LightFest 3.0: AI Tools for Microscopy in Medicine and Media Arts
UNESCO International Day of Light (IDL) at UCLA
May 15–16, 2026

UCLA California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI)
The Fowler Museum at UCLA

Presented by the UCLA Art|Sci Center in collaboration with the Advanced Light Microscopy & Spectroscopy (ALMS) Lab at the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) and the Smart Image Content Research Center at Chung-Ang University, South Korea.

LightFest 3.0 brings together artists, scientists, medical researchers, and cultural practitioners to explore light across scales—from AI microscopy and spectroscopy to media arts, sustainability, and contemplative cultural practices. Organized in conjunction with UNESCO International Day of Light, the two-day symposium examines how imaging technologies are transforming medicine, scientific research, and creative expression.

The 2026 UNESCO theme of Light for a Sustainable Future, frames the symposium’s focus on the relationship between light, health, environmental awareness, and interdisciplinary collaboration. Across scientific imaging, AI research, medicine, and media arts, the program asks how technologies of light can contribute to more sustainable and interconnected futures.

Held each May in honor of the first successful laser demonstration on May 16, 1960, in Malibu, California, the program also highlights emerging collaborations between UCLA CNSI, Leica Microsystems, the UCLA Art|Sci Center, and Chung-Ang University’s Smart Image Content Research Center, Yangchenma Arts, and the Gaden Shartse Monastic University, connecting AI research, scientific imaging, and media arts through interdisciplinary exchange.