{"82651":{"#nid":"82651","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Bredas, Photonics Research Group Among Investigators Awarded 2003 Descartes Prize","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EFlexible video screens that can be rolled up and carried away like a newspaper? Wallpaper that can be turned on like a television to display images? It sounds like science fiction, but it\u0027s the eventual goal of Professor Jean-Luc Bredas, a Georgia Tech researcher studying polymeric light-emitting diodes for displays, or PLEDDs.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAnd, this past week, the work earned his research team the most prestigious research prize given by the European Union.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EBredas, a professor in Georgia Tech\u0027s School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, is one of a group of researchers - some based in Europe, others here in Atlanta - that has earned the 2003 Descartes Prize, an award for outstanding scientific and technological achievements resulting from collaborative research conducted in Europe. \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ENamed in honor of Ren\u00e9 Descartes, the aim of the prize is to raise awareness of the scientific achievements of European scientists, highlighting the benefits of working together and the importance of the results achieved. The award ceremony for the 2003 prize took place Nov. 20 in Rome, and Bredas\u0027 research collaborators took first prize.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022It\u0027s a project for which Richard Friend at Cambridge was the spokesperson and that gathered research teams from Cambridge University\u0027s Departments of Physics and Chemistry, the University of Link\u00f6ping in Sweden, my group at the University of Mons-Hainaut in Belgium and here at the Georgia Institute of Technology, plus industrial groups at CDT, Philips and Covion,\u0022 Bredas said.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe award nomination is based upon these various research groups and their investigation of the revolutionary potential of PLEDDs for light and image display screens. Their eventual goal is to replace ubiquitous liquid crystal displays, or LCDs, with flexible PLED displays. This would allow for less costly processing and, because of the flexibility of the material, a new range of innovative applications.  \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022I am tremendously pleased by this recognition of Professor Bredas and his colleagues,\u0022 Gary Schuster, dean of Georgia Tech\u0027s College of Sciences said. \u0022The Descartes Prize is an indication of important contributions to science by Professor Bredas at the highest international level.\u0022 \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022The recognition of their work on advancing understanding of the fundamental chemistry and physics of organic, light-emitting diodes marks a new level of trans-Atlantic achievement for Georgia Tech that helps us fulfill our goal of becoming a worldwide leader in science, engineering and technology,\u0022 Schuster said.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EBredas, a native of Belgium, joined Georgia Tech\u0027s faculty this fall, along with three other prominent researchers from the University of Arizona - Professors Seth Marder and Joseph Perry, also in the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and Professor Bernard Kippelen in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe four are widely considered pioneers in the fields of chemistry and optics, with a specialized interest in photonics - the technology of generating and harnessing light.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EIn addition to his appointment to Georgia Tech, Bredas also maintains an affiliation with his original research group located at the Universite de Mons-Hainaut in Belgium. The Belgian and Georgia Tech groups work in close collaboration. Members of both groups travel between the two locations as one way to strengthen research ties, Bredas said. \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ESignificant progress already has been made in the application of PLEDDs - for example, Philips has incorporated the technology into their high-end Spectra shaver, marketed by Norelco. And, the technology appears to have great promise for video and other high-performance displays.\n\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"A professor in Georgia Tech\u0027s School of Chemistry and Biochemistry is one of a group of researchers - some based in Europe, others here in Atlanta - that has earned the 2003 Descartes Prize, the most prestigious research prize given by the European Union.","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":"","uid":"27304","created_gmt":"2003-12-08 01:00:00","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:02:02","author":"Matthew Nagel","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2003-11-25T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2003-11-25T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"82661":{"id":"82661","type":"image","title":"Jean-Luc Bredas","body":null,"created":"1449178087","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:28:07","changed":"1475894698","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:44:58"}},"media_ids":["82661"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.chemistry.gatech.edu\/faculty\/bredas\/","title":"Bio of Jean-Luc Bredas"},{"url":"http:\/\/www.cordis.lu\/science-society\/descartes\/finalists2003.htm","title":"Descartes Prize Finalists for 2003"},{"url":"http:\/\/www.cordis.lu\/science-society\/descartes\/home.html","title":"The European Union\u0027s Descartes Prize"},{"url":"http:\/\/www.chemistry.gatech.edu\/","title":"School of Chemistry and Biochemistry"},{"url":"http:\/\/cos-web.admin.gatech.edu\/","title":"College of Sciences"}],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGeorgia Tech Media Relations\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ELaura Diamond\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:laura.diamond@comm.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Elaura.diamond@comm.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E404-894-6016\u003Cbr \/\u003EJason Maderer\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:maderer@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Emaderer@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E404-660-2926\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["matthew.nagel@comm.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}