 |
Dec.
16, 2002 |
LRC Students Transform Learning Experience
Into Community Service
Graduate students from Rensselaer's Lighting Research
Center (LRC) recently helped shed some objective light on a controversial
topic in Bennington, Vt.
 The
students studied issues surrounding an idea to light the historic
Bennington Battle Monument. They presented a lighting demonstration
and two public forums examining a proposal from a citizen's group
to light the 306-foot Revolutionary War monument, which has been
the center of heated debate for months.
The LRC became involved at the suggestion of Bennington Town Manager
Stuart Hurd. Professor Russell Leslie, acting director of the
LRC and a Bennington area architect, saw the issue as an excellent
educational opportunity for the LRC's graduate students, who would
provide a source of objective information for Bennington residents.
"Rather than take a position," said Leslie, "we
examined the social, political, economic, and technical issues
involved in lighting this historic and beloved landmark in order
to inform citizens about their options."
| |
"Rather than take a position, we examined
the social, political, economic, and technical issues involved
in lighting this historic and beloved landmark in order to
inform citizens about their options."
—Russell Leslie—
|
Two LRC graduate classes were involved. Leslie's
Lighting Workshop class gathered concerns and questions
and studied the issues, including cost, energy efficiency, light
pollution, appearance, and how other communities illuminated similar
monuments. Students in Professor Janet Lennox Moyer's Advanced
Lighting Design course developed a lighting design for the
monument. Moyer is an internationally acclaimed lighting designer.
On Nov. 20, the students returned to Bennington, presented their
findings, and demonstrated their proposed lighting design. Their
presentation drew a crowd of residents and reporters from area
newspapers and television stations. The local community access
television station, CAT-TV, aired both forums live. The state
now plans to set up a public forum designed to gauge the community's
response.
"The idea that this could be a learning experience and an
opportunity to explore the options in a professional manner has
succeeded beyond my expectations," said Hurd.
|
