David Irvine-Halliday

When Professor David Irvine-Halliday took sabbatical from his Electrical and Computer Engineering post to help a Nepali university launch its own electrical program, he discovered that most children were not able to study past dusk, as there was no access to a power source. This finding brought Irvine-Halliday back to University of Calgary to pour his time and money into Light Up The World, providing safe, efficient, environmentally friendly and cost-effective lighting to homes in the developing world.

Consuming less than a tenth of a watt, and lasting more than ten years, Irvine-Halliday’s White Light Emitting Diodes (WLED) have brought light to more than 4000 homes in Nepal, Sri Lanka, India, Bolivia, the Philippines and the Dominican Republic.

In 2002, Irvine-Halliday received the Rolex Laureate, a $100,000 USD award, paying tribute to his contribution to the world, and in June 2004, he was named the Reader’s Digest Canadian Hero of the Year. Says Reader’s Digest’s Ron Starr, “we were impressed with the professor’s ability to develop, lead and deliver on an idea that has significantly improved the quality of life in many communities around the globe.