02 Feb A new BHA School of Lighting short course on the horizon & more – February 2024 Newsletter

I hope that the year has started well for all of you.  We are on track to have an excellent year.

Typically, January is a short month in terms of days, but in terms of the finances of many individuals, it is the longest month in the year, so much so that it has often been referred to as “Januworry”. We are fortunate to have had four student enrolments, with many more who have indicated that they will enroll during February.

Over the last few years, I have received countless requests to present a webinar on office lighting. I always try to oblige to requests to present webinars on specific subjects.  However, on reflection on the subject, the content is far too much to include in a webinar.

For the above reason, I commenced mapping out the content, possible assignments, and other resources to determine how to structure a course on office lighting.  It was only after I began the task of researching suitable content from authoritative books and other academic resources, that I began the long task of writing a manual, which is now complete.  The assignments are being prepared including an examination paper. We aim to launch the course on 1 March 2024 and the details will be publish in the March 2024 Newsletter.

The exclusive course that we developed for the Marketing Home Group in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is running well.  The first of a series of live lectures has taken place.  It was a great success thanks to the translation into Arabic spoken language by our friends, Hani and Malik, in Saudi Arabia at the company.

The training that we received for Teams, combined with Microsoft Planner and the added application of Meetings, which pulls all of the data about any meetings that have been attended in the past, or that will be attended in the future with additional data.  We are most excited about the prospect of soon adding Microsoft Copilot to our license.  Copilot can be tasked to prepare letters, presentations, worksheets and more.  It will be our first venture into Artificial Intelligence (AI).  The main purpose is to improve our efficiency and productivity even further.  We are grateful to Richard De Villiers of Productivity Active for introducing us to the proper use of Teams, which we now use more and more daily.

Our students have already received their invitations to attend the FREE Student Support Session on Microsoft Team on 7 February 2024 at 18:00 SAST (GMT +2).  This session is open to all Advanced Diploma in Illumination Engineering students.  Students do note that you do not need to have Teams to attend, the link that you have received will make it possible to attend and enjoy a great relaxed time together.

A NEW Module 14: Standards and Compliance is nearing completion and will be uploaded onto our e-learning platform by the end of February. The latest international standards are referred to throughout the new manual with reference to the South African National Standards where applicable. The standard and level of the content is top level.  This major undertaking affirms our commitment to our students to provide them with the best possible lighting education.  In several respects, our course is a world leader in lighting education using e-learning, also referred to as distance learning, at a fraction of the cost of other courses on offer around the globe.

Our Emergency Lighting Course, BHASL005C21, will also be completely revised to bring it into line with the Advanced Diploma in Illumination Engineering course content on that subject.

Several of our second-year students of the Advanced Diploma course are in the final phases of completing the course and to sit the final examinations before graduating.  They are:

• Liam Abrahams, Cape Town, South Africa
• Mohammad Al Muhanna, Khobar, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
• Mthulisi Dube, Pretoria, South Africa
• Oliver Hauser, Johannesburg, South Africa

To each of you, as the finish line approaches, prepare well and we wish you excellent success in the final examinations.

We wish the following first year students well, as they prepare for the final phase of first year and their preparations for the examinations:

• Rinkesh Kumar, Uttar Pradesh, India
• Priyanka Praful, Bangalore, India
• Charmain Conradie, Paarl, South Africa
• Shamielah Jacobs, Paarl, South Africa
• Rojean Morris, Paarl, South Africa
• Justine Williams, Paarl, South Africa

Until then, I wish you fantastic business and stay curious.  We never stop learning and will never know everything that there is to know.

With best regards

Philip Hammond

Upcoming Events from BHA School of Lighting

Dark energy by day, telescopes by night (CPD Activity)

Cost: Free of Charge

Date: 15 February 2024

Time: 7:45pm for 8pm – 9pm SAST (GMT+2)

Presenter: Peter Dunsby, Full Professor of Gravitation & Cosmology at the University of Cape Town and Astrophotographer at Astro Cape Town.

REGISTER HERE EPISODE 2

About this Webinar: After giving a brief overview of the research work Peter does within the field of Cosmology at the University of Cape Town, Peter will discuss how how got interested in astrophotography and how this led him to build a fully automated observatory called the Silver Tree Observatory in Newlands, Cape Town, South Africa and he will also discuss a new project he has got involved at the Cederberg Observatory in the Western Cape province of South Africa.

Along the way Peter will describe the many challenges that need to be confronted in order to produce quality images of space, with a notable focus on the effects of light pollution and how access to dark sky locations should be seen as a fundamental human right.

If the weather permits, Peter will run a live imaging session from his Silver Tree Observatory (fingers crossed for clear Cape Town skies).

If you would like to view Peter’s astrophotography account on Instagram click here.

Welcome to our new BHA School of Lighting Students

Sikhumbuzo Zwane, Greenhill, Johannesburg, South Africa – BHASL003C19: Advanced Diploma in Illumination Engineering Course
Burgher Nortje, Richards Bay, South Africa – BHASL003C19: Advanced Diploma in Illumination Engineering Course
Johan De Beer, Pretoria, South Africa – BHASL003C19: Advanced Diploma in Illumination Engineering Course
Shane Language, Pretoria, South Africa – BHASL003C19: Advanced Diploma in Illumination Engineering Course

February Student Birthdays

Happy Birthday to the following past & present students celebrating their birthdays this month of February! We hope you all have a memorable day!

Petrus Cilliers, Centurion, South Africa – 1 February
Ammar Qatamin, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia – 4 February
Emily Rosenbaum, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA – 10 February
Pragya Chauhan, Nagar, Mohali, Punjab, India – 14 February
Scott Williamson (Graduate), Doha, Qatar – 16 February
Chaitanya Dang, Raipur, India – 23 February
Kaylan Brown, Johannesburg, South Africa – 24 February
Preston Francis, Durban, South Africa 24 February

Special congratulations to the following student who has successfully graduated from the Advanced Diploma in Illumination Engineering Course

Enzo Manna, Johannesburg, South Africa on your graduation on 14 December 2023, from the BHA School of Lighting Advanced Diploma in Illumination Engineering course and is now a fully qualified lighting engineer.

We are incredibly proud of your achievement and it has been our honour to watch you grow from strength to strength as you have progressed through the course.

We wish you the best success and have no doubt your lighting design knowledge and skills will greatly benefit the lighting and build environment industry.

If you would also like to become a lighting engineer, you can find more info about the Advanced Diploma in Illumination Engineering e-learning course here.

Our Congratulations to those who have completed short courses

Jean-Pierre Boshoff, Lights By Linea, Cape Town, South Africa – Completed the Foundation Lighting Course
Nathan Lotriet, Lights By Linea, Cape Town, South Africa – Completed the Foundation Lighting Course

We wish great success to the following BHA School of Lighting student preparing for Examinations

Nicole Farman, Chicago, USA – Second Year Final Theory

Follow us on Social Media

Join the BHA School of Lighting Alumni and follow us on LinkedIn here

Follow BHA Lighting Companies on Instagram here

Join a Professional Lighting Institution or Community

We encourage all of our Advanced Diploma in Illumination Engineering students to apply for student membership for little or no fees at local and international professional lighting institutions and lighting network communities. By becoming a member you will gain access to further study material, courses, workshops, webinars & stipends.

BHA School of Lighting is proud to be affiliated with the the International Association of Lighting Designers, the Institute of Lighting Professionals, the Virtual Lighting Design Community, The Lighting Police, Women in Lighting and the Illumination Engineering Society of South Africa.

Find more info about each organisation and community, as well as membership info here.