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Rocky Mountain Lighting Academy attracts strong industry support; first course offered to professionals June 18-21

More than a dozen lighting industry leaders have signed on as sponsors of the new Rocky Mountain Lighting Academy, which will offer a one-of-a-kind immersive educational opportunity for lighting professionals next summer at the University of Colorado Boulder. The Rocky Mountain Lighting Academy, or RMLA, was established by faculty in the Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering at CU-Boulder to provide continuing education to professionals working in the lighting industry. The RMLA is an extension of the department’s highly regarded lighting education program for undergraduates. The RMLA’s first offering will be a Summer Lighting Course scheduled for June 18-21, 2013, on the CU-Boulder campus. The course will present the theory of lighting within a practical context, making it directly applicable to the needs of those working in engineering, product development and technical sales positions. The RMLA will use an innovative approach that immerses students in a four-day college program intended to deliver an intense, focused educational experience. The program reflects the latest developments in science, technology, energy conservation and public expectations, and its content will be delivered using a mix of lecture, demonstration, laboratory work, computer exercises, and group discussion and problem solving. “The need for high-level, in-depth education for professionals in our industry has never been greater,” said David DiLaura, CU professor emeritus and the master teacher for the 2013 RMLA Summer Lighting Course. “Participants in the RMLA Summer Lighting Course will be better equipped for making a positive impact within their respective organizations, and on the industry as a whole.” DiLaura is working closely with CU’s other lighting faculty to prepare the curriculum for the Summer Lighting Course with input from the lighting design, manufacturing and technology leaders who serve on the RMLA Advisory Board. Sponsors making initial grants to support lighting education at CU-Boulder through the RMLA include the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA), Besal Memorial Education Fund, IALD Education Trust, and corporate sponsors AcuityBrands, Cooper Lighting, CREE, Lutron and OSRAM Sylvania at the gold level, and ERCO, Philips, GE Lighting, Hubbell and WattStopper at the silver level. “The IESNA is excited to support the lighting education programs at the University of Colorado,” said Chip Israel, president of the IESNA and a member of the RMLA Advisory Board. “The undergraduate program at Boulder has a long history of providing outstanding professionals for our industry, and the RMLA is a great way to not only further enhance the education for professionals available in our industry, but also to provide ongoing financial support for the Colorado program.” Additional sponsors are being sought and will receive access to an exclusive recruiting event to be held at CU-Boulder. For more information, visit the RMLA website.