60th Anniversary
Celebrating 60 years of (AM)LCI
In April 2025, (AM)LCI commemorated six decades of growth, innovation and community with a special two-day celebration. The event brought together alumni, students, faculty and friends to honor the institute's legacy and ongoing impact. This page is maintained as an archive of the 60th Anniversary Celebration, honoring the people and milestones that continue to shape the (AM)LCI community.
Relieve the highlights and explore the celebration through the resources below:
Photo Album:
If you have additional photos from the celebration, please email them to AMLCI@kent.edu. We would love to see them!
Program & Initial Invitation: | View Invitation
Support & Donations: If you'd like to further support (AM)LCI research in honor of this milestone, donations can be made here.
The Friends of J. William Doane Fellowship Fund
Following the 60th Anniversary, alumni and friends of (AM)LCI established a fellowship in honor of Dr. Bill Doane, a former director and visionary leader. Once fully funded, the fellowship will support outstanding graduate students with a stipend and conference travel, continuing Dr. Doane’s legacy of excellence in research and mentorship.
For more information about the The Friends of J. William Doane Fellowship Fund or to donate, click here.
Friday - April 25, 2025
Friday kicked off the program with TED Talks from current student fellowship award winners, followed by a reception and dinner that brought together alumni, students, and colleagues.
| Friday, April 25, 2025 | AMLCI, Samsung Auditorium (Liquid Crystal Materials Science Building) |
| Time | Activity |
| 5:00 - 5:20 pm | Refreshments |
| 5:20 - 5:25 pm | 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.
| Friday, April 25, 2025 | AMLCI, Samsung Auditorium (Liquid Crystal Materials Science Building) |
| 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 - April 26, 2025
On Saturday, the celebration continued with welcome remarks from President Todd Diacon and speeches from current and past (AM)LCI Directors, followed by the presentation of our Alumni and Mentor Awards. Guests toured our state-of-the-art facilities and explored demos and prototypes showcasing ongoing work from our labs and research projects. Lunch was also provided, and throughout the day, the floor was open for attendees to share memories and celebrate the rich legacy of the (AM)LCI and all affiliated graduate programs.
| Saturday, April 26, 2025 | Henry & Louise Timken Atrium (College of Aeronautics and Engineering Building) |
| 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: 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 Torsten Hegmann 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 (RM165) |
Afternoon session
| Time | Speaker (Affiliation) "Title" |
| 1:30 - 1:50 pm | Matthew CRAWFORD (KSU, Department of History) “Lives in Liquid Crystals: Reflections from the Liquid Crystal Oral History Project†|
| 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 Bahman TAHERI, CEO, AlphaMicron, Postdoc with Peter Palffy-Muhoray, 1995 to 1997 |
| 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 JÃKLI - 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 H. Brown |
| ~5:30 pm | Closing Day 2 |
2025 Lifetime Achievement Award
- Cheng Chen
- Gregory P. 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 E. Watson
- Haiji (Jim) Yuan
Previous Distinguished Alumni
- 2016 - Bahman Taheri
- 2017 - Asad Khan
- 2018 - Renate Crawford
- 2018 - Gregory P. Crawford
