Lab Design Conference Speaker Profiles: Shannon Kaplan and Colin Conroy
Shannon Kaplan
Shannon Kaplan, senior vice president at WSP, and Colin Conroy, associate vice president at WSP, will be speaking at the 2025 Lab Design Conference in Denver, CO. Shannon and Colin’s session, “Beyond Illumination: Enhancing Laboratories through Thoughtful Lighting Design,” will take place on May 12 at 11:15am.
This presentation examines the critical role of lighting design in laboratory spaces, emphasizing its impact on safety, productivity, accuracy, and researcher well-being. It also explores strategies for optimizing lighting through energy-efficient fixtures, natural light integration, and intelligent control systems to enhance sustainability and support decarbonization efforts.
Lab Design News recently spoke with Shannon and Colin about the importance of thoughtful lab lighting design, their hobbies and travels outside of work, and the key takeaways from their Lab Design Conference presentation. Secure your spot at the conference so you don’t miss this session!
Q: How is your Lab Design Conference talk particularly relevant to today’s laboratory design landscape?
A: Lighting is always am important topic. The light sources use impact what we can see and how we view it. In labs it is important to be able to easily and clearly see details as well as get a true sense of colors.
Colin Conroy
Q: What are some key takeaways that attendees can expect from your session, and how can they apply these lessons to their own lab projects?
A: An understanding of light, how it influences what we see, and why that matters to people in a lab.
Q: What kinds of hobbies or interests do you have outside of work?
A (Shannon): I love participating in sports—particularly rowing and cycling. I also love pottery and have been dabbling in glass blowing recently.
Q: What is your favorite vacation spot?
A (Colin): Belize—the stars were so bright at night. It was amazing!
Q: What are you most looking forward to about the Lab Design Conference?
A: We are both very excited to be a part of this conference where learning is from all sides, design and users!
Register today to secure your ticket!
