The British Liquid Crystal Society Annual Training Workshop
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Hull
Department Name: Chemistry
Abstract
Research and development in liquid crystals has been highly significant over the past 40 years, and a wide range of high technology products has resulted in high quality, flat-panel displays from watches and calculators, mobile telephones, and digital cameras to lap-top computers, desk-top monitors and large-area high definition colour televisions. These products have helped to completely revolutionize the way in which we all live and conduct our day to day activities of business and leisure.
Research in the area of liquid crystals continues to be intense in order to improve the well-known products, and to use the unique nature of liquid crystal materials (materials where the molecules have the mobility of a liquid, yet are not completely disordered, which provides a fluid with the important optical, electronic and visco-elastic properties of solids) to generate novel applications for high technology products of the future.
The training of researchers new to the field of liquid crystals is of paramount importance to maintaining the excellent progress of research, and the delivering of the desired technological achievements in the future. Such training presents particular challenges because the research area of liquid crystals is extremely multidisciplinary and necessarily involves the close collaboration of researchers from areas of chemistry, physics, engineering, mathematics, computation and biology.
The British Liquid Crystal Society Annual Training Workshop serves to provide the education and training needs for research scientists who are new to the field of liquid crystals research. The Workshop involves experienced scientists who are experts in their various disciplines. The experts deliver lectures to provide the background knowledge in the various scientific disciplines, they operate hands-on laboratory sessions to introduce the important practical techniques, and importantly they are available for the entire duration of the Workshop for informal discussions and general networking with the new researchers.
Hence, the Annual Workshop is invaluable for the continuous generation of trained scientists in the multi-disciplinary and technologically important area of liquid crystals.
Research in the area of liquid crystals continues to be intense in order to improve the well-known products, and to use the unique nature of liquid crystal materials (materials where the molecules have the mobility of a liquid, yet are not completely disordered, which provides a fluid with the important optical, electronic and visco-elastic properties of solids) to generate novel applications for high technology products of the future.
The training of researchers new to the field of liquid crystals is of paramount importance to maintaining the excellent progress of research, and the delivering of the desired technological achievements in the future. Such training presents particular challenges because the research area of liquid crystals is extremely multidisciplinary and necessarily involves the close collaboration of researchers from areas of chemistry, physics, engineering, mathematics, computation and biology.
The British Liquid Crystal Society Annual Training Workshop serves to provide the education and training needs for research scientists who are new to the field of liquid crystals research. The Workshop involves experienced scientists who are experts in their various disciplines. The experts deliver lectures to provide the background knowledge in the various scientific disciplines, they operate hands-on laboratory sessions to introduce the important practical techniques, and importantly they are available for the entire duration of the Workshop for informal discussions and general networking with the new researchers.
Hence, the Annual Workshop is invaluable for the continuous generation of trained scientists in the multi-disciplinary and technologically important area of liquid crystals.
Planned Impact
The British Liquid Crystal Society Annual Training Workshop serves to provide the education and training needs for research scientists who are new to the field of liquid crystals research. Liquid crystals is a multi-disciplinary area of research involving collaboration between chemists, biologists, physicists, mathematicians, and engineers, hence training in this type of event is most beneficial.
Research and development in liquid crystals has been highly significant over the past 40 years, and a wide range of high technology products has resulted in high quality, flat-panel displays from watches and calculators, mobile telephones, and digital cameras to lap-top computers, desk-top monitors and large-area high definition colour televisions. These products have helped to completely revolutionize the way in which we all live and conduct our day to day activities of business and leisure.
Hence, the impact from liquid crystals has been most significant in terms of wealth creation and improvement in the quality of life. In order to continue the huge positive impact of liquid crystals in the future training of those new to the field is essential to provide the necessary knowledge and skills base. Importantly, the knowledge and skills are transferable to other areas allowing trained researchers to make future impacts in a wide range of disciplines.
Research and development in liquid crystals has been highly significant over the past 40 years, and a wide range of high technology products has resulted in high quality, flat-panel displays from watches and calculators, mobile telephones, and digital cameras to lap-top computers, desk-top monitors and large-area high definition colour televisions. These products have helped to completely revolutionize the way in which we all live and conduct our day to day activities of business and leisure.
Hence, the impact from liquid crystals has been most significant in terms of wealth creation and improvement in the quality of life. In order to continue the huge positive impact of liquid crystals in the future training of those new to the field is essential to provide the necessary knowledge and skills base. Importantly, the knowledge and skills are transferable to other areas allowing trained researchers to make future impacts in a wide range of disciplines.
Organisations
People |
ORCID iD |
| Michael Hird (Principal Investigator) |
| Description | The British Liquid Crystal Society Annual Workshop/Training School serves to provide the education and training needs for research scientists who are new to the field of liquid crystals research. Liquid crystals is a multi-disciplinary area of research involving collaboration between chemists, biologists, physicists, mathematicians, and engineers, hence training in this type of event is most beneficial. The British Liquid Crystal Society Annual Workshop/Training School is designed to create a strong immediate impact and to facilitate a wide range of future strong impacts. The initial impact is on the people involved in the Workshop/Training School, particularly the delegates attending the event, but also on those delivering the training. The activities of the Workshop/Training School are wide ranging academic disciplines of liquid crystals and related practical laboratory techniques, and these are designed to impart a strong knowledge and skills base to the delegates, with a particular emphasis on nurturing independent thinking, problem solving and practical skills. The Workshop/Training School conveys the existing state of the art knowledge and skills rather than actually being a research programme that will create a new knowledge/skills base and generate a new state of the art directly. However, in the longer term such significant impacts will be most certainly be realised through the efforts of the delegates from the Workshop/Training School, either in their immediate post-graduate research or through later post-doctoral or independent research activities. The knowledge and skills acquired through the Workshop/Training School are most transferable to other disciplines, and hence there is significant scope for strong impact in the wider economic and societal aspects. The examples into the future can be numerous and wide ranging. Delegates may go on to use the knowledge and skills acquired during the Workshop/Training School to generate novel pharmaceuticals of significant health impact or set successful scientific policy or be involved in developing positive health and safety regulations. Delegates may go on to develop more efficient production or form new companies, and create wealth. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2015 |
| Sector | Chemicals,Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software),Education,Electronics,Manufacturing, including Industrial Biotechology |
| Impact Types | Cultural,Societal,Economic |