Contest offers hands-on experience and $8,000 in prizes

FALL RIVER, Mass., July 30, 2001-Two of the lighting industry's most respected authorities have teamed up to develop a competition to encourage innovation and provide hands-on experience for students studying lighting, industrial design, architecture and other related fields. Lightolier, Inc. and the Lighting Research Center (LRC) have announced the Student Luminaire Design Competition, which will be offered at more than 150 colleges and universities starting August 2001.

The competition, titled "Packaged Daylight: An Integrated Daylight/Electric Light Fixture," will challenge students to design an integrated product that delivers both daylighting and electric lighting to an interior building space. This competition was developed as a result of a common lighting industry problem: In current building practice, an architect, engineer or designer selects skylights or other mechanisms to bring daylight into a building, while electric lighting fixtures are selected by another building specifier. This standard practice often leads to inconsistencies and prevents these two key building components from working well together.

"We're proud of the 'real world' challenge we've developed with the LRC for this competition, and we're looking forward to seeing what the students come up with," said Zia Eftekhar, president, Lightolier. "The most important element of this competition is the fact that students will be addressing an issue that they will undoubtedly face when they leave school. This hands on experience will be invaluable to them as they begin their careers." To be eligible for the competition, an applicant must be a full-time student in an accredited undergraduate or graduate program of architecture, engineering, interior design, product design, industrial design, optics, building science or other related disciplines. The -more- competition will begin when students arrive at campus for the Fall Semester August 2001. Entries will be accepted through April 15th, 2002.

The winners will be announced in May 2002. A multidisciplinary panel of five qualified experts representing the areas of daylighting, luminaire design, architecture and/or engineering, manufacture/marketing, and lighting design will judge the contest. First prize is $5000, second prize is $2,000 and third prize is $1,000. In addition, winners will be offered a design internship at Lightolier during the summer of 2002. For complete details about the competition or to request an entry form, please call Earl Print at Lightolier: (508) 646-3103 (or eprint@genlyte.com). The official entry form and guidelines are also available at Lightolier's web site www.lightolier.com and the LRC web site www.lrc.rpi.edu.

About Lightolier
Lightolier, the flagship division of Genlyte Thomas Group LLC, is dedicated to providing creative interior architectural lighting solutions and innovative, high performance products for commercial, retail, hospitality and residential lighting needs. Headquartered in Fall River, MA, Lightolier offers a comprehensive line of downlighting, track, fluorescent, architectural decorative, fiber optic lighting and dimming controls that have set the standard for quality and innovation in lighting. Founded in 1904 Lightolier employs over 2,000 men and women in the United States. Lightolier products are distributed exclusively through a network of some 1,500 electrical wholesaling and lighting showroom locations.

About The Lighting Research Center
The Lighting Research Center is the world's largest university-based center for lighting education and research. As part of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, the LRC offers the world's only Master of Science degree in lighting. The LRC has an interdisciplinary faculty and staff of 40 professionals devoted to lighting excellence. Its mission is to advance the effective use of light, creating a positive legacy for society and the environment. Additional information about the LRC is available on its web site www.lrc.rpi.edu.