Exhibit at Irvine Civic Center, October 2004
"Speed of Light at Irvine Ranch"

	CACT and the Optical Institute of Southern California developed and sponsored an exhibit to advertise the optical past of Orange County and its current optics industry. The exhibit was located at Irvine Civic Center from October 5 to 29, 2004. Irvine City Council gave a commendation for the exhibit on October 26. The exhibit is next scheduled for display at John Wayne Airport.
	Michelson was the first American to be awarded a Nobel Prize in Science in 1907. Before 1930, he had established light as an important experimental tool to determine fundamental properties of matter and radiation. His experimental results lead directly to the theory of relativity and the development of lasers.
	Many modern physics students repeat the speed-of-light measurement in their college laboratory classes. The exhibit demonstrated a modern version of the experiment using a helium-neon laser with a rotating mirror similar to the one used by Michelson in the Irvine Ranch Experiment. The setup of the modern experiment was partially supported by Newport Corporation and Advanced Laser Technologies Inc.
	One of the important experiments in physics and optics was made at Irvine Ranch in 1931, just five blocks from the Civic Center. It was the measurement by Albert Michelson of the speed of light in partial vacuum using an evacuated pipe, one-mile long and three-feet in diameter, in order to eliminate uncertainties in air refraction.