| LCI News |
Dec.
16,
2004 The Ohio Eminent Scholars Program, established by the Ohio General Assembly and coordinated by the Ohio Board of Regents, is designed to improve Ohio’s economic development initiatives and to elevate selected research areas at Ohio universities. The Eminent Scholar Program is part of Gov. Bob Taft’s $1.1 billion Third Frontier initiative to expand research capabilities and to create high-paying, high-tech jobs in Ohio. Kent State was one of four Ohio universities to receive funding through the Ohio Eminent Scholars Program. Kent State received funding specifically to bring a world-class scholar and support his/her research to enhance the university’s leading-edge research and development in liquid crystals, polymers and related advanced materials technology. The position is an endowed chair professorship in the chemical physics interdisciplinary graduate program housed in Kent State’s Liquid Crystal Institute. “Dr. Selinger will help lead research and economic development
efforts and will build upon local, statewide and international
collaborations -- all for the benefit of Ohio industries and workers,” said
Kent State President Carol A. Cartwright. Specifically, Selinger
will lead research to understand physical properties of soft matter
and to translate this knowledge into new technologies and applications
in such diverse fields as electro-optics, photonics, nano-technology
and biotechnology. He will work with liquid crystal researchers
across campus, including those in the physics, chemistry and biological
sciences departments. At the Naval Research Laboratory, Selinger serves as chairman of the Core Planning Committee, which manages the center’s $3.6 million basic research funding program. He plays a leadership role in defining the center’s research priorities and in guiding strategic investments of the center’s resources. He recently became associate editor of Physical Review E, and is responsible for the review and selection of papers for the section of the journal that addresses liquid crystals. He holds his bachelor’s, master’s and Ph.D. degrees in physics from Harvard University. He has held professional positions at Harvard, California Institute of Technology and University of California at Los Angeles, in addition to his current position with the Naval Research Laboratory. He also has teaching experience. “Jonathan Selinger will complement the outstanding basic and applied research programs in the Liquid Crystal Institute and the Chemical Physics Interdisciplinary Program. He will advance our traditional programs in thermotropic liquid crystals and lead expansion of our research into lyotropic liquid crystals and biological applications. He will serve as a catalyst for the research of the broad array of faculty working in the field,” said Dr. John L. West, vice president of research and dean of graduate studies. The Liquid Crystal Institute is a leader in basic and applied liquid crystal science, with a broad range of research activities, exemplary labs and facilities and a vibrant scientific atmosphere. The interdisciplinary graduate program in chemical physics attracts outstanding graduate students from around the world. The Liquid Crystal Institute has built an Industrial Partnership Program that is made up of more than 30 local and national companies. ###
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