Does the IES Really CARE about our Industry?

Ever wonder what the IES does and do they really care about our industry?

At the Annual Conference in Louisville earlier this month, The IES staff put on a presentation that was very helpful in understanding their role. Basically, IES CARES: Collaboration, Advocacy, Research, Education, and Standards.

Not only is our industry transforming, but so is our Society. Brienne Willcock, the Education Coordinator began by talking about Collaboration and the many ways to connect including My IES.   This is a very user-friendly way to keep up with the Society and their many programs and services. Watch a quick video here.

Next, Alex Baker, Manager of Government Affairs & Public Policy described Advocacy. Baker focused on the outreach initiatives as well as the Washington D.C. advocacy. He talked of the different congressman that the Society meets as well as the influence on federal energy regulations. He also noted a collaboration with the DOE to cosponsor their R&D workshop next January in San Diego.

Research was the topic for Zoe Milgram, Information Specialist.   Ms. Milgram discussed many publications and her work on Forum for Illumination Research, Engineering, and Science (FIRES). Your humble editor has spent some time on the FIRES site and it is a great source for information from experts such as Sam Berman and Naomi Miller.

Tom Butters discussed Education and the great strides the Society has made. He showed slides from their Indispensable Lighting Series featuring videos about Architecture for Light, Lights of the Round, and Trailblazers and Icons. It was the letter “E” when I realized I couldn’t keep all of this in my head. The Society is involved in so many things that it is almost hard to comprehend. Butters also discussed their collaboration with various schools and researchers as well as the Forces of Change podcasts with Mark Lien, which is not to be confused with the IES Go Podcasts. The IES Ready Reference App, which was launched at the 2018 Boston Conference has over 100,000 impressions. August 2018, the Society had about 42 electronic resources. Next month they will have 127!

Brian Liebel, spoke on Standards, which makes sense given his title of Director of Standards and Research. Liebel is responsible for 40 different technical committees as well as providing guidance to the staff.

So the answer is a resounding YES! Our Society CARES as the transformation continues!