May 19 2005
The potential next generation of lighting will be among the subjects discussed by representatives of academia and industry when they meet June 3 at Bowling Green State University for an Emerging Technology Forum.
"Novel Polymer Approaches to Coating, Electronic, Optic and Printing Applications" is the title of the forum, hosted by BGSU and its Center for Photochemical Sciences in the Bowen-Thompson Student Union Theater (Room 207).
Organic light-emitting diode (OLED) technology, being used increasingly in digital cameras, cell phones and other flat-panel display applications, will be a focus of two presentations during the forum. Dr. Ed Chandross, a consultant and retired director of materials chemistry for Lucent, will discuss "New Worlds for Polymers: Organic Transistors, Light Emitting Diodes, and Optical Waveguides" at 9:30 a.m. OLEDs will then be Dr. Bipin Shah's topic during a session beginning at 2:20 p.m.
In part because it costs less and lasts longer, OLED technology may eventually replace conventional lighting devices, said Dr. Ina Manea, director of development for the Wright Photoscience Laboratory at BGSU.
Giving the keynote speech at 11:30 a.m. will be Dr. Rangaswamy Srinivasan, whose discovery of Ablative Photodecomposition (APD) led to the development of LASIK eye surgery. The award-winning operator of UVTech Associates will address "Applications of Ultraviolet Laser Ablation of Polymers and Tissue in Microelectronics and LASIK Surgery."
The now-common eye procedure is only one example of how photopolymers impact consumers' lives. They are also used, for instance, in the manufacture of protective coatings for wood and flooring surfaces, compact discs and printing plates, Manea noted.
Shah, a research assistant professor in the Center for Photochemical Sciences, is one of three presenters who earned their Ph.D.s in photochemical sciences from BGSU. Dr. Daniel Tyson, who will speak at 8:45 a.m., is a senior research associate at the Ohio Aerospace Institute--supported by a grant from the NASA Glenn Research Center--while Dr. Alex Mejiritski, the 10:45 a.m. speaker, is president of Spectra Group Limited Inc., a Maumee firm whose specialties include photopolymers for coatings, paints, transition lenses, additives and composites.
The forum's other speaker, at 2 p.m., will be Brigitte Wex, who holds a master's degree from BGSU and is working toward a Ph.D. in photochemical sciences at the University.
Also among the day's activities will be a lunchtime poster session, featuring work by graduate students in the Center for Photochemical Sciences, and from 3-4:30 p.m., a panel discussion on "Commercial Impact, Value and Applications of Research."
The latter "brainstorming session" will bring the academic and industry representatives together to discuss what researchers in higher education can do to help meet market demands, Manea said.
Other forum sponsors are PolymerOhio Inc. and the Ohio Polymer Strategy Council. The council's executive director, Sharell Mikesell, will welcome attendees at 8:30 a.m. along with Dr. Douglas Neckers, executive director of the Center for Photochemical Sciences. The day will end at 5 p.m., following closing remarks and a tour of the BGSU facilities.
http://www.bgsu.edu/