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Under some lighting conditions, male plants grew, but no females. After adjusting the lighting, females grew, but no males. Following several experiments, Dr. Ott discovered the proper range of light wavelengths to successfully grow the pumpkin indoors. Thanks to Dr. Ott's vision, Cinderella’s story inspires millions to this day, and OttLite continues to bring the advantages of natural daylight indoors.

In the 1970s, a scout for the Cincinnati Reds contacted Dr. Ott about baseball caps. Traditionally, the underside of all players’ caps was yellowish green. Dr. Ott suggested that they change the underside of the caps to gray. This is because a natural reflection of light bounces off the ground. So if a batter holds his head up or a fielder looks up to catch a fly ball, the light will reflect off the underside of the visor. Dr. Ott further explained that this green reflection inhibits energy and hinders performance. So the Reds took Dr. Ott’s advice and changed their visors. Batting averages went up. Team performance improved. That same year, they won the pennant. Was it the change in their caps? No one can say for sure, but nearly every team in baseball has switched to gray on the underside of the caps.

In addition to being known as the father of time-lapse photography, Dr. Ott spent years researching how certain wavelengths of light affect plants, animals and people. He was internationally recognized with the Grand Honours Award from the National Eye Research Foundation, the Jonathan Forman Gold Medal from the Society for Clinical Ecology, a Gold Medal from the Garden Club of America, and was appointed a trustee of the Light and Health Research Council in London.