It is appropriate that SUSSP71 is being held during the International Year of Light 2015 (IYL2015) as designated by UNESCO,

“In proclaiming an International Year focusing on the topic of light science and its applications, the UN has recognized the importance of raising global awareness about how light-based technologies promote sustainable development and provide solutions to global challenges in energy, education, agriculture and health. Light plays a vital role in our daily lives and is an imperative cross-cutting discipline of science in the 21st century. It has revolutionized medicine, opened up international communication via the Internet, and continues to be central to linking cultural, economic and political aspects of the global society.”

Physical Review recently celebrated IYL2015 by organizing a collection of significant papers that were published in their journals, these will be free to read throughout the year. Of the 16 topics highlighted by Physical Review Letters, 9 were directed related to the topics covered by SUSSP71. We anticipate that the students attending SUSSP71 will go on to make significant contributions to this important field.