Here we are again, on a deadline for our next issue production, so I am going to blog fast and furious today. There’s a saying that good things come in threes and I am going with it, because we have a few good-news items to share.
1. Our 40 under 40 submission platform is live!
If you read last week’s blog, you know that LEDs Magazine has already announced its debut 40 under 40 program, looking to recognize promising young professionals across the LED and solid-state lighting (SSL) supply chain. And if you didn’t read it, now is a good time to catch up because in that item, I outlined the qualifications and who is eligible to be nominated. I promised that our entry platform would be live soon, and our illustrious marketing manager has made it happen. And we kept it pretty simple, because truly, we want to make this as easy as possible so it only takes up just enough time for you to determine who amongst your colleagues is worthy of the recognition. You have until April 22 to submit your nominations.
2. HortiCann Light + Tech awaits your brilliant ideas.
Although we have been delayed in launching an online portal for HortiCann Light + Tech conference submissions, our chief editor Maury Wright will be pleased to accept your abstracts via e-mail. Keep in mind, we are not looking for company product pitches but rather good evidence-backed presentations on plant science, custom light recipes, return on investment in horticultural lighting case studies, and also proposals that delve into operational technologies beyond lighting, such as HVAC and nutrient delivery, to provide a well-rounded slate of information for commercial growers, greenhouse manufacturers, urban/vertical farmers, horticultural lighting specialists, and more this October.
3. Speaking of — or rather, at — HortiCann…
Our team is pleased to announce that Utah State University Crop Physiology Laboratory (CPL) director Bruce Bugbee will deliver the keynote address at the HortiCann conference. We’re really looking forward to his presentation, as he has been deeply involved in research for NASA regarding crop technology in space missions and even for use someday on the moon or Mars. CPL’s specialty is controlled environment agriculture (CEA) studies that have included all manner of novel research projects, such as phytoremediation (using trees and plants to clean up soil contamination — that is really cool), experimenting with nutrition for algae used in biofuels, and of course optimizing growing environments for crop plants.