Liquid Crystal Institute to celebrate 50th anniversary
Hiroshi Yokoyama, director of Kent State’s Liquid Institute, poses for a portrait outside of the third floor laboratory that will be the primary facility for incoming students of a new Liquid Crystal master’s program in fall of 2015. Yokoyama will direct the new program.
The Liquid Crystal Institute at Kent State is celebrating its 50th anniversary this Friday starting at 10 a.m. in the Kiva.
The event will include speeches from Kent State President Beverly Warren, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences James Blank and retired vice president of Samsung Electronics and Samsung Display Company — and Kent State alumnus — Sung Tae Shin.
The Liquid Crystal Institute is the “world’s first research center focused on the basic and applied science of liquid crystals,” according to the institute’s website.
Due to the demand for knowledge in the field of liquid crystals, Kent State has created a Master of Science in Liquid Crystal Engineering.
Kent State graduates have had huge successes in the field, said Hiroshi Yokoyama, the director of the Liquid Crystal Institute.
“The current lead designer of Apple displays is a Kent State graduate,” Yokoyama said.
The field of Liquid Crystal technology requires a highly trained workforce. Those entering the master’s program are trained in both the creation and research of liquid crystals, Yokoyama said.
“(Students are) trained in the design of liquid crystal products and the testing of prototype devices,” Yokoyama said.
Registration for the event is open until Thursday at 5 p.m. The event begins the yearlong celebration of the institute that will conclude with the International Liquid Crystal Conference (ILCC) on Kent State’s campus July 31 to Aug. 5, 2016.
Gabrielle Woodard is the arts and sciences reporter for The Kent Stater. Contact her at [email protected].