Newswise — Alfred University will create a new fine ceramics/nanotechnology research center with a $10 million gift from Kyocera Corporation, which is based in Kyoto, Japan, and is the largest fine ceramic manufacturer in the world.
The gift will create an endowment that will allow the School of Engineering at Alfred University to hire up to four new research faculty members specializing in the processing of advanced materials, particularly for biomedical and photonic applications.
The University intends to rename its engineering school the Kazuo Inamori School of Engineering in honor of Dr. Kazuo Inamori, the founder and chairman emeritus of Kyocera Corporation. Alfred University has internationally acclaimed programs in ceramic engineering, glass science, and materials science, as well as programs in biomedical materials engineering, mechanical engineering and electrical engineering.
Under the terms of the agreement with Kyocera, University faculty and students and Kyocera Corporation engineers will be linked in ongoing research and technical exchange programs as they develop and explore new applications in advanced materials.
In announcing the gift, Kyocera officials noted Alfred University's "tradition of instilling in its students a desire to contribute to society and mankind," as well as the key roles played by Alfred University graduates in advanced materials engineering.
The relationship between AU and Kyocera began more than 30 years ago when the company established its first manufacturing facility in the U.S. and hired AU graduates to help run it. Since then, AU graduates have filled many key positions within Kyocera and its subsidiary corporations, Dr. Inamori explained.
The gift is the largest Kyocera Corporation has made to a college or university in the United States. Previously, Kyocera has created endowed professorships at MIT, Case Western and the University of Washington.
Dr. Inamori expressed admiration for Alfred University's "wonderful educational policy." Inamori has been engaged with the University for a number of years and has visited the campus on three occasions. In 1996 his Inamori Foundation, which presents the annual Kyoto Prize, Japan's highest private award for lifetime achievement, established the Inamori International Scholarship Fund at Alfred University. This endowed fund supports outstanding scholars in ceramic engineering and ceramic art.
During his visit to Alfred in March 2004, Dr. Inamori said, "It is my pleasure to be called an alumnus of Alfred University. Being here, I really feel that this is my alma mater." He received an honorary Doctor of Science degree from AU in 1988 and delivered the annual John F. McMahon Memorial Lecture in 1999.
"This generous gift from the Kyocera Corporation confirms our status as the world's finest ceramic engineering program," said Robert R. McComsey, chairman of the Alfred University Board of Trustees. He said the gift is the largest ever to the School of Engineering at Alfred University and one of the largest gifts in the University's history.
"We are deeply honored and very appreciative of the Kyocera Corporation's generosity to Alfred University," said AU President Charles M. Edmondson. "A gift of this magnitude has the power to transform our engineering programs. We can think of no more appropriate name than the Kazuo Inamori School of Engineering in recognition of an entrepreneur and visionary who shaped the field of fine ceramics and who is a leader in the ceramics industry internationally."
"This gift from the Kyocera Corporation opens up new opportunities for our students," said Dr. Alastair N. Cormack, dean of the School of Engineering. "We believe we already offer our engineering students one of the finest educations in the world, and this gift will allow us to enhance our position as a leader in the emerging fields of advanced ceramics, biomaterials and photonics."
The research initiative funded by the Kyocera gift will "complement ongoing collaborations between Alfred University and the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering at the University at Albany -SUNY in nanotechnology," said Cormack. Alfred University participates as a member of the CNSE Center for Advanced Technology in Nanomaterials and Nanoelectronics (CATN2) and other joint nanotechnology enabled collaboration in solid state lighting and hydrogen road-mapping workshops and conferences.
Additionally, the University will establish the Inamori Kyocera Fine Ceramics History Museum to showcase the technology, history and expanding applications of fine ceramic materials. The museum will mirror similar facilities created by the Kyocera Corporation in Japan and will be the first of its kind in North America.
"This facility will allow AU students and faculty, as well as researchers and the general public, to have access to a collection of materials that underscore the importance of fine ceramics in most of today's technological advances," said Edmondson.
Fine ceramic materials are found in most electronic products, from mobile phones and digital cameras to computers, artificial joints and lasers. "Most of us rely on a daily basis on products that use advanced materials, yet few people realize the importance of fine ceramics," said Edmondson.
"Fine ceramics" is a term used by Dr. Inamori to refer to advanced ceramic materials produced with highly controlled processing and composition. They have unique physical, electrical, optical and chemical properties that allow the Kyocera Corporation to manufacture a wide range of ceramic-based products, including electronic components, semiconductor packages and industrial equipment parts. Other Kyocera products include wireless phones, document solutions equipment, solar energy systems, dental and orthopedic implants, LCDs, fiber-optic components, cutting tools, ceramic cutlery ans stationery products and recrystallized gemstones.
Founded in 1836, Alfred University is a small, private institution dedicated to fostering the personal and intellectual growth of students. Alfred University is primarily an undergraduate institution with approximately 2,000 undergraduate students and nearly 400 graduate students who pursue studies through 54 bachelor's programs, 12 master's programs, and four doctoral programs, including one of three Ph.D. programs in glass science in the world, and the only one in the U.S.
Kyocera Corporation (NYSE: KYO), the parent and global headquarters of the Kyocera Group, was founded in 1959 as a producer of advanced ceramics. By combining these engineered materials with metals and plastics, and integrating them with other technologies, the Kyocera Group has become a leading supplier of electronic components, semiconductor packages, solar energy systems, telecommunications equipment, printers, copiers and industrial ceramics, with global sales of approximately $11 billion in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2004.
Born in 1932 in Kagoshima, Japan, Kazuo Inamori founded Kyoto Ceramic Corporation (which is now Kyocera Corporation) with an investment of approximately $28,846. Kyocera has grown significantly in the 45 years since it was founded, and has become one of the outstanding enterprises in the world.
In 1984, when Japan's telecommunications industry was deregulated, Dr. Inamori established DDI Corporation (which is now KDDI Corporation), for the purpose of lowering telephone costs to Japanese citizens. KDDI has become the second-largest telecommunications carrier in Japan with total operating revenues of approximately $27 billion in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2004 (Source: KDDI Annual Report 2004). Thus, his business expanded from manufacturing to telecommunications.
Also in 1984, he invested personal capital of approximately $192 million to set up The Inamori Foundation, and founded the Kyoto Prizes, prestigious international awards given to those who make an outstanding contribution to the progress of human society in the categories of Advanced Technology, Basic Science, and Arts and Philosophy. Currently, net assets for The Inamori Foundation are approximately $615 million.
In 1983, he opened the Seiwa Jyuku school for business education, in order to train young business managers for the future. As the founder, he often delivers lectures on the philosophy of doing business and the proper attitudes for a businessman to about 3,600 students in 57 locations throughout Japan and overseas. In the U.S., the Seiwa Jyuku USA, located in Los Angeles, was established in February 2004.
The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and the Inamori Foundation jointly established the Abshire-Inamori Leadership Academy(AILA) in April 2002, in order to advance the idea of value-based leadership among individuals, within institutions, across borders, and between generations and to provide opportunities for aspiring and experienced leaders alike to explore and practice the art of leadership.
Note to editors: US dollars amounts are converted from yen, for convenience only, at the rate of JPY104 = $1.
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