January 22,
2007
Ching Tang Named the Doris Johns Cherry Professor
Ching Tang was officially installed as the Doris Johns Cherry Professor on January 19 during a ceremony in Rush Rhees Library. His work in organic electronics has led to innovative developments in solar cells and efficient flat-panel display technology.
Ching Tang, father of the multi-billion-dollar organic
light-emitting diode (OLED) industry, has been named the Doris Johns Cherry
Professor. The world leader in organic electronics including OLEDs and
solar cells, Tang, who also is professor of chemical engineering and of
chemistry, is the first to hold the new chair.
“We are very pleased to have successfully
recruited Ching Tang and welcome his timely arrival in the Department of
Chemical Engineering,” says Shaw Chen, chair of the chemical
engineering department. “Our commitment to new alternative energy
sources and flat-panel displays will be greatly enhanced by Ching’s
leadership in these fields. Other programs across engineering and the
sciences also will be well served by the interdisciplinary nature of his
research.”
Tang is known internationally for his pioneering work
on organic solar cells and OLEDs, which is the new flat-panel display that
offers superior imagery for far less power than even the most advanced LCD
displays today.
In addition to the discovery of efficient OLEDs, Tang
has been credited with a number of key innovations leading to the
commercialization of a new flat-panel display technology, including the
development of robust luminescent materials, novel color pixilation
methods, fabrication processes for the manufacture of OLED displays, and
the adaptation of technology for high-definition OLED displays.
Tang also is widely recognized for his seminal work
early in photovoltaics, which could lead to major improvements in the
ability of solar cells to capture energy from the sun. OLED and photovoltaics are like two sides of the same coin; one
converts energy into light for a display, and the other converts light from
the sun into energy.
“Ching Tang is the most accomplished and the
highest regarded innovator in the organic electronics industry, and
we’re delighted to have him as a member of our engineering
program,” says Kevin Parker, dean of the School of Engineering and
Applied Sciences. “Our Department of Chemical Engineering has grown
dramatically over the last few years, sporting a superb forward-looking
doctoral program. Ching’s addition highlights the hallmarks of the
University’s engineering, from the photonics started by the
nation’s first optical doctoral program to our strategic focus on
alternative energies at present.”
The professorship was established in July 2006 with a
gift of $1.5 million from Doris Johns Cherry ’43, who died on January
17, 2005, and bequeathed a generous portion of her estate for unrestricted
support of the University.
“Though I did not know Doris, I have learned that
she made major decisions only after completing her due diligence,”
says President Seligman. “The fact that she chose to leave the bulk
of her estate to the University and gave us the flexibility to designate it
to endow this important, named professorship is a high compliment. We will
forever be grateful to Doris, and to her
friend and counselor Jim Vazzana for the role he played in so carefully fulfilling her wishes.”
Cherry graduated from West High School in Rochester at
16 and earned a bachelor’s in economics from the University,
where she was a member of Theta Eta Sorority. After returning to Rochester
in the 1950s from Chicago, she worked at the University in the Benefits
Office for eight year before joining the Wiedman & Wiedman law firm
where she worked until the mid-90s.
Cherry was an active alumna, serving as communication
chair for her 50th reunion in 1993. In recognition of her generosity, a
tree was dedicated in her name just outside Wilson Commons.
| Next story |
