A star-studded lineup of scientists returned to 麻豆精选 April 25-26 to mark the 60th anniversary of the Advanced Materials and Liquid Crystal Institute.
AMLCI Director Torsten Hegmann, Ph.D., said the anniversary celebrated the institute鈥檚 illustrious past and showcased the current technology scientists are researching.
鈥溌槎咕s the world鈥檚 leading institution in the area of liquid crystal 鈥 not in Ohio, not in the U.S. 鈥 in the world,鈥 Hegmann told 麻豆精选Today.
The weekend celebration was marked by numerous presentations of ongoing research at the institute and by its alumni operating in some of the highest industry positions across the country.
While its founding director, Glenn H. Brown, Ph.D., died in 1995, all the institute鈥檚 subsequent directors returned for the anniversary events.
麻豆精选is regarded as the place where modern research in the field of liquid crystals began due to the efforts of Brown, a 麻豆精选chemistry professor. The Liquid Crystal Institute was formed in 1965, the same year Brown organized the first international conference on liquid crystals at Kent State, which is regarded as the beginning of the worldwide effort to conduct modern research in the field.
Brown鈥檚 efforts led to the practical applications of liquid crystals in devices such as watches and television screens. In 1986, the trustees renamed the institute the Glenn H. Brown Liquid Crystal Institute in his honor. The institute鈥檚 most recent renaming to the Advanced Materials and Liquid Crystal Institute came in 2018 to recognize the wide range of advanced materials research at Kent State.
At the celebration, four graduate students, all working on doctorate degrees in Materials Science, were awarded the following fellowships by the institute:
- Ashley Gilmor, MS鈥 24, from Wooster, Ohio, the Glenn H. Brown Fellowship for outstanding graduate students who are engaged in research on biological or biology-related topics of liquid crystals.
- Vanessa Jir贸n, MS 鈥24, from Montes De Oca, Costa Rica, the Glenn H. Brown Fellowship for outstanding graduate students who are engaged in research on biological or biology-related topics of liquid crystals.
- Matthew Deutsch, MS鈥 22, originally from North Canton, Ohio, the Alfred Saupe Fellowship for an outstanding graduate student working on physics or material sciences of liquid crystals.
- Ryan Williams, BS 鈥21, MS 鈥24, from Galion, Ohio, the James Fergason Fellowship, for an outstanding graduate student working on applied research using liquid crystals.
Also presented during the anniversary weekend were 11 Distinguished Alumni Awards and four Lifetime Achievement Awards.
Learn more about the anniversary celebration and this year鈥檚 award winners.
Photos submitted by the Advanced Materials and Liquid Crystal Institute.