Dear Colleagues,

  The International Commission on Illumination (CIE) has recently celebrated its 100th anniversary as the core international organisation for cooperation and exchange of information on all aspects of light and lighting. The abbreviation CIE comes from the French (Commission Internationale de l’Eclairage), and it was in Paris that we marked the beginnings of our organisation, founded in that city in 1913. Today,CIE does a great deal more than exchange information. Nonetheless, cooperation, discussion and dissemination remain central to our mission and it is my great pleasure to invite you to participate in these activities at the 28th Session of the Commission.

  Those unfamiliar with CIE may wonder what is meant by a Session. It is both a scientific meeting and a turning point in the lifecycle of the CIE. The Session is the point at which the outgoing Board hands over to a new Board – my final role as President. It also marks one of the points when the CIE General Assembly must meet, attended by representatives of all our National Committees.

  While these statutory requirements are vital to the operation and cooperation within CIE, the Session meetings bring together far more than the officers of CIE. They are an opportunity for everyone with an interest in light and lighting, from whatever branch of art or science, to come together and discuss their interests with like-minded people from around the globe. The central part of the Session for many delegates is the conference, together with its exhibition and of course the chance to meet and socialise with friends and colleagues. Our Divisions and Technical Committees also meet at the Session, giving those new to CIE a chance to discover more about the different aspects of CIE work, and to explore in more detail the issues that we are tackling through our Technical Committees.

  Together with the host National Committee, CIE-UK, I am very proud to announce that the next Session of CIE, and the first of its new century, will be in my home city of Manchester, UK (conference dates: June 29 – July 3, 2015). It is very fitting that 2015 has been designated International Year of Light, when Manchester will join the global collection of CIE Session venues:

• 1991 Melbourne, Australia
• 1995 New Delhi, India
• 1999 Warszaw, Poland
• 2003 San Diego, USA
• 2007 Beijing, China
• 2011 Sun City, South Africa
• 2015 Manchester, UK

  I hope that whoever you are, and whatever your connection to light and lighting, you will join us in Manchester. For 2015, with our conference base at the University of Manchester, we are placing particular emphasis on encouraging young scientists to join our meeting, but all are welcome: veterans of CIE and newcomers, the young and the not so young. Please join us and celebrate the International Year of Light with the International Commission on Illumination.

  For further information and detailed arrangements, please visit the Conference Website, either through the CIE homepage at www.cie.co.at or directly at http://session2015.cie.co.at.

  I look forward to welcoming you at the CIE Session in Manchester in June 2015.

Prof. Ann R. Webb
President, CIE