Monday, November 4, 2013

The End of Night

On November 14th, over 180 audience members packed the Estep to listen to James Madison University’s Dr. Paul Bogard's talk on his book The End of Night. After the reading, several Honors students went to dinner with Dr. Bogard.


15 comments:

  1. I went to this presentation and I actually learned quite a bit from it. I had no idea how much light we waste and how much it is actually affecting our health. I myself am guilty of wasting light and partaking in the blue light that is so bad for us. If I'm not on my phone, I'm on my laptop, or I'm watching TV. After the presentation I was able to go to dinner with Dr. Rutledge and I was able to learn even more from him. He was very interested in the culture of Oklahoma and the fact that there were more girls than boys in the Honors program.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I attended the lecture and found it quite fascinating. I paid special attention when he spoke of how we associate artificial light at night with safety and he made some valid points in opposition to this popular belief. One of his more startling claims was that some people grow up never having seen the stars, and I realized that in my part of Oklahoma City, this is almost true. You can look up on a clear night and be able to count all five stars which is just terribly sad. In Ada, i've noticed a lot more visibility especially out on some of the back roads. He also spoke of proper lighting that should be put on buildings and houses, and it actually persuaded me to light my own house in a particular way in the future to keep the light from blinding, and to have it where it simply illuminates your path.

    Overall I found it very informative and enjoyable!
    -Alexa Engles

    ReplyDelete
  3. I’ve always been taught to turn out the lights before I leave a room or to turn off the porch lights when no one was outside. You can’t even see my house at night because my parents refuse to turn on the outside lights. Most of these teachings though were for conserving electricity, not for the purpose of being able to see the stars. Now that I’m aware of how ineffective outside lighting can contribute to even yet another problem, I see that as an even better reason to change the way we light society. It was interesting to learn that if we shield light downward then it would take even less electricity to produce the same amount of light that we see when street or house lights go unshielded. To me it really doesn’t make sense to waste money and energy on lighting the sky. Nighttime is absolutely beautiful, and I can’t imagine being robbed of seeing the stars. To learn that so many people grow up never seeing the stars is sad to me. I liked how Dr. Bogard didn’t just address the problem; he also offered solutions and examples of how it could be fixed and how we misconceive light as security.

    ReplyDelete
  4. It was such a pleasure to listen to what Dr. Bogard had to say regarding light pollution and his love of nighttime. I really enjoyed listening to him because of the passion he has. I learned new things about light at night, and that most security lights are not necessary, or they are gone about in the wrong way. My family has always tried to conserve light, but now I know new things that can start helping our environment, one house at a time. I am very glad that I attended this lecture and I look forward to sharing my new knowledge with others.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I loved this lecture! I learned so much about the light in this world and the pollution it gives out. I am still telling the story about the woman who asked about the white dots in the sky! I never realized what our modern technology of electricity was causing to the environment and how it was damaging the learning of people by restricting our observations of nature. For me, science is boring and very difficult, but I did find this lecture to be intriguing and interesting. The great thing about some of these lectures is that we are shown the sides and unobserved corners of the great areas of learning we see every day. Who knew electric lights were such a big part of science? I loved that so many people came to hear the lecture and I hope that it inspired people to change how they light their world and how they use their lights today and in the future.

    ReplyDelete
  6. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  7. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Of all of the point scoring opportunities I have attended, the lecture presented by Dr. Bogard has been my most favorite. From the time I was little I have always enjoyed the celestial show put on every clear night. I suspect that my faith in particular has always made me more inclined to appreciate creation and the beauty it has to offer. Like my fellow member Erin, his his Manhattan dwelling mother-in-law commenting about never seeing "those little white dots" before saddened me. There have been many cold, starry nights that I have dragged my less than enthusiastic boyfriend out of his warm house to stargaze.
    I find it odd though, concerning fascination that I had never given much thought to light pollution. After Dr. Bogard's lecture, I am much more aware of it. Like many other people, I had “bright lights make us safer" engrained into me for as long as I can remember. That's why I found his example of the bright "security" light actually blinding our view of the would be assailant in the background so surprising if not unnerving. The second picture he presented, with a hand blocking the light and forcing it to shine down, enabling us to see the person has convinced me that when I have my own house, all security lights will have blockers, forcing the light to shine down. Dr. Bogard also touched on the effect that our obnoxious and unnecessary bright lights have on the ecosystem we live in. Dr. Bogard's book is on my Christmas list and I am anticipating it being a good read from the small amount he shared with us. On another note, I tried driving my car down a street with my lights flipped off after hearing of Dr. Bogard’s deep, serene experience. I do not suggest doing it; I feel like the skunk I nearly decapitated would not suggest it either.-Kristina Mayfield

    ReplyDelete
  9. This lecture helped me see a problem that I never knew existed. I have lived in the city since birth, and I have never been interested in the stars. Now, knowing that there is a vast amount of beauty that I am missing, I feel robbed. I understand the need for lights. In fact, I wish there were more of them in some of the parking lots here on campus, but, as Dr. Bogard explained, lights do not do that much damage if they have a shield. I think seeing how ineffective lights are without shields was the most shocking part of the lecture. We put up lights to protect our property and ourselves, realizing that they do not work very well made me feel insecure outside at night. Dr. Bogard was successful in convincing me that the ability to observe the stars is important. He has also inspired me to use shields on all outdoor lights I purchase.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I found this lecture very interesting. Having lived in various places, some places in the city and some in the country, there were several different level of skies that he had pictures of that I have seen. The story he told about driving in Utah was wonderful; I hope one day that I can see a sky as it is meant to be. After he pointed out the safety lights and how they actually make it harder for us to see, I found myself noticing these lights more. We went to one of my friends house for a campfire and there was one of these lights on the front of her house. Whenever we went to get more wood, I noticed that I could not see the others even though they were practically under the light. I also was able to go to the dinner afterwards. Talking with the speaker afterwards was interesting. Although our conversation did not have much to do with the stars he spoke about, it was still interesting to hear his opinion.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I thought this lecture was really informative and interesting on a subject that I am sure not a lot of people knew about beforehand. I liked the point he made on saving the night life because it could be the start of others being more attentive towards saving the environment. If people are willing to try and save a part of nature even in large cities, then it would be a large enough movement to make a difference. I also never realized that so many people around the world have never seen stars before like there are where I am from. If I were to ever get the chance to go to a remote place and star gaze with no light pollution, I would definitely go now!
    -Ashley Huhman

    ReplyDelete
  12. This event was taught me more than most of the lectures I attended this semester. I will be honest, when I went I thought I was going to listen to a guy speak on the constellations and how the stars orbit. But when Dr. Bogard started discussing his book and light pollution I was intrigued and listened intensly about a problem that I did not know existed. The most prevalent thing he said was that lights do not make us safer. I, like most people, believe that if I was in a well lit parking lot I would be safer than if I was in a dark lot. The picture he showed us of the man you couldn’t see because of the light was quite shocking considering what I thought to be true. Since his lecture I have been more aware of the light pollution around me and the other day when I was at the park I thought to myself they should really switch these lights and make this a safer place. Dr. Bogard was a very informative speaker and I am glad that I had the opportunity to attend his lecture.

    Katy Keiffer

    ReplyDelete
  13. Dr. Bogard's interactive lecture was one of my favorite events on campus this year. I was extremely impressed with not only the content of his lecture but also the appeal it held for students and professors alike on campus. As many other students have mentioned, I was not aware of the enormity of light pollution. Since the lecture I have been more keenly aware of my surroundings and the waste that is occurring; it has even spurred some conversations with my peers, professors, and others. I thoroughly enjoyed his talk and the readings he shared from his book. I am always pleasantly surprised when scholars are able to mix the arts and the sciences with such ease as Dr. Bogard did. As a creative writer, Dr. Bogard's readings inspired me to pursue natural subjects and consider my surroundings more carefully in regard to my writing. Visiting scholars are always a joy, and Paul Bogard did not disappoint!

    Emily Davis

    ReplyDelete
  14. I found the lecture on light pollution interesting and informative. I had never thought about our light output taking a toll on our ability to see the stars. I had always taking the ability we have in our location to see the stars at night for granted but now I'm definitely more attuned to light output and it's sometimes harmful effects.
    Tell Jordan

    ReplyDelete
  15. I absolutely loved Dr. Bogard's lecture about light pollution. I grew up in the country, so I had the chance to see a night sky many other people didn't. But even 10 miles away from town there was always a glow that disrupted the "perfect view". After listening to this lecture I could finally understand what was really going on, and I have to say I never knew it was that bad. It's caused me to become more interested in my surroundings, and I've been trying to make plans to maybe visit some of the places where the night sky isn't as polluted. I hope that maybe ECU can start doing some of the things he mentioned that would cut down on our light pollution.

    ReplyDelete