Fifty years ago this month, Nick Holonyak Jr., a devotee to the application of science, gave birth to the light-emitting diode. Since then, his invention has trickled down to the most commonplace items in our lives, from our phones to our Christmas lights. LEDs will soon dominate the light-source market. The invention rivals that of Thomas Edison’s lightbulb, Alexander Graham Bell’s telephone and Henry Ford’s use of an assembly line to amp up the production of automobiles. 

Gov. Pat Quinn declared Oct. 24 to be Nick Holonyak Day in Illinois last week, and Holonyak’s revered name has been celebrated for his accomplishments in pioneering a field that is now teeming with a cornucopia of research.

This genius of electrical engineering, father of the LED and winner of many science and technology awards from around the world still resides on our campus, where he began working in 1963, following employment at General Electric. He is a professor in electrical and computer engineering remaining a true orange-and-blue Illini, earning his bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate in electrical engineering at the University too.

What he has done with his time here at the University has been extraordinary, and we are honored that he is still as dedicated to developing progress in his research as he was 50 years ago.

At a school that at times tends toward a culture and atmosphere of mediocrity, that should instead feel like a culture of excellence, reminders like Nick Holonyak Day can inspire us. It’s easy to forget that students and faculty from this University have invented cutting-edge technologies like YouTube, designed world-famous buildings like Avery Fisher Hall at the Lincoln Center in New York, won the coveted trophies of the Academy Awards (Ang Lee) and Pulitzer Prizes (James Reston and Leon Dash), founded charities like Susan G. Komen for the Cure and so many more accomplishments.

Last week, the University celebrated the LED and Holonyak in a two-day symposium, visited by those who learned from him, who turned out to be the top-dogs of light-source innovators in the world.

“This (symposium) is to honor the true inventor, who is here, and we’re very lucky to have world-renowned professors at the University,” said Milton Feng, professor and Holonyak’s colleague in ECE, in a Daily Illini report. “Seldom do you have this many famous people coming to the same place at once.”

The University is highly acclaimed for being a research institution, but sometimes as students, we don’t take as much pride in this as we should. At such a large university, the greatness of current students and faculty and alumni can easily escape our attention when the University is identified for their marvelous achievements.

Let’s continue to celebrate the successes of Holonyak and innovators like him because what inspires brilliant, groundbreaking work in any field of study starts at the opportunities we’ve had at this University.