60th Anniversary
60 years of (AM)LCI
Join Us for the 60th Anniversary of the Glen H. Brown Liquid Crystal Institute Celebration
We are excited to commemorate six decades of growth, innovation, and community at (AM)LCI with a special two-day celebration, on April 25 & 26, 2025!.
Program: Get a copy of the event program here.
Friday will kick off with TED Talks from current student fellowship award winners. Followed by a reception with dinner. This will be the first of many opportunities to reconnect with friends and colleagues.
| Time | Activity |
| 5:00-5:20pm | Refreshments |
| 5:20-5:25pm | Opening Remarks for AMLCI Fellowship Session: Torsten HEGMANN (Director, AMLCI) |
AMLCI Fellowships - Award Presentations
Glenn H. Brown Fellowship: For outstanding graduate students who are engaged in research on biological or biology related topics of liquid crystals.
Alfred Saupe Fellowship: For outstanding graduate students working on physics or material sciences of liquid crystals
James Fergason Fellowship: For outstanding graduate students working on applied research using liquid crystals.
| Time | Speaker "Title" Session Chair: Torsten HEGMANN |
| 5:30 - 5:40 pm | Vanessa JIRÓN - Winner - Glenn H. Brown Fellowship; Presented by members of the Glenn Brown family: Larry, Nancy, Don, Barb, and Caitlin + statement by thesis supervisor: Prof. Lavrentovich TED Talk: “Cancer Cell Survival in Orientational Patterns of Living Tissues Predesigned by Liquid Crystal Elastomers” |
| 5:45 - 5:55 pm | Matthew DEUTSCH - Winner - Alfred Saupe Fellowship; Presented by members of the Saupe family: Welf, Ellis, Maya, Axel, and Arne + statement by thesis supervisor: Prof. R. Selinger TED Talk: “Chirality from Fluctuations: Why Achiral Liquid Crystals Twist” |
| 6:00 - 6:10 pm | Ashley GILMOR - Winner - Glenn H. Brown Fellowship; Presented by members of the Glenn Brown family: Larry, Nancy, Don, Barb, and Caitlin + statement by thesis supervisor Prof. E. Hegmann TED Talk: “Mimicking Fish Skin as an Endogenous Model for Wound Healing Applications using Liquid Crystal Elastomers” |
| 6:15 - 6:25 pm | Ryan WILLIAMS - Winner - James Fergason Fellowship; Presented by T. Hegmann (also thesis supervisor) TED Talk: “Zero-Power, Optical Toxic Gas and Vapor Sensors for the Safety of Firefighters Utilizing Printed Nematic Liquid Crystal Patterns” |
| 6:30 pm | Closing Day 1 |
Dinner
| Time | Dinner |
| ~6:30 pm | Henry & Louise Timken Atrium (College of Aeronautics and Engineering Building) (All Attendees) |
Saturday will feature welcome remarks by President Todd Diacon, speeches from current and past (AM)LCI Directors, followed by the presentation of our Alumni and Mentor Awards. Guests will also have the opportunity to tour our state-of-the-art facilities and explore demos and prototypes showcasing ongoing work from our labs and research projects. The event will include lunch, offering further opportunities to network. The floor will be open for anyone to share their memories and celebrate the rich legacy of the (AM)LCI and all affiliated graduate programs.
| Time | Speaker (Affiliation) "Title" Emcee: John WEST |
| 8:30 - 9:00 am | Coffee & Refreshments |
| 9:00 - 9:10 am | President Todd DIACON (KSU) - Introduction of President Diacon by Torsten Hegmann “President’s Welcome Remarks” |
| 9:10 - 9:30 am | Bill DOANE, John WEST, Oleg LAVRENTOVICH, Hiroshi YOKOYAMA, and Torsten HEGMANN “(AM)LCI Directors’ Welcome” |
| 9:30 - 10:00 am | Open Mic Session 1 - Networking Kick-Off by Previous Distinguished Alumni Award Recipients: Bahman TAHERI, CEO, AlphaMicron, Postdoc with Peter Palffy-Muhoray, 1995 to 1997 Renate CRAWFORD, Miami University’s Ambassador and Adjunct Professor of Physics, PhD with Bill Doane in 1993 |
| 10:00 - 10:30 am | Coffee Break |
| 10:30-11:10 am | Presentations of Lifetime Achievement Awards and Awardee Comments Jack M. WILSON - PhD with Glenn Brown in 1972 - Award presented by Bill Doane Gregory P. CRAWFORD - PhD with Bill Doane in 1991 - Award presented by John West Mary NEUBERT - LCI Synthesis Facility - Award presented by Liang-Chy Chien Cheng CHEN - PhD with Phil Bos in 2006 - Award presented by Phil Bos |
| 11:10 - 11:50 am | Open Mic Session 2 - Networking - Tours of AMLCI Round 1 |
| 11:50 am - 12:00 noon | Group Photo (in front of LCM Building) |
| 12:00 noon - 1:30 pm | Lunch & Hands-on Presentations from our AMLCI Research Labs |
Afternoon session
| Time | Speaker (Affiliation) "Title" |
| 1:30 - 1:50 pm | Matthew CRAWFORD (KSU, Department of History) “On the History of the LCI” |
| 1:50 - 2:20 pm | Open Mic Session 3 - Networking Kick-Off by Previous Distinguished Alumni Award Recipients: Asad KHAN, CEO Kent Displays, PhD with Bill Doane in 2003 Gregory P. CRAWFORD, President, Miami University (Ohio), PhD with Bill Doane in 1991 |
| 2:20 - 2:40 pm | Coffee Break |
| 2:40 - 4:20 pm | Presentations of Distinguished Alumni Awards and Awardee Comments Ivan SMALYUKH, PhD with Oleg Lavrentovich in 2003 - Award presented by Sam Sprunt Philip J. BOS, PhD with Bill Doane in 1978 - Award presented by Bill Doane Lu LU, PhD with Phil Bos in 2012 - Award presented by Deng-Ke Yang Jianlin LI, PhD with Peter Palffy-Muhoray in 1994 - Award presented by Peter Palffy- Muhoray Jianmin CHEN, PhD with David L. Johnson in 1995 - Award presented by Oleg Lavrentovich Erica MONTBACH, PhD with Phil Bos in 2003 - Award presented by Hiroshi Yokoyama Maria Joao VAZ, PhD with Bill Doane in 1981 - Award presented by Elda Hegmann James ANDERSON, PhD with Phil Bos in 2000 - Award presented by Robert Clements Philip E. WATSON, PhD with Phil Bos in 2000 - Award presented by Marianne Prévôt Charles WANG, PhD with Phil Bos in 2003 - Award presented by Robin Selinger Haiji (Jim) YUAN, PhD with Peter Palffy-Muhoray in 1991 - Award presented by Peter Palffy-Muhoray |
| 4:20 - 5:00 pm | Open Mic Session 4 - Networking - Tours of AMLCI Round 2 |
| 5:00 - 5:30 pm | Presentations of Distinguished Mentor Awards Antal JÁKLI - Award presented by Seyyed Muhammad Salili Philip J. BOS - Award presented by Jianmin Chen & Charles Wang Oleg D. LAVRENTOVICH - Award presented by Mojtaba Rajabi John WEST - Award presented by Ebru Buyuktanir Mary NEUBERT - Award presented by Sandy Borders & Carol Kanters Honorable mention: Peter Palffy-Muhoray, Elda Hegmann, Elizabeth Mann, Deng-Ke Yang, Taras Turiv, and Glenn Brown |
| ~5:30 pm | Closing Day 2 |
Distinuished Mentor
If there is a mentor or individual who played a significant role in your journey at (AM)LCI and whom you feel deserves special recognition, we encourage you to nominate them for acknowledgment during the celebration. To nominate someone, please visit the following link:
Let's celebrate the people who have helped shape our community and inspire future generations!
2025 Lifetime Achievement Award
- Cheng Chen
- Greg Crawford
- Mary Neubert
- Jack M. Wilson
2025 Distinguished Alumni
- James Anderson
- Philip J. Bos
- Jianmin Chen
- Jianlin Li
- Lu Lu
- Erica Montbach
- Ivan Smalyukh
- Maria Joao Vaz
- Charles Wang
- Philip Watson
- Haiji Yuan
Previous Distinguished Alumni
- 2016 - Bahman Taheri
- 2017 - Asad Khan
- 2018 - Renate Crawford
- 2018 - Greg Crawford
