Kent State University, Liquid Crystal Institute, Records, 1965-[ongoing]

Finding Aid

Historical Note

The Liquid Crystal Institute was established in 1965 by Glenn H. Brown. In the Institute's first years, researchers discovered the LCD twist cell. This discovery led to advances in cell phones, laptop computers, wrist watches, and flat screen televisions. Grants from agencies including the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, and U.S. defense agencies have resulted in the Institute being selected in 1990 by the National Science Foundation as part of a consortium to serve as Ohio's only Science and Technology Research Center. The Institute also provides instruction in chemical physics for graduate and doctoral students who desire to focus their studies on liquid crystals.

Scope and Content

This collection consists of miscellaneous materials produced by and about the Institute. Documents include booklets, clippings, conference papers, and reports. Most of the collection is comprised of undated photographs depict faculty and students conducting research, or working in their offices. Most of the photographs appear to date from the 1980's. Notable documents include proposals submitted to the National Science Foundation and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research. Materials will be added to the collection on a continual basis.

Box 1

1. Article: "Liquid Crystals," Mosaic (National Science Foundation), Fall 1970
2. Booklet: The National Science Foundation and Technology Center, 1994
3. Booklet: Kent State University Liquid Crystal Institute, [no date]
4. Booklet: Liquid Crystals: The Fourth State of Matter, [no date]
5. Brochures and Publicity, [no date]
6. Cards: Sensor-Transducer Cards, [no date]
7. Conference: International Liquid Crystal Conference, August 16-20, 1965
8. Conference: International Liquid Crystal Conference, August 12-16, 1968
9. Conference: International Liquid Crystal Conference, August 21-25, 1972
10. Conference: International Liquid Crystal Conference, August 23-27, 1976
11. Conference: International Liquid Crystal Conference, June 24-28, 1996
12. Film Footage [DVD duplicate]: [Television program about the Liquid Crystal Institute; Glenn Brown is being interviewed], [196?-197?] [Note: Original film reels are stored separately; DVD is for reference use.]
13. Magazine: Chemical and Engineering News, November 1, 1971
14. Magazine: Invention and Technology, Spring 2002
15. Newsclippings: Advertisement, Newsweek, April 8, 1991
16. Newsclippings: Beacon Journal, January 27, 1991 and April 11, 1993
17. Newsclippings: "Construction on New Science Complex Begins," Inside Kent State, October 22, 1984
18. Newsclippings: Inside Kent State, [various dates]
19. Newsclippings: "Kent Schneller, Inc. to Develop Liquid Crystal Aircraft Products," Kent Inside, June 13, 1988
20. Newsclippings: "NSF Grant Puts Kent In the Lead", Daily Kent Stater, June 24-28, 1996
21. Newsclippings: Record Courier, 1990-1994
22. Newsclippings: Miscellaneous, [no date]
23. Pamphlet: University Extension Liquid Crystals at UCLA, August 14-25, 1967
24. Pamphlet: Practical Liquid Crystals: Laboratory and Lecture, May 31-June 2, 1989
25. Pamphlet: Practical Liquid Crystals: Laboratory and Lecture, November 9-11, 1993
26. Pamphlet: Liquid Crystals: Materials and Display Devices, November 15-18, 1994
27. Pamphlet: Liquid Crystals: Materials and Display Devices, January 9-12, 1996
28. Pamphlet: Liquid Crystals: Materials and Display Devices, April 22-25, 1997
29. Pamphlet: Liquid Crystals: Materials and Display Devices, June 2-5, 1998
30. Pamphlet: The Future of Print and Media, June 8-10, 1998
31. Pamphlet: Advanced Liquid Crystalline Optical Materials, [no date]
32. Pamphlet: Clean Room Training, [no date]
33. Pamphlet: Industrial Partnership Program, [no date]
34. Poster: Research and Instruction in Liquid Crystals, [1979?]
35. Press Releases: Kent State University Information Service, 1965,1968 and 1990
36. Program: Dedication for Liquid Crystal Institute Materials Science Building, June 6, 1997
37. Proposal: Structure and Physical Properties of Liquid Crystals to the National Science Foundation, August 13, 1971
38. Proposal: Advanced Liquid Crystalline Optical Materials Proposal to the National Science Foundation, August 4, 1989
39. Proposal: Liquid Crystal Science and Technology Center Proposal to the National Science Foundation, January 15, 1998
40. Reports: Semi-Annual Report to Air Force of Scientific Research, August 26, 1971
41. Reports: Semi-Annual Report to Air Force Office of Scientific Research, September 1, 1972
42. Reports: Annual Report, 1983-1984
43. Reports: Annual Report, 1984-1985
44. Reports: Annual Report, 1985-1986
45. Reports: Annual Report, 1986-1987
46. Reports: Annual Report, 1987-1988
47. Reports: Annual Report, 1988-1989
48. Reports: Annual Report, 1989-1990
49. Reports: Annual Report, 2000-2001
50. Reports: Security Manual of Standard Practice Procedures, February 22, 1989
51. Reports: Various, 1994-1995
52. Photographs: Alice Mihlaus, [no date]
53. Photographs: Alice Mihlaus and Elaine Landry, Director's Office, [no date]
54. Photographs: Conference Attendees Saul Beiboom, Bertland De Loche, Alfred Hohener, Skghosh LaQuilla, and Ronald Dong, August 1976
55. Photographs: Dr. Adrian De Vries in the X-ray Lab, [no date]
56. Photographs: Dr. Sardari L. Arora and Unknown Woman, [no date]
57. Photographs: Dr. Jack R. Kelly, [no date]
58. Photographs: Dr. Mary E. Neubert and Unknown Students, [no date]
59. Photographs: Dr. Vernon D. Neff Wiring a Prussian Blue Display Cell to a Potentiostat, [no date]
60. Photographs: Dr. William Bacon with Student David Rectz, [no date]
61. Photographs: Elaine Landry, [no date]
62. Photographs: Glenn Brown, [no date]
63. Photographs: Glenn Brown and H. Sackmann Looking at Conference Program Booklet, [no date]
64. Photographs: Graduate Research Assistant Bao-Gang Wu Examining a NMR Probe Head Used in Studies of Blue Phases, [no date]
65. Photographs: Graduate Students Joao Figuerinhas and Attilo Golemome at the NMR Control Terminal, [no date]
66. Photographs: Groundbreaking for Liquid Crystal Institute Building, 1984
67. Photographs: Henry Anthony Ellis, [no date]
68. Photographs: Jim [Visintance?] and Joseph Doane Studying Nuclear Magnetic Resonance on Liquid Crystals, [no date]
69. Photographs: Postdoctoral Fellow Michael Lewis, [no date]
70. Photographs: Professor Alfred Saupe and His Instrumentation for Studying Nuclear Nemantics, [no date]
71. Photographs: Professor Chun-Che Tsai, [no date]
72. Photographs: Professor David L. Johnson, [no date]
73. Photographs: Professor David L. Johnson and Graduate Research Assistant Iqbal Khan Aligning the Optics for a Light Scattering Experiment, [no date]
74. Photographs: Professor David L. Johnson and Postdoctoral Fellow, [no date]
75. Photographs: Professor David L. Ulrich Conferring with Students, [no date]
76. Photographs: Professor David L. Ulrich, [no date]
77. Photographs: Professor David S. Moroi, [no date]
78. Photographs: Professor David W. Allender, [no date]
79. Photographs: Professor Edward Gelerinter Conferring with a Graduate Student, [no date]
80. Photographs: Professor Edward Gelerinter and Undergraduate Steven Bucey at a EPR Console, [no date]
81. Photographs: [Professor Leonhard J. Lis], [no date]
82. Photographs: Professor Michael A. Lee, [no date]
83. Photographs: Professor Philip Westerman with Student, [no date]
84. Photographs: Professor Sardari L. Arora, [no date]
85. Photographs: Professor Saupe with Research Associate Dr. P. J. Photenias and Student E. Zhou Performing Birefringence Studies, [no date]
86. Photographs: [Schlieren Texture of Nemantic Phase?], [no date]
87. Photographs: Undergraduate Darren Leonhardt, Dr. Neubert, and Chemist Stan Laskos Discussing a Progress Report, [no date]
88. Photographs: Unidentified Conference Attendees, [no date]
89. Photographs: Unidentified Conference Attendee and Glenn Brown, [no date]
90. Photographs: Unidentified Liquid Crystal Textures, [no date]
91. Photographs: Unidentified Man Sitting at a Computer Station, [no date]
92. Photographs: Unidentified Student at NPR Console, [no date]