IES New York City Section Announces 2018 Thesis Prizes

The New York City Section of the Illuminating Engineering Society (IESNYC) has announced the recipients of its 2018 Thesis Prizes:

• Jessica Collier, a graduate of the Master of Fine Arts in Lighting Design program at Parsons School of Design at the New School; and
• Chonlatorn (Tan) Pornpraphan, a graduate from the Master of Professional Studies in Lighting Design program at the New York School of Interior Design (NYSID);
• Olivia Privitera, a graduate from the Master of Science in Lighting program at the Lighting Research Center (LRC) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) School of Architecture.

Students are selected by their professors to be put forth as candidates for consideration. Each of the recipients presented their projects on May 17, 2018, and received their $1,000 award during an awards ceremony.

“Each year our Section challenges professors to select student’s thesis that represents thought provoking, innovative, and exciting research,” said Mike Barr, vice president of the Section, chair of the Scholarship Committee and a senior account manager at Lutron. “While the presentations are from different areas of focus, each one identifies and studies a real-world program. We are proud to be able to facilitate the presentation of the thesis projects, award the students, and offer them subsidies to present at the IES National Conference.”

Collier’s thesis, “Perception of Metrics: The Intersection of Color Characteristics and Qualities Guided by Preference,” explores “…the relationship between color characteristics of tunable LED sources and subjective impressions and preferences in order to understand the implications and perceptual differences of color metrics associated with an LED source.” She graduated from RPI with a Bachelor of Architecture and a minor in Civil Engineering. While enrolled at RPI, Collier worked for New Jersey-based lighting design firm Jan & Brooke Luminae, and she will continue working with the firm after graduation.

Chonlatorn (Tan) Pornpraphan’s thesis, “Proposed Adidas Flagship Store,” looks at how lighting can be used to create engaging retail experiences. Drawing inspiration from the lines on a running track, he uses this motif as his design concept and it appears in the form of light fixtures and other architectural elements throughout the project’s design. Pornpraphan completed his undergraduate work in interior design in Bangkok, Thailand before coming to the NYSID to pursue his Master’s degree in lighting design. He plans on pursuing lighting design as a career.

Privitera’s thesis, “Layer height effect on thermal performance of 3D printed components for LED heat sink applications in LED fixtures,” explores how 3D printing technologies can aid in the design of luminaire components. Her work provides new information for “…LED luminaire development using advanced 3-D printing…” and “…how the function of an LED lighting system’s management component can be tailored for performance by adjusting the 3D print parameters to produce aesthetically pleasing LED lighting luminaires.”

In 2010, Privitera graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art from The State University of New York at Potsdam. In 2014, she entered the Master of Fine Arts program at the State University of New York at New Paltz and completed her M.F.A in Painting & Drawing with Honors in 2016. It was during her studies at New Paltz that she began working with advanced manufacturing technologies, which brought her to the LRC at RPI. This summer, she will continue her research on the integration of functional 3D printed components, at RPI.

“The IESNYC has been a strong voice for education within the lighting community,” said Caleb McKenzie, president of the Section and a principal of New York-based US Lighting Design. “Our annual Thesis Prizes are another way our Section can support future innovators and leaders in the lighting industry.”

Additional information about this year’s program and recipients can be found on the IESNYC website.