In his lecture ‘The Windows of Visibility’ Watson will refer to the fact that we do not see the world as it is, but only the view that is admitted by the window of our visual sense. In his talk he will explore the many narrow windows of visibility through which we experience the visual world.

Through these limitations, the eye reduces the infinitely complex physics of reality to a finite limited sample of information that our brain can manage. Remarkably, understanding these limitations is also key to designing better visual display technology. Dr. Watson will illustrate this idea with examples from quality optimization of display and lighting systems.

Andrew Blanchard Watson (born in Washington in 1951) is currently working as senior vision scientist at Apple. Until recently he was a senior scientist for vision research and director of the Vision Group at NASA Ames Research Center in California.

Dr. Watson conducts research on visual perception and its application to coding, understanding, and display of visual information. He is the author of over a hundred scientific papers on human vision, visual neuroscience, image quality, and digital imaging. He has five patents, in image compression, video quality, and detection of artifacts in display manufacturing.

Symposium Quality of Light

While the Memorial Lecture will focus on achievements in vision research, the preceding symposium will cover four topics, each for thirty minutes including Q&A. Four eminent speakers, all leading academic and industrial professionals from different disciplines, will each address a specific aspect of light, ranging from consumer and entertainment lighting, horticulture, semantic lighting to virtual city planning and light rendering.

Preceding the Holst Symposium, the TU/e’s Intelligent Lighting Institute (ILI) organizes its annual public outreach event ILIAD.  Researchers connected to ILI will present current and upcoming research and innovation projects in intelligent lighting and its applications in health and well-being, focusing on the strategic partnership between TU/e and Philips Lighting.

The Holst Memorial Lecture and the symposium Quality of Light are organized by Philips Lighting Research and TU/e.

Register for the Holst Memorial Lecture and/or the symposia here.