For Immediate Release
Media Contact:
Kelly Coolbaugh Ron Kirksey
216-241-8458 330-672-8535
kcoolbaugh@nortech.org rkirksey@kent.edu
(CLEVELAND and KENT) —NorTech, Northeast Ohio’s technology- based economic development organization, today announced the NorTech Fellows Program, which is expected to bolster the group’s economic development outreach efforts as well as foster stronger ties with regional industry and academic institutions.
John L. West, Ph.D., Vice President for Research and Dean of Graduate Studies at Kent State University has been named the first NorTech Senior Fellow. Dr. West will join NorTech for 12 months, beginning on July 1, 2006, and will lend his considerable expertise to specific programs designed to build economy-sustaining, technology industries in Northeast Ohio. Dr. West will split his time between NorTech and furthering his research efforts at the Liquid Crystal Research Institute at Kent State.
The NorTech Fellows Program will allow NorTech to enlist talented individuals and leverage their expertise to generate economic growth and critical mass. The program allows for senior business or academic professionals interested in leadership, technology, entrepreneurship, innovation and regional economic development to come to NorTech for a 12-18 month period and work in areas important to the region and consistent with their technical, industry and academic background.
“The Fellows Program is a great way to leverage regional brain power to connect our business and academic communities and build our regional technology economy,” said Les Vinney, NorTech Chairman and President and Chief Executive Officer of STERIS Corporation. Vinney continued, “It’s an innovative approach which we believe will be successful at creating economic growth opportunities in the region.”
“John West’s expertise in liquid crystals, technology transfer and building collaborative partnerships will help us leverage the assets of the Liquid Crystal Research Institute, our significant polymer sector, our growing electronics industry and the emerging cluster of liquid crystal businesses in the region. Our goal is to build critical mass by attracting, retaining and growing companies and talent in Northeast Ohio,” said Dorothy Baunach, President and Chief Executive Officer of NorTech. “We are very happy to begin this program in partnership with Kent State University and will use it as model for implementing the NorTech Fellows Program in the future.”
In this new role, Dr. John West will focus his expertise on two main areas: assisting NorTech and MAGNET with their joint Manufacturing Innovation Initiative specifically with regard to manufacturing of next generation liquid crystals on flexible polymer substrates; and assisting NorTech and TeamNEO to attract and retain electronics companies who can take advantage of the region’s expertise in liquid crystal technology to Northeast Ohio.
"John West has been a valuable member of Kent State's leadership team and is the perfect choice to direct this historic collaboration,” said Carol A. Cartwright, President of Kent State University. Cartwright continued, “The Kent State-NorTech initiative fits with the university's research base and its priority for high-tech development in Northeast Ohio."
Dr. John West has been director of the Liquid Crystal Institute at Kent State University since January 1997 and played a major role in the growth of the Institute under the directorship of Dr. J. William Doane. He was appointed a Senior Research Fellow in 1984 and concentrated on the development of polymer dispersed liquid crystals. He became Associate Director for Applied Programs in 1988. He participated in the preparation of the proposal for the National Science Foundation Science and Technology Center for Advanced Liquid Crystalline Optical Materials (ALCOM). He initiated its Industrial Partnership program, which has attracted over 30 North American companies. In parallel with his administrative duties, Dr. West maintains an active and productive research program, publishing more than 75 articles and is named inventor on 10 U.S. patents owned by the university related to liquid crystal materials. He concentrates research on the development of PDLC and cholesteric materials for use in electro-optic devices and on photoalignment of liquid crystals.
"I'm excited about the opportunity to be the first NorTech Senior Fellow, and for the chance to help this region become the world's industrial leader in the R&D and production of flexible displays and electronic devices. Kent State's history of nurturing start-up companies using university research is a great model for what we hope to accomplish in this effort," said Dr. John West.
An additional Fellow will be added to the NorTech Fellows Program at a later date.
About NorTech:
NorTech’s technology and business leaders are strategic drivers of the region’s technology-based economic development agenda and work to align and leverage regional technology assets to build a more globally competitive technology economy. NorTech promotes research, innovation, entrepreneurship and technology industry growth throughout the region for the benefit of all citizens. www.nortech.org
About Kent State University:
Kent State University's eight-campus network, one of the largest regional systems in the country, serves both the development of a true living/learning approach at the Kent Campus and regional needs on seven other campuses throughout Northeast Ohio. The Kent Campus provides the resources and facilities of a large, diverse university, while the Regional Campuses - Ashtabula, East Liverpool, Geauga, Salem, Stark, Trumbull and Tuscarawas - offer the friendly, casual atmosphere of small liberal arts colleges.
Today, Kent State has become an engine for economic, cultural and workforce development in the region and beyond as one of the premiere Ohio colleges. Kent State is ranked among the nation's 77 public research universities demonstrating high-research activity by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. www.kent.edu
About the Liquid Crystal Research Institute:
The Liquid Crystal Institute at Kent State University 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. www.lci.kent.edu