Professor Stephen Westland invited to teach in China

Stephen Westland, Professor of Colour Science, visited China where he was invited to undertake some teaching to Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan.

Professor Westland spent time with undergraduate students from the Industrial Design programme at HUST and spoke about growing health concerns over the use of light in the evening (and the use of blue light in particular).

Exposure to light at night is known to upset the circadian system and inhibit the production of Melatonin, which in turn this can lead to greater risk of depression, heart disease, obesity and even cancer. A particular concern is people using smart phones and tablets in their beds.

Work is underway in the School of Design to better understand this and develop some design solutions.

This is Professor Westland’s third visit to HUST, following previous trips in 2013 and 2014. As a result of his visits there are now three PhD students in the School of Design who are from Wuhan.

Speaking about his time teaching at HUST, Professor Westland said:

“I am very honoured to be invited to teach at HUST. The students are exceptionally talented and inquisitive and it is very exciting to take part in teaching sessions there. The staff at HUST could not be more hospitable and I hope that we will see further collaborations in the future between our School and the Industrial Design programme in HUST.”