Dr. Richardson at podium
Head shot of Kathleen Richardson

Kathleen Richardson

Professor Kathleen Richardson, distinguished photonics and optical materials researcher at the University of Central Florida, and past president and Fellow of The American Ceramic Society, will deliver the 2017 Malcolm G. McLaren Distinguished Lecture on Friday, March 31 at 4:20 p.m. at the Fiber Optic Materials Research Building at Rutgers University–Busch Campus. Richardson will speak on the topic, “Chalcogenide glasses—a versatile platform for innovations in the infrared.”

Since 1995 the Malcom G. McLaren Distinguished Lecture Symposium has honored scientists every year for their achievements in materials science and engineering. The late Malcom G. McLaren was an internationally renowned leader who led the ceramics and materials department at Rutgers for more than 25 years. During his tenure, McLaren established several technology centers at the university, including the Center for Ceramic Research, the Fiber Optic Materials Research Program, the Center for Plastics Recycling, and the Institute of Engineered Materials. He was an ACerS past president (1979-80), Fellow (1968), and Distinguished Life Member (1987).

As professor of optics and materials science and engineering at the CREOL, College of Optics and Photonics at the University of Central Florida, Richardson oversees the Glass Processing and Characterization Laboratory, where her team conducts research in “synthesis and characterization of novel glass and glass ceramic materials for optical applications, examining the role of structure/property relationships on resulting optical function and performance in bulk, planar and fiber optical materials.” She has led her team in numerous industrial and government supported research programs in areas of “gradient refractive index (GRIN) optics, precision molded optics, the use of non-oxide glasses in chem-bio planar sensors, evaluation of complex material interactions in next-generation integrated opto-electronic chip design, and in nano-composites for advanced detection and optical applications.” Richardson is a past chair of ACerS’ Glass and Optical Materials Division and a past president of the National Institute of Ceramic Engineers. She currently serves on the coordinating technical committee of the International Commission on Glass.

“I am thrilled to have the opportunity to speak at Rutgers as part of the McLaren Symposium,” Richardson stated in a recent email. “As an event that has drawn ceramic and glass academia and industry partners together for more than two decades, it is a wonderful chance to celebrate glass and to highlight one of the research areas where non-oxide glass and their fibers have made such a historic contribution to our field. I am looking forward to sharing my thoughts on the future of these exciting materials.”

The symposium will feature three additional speakers: Deirdre O’ Carroll, Rutgers University; Jesse Kohl, Corning, Inc.; and J.J. Hu, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. A reception and banquet to honor Richardson will follow at 6:00 p.m. The symposium is free and open to the public. 

For more information about the symposium or to purchase a banquet ticket, visit this link or contact Nahed Assal by email or phone at (848) 445-1651.

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