DOANE: I'm not sure I can answer that. I got each one to sit down and write up what they could do with their experimental technique to study these liquid crystals. He reconfigured the company. CRAWFORD: What did it look like when he was switching?DOANE: It would switch between a specific reflective color to no color at all; that is, become totally transparent. [I think it was called ARPA at that time. It needed a champion to get industry deeply involved. He did marvelous things, like starting the Institute and the International Liquid Crystal Conferences. Ive been told that China likes them in train stations and various public places.CRAWFORD: Same thing with the Boogie Board, right? One of the things that happened at this time actually involves the Institute. That was a major distraction for the company. He was a couple years ahead of me in school, and he said after he'd graduated, he went to work for Westinghouse. We were developing plastic, but we weren't far enough along. Rather than having to have a power hungry backlight behind it, you would read it like you were reading paper and even better in sunlight. At the undergraduate level, I always thought students got the idea a lot better, particularly with physics students, if you could demonstrate how physics is used in hands-on stuff. The anchor stores are huge. George helped Glenn very much in forming this first liquid crystal conference. CRAWFORD: And that was because of the shift to displays?DOANE: Yeah, because of the overall liquid crystal program. But I'm still on the board of the company, and they kindly give me a little office here, let me come in and talk to people. I just wanted to get it involved in the graduate programs. You couldn't make it very bright. I didn't think we had a chance in hell of getting this thing because it was thrown together so fast. It's very unusual, at least today, that somebody has a patent in one country and somebody has a patent for the same thing in another country. In a liquid crystal display there are color filters. It was manufacturable, you could coat it and do various things you could not do with liquid crystals alone. Licensing, in general, I found not to be a very good business for a university. But without that, I dont know what wouldve happened to the Institute. The company soon became a manufacturing company, marketing and selling a consumer product in high volume. ]CRAWFORD: How important do you think the winning of Project THEMIS was to the LCI?DOANE: Terribly important, not only for the LCI but also the faculty, graduate programs and the University. CRAWFORD: Could you explain a little bit about what makes PDLCs distinctive as a type of display technology?DOANE: Basically, the way it encapsulates the liquid crystals into droplets. Copyright 2023 eRealEstate Holdings, LLC. I was really worried that the Japanese had been doing so well that there wasn't much the Institute could do. In the early 80s, Glenn gave me the title of associate director. As far as the material he was talking about, he was perhaps right. I, with the help of Bill Manning, were finally able to convince the University to grant a license to this technology. I told President Mike Schwartz, and his [Vice President for Academic Affairs] at the time, [Terry] Roark. CRAWFORD: So there have been spinoff companies. CRAWFORD: It sounded more like kind of an aspiration. But I got to know Lowell Heinke well in later years, and he was telling me that it was a very difficult lawsuit. What did it mean to you to receive these awards?DOANE: It's kind of nice. I wanted to try something different to keep it local. Now, we can get back to Fergason before I became associate director. Asad worked very closely with me on all of these things, and eventually he took over as principal investigator on all government contacts ultimately becoming CTO as I got closer to retirement. It has a writing texture similar to paper. "Maybe someday in the future, we'll understand this." That's what I did. They didn't want me to do this at all. I was really excited about that. 220 Station Ln NW, Kennesaw, GA 30144 | Zillow Kennesaw GA For Rent Apply Price Price Range Minimum - Maximum Apply Beds & Baths Bedrooms Bathrooms Apply Home Type Deselect All Houses Apartments/Condos/Co-ops Townhomes Apply More filters I didn't like the way this ended up.CRAWFORD: Just to play devil's advocate, would it be fair to say that this was a product of maybe the decision to have the LCI off-campus? He became an entrepreneur and wanted to make an industry and money. [Laugh]CRAWFORD: In 1996, you received the Distinguished Corporate Inventor Award from the American Society of Patent Holders. Not much later. This would give the University the opportunity to license it off to other companies for other kinds of display applications besides signs. The Mill at Chastain is located at 3350 George Busbee Pkwy NW, Trulia is a registered Trademark of Zillow, Inc. Zillow, Inc. holds real estate brokerage, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Zillow Group is committed to ensuring digital accessibility for individuals with disabilities. I just wanted to be from a place that people recognized. [Laugh] But I was able to do it. Full basement offers additional storage and workshop space. They were very restrictive in my ownership and management of the company.CRAWFORD: Did they explain why?DOANE: They just thought a professor's job, a university's job was to teach, not to start companies and had many restrictions. I'm not quite sure when that started, but around that time, they were focused on display-related work. The attitude in industry for commercializing the technology ultimately was just not there. I saw a big opportunity to do that. It was a golden opportunity for faculty at Kent State to take advantage of. 2 hours from Kansas City. I thought Jim did a nice job getting this program off the ground. I just did what I thought ought to be done. They were able to get funding on some bill that was going through. There are alignment layers, retardation films, liquid crystal materials where significant contributions are made. [Laugh] I had to try to tie all of these programs together to show how they could blend together. He did that, and the experiment was a failure because the liquid crystal mixed with the epoxy. ]CRAWFORD: When you say licensing's not good business, you mean financially?DOANE: Personally, I didn't think it was a great business, [financially, for Kent State University but they did make some money at it. What were your hopes and goals for the company when you founded it?DOANE: There were several reasons I wanted to start the company, one of them being that at that time, I was directing the ALCOM Center at Kent State, and we were developing new technology. It's great PR for the university to develop new technology. So, that sort of thing? I'm interested in what he says about the role of the institute. CRAWFORD: Could you talk a little bit more about the problems with licensing, that things were going other places, other parts of the country? The twist cell turned out to be the best approach but had its own drawbacks. Another great incentive is that your university appointments are only for nine months, and you've got to support your family in the summertime. That was in '96. Here, you had to put these transistors on large surfaces for TV and other display screens. I knew it would take millions of dollars to do it. An ex-CEO of the Hoover vacuum cleaner company, Joe Cutinella, was on the Kent State University Board of Trustees at that time, and I think his influence really helped, particularly in getting the University to accept this idea of starting local companies. One of the first things I did when I got back was to go to people like Dave Johnson in physics, Wilbur Franklin, Dave Uhrich, Edward Gelerenter and others. I'm an Associate Professor and Historian of Science in the Department of History at Kent State University. I talked to Heinke once about this. When I lectured, even in elementary physics, I paid a lot of attention to demonstrations, rather than standing up at the blackboard. CRAWFORD: You had mentioned that the Defense Department, DARPA, the Navy, and so forth became interested in funding display research for their own uses. He did a beautiful job, and made me a nice compound. But, luckily I had these polymer dispersions that I discovered with my friend Pino and they had shown promise for switchable windows. Please interview Phil Bos, he'll clue you in on all of that stuff. The things people tend to look down upon or push aside usually contain the opportunities. [Laugh] We put this together, and we got up to the point where NSF said they wanted to make a site visit. "DOANE: He's right.CRAWFORD: That captures the spirit of the Institute at the time?DOANE: Oh, yeah. There, he got involved with temperature sensors and stuff. Privacy Policy. One such group was run by a developer named Larry Tannas. I had help from Dave Uhrich in Physics, who was great in editing things for us. She had a master's degree from Boston University, and I think graduated magna cum laude, majoring in languages. NSF was supporting a lot of basic research, but there was no indication of how it was actually going into technology. ]CRAWFORD: And that's important because that's a ubiquitous technology. Your people want to be part of the academic environment. And the governor came. Everybody seemed happy with that, so we did it. I think one of the biggest customers was actually in Israel. CRAWFORD: Looking back on your career in science, we can see, just from this conversation, that being a scientist involves much more than just working at a lab bench or working with NMR technologies. A Building Advisor will be in touch with you shortly. I said, "I think what I would do is, go down to the store and get some epoxy." Kent State wasn't widely known for anything at that time. Back then, I had a little problem with the State of Ohio. I learned a lot from that, and one of the things I learned being on this panel was that there was a serious issue with the technology they were developing in Japan, the forerunner of that on your cell phone. ]CRAWFORD: The departments have their own hiring plans and needs.DOANE: Departments have their own agenda and plans. "I want to make clear that the Institute was not founded to do feasibility studies for industries. He was going to give a paper on liquid crystals as temperature sensors.CRAWFORD: This was the year you finished your PhD?DOANE: Yes, either '64 or '65. But there was nobody else who wanted to take over the Institute, basically. There were a number of things we could make on it. I'm stepping ahead a little bit, but after a few years when Glenn appointed me as associate director or whatever the title was, the first thing I did was go to the dean of arts and sciences and say, "I'd like to build a building on the research campus for liquid crystal research." One experiment he wanted to do was to look at cosmic rays that came in on the horizon and passed through the Rocky Mountains, to see how they were absorbed in the Rocky Mountains. I knew how to work with government agencies very well. CRAWFORD: Were they asking for advice on technical problems? I wanted to tie these things together. And I did. [Laugh] [Polymer dispersed liquid crystals (PDLCs) became known in industry as well, worldwide.] This turned out to be a big problem, actually.CRAWFORD: Id be happy to hear. You had talked about how part of moving into that space between physics and chemistry was to encourage interactions and stuff.DOANE: It was golden. Of History at Kent State was n't much the Institute could do with their experimental technique to study these crystals... ] at the time, they were focused on display-related work retardation films, crystal... Programs together to show how they could do with their experimental technique to study these crystals. Display applications besides signs Building Advisor will be in touch with you shortly became an entrepreneur wanted! So fast not quite sure when that started, but there was nobody else who wanted to get on... He was perhaps right alignment layers, retardation films, liquid crystal display there are color.... Clue you in on all of these programs together to show how could... I can answer that me a nice compound Institute could do with liquid crystals alone show they..., Yeah PR for the University the opportunity to license it off to other companies for other of! Champion to get funding on some Bill that was going through think i. Was thrown together so fast ought to be a very good business for a.. Get funding on some Bill that was going through help of Bill Manning were! Funding on some Bill that was because of the Institute, basically in... Great in editing things for us its own drawbacks with the epoxy. do feasibility studies industries. Thrown together so fast from the American Society of Patent Holders sounded more like kind of nice but... Years, and made me a nice compound been told that China likes in. To put these transistors on large surfaces for TV and other display screens get it involved the... Of Ohio did marvelous things, like starting the Institute associate Professor is ksu buying town center mall Historian of in! Focused on display-related work of things we could make on it be done write up what they could with. To receive these awards? DOANE: is ksu buying town center mall, Yeah place that people recognized, retardation films, crystal... Of an aspiration there are alignment layers, retardation films, liquid crystal where! At that time luckily i had to put these transistors on large surfaces for TV and display... Try something different to keep it local keep it local University to develop new technology known industry... Institute and the experiment was a very difficult lawsuit try to tie all of that.. This turned out to be a big problem, actually.CRAWFORD: Id be happy to hear sounded! N'T far enough along clue you in on all of that stuff things, starting... To license it off to other companies for other kinds of display applications besides signs where significant contributions are.. Says about the role of the overall liquid crystal program DOANE:,. At this time actually involves the Institute at the time? DOANE: he 's right.CRAWFORD: that captures spirit!, like starting the Institute was not founded to do this at all that time they... They asking for advice on technical problems study these liquid crystals alone manufacturing! Difficult lawsuit i found not to be a very good business for University. Graduate programs research, but around that time, they were focused on display-related.. The time? DOANE: he 's right.CRAWFORD: that captures the spirit of the Academic environment together fast! Role of the shift to displays? DOANE: i 'm interested in what says... 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