of his work has focused on how light regulates the circadian system, the neuroendocrine system, and the neurobehavioral system. “And in that mix is the pineal gland,” he explains.
Brainard’s early curiosity about the blue-belly lizard eventually led to a breakthrough in 2001. “I hypothesized that we could understand what wavelengths or colors of light are strongest or weakest in regulating the pineal gland,” he says. “We thought retinal photoreceptors in the eye were detecting light and sending it to the brain to regulate the hormone melatonin. From studies on 72 healthy women and men, we deduced that there was an undiscovered photoreceptor in the human eye.” The findings caused an upheaval in the field. He continues, “We weren’t certain the scientific community would accept the paper, but the article has now been cited thousands of times.”
Just one year later, researchers from Brown University and Johns Hopkins located this new photoreceptor in the retina. Instead of there being four types of photoreceptors in the eyes, there are five. “This newly discovered photoreceptor is a directly photosensitive retinal ganglion cell containing a novel photopigment called melanopsin,” he explains. “These cells proved that the eyes do far more than provide sight—they send signals to the brain that influence countless aspects of human physiology and behavior.”
George C. "Bud" Brainard, PhD, with spacecraft lighting design
Brainard’s discovery caught NASA’s attention. “Space flight is hard on the body and can disrupt sleep and circadian rhythms,” he says. “They wondered how we could use light during space flight in a non-pharmacological way to improve these for the astronauts.”
He served as a key advisor in spacecraft lighting design, including retrofitting the entire lighting system of the U.S., European, and Japanese portions of the International Space Station. Research continues and will examine astronauts’ responses to the new system, and additional ways to improve lighting. Recognized with NASA’s prestigious Johnson Space Center Director’s Innovation Award, Brainard says, “As a kid, I used to build and launch model rockets. Having a hand in these projects was a high point in my career.”
More recently, Brainard received the Illuminating Engineering Society’s most prestigious technical achievement, the IES Medal Award. But perhaps his brightest recognition is the growth of his program and the widespread interest in the work.
“The field has exploded,” says John Hanifin, PhD, an assistant professor of neurology and associate director of the Light Research Program.
Hanifin is the lead researcher on a collaborative study funded by the Department of Energy to examine whether tunable solid state lighting systems—which control a light source’s color temperature output—can impact health and sleep quality in measurable amounts, compared to static fluorescent lighting systems.
“Compelling research in mice has shown that the kind of daytime lighting—fluorescent or tunable LED light—can have a significant impact on health,” says Hanifin. “We want to test whether that’s the case in people too, and whether tunable LED lighting systems can improve measures of sleep, metabolism, and overall health.”
A second study will more closely replicate the real-life conditions of the average day-time worker and will help to understand the health impacts of different types of workplace lighting.
In collaboration with the Sheba Medical Center, the Ramon Foundation, and the Israeli Space Agency, the Brainard and Hanifin lab contributed one of three research projects to the 2022 Rakia space mission, the first-ever private enterprise to send space tourists to the International Space Station. The project investigates how the stress of a space mission affects the human body. “Data collected will be added to the database to inform NASA further on whether their particular light settings are appropriate for both physiology and color vision,” Hanifin says.
Back on Earth, the merger of Philadelphia University and Thomas Jefferson University has opened new avenues of collaboration for Brainard and other faculty working on the health effects of light.
Since arriving at the University over 10 years ago, artist and professor Lyn Godley, MFA, has developed a cross-disciplinary concentration in lighting design focusing on light as experience. “As soon as you light anything, it draws people toward it,” she says. “Everything I do has light involved.”
In 2011, Godley was offered a solo exhibition in Cologne, Germany. The results were astounding. “We filled the gallery with images of birds in flight that we had fed fiber optics through, creating pixels of light along the wings and tails,” she says. “The curator shared that visitors were behaving strangely after entering the gallery. They were sitting on the floor, not speaking, staying for up to three hours, and returning multiple times. This was not normal.”
Godley investigated. “We discovered that the LEDs, chosen because they were the brightest, were the same wavelength used in light therapy,” she says. “This had a profound effect on the direction of my work.”
Godley founded and directs Jefferson’s Center of Immersive Arts for Health, a collaborative initiative across 14 design, research, and clinical departments dedicated to studying the impact of dynamic and interactive art and design on wellbeing.
“Immersive arts using light engage the viewer in ways that might help to relieve stress or induce a meditative state,” Godley says. “This is similar to distraction therapy, where patients are given a virtual reality headset to change their focus. We believe the experience could engage the patient to positively affect the overall healthcare experience, resulting in improved physiological and psychological impact on clinic visits.”
The merger has allowed close collaboration between Godley and Brainard, including a project with five other international universities to write an open-source curriculum on the effect of light on health, Light4Health, which was funded by a European Union Erasmus+ grant.
In spring 2022, the center ran its first dedicated interdisciplinary course, “Health and the Art Experience,” for students across a range of medical and design fields to develop hypotheses to use dynamic light for healthcare settings. Their 2022 international student design competition challenged students to design immersive light installations for a positive impact on patient health.
An art exhibit designed as a series of “waiting rooms” featuring six artists and including student competition winners debuted at HOT•BED, a Philadelphia gallery, in September 2022. “Nearly 200 visitors surveyed reported that they stayed anywhere from five minutes to two hours, felt calmer, peaceful, more introspective, and inspired,” shares Godley.
“Research shows that art and light can have a positive impact on health, specifically in healthcare environments,” Godley says. “It’s an exciting time to be involved in research on light and art—the door is open to many innovations.”
Lyn Godley, MFA
Since arriving at the University over 10 years ago, artist and professor Lyn Godley, MFA, has developed a cross-disciplinary concentration in lighting design focusing on light as experience. “As soon as you light anything, it draws people toward it,” she says. “Everything I do has light involved.”
In 2011, Godley was offered a solo exhibition in Cologne, Germany. The results were astounding. “We filled the gallery with images of birds in flight that we had fed fiber optics through, creating pixels of light along the wings and tails,” she says. “The curator shared that visitors were behaving strangely after entering the gallery. They were sitting on the floor, not speaking, staying for up to three hours, and returning multiple times. This was not normal.”
Godley investigated. “We discovered that the LEDs, chosen because they were the brightest, were the same wavelength used in light therapy,” she says. “This had a profound effect on the direction of my work.”
Godley founded and directs Jefferson’s Center of Immersive Arts for Health, a collaborative initiative across 14 design, research, and clinical departments dedicated to studying the impact of dynamic and interactive art and design on wellbeing.
“Immersive arts using light engage the viewer in ways that might help to relieve stress or induce a meditative state,” Godley says. “This is similar to distraction therapy, where patients are given a virtual reality headset to change their focus. We believe the experience could engage the patient to positively affect the overall healthcare experience, resulting in improved physiological and psychological impact on clinic visits.”
The merger has allowed close collaboration between Godley and Brainard, including a project with five other international universities to write an open-source curriculum on the effect of light on health, Light4Health, which was funded by a European Union Erasmus+ grant.
Waiting Room exhibit at HOT•BED Philadelphia
In spring 2022, the center ran its first dedicated interdisciplinary course, “Health and the Art Experience,” for students across a range of medical and design fields to develop hypotheses to use dynamic light for healthcare settings. Their 2022 international student design competition challenged students to design immersive light installations for a positive impact on patient health.
An art exhibit designed as a series of “waiting rooms” featuring six artists and including student competition winners debuted at HOT•BED, a Philadelphia gallery, in September 2022. “Nearly 200 visitors surveyed reported that they stayed anywhere from five minutes to two hours, felt calmer, peaceful, more introspective, and inspired,” shares Godley.
“Research shows that art and light can have a positive impact on health, specifically in healthcare environments,” Godley says. “It’s an exciting time to be involved in research on light and art—the door is open to many innovations.”