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Big chicken
I can also recall interviewing Ovshinsky back in the mid 1970s when I worked for ...
BrianBailey
I can imagine that, and yet he was a man of great character who pushed on ...
RIP Stanford R. Ovshinsky
Brian Bailey
10/19/2012 1:00 PM EDT
The name may not be on the tip of your tongue, but Stanford Ovshinsky had the kind of impact on our industry that we probably all strive for. Over 400 patents were granted to him including an environmentally friendly nickel-metal hydride battery, continuous web multi-junction flexible thin-film solar energy laminates and panels; flat screen liquid crystal displays; rewritable CD and DVD discs; hydrogen fuel cells; and nonvolatile phase-change memory. Perhaps his biggest impact was in the area of amorphous and disordered materials, work that he started in the 40’s and 50’s. He helped found a new field of physics that studies the electronics of amorphous materials resembling glass that helped lead to flat-panel displays, solar cells and many other breakthroughs.
Ovshinsky was born in Akron, Ohio in 1922. After graduating from high school, he went straight to work. For those of you who never went to college, you are in good company. Mr, yes that is Mr Ovshinsky is self-taught, without formal college or graduate training.
He died on October 17th 2012 at the age of 89 from prostate cancer. Your name may not be remembered but your legacy will.
Brian Bailey – keeping you covered
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Michael Dunn
10/19/2012 8:10 PM EDT
Ovshinsky and Ovonics were in my lexicon, but I didn't realize the breadth of his contributions. Thanks for your note.
If only a lack of education could put me in his and Jim Williams' league :-o
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resistion
10/20/2012 4:15 AM EDT
Think again when applying for your kid's college loan.
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trigoli
10/24/2012 8:02 AM EDT
I can recall interviewing Ovshinsky some 40 years ago when I was west coast editor for EDN Magazine. At that time and several years to follow, his amorphous Ovonics technology was viewed with great skepticism, I think part due to his drive to promote his company's stock and part due to his lack of credentials. No doubt his legacy will remind us that college degrees are not a pre-requisite to become a genius.
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BrianBailey
10/24/2012 10:23 AM EDT
I can imagine that, and yet he was a man of great character who pushed on regardless - probably because he knew and believed in himself.
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Big chicken
10/24/2012 4:00 PM EDT
I can also recall interviewing Ovshinsky back in the mid 1970s when I worked for IEEE Spectrum Magazine as a technical editor. I subsequently wrote an article for the magazine on his work in Ovonics and it received a lot of reader interest.
The fact that he had no formal college education comes as a surprise to me since he struck me as a very intelligent person who knew his physics and sciences. Many other industry technical figures I interviewed for this artice (including Gordon Moore)thought highly of him
Roger Allan
Contributing Editor
Electronic Design Magazine
Energy, Efficiency & Technology (EE&T) Magazine
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May he rest in peace.
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