The Glenn H. Brown Liquid Crystal Institute® and the College of Arts and Sciences at ɫ will host a 50th anniversary celebration of the institute on Friday, Sept. 25, starting at 10 a.m. in the Kent Student Center Kiva on the Kent Campus. The event will kick off a yearlong celebration that will culminate with the International Liquid Crystal Conference (ILCC) at the Kent Campus July 31-Aug. 5, 2016.
At the Sept. 25 event, ɫ President Beverly Warren and James Blank, Ph.D., dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at ɫ, will give opening remarks, which will be followed by tributes to former Liquid Crystal Institute directors Glenn Brown, Ph.D., Bill Doane, Ph.D., John West, Ph.D., and Oleg Lavrentovich, Ph.D. At 11:30 a.m., ɫ alumnus Sung Tae Shin, Ph.D. ’94, physics, professor at Kyung Hee University and retired vice president of Samsung Electronics and Samsung Display Co., will present “Technology Strategy for New Jump in the Display Industry.” A lunch buffet and tours of the institute will follow from noon until 2:30 p.m.
Blank will present “The Future of Liquid Crystals” at 2:30 p.m. in the Kent Student Center Kiva. Other afternoon speakers include Achin Bhowmik, Ph.D., vice president and general manager of Perceptual Computing Group, Intel Corporation; ɫ alumnus Cheng Chen, Ph.D. ’06, chemical physics, director, Panel, Process and Optics Engineering at Apple Inc.; Shin; and Noel Clark, Ph.D., professor of physics at the University of Colorado. Hiroshi Yokoyama, Ph.D., director of ɫ’s Liquid Crystal Institute, will provide the closing remarks at 4 p.m. The event is free and open to the public, but online registration is required by Sept. 24 at 5 p.m. at www.kent.edu/lci/50.
The 2015-2016 academic year also will mark the first year for the new Master of Science in liquid crystal engineering degree program, a first in the United States.
“Through hands-on experience in liquid crystal device design and fabrication as well as fundamental studies of the science and technology, this new program will prepare the next generation of corporate engineers in the liquid crystal field,” Yokoyama said.
Students also can pursue a Ph.D. in chemical physics, offered since 1994, and participate in basic and applied research with faculty through graduate assistantships. Many of the students publish in prestigious journals, present their research at international conferences and patent new technologies.
About the Glenn H. Brown Liquid Crystal Institute at ɫ
The Liquid Crystal Institute at ɫ is world-renowned for liquid crystal technology research, development and education that advance our everyday lives. Founded in 1965 by Glenn H. Brown, it is recognized for the invention of the twisted nematic cell, the heart of liquid crystal display, and it continues to lead liquid crystal research and discovery.
The Liquid Crystal Institute at ɫ advances basic research by providing state-of-the-art facilities and research programs focused on liquid crystal science and display development. The institute focuses on research for a range of