May 2011 - Illuminating Engineering Society

LETTERS
Even the ‘New 40s’ Need a
Little Help
I agree with Howard Wiig’s letter to
the editor in the February issue (“60 is
the New 40”). As a soon-to-be 60 year
old, I resent being called impaired by any
measure and look forward to many more
years of practice. My hobbies are race
car driving and high-performance driving
instruction so, clearly, 60 is the new 40.
However, my eyes are still aging as eyes
always have. As good as I still feel, the IES
states that I need 2.5 times the amount
light required by 30 year olds, so by definition,
I am visually impaired. It’s good news
that we’re able to live and work longer,
but the new 40 year olds will benefit from
age-appropriate lighting design unencumbered
by ASHRAE’s restrictive wattage
limitations.
Bruce C. Dunlop, PLDA, IALD, LC
Bruce Dunlop Lighting Design, LLC
Lutherville, MD
Don’t Let the Perfect
Be the Enemy of the Good
I read with interest the letter to the
editor from Wallace Ely (LD+A, March
2011) regarding the “Future Leaders: The
Next Generation of Lighting Luminaries.”
Mr. Ely has stated that the article is
“unbalanced” and “unrepresentative of
what exists in the real world.”
The letter does provide us an opportunity
to address a common concern held by professionals
like Mr. Ely. Namely, that we all
know qualified rising stars in our industry.
How do we help these stars become the
recognizable professionals in our industry?
If we lived in fear of making someone
feel bad because they were not recognized,
we would err on the side of never
recognizing anyone. Obviously this is an
unacceptable outcome. In corporations
and organizations, recognition is difficult
because every person’s contribution
is unique and valuable. But recognition
motivates individuals to do better, learn
new things and help others do the same.
So if you—or someone you know—
should be recognized, identify an action
plan to receive that recognition.
Specific to the “Future Leaders” article,
this is the approach I recommend for
other mentors:
• Read the article. Identify the accomplishments
of those recognized and
make a quick list of those items. For
example: serves on an international
committee; performed interesting
research; promoted quickly through an
organization; is a lighting activist, etc.
• Identify the goals and objectives of the
young professional you know. Would
he like to work on a practice committee?
Would she like to find a way to
raise money to fund lighting projects
in the third world? Does the dream
include being the president of the IES?
Brainstorm these items—they can be
as big as the imagination.
• Review the list of the accomplishments
with your mentee. Are any of those activities
in line with the goals and objectives
of the young professional? Sometimes
you can create your own success by
learning from the success of others.
• Assign a future date for the objectives.
Five years is reasonable. Most people
will need to accomplish multiple action
items to achieve a single goal—so the
PRESIDENT
John Selander, LC, LEED AP
Acuity Brands Lighting
jselander@gothamlighting.com
PAST PRESIDENT
Fred Oberkircher, LC, FIES
Texas Christian University (retired)
VICE PRESIDENT
(President-Elect)
Denis Lavoie, PE, LC
Philips-Lumec, Inc.
TREASURER
Chip Israel
Lighting Design Alliance
EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT
William Hanley, CAE
DIRECTORS
Nick Bleeker
Philips Day-Brite
Jeffrey J. Davis, LC
System Design Consultants
Lisa Heschong
Heschong Mahone Group
Kevin Houser, Ph.D.
The Pennsylvania State University
Terrance Kilbourne, LC
TEC, Inc.
Mark Lien, LC, LEED AP
Hubbell Lighting Inc.
Eric Lind
Lutron Electronics
Peggy Sue Meehan
Amerlux
2010-2011
Board of Directors
Chad Watters, LC, LEED AP
Licoda
David R. Woodward, Ph.D.
Philips Lighting Company
20 May 2011 | LD+A www.ies.org