Kent State’s Symposium on Flexible Liquid Crystal Devices to Showcase Digital Research, Sept. 26-27

Kent State University will host a two-day symposium on Sept. 26-27 to showcase cutting-edge university research and industry innovations in flexible liquid crystal devices such as displays, e-writers, eyewear, photovoltaics, sensors and biomedical devices.

“It’s going to bring the best and brightest working in this field to report on the latest developments in materials and devices being used for flexible displays and biomedical material applications,” said John West, Ph.D., Kent State’s Trustees Research Professor and chair of the symposium. “It’s an area where we truly lead worldwide, with the potential to really change the economic landscape of Northeast Ohio with new industries and high-paying jobs.”

The Symposium on Flexible Liquid Crystal Devices begins Sept. 26 at 9:30 a.m. in the Kent State University Kiva and concludes Sept. 27 at noon. The event features a keynote presentation on the flexible electronic industry from Michael McCreary, Ph.D., deputy chief technology officer for E Ink Corporation, the world’s largest supplier of displays to the eBook industry which appear in products such as Amazon’s Kindle.

The symposium also includes a poster session reporting the latest research and developments from members of the FlexMatters^® Cluster. A regional innovation cluster has emerged around the flexible electronics industry in Northeast Ohio, named FlexMatters. The cluster consists of interconnected businesses, suppliers, service providers and institutions focused on advanced manufacturing of flexible electronic devices and materials. Based on Northeast Ohio’s industrial and research strengths in polymers and liquid crystals, the FlexMatters Cluster is recognized as a leader in flexible electronics products sold globally.

Other academic and industry speakers at the symposium include: Asad Khan, Kent Displays; Bahman Taheri, AlphaMicron; Byron Clayton, NorTech; Shizuo Tokito, Yamagata University; Miko Cakmak, University of Akron; Joe Klinehamer, Genvac Aerospace; John West, Kent State; Jan Lagerwall, Seoul National University; Deng-Ke Yang, Kent State; Nicholas Abbott, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Gary Wnek, Case Western Reserve University; Matthew Putman, Columbia University and Nanotronics Imaging; Christopher Malcuit, Kent State; and Alberto Fernandez-Nieves, Georgia Institute of Technology.

The symposium is supported by Kent State’s Division of Research and Sponsored Programs and Liquid Crystal Institute as well as its partners Kent Displays, AlphaMicron, NorTech, NSF Partnerships for Innovation and the Richard Desich SMART Commercialization Center for Microsystems at Lorain County Community College.

Immediately following the symposium, NorTech will host its Fall FlexMatters Cluster Meeting from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. in room 204 of the Kent State Student Center. Adam J. Bartsch, Ph.D., director of the Spine Research Laboratory at Cleveland Clinic, will speak about the need for integrated smart technologies to help mitigate the risk associated with these injuries. A tour of Kent State’s Liquid Crystal Institute labs will be offered at the conclusion of the meeting. To RSVP for the meeting, visit www.eventbrite.com/event/4290454866?ref=ebtn.

“Based on a recent roadmapping process led by NorTech, Northeast Ohio’s FlexMatters Cluster has the potential to create 3,020 direct jobs by 2019,” said Rebecca O. Bagley, president and CEO of NorTech. “Given the region’s industry and research strengths, FlexMatters has the potential to capture significant share of this emerging global market, which will result in significant economic impact for Northeast Ohio.” 

Registration for the Symposium on Flexible Liquid Crystal Devices is required by Sept. 24. There is no charge for Kent State students, faculty and staff, while all other attendees of the symposium must pay $150. To register, please visit www.kent.edu/research/flcd2012.

Kent State’s Glenn H. Brown Liquid Crystal Institute (LCI), established in 1965, is the world’s most comprehensive research, technology transfer and education program of its kind. Building on their extensive research in displays and electro-optics, Kent State researchers are exploring new frontiers in energy and medicine through their work on flexible organic photovoltaics (flexPV™) and flexible implanted bioelectronics (bioFLEX™) for diagnosis and therapeutics.

Led by Vice President for Research Grant McGimpsey, Ph.D., the Division of Research and Sponsored Programs at Kent State forms interdisciplinary collaborations and inter-institutional partnerships on projects of scientific, technological and national importance. 

For more information about the symposium and research at Kent State, contact Jim Maxwell at jmaxwel2@kent.edu.

For more information about the growing flexible electronics cluster in Northeast Ohio, visit www.nortechflex.org.

# # #

Media Contacts:
Jim Maxwell, jmaxwel2@kent.edu, 330-672-0731
Eric Mansfield, emansfie@kent.edu, 330-672-2797