Kent State University scholars (left to right) Douglas
Delahanty, L.C. Chien and Mark Bracher display their
2015 Outstanding Research and Scholarship Awards
during a Faculty Appreciation Week event in the University
Library.

Three top researchers in literary studies, liquid crystals and post-traumatic stress received Kent State University’s 2015 Outstanding Research and Scholarship Awards at a ceremony and reception on April 14 on the Kent Campus. The awards are sponsored by the University Research Council and Division of Research and Sponsored Programs.

Mark Bracher, Ph.D., professor of English; Liang-Chy (L.C.) Chien, Ph.D., professor of chemical physics in the Liquid Crystal Institute®; and Douglas L. Delahanty, Ph.D., professor of psychological sciences — all faculty members in the College of Arts and Sciences — were recognized for their significant research contributions that have an impact on society.

“Their work has been recognized by their peers around the world, and we are honored to celebrate their accomplishments,” says Grant McGimpsey, Ph.D., vice president for research at Kent State.

Mark Bracher, Ph.D.

Bracher’s research focuses on how literary studies can promote social justice and psychological development. He investigates the development of capacities and habits of perception, analysis, reflection and feeling that are necessary for recognizing social injustice, understanding its root causes, formulating effective interventions to counter it and being motivated to take action against it.

Bracher is the author of seven books and has authored and edited multiple book chapters and publications in peer-reviewed journals. He is currently organizing a Why the Humanities? conference at Kent State on July 9-12 highlighting the contributions that humanities education makes to personal well-being, responsible citizenship and social justice.

Bracher received his Ph.D. from Vanderbilt University in 1981 and joined Kent State as an English professor in 1995.

L.C. Chien, Ph.D.

Chien’s research interests include the study of advanced functioning materials, structures and surfaces, as well as the innovative applications of such materials in displays, electro-optical and photonic devices.

Chien has published 150 articles and more than 150 scientific proceedings and digest papers, as well as three books and seven book chapters. He is a co-inventor of bistable reflective cholesteric display, polymer-stabilized liquid crystal display devices and technology, and holds 25 issued patents.

Chien received his Ph.D. in polymer chemistry from the University of Southern Mississippi and joined the Liquid Crystal Institute of Kent State in 1988.

Douglas L. Delahanty, Ph.D.

Delahanty’s research explores early biological predictors of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression following traumatic events in children and adults. He conducts translational research, building on his basic findings to develop psychological and pharmacological interventions for reducing and preventing the development of PTSD.

He has authored and co-authored numerous highly cited publications in these areas, and his research has been funded by major grants totaling more than $6.5 million from the National Institute of Mental Health, National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health and other federal and state funding agencies.

In addition to his role as a faculty researcher, Delahanty serves as director of the Initiative for Clinical and Translational Research and chair of the Institutional Review Board at Kent State.

Delahanty joined Kent State in 1997 after receiving his Ph.D. in health psychology from the University of Pittsburgh.

For more information about research at Kent State, visit www.kent.edu/research.