2014 F.A. Gilfillan Memorial Lecture
Pathways of Discovery: Designing a New Colorful Materials World
Missed the lecture? Watch the video here. (Lecture begins at the 10-minute mark).
Note: This audio has some distortion at the beginning due to a technical glitch, but it clears up completely after 21 minutes.
Dr. Mas Subramanian, Milton Harris Professor of Materials Science, Department of Chemistry Tuesday, May 6, 2014 • LaSells Stewart Center • Construction and Engineering Hall
College of Science Chemistry Professor Mas Subramanian is the 2013 recipient of the F.A. Gilfillan Award for Distinguished Scholarship in Science. This award recognizes distinguished scholarship in science by honoring a faculty member in the College whose scholarship and scientific accomplishments extend over a substantial period of time at the university and that is widely recognized by peers. The awardee receives a plaque, a stipend and an opportunity to present their research in a public lecture.
An accomplished researcher in solid-state chemistry, Dr. Subramanian is internationally recognized for breakthrough scientific discoveries involving superconductors, dielectrics, magnetism, catalysis, thermoelectrics and fluorination chemistry. His research involves designing new inorganic solid state functional materials for emerging applications in electronics, energy conversion and the environment.
Recently his research team discovered a new blue pigment. To put this landmark finding into context, it has been more than 200 years since the last durable blue pigment was discovered. This new generation of heat reflecting cool color pigments has far-reaching energy saving applications. The discovery was reported in leading science magazines and in newspapers worldwide, including The New York Times, National Geographic magazine, Chemical & Engineering News, Science et Vie (France), Geo magazine (Germany), Chemistry World (UK) and The Hindu (India).
A highly published scholar, Dr. Subramanian has authored or co-authored 300+ publications, including nine in Science and four Nature journals. His publications have received more than 14,000 citations (h-index = 54). He is editor of two international journals, Solid State Sciences and Progress in Solid State Chemistry, and serves on the editorial boards of several international journals. Dr. Subramanian holds 54 U.S. patents.
Dr. Subramanian received his B.S. and M.S. degrees in chemistry from the University of Madras in India and his Ph.D. from the Indian Institute of Technology also in Madras, India. He was a National Science Foundation (NSF) postdoctoral fellow at Texas A&M University and then joined spent 22 years with DuPont Central Research and Development. In 2006, Dr. Subramanian joined the College of Science at Oregon State as a Milton Harris Endowed Professor of Materials Science in the Department of Chemistry.
The F.A. Gilfillan Memorial Award for Distinguished Scholarship in Science was established by the family of Francois A. “Doc” Gilfillan to honor his life, service and contributions to Oregon State University, the College of Science and to the field of pharmaceutical chemistry. Doc Gilfillan served as the College of Science as dean from 1938 to 1962 and as acting president of OSU from 1941 to 1942. He was a true inspiration to colleagues and students alike.
