News

BLCS conference website now live

The website for the 2024 conference of the British Liquid Crystal Society is now live:
https://eng.ox.ac.uk/blcs/

29th International Liquid Crystal Conference (ILCC 2024)

Dear Colleague,

The abstract submission for the ILCC 2024 was EXTENDED until March 05.
The ILCC 2024 will be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 21st – 26th July 2024.
Details on the website: https://www.ilcc2024.com/
On the website you will find information about Registration, Program, Hosting and Travel.
Do not miss the opportunity to attend this traditional forum dedicated to recent advances and perspectives in the field of liquid crystals.
We would be glad if you could divulge it in your research groups, Institutions and with collaborators.

Follow our social media:
Instagram: @ilcc2024rio
Twiter: @ILCC2024

See you in Rio!!

With best regards,
Prof. Hugo Gallardo and Prof. Ivan H Bechtold
Chairs of the ILCC 2024.

ILCS awards nominations - Technical issues

Dear colleagues,

We have recently migrated the ILCS web system to a new and modern location, but unfortunately, we cannot yet reliably accept nominations via the web-based system for the ILCS awards. The nomination process for 2024 is thus postponed until the technical issues with the website are resolved. We are working on this as a matter of urgency and will communicate the new deadline for the submission of nominations once the problems are resolved.

Sorry for any inconvenience and with best wishes,
Ingo Dierking

ILCS Student Travel Fund 2024

The aim of this student travel fund is to encourage graduate students and postdocs who graduated within the last three (3) years (referred to as “young researchers'') from a program related to the Liquid Crystal field, to attend international conferences organized by ILCS, SID, OSA, SPIE, IEEE, and/or other conferences approved by FRL Research. Additionally, young researchers whose study/research is outside of the Liquid Crystal field may also apply for the travel fund. Conferences must cover topics in one (1) of the following fields: AR/VR, optics, displays, and photonics in general. Fifteen (15) individual travel funds at $500 per student will be issued annually, using eligibility criteria outlined below. The travel fund is intended to be used to cover travel expenses for a student attending a qualifying conference.

More information you may find here.

29th International Liquid Crystal Conference (ILCC 2024)

Dear Colleague,

As chairs of the 29th International Liquid Crystal Conference (ILCC 2024) we cordially invite you to attend this traditional forum dedicated to recent advances and perspectives in the field of liquid crystals https://www.ilcc2024.com/.

Abstract submission is open until the February 15, 2024.

The local organizing committee offers registration fee waivers for students to attend the ILCC 2024. The deadline for application is January 20, 2024. More details: https://ilcc2024.com/registration/

We would be glad if you could divulge it in your research groups, Institutions and with collaborators. Follow our social media:
Instagram: @ilcc2024rio
Twiter: @ILCC2024

Looking forward to seeing you in Rio.
With best wishes,

Prof. Hugo Gallardo and Prof. Ivan H Bechtold
Chairs of the ILCC 2024.

ILCC 2024: abstract submission is open

Dear Colleagues,
The abstract submission is open at the ILCC 2024 website.
Also, with information about Registration, Program, and Travel.
We would be glad if you could divulge it in your research groups, Institutions, and with collaborators. Please, follow our social media:
Instagram: @ilcc2024rio
Twitter: @ILCC2024

See you in Rio!!
With best regards,

Prof. Hugo Gallardo and Prof. Ivan H Bechtold
Chairs of the ILCC 2024

Prof Robert Meyer has sadly passed away

It is with great sadness that I have to inform the liquid crystal community that we have lost one of our outstanding members. Robert Meyer has passed away on the 17th of November. Bob was an outstanding physicist and has greatly contributed to the field of liquid crystals for many decades. His loss will surely leave a void that cannot be filled.

Ingo Dierking

FRL Research-ILCS Liquid Crystal Research Excellence Award 2023

Dear ILCS Members:

I write to encourage applications for the 2023 Facebook Reality Labs (FRL) Research-ILCS Liquid Crystal Research Excellence Awards.

The deadline for applications is November 1, 2023.

Three awards (Diamond Award of $5,000; Platinum Award of $3,500 and Gold Award of $2,500) will be given to recognize contributions involving liquid crystal research that have the potential to impact the broad field of augmented reality/virtual reality (AR/VR).

To be eligible, an applicant must be a graduate student currently enrolled in a Masters or Ph.D. program, or a postdoc in an academic research group who graduated within three (3) years from the application date (November 1, 2023). An applicant must have a proven track record of achieving significant results, as demonstrated by first-authored publications in leading research journals, or relevant conference presentations organized by ILCS, SID, OSA, SPIE, IEEE or similar. The research area of the applicants must broadly related the AR/VR field, including but not limited to optics, displays, sensing, and haptics for AR/VR purposes.

Regards
Nick Abbott
Chair, ILCS Honors and Awards Committee

Prof Mortimer Labes passed away

I have been informed that our long-time colleague Prof Mortimer Labes of Temple University, Philadelphia, USA, passed away peacefully at his home in July this year. Mortimer was one of the founding members of the journal Molecular Crystals and Liquid Crystals and acted as its editor-in-chief for more than 50 years.

Ingo Dierking

Latest issue of LC Today is out now

The latest issue of Liquid Crystals Today has just been published. I hope it provides you with some interesting reading.

Web Address: https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/tlcy20/32/1

Prof Harry Coles passed away

I sadly have to inform the liquid crystal community that our colleague and friend Prof Harry Coles has passed away on the 29th of May 2023 following a long illness. Harry was Professor of Molecular Materials at the Engineering Department of Cambridge University, UK, where in his active time he was also heading the Centre of Molecular Materials for Photonics and Electronics.

Ingo Dierking

Prof Helmut Ringsdorf passed away

I am deeply saddened to have to inform the ILCS of the passing of Prof Helmut Ringsdorf on the 20th of March 2023 at the age of 94. He was one of the leading figures in our field and will surely be missed deeply.

Ingo Dierking

Prof Lev Blinov passed away

It is with great sadness that I have to bring you the news the our colleague and friend Lev Blinov has passed away on the 16th of March 2023 at the age of 83. Many will have known Lev personally, the younger generation possibly rather from his book on the electro-optics of liquid crystals, but he certainly was one of the very well-known figures in our community.

Ingo Dierking

New job advertisements

Please check our new job advertisements:

PhD Students
Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Honk Kong.

PhD Position Sfeer Project
Eindhoven University of Technology, Netherlands.

1 Early-Stage Researcher position at TU/e (NL) within MSCA-ITN STORM-BOTS
Eindhoven University of Technology, Netherlands.

Post Doctoral Fellow
Trinity College Dublin, University of Dublin, Ireland.

16th European Conference on Liquid Crystals

The 16th European Conference on Liquid Crystals (ECLC2023) will be held from July 10-14, 2023 at the University of Calabria, Rende, Italy.
For more information on topics, travel, submission deadlines etc. please see the website: https://www.eclc2023.eu/

Latest issue of LC Today is out now

The latest issue of Liquid Crystals Today has just been published. We hope it provides you with some interesting reading.

Web Address: https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/tlcy20/31/3

Call for Applications to Host the 30th International Liquid Crystal Conference (Summer, 2026)

Call for Applications to Host the 30th International Liquid Crystal Conference (Summer, 2026)

The following is a guide for those interested in submitting applications to host the 30th International Liquid Crystal Conference (Summer, 2026). The deadline for submissions is March 20, 2023, but people intending to submit applications are strongly urged to contact me well in advance. I will do my best to make sure that applications are in the proper format before they are sent to the ILCS Board for a vote. ILCS Board - https://www.ilcsoc.org/about/board-of-directors/

There is no form for the application, but applications should include the following information.
1. Name of city, address, and short description of the conference locations.
2. Name and address of the prospective Conference Chairman, Conference Secretary, and other members of the Organizing Committee. Name and address (also telephone, and e-mail of a person from whom further information can be requested). Please note experience in organizing conferences.
3. Description of the facilities for the conference, including available lecture rooms and capacities, space for posters, copying facilities, internet connections, dining facilities, connection to public transport, parking.
4. Description of the types of accommodation: quality, price range, location, connection by public transport with the conference site, railway, airport.
5. Social facilities and program.
6. Provisional budget: expected expenses and receipts, planned registration fee, external sponsorship. Please note that a modest loan from the ILCS is possible to help with the expenses of planning the conference.
7. Any further information that you think will support your application.

In addition, to both expedite the application process and to ensure fairness, I request that all submitted materials be electronic, suitable for sending either as a text file or as an attachment. (In the interest of simplicity, I suggest sending PDF files.) In the past, some applications have been accompanied by general brochures about the host city. Since Board members will not be able to consult these during the decision-making process, I do not believe they are particularly useful. Alternatively, a URL containing information about the host city and/or conference facilities could be consulted by Board members.

Finally, while it is both appropriate and desirable for local convention centers to assist in preparing a conference application, it is essential that there be full support from local and/or national scientific bodies. In the past, the actual application has always been submitted through such bodies.

The recipients of this news should feel free to distribute this among colleagues who might be interested in organizing the conference.

Jun Yamamoto
Vice-President, International Liquid Crystal Society
yamamoto.jun.4r(at)kyoto-u.ac.jp

ILCC2024 in Brazil announced

Dates for the next International Liquid Crystal Conference in 2024 have been announced by the organisers. The meeting will take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from 21-26th of July 2024. More information can be found at their website.

Web Address: https://www.ilcc2024.com/

Nominations for the FRL-ILCS awards

I write to encourage applications for the 2022 Facebook Reality Labs (FRL) Research-ILCS Liquid Crystal Research Excellence Awards.
The deadline for applications is September 15, 2022.
Additional details (including instructions for submission of applications) can be here.

Regards
Nick Abbott
Chair, ILCS Honors and Awards Committee

Prof. Gerd Heppke passed away

It distresses me to have to pass on the sad news that Prof. Gerd Heppke from the Technical University of Berlin, Germany, has passed away on June 4th at the age of 82. Prof. Heppke was a distinguished researcher in the field of liquid crystals and an excellent teacher of Physical Chemistry. I am sure he will be missed by many colleagues and friends.

Ingo Dierking

A short obituary written by Prof Heinz Kitzerow can be found here.

Ukrainian Scholar Support Fund

This fund will enable Kent State University (its Colleges, Departments, Institutes, and Initiatives) to host scientists, scholars, and students from the Ukraine on a temporary basis to continue their work and research as part of an International Visitor (Visiting Scholar) program. This fund was established thanks to equally generous gifts by Elda & Torsten Hegmann as well as John West & Cevin West Cole.

Web Address: https://www.kent.edu/amlci/news/ukrainian-scholar-support-fund

Prof. Jan Jadżyn passed away

It is with great sadness that I have to inform the society that our friend and colleague Prof Jan Jadżyn has very recently passed away. Jan was emeritus professor at the Institute of Molecular Physics Polish Academy of Sciences. He was an eminent researcher of the dielectric properties of complex liquid systems, a scientist with extensive knowledge and great authority. With Jan Jadżyn’s death we lost an outstanding colleague far too soon.

Prof. Mark Warner FRS passed away

It is with great sadness that I have to inform the society that our friend and colleague Prof Mark Warner FRS has very recently passed away. Mark was emeritus professor at the Cavendish laboratories of the University of Cambridge and one of the founders of the field of liquid crystalline elastomers. He was an eminent physicist, a Fellow of the Royal Society and an honorary fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand. Prof Warner has received a variety of prizes and awards, among them the Bragg Medal of the Institute of Physics, the GW Gray Medal of the British Liquid Crystal Society, the EuroPhysics Prize of the European Physical Society, the Maxwell Medal of the Institute of Physics and the Alexander von Humboldt Research Prize. With Mark Warner’s death we lost an outstanding colleague far too soon.

Nomination for 2022 ILCS Honors and Awards

Dear ILCS Members:

I write to encourage you to nominate your outstanding colleagues for 2022 International Liquid Crystal Society (ILCS) honors and awards. ILCS honors and awards include the Glenn H. Brown Prize, the Michi Nakata Early Career Award, the LG and Samsung Mid-Career Awards, the Honored Member Award, and the Pierre Gilles de Gennes ILCS Prize.

The nomination window closes on February 15, 2022. All honors and awards will be presented to recipients at the 28th ILCC meeting to be held July 24-29, 2022, in Lisbon, Portugal. Nominations that reflect the full diversity of our community are encouraged.

Nominations for all ILCS awards are submitted using the on-line nomination forms for each category available at https://www.ilcsoc.org/awards/. Additional guidelines can be found below.

Best regards

Nick Abbott
Chair, ILCS Honors and Awards Committee



General Procedures for the ILCS Honors and Awards

https://www.ilcsoc.org/members/honors_awards/nomination.php

• Nominations for all ILCS awards are submitted using the on-line nomination forms for each category available in https://www.ilcsoc.org/awards/. The nomination window opens on December 1, 2021 and closes on February 15, 2022.
• Invitations to nominate candidates for the Glenn H. Brown Prize, the Michi Nakata Early Career Award, the LG and Samsung Mid-Career Awards, the Honored Member Award, and the Pierre Gilles de Gennes ILCS Prize will be made through a communication to the ILCS membership and advertised via the Society's website for the 2022 ILCC at which the prizes are to be awarded.
• For the 2022 ILCS Honors and Awards, the nomination materials should be submitted using the on-line submission forms by the 15th of February, 2022.
• Members of the Honors and Awards Committee, Executive Committee, and the Board may not normally nominate a candidate for ILCS awards. If a member of any of these bodies does nominate an individual for a particular ILCS award, they will not participate in any action pertaining to the selection process for that particular award, and will be barred from receiving any information related to the nominations and prizes for that award until the decisions are announced to the general membership.
• Two months before 2022 ILCC, the Chair and members of the Honors and Awards Committee will make selections for awards through discussions resulting in unanimous agreement on each award winner. The Chair and members of the Committee may discuss nominees with the President in situations where guidance on the selection of a nominee is required.
• The process will be confidential. Identities of nominators and nominees will not be revealed during the selection. The identities of all nominators and unsuccessful nominees will remain confidential.
• The process of selection should remain impartial. Any conflicts of interest, for example, where an Honors and Awards Committee member belongs to the same institute as a nominee, will be managed by the Chair of the Committee and/or the President.
• The decision of the Honors and Awards Committee will be conveyed to the President of the Society for ratification by the Board at least seven weeks prior to the 2022 ILCC. If any of the Board members have real or perceived conflicts of interest, the President will inform that person and suggest that they abstain from deliberations and voting. Any member of the Board who serves on the Honors and Awards Committee shall also abstain from voting during ratification.
• The President shall have the authority to reject the selections of the Committee if proper procedures are not followed, for appearance of impropriety, and if the recommendations violate the rules and norms governing such awards. If this should occur, the President will seek agreement from the Board for the rejection and give the reasons for the rejection. The Chair or the Honors and Awards Committee shall refrain from lobbying the Board against the President's recommendation.

New ILCS web manager

It is my pleasure to announce that Anna Drzewicz from the Department of Soft Matter Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences will be our new web manager, starting in January 2022. Welcome to the ILCS Board of Directors.
At the same time I would like everybody to join me in extending my sincere thanks to Mateusz Mrukiewicz for all his hard work in setting up and designing our new website and his services to the society for the past 6 years. Thanks so much.

Ingo Dierking

ILCS-FRL award winners

It is my pleasure to announce the 2021 winners of the ILCS-FRL awards:

1. Jianghao Xiong (University of Central Florida) – Diamond Award
2. Kun Yin (University of Central Florida) – Platinum Award
3. Migle Stebryte (University of Ghent) – Gold Award

Please join me in congratulating all three awardees and wishing them all the best for their future careers.
Ingo Dierking

New issue of LC Today is online

The new issue of Liquid Crystals Today, Vol 30, issue 1, 2021, is now available online. It should make some interesting reading.

Ingo Dierking

Mathematics of complex materials

Royal Society Publishing has recently published a special issue of Philosophical Transactions A entitled "Topics in mathematical design of complex materials" compiled and edited by Xian Chen, Miha Ravnik, Valeriy Slastikov and Arghir Zarnescu and the articles can be accessed directly at the link.

I hope this will be of particular interest for our theory members, and I have negotiated free access to the issue until the end of June 2021.

Ingo Dierking

Professor Apala Majumdar, University of Strathclyde, won Suffrage Science Award

Professor Apala Majumdar from the University of Strathclyde has won a Suffrage Science Award for 2020 Maths and Computing. Dr Nina Snaith, University of Bristol, on her nomination of Professor Apala Majumdar, University of Strathclyde said: “Apala does outstanding research in liquid crystals and partially ordered materials. She stands out because of the vast array of collaborations she maintains, from pure mathematicians to projects with industry. Her absolute dedication to mathematics has led to a brilliant and prolific output of interdisciplinary work.”

For more information about the Majumdar group, visit https://pureportal.strath.ac.uk/en/persons/apala-majumdar and https://themajumdargroup.wordpress.com.

Announcement is available on: https://www.suffragescience.org/m-c-2020-award-handover

Maurice Kleman

I am sorry to pass on the sad news that Maurice Kleman passed away on the 29th of January 2021. He was a renowned expert in the experimental and theoretical study of defects, particularly also in relation to liquid crystals. Many of our members will be familiar with his classic book "Points, lines and walls: in liquid crystals, magnetic systems and various ordered media". A more detailed obituary will appear in Liquid Crystals Today in due time.

Ingo Dierking

18th International Conference on Ferroelectric Liquid Crystal - Polarity and Chirality in Soft Matter

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

Is it our great pleasure to invite you all to participate and submit your contributions to the 18th International Conference on Ferroelectric Liquid Crystals – Polarity and Chirality in Soft Matter, which will be held from 6th to 10th of September 2021 in Ljubljana (Slovenia).

We are looking forward to welcoming you in Ljubljana. The conference will take place regardless of the Covid-19 pandemic situation: preferably in person, alternatively with streaming option for those who will not be able to travel, or, in the unfortunate case that the pandemic will not allow us to meet in person, the conference will be held fully online.

Main topics of the FLC2021 include: Synthesis and design of polar and chiral liquid crystals, Structures of polar and chiral mesophases, Polar nematic liquid crystals, Simulation, modelling and theory, Physical properties of polar and chiral liquid crystals, Ferroelectric and ferromagnetic soft matter, Colloidal polar systems, Twist-bend phases, Liquid crystals and biology as well as Applications of polar and chiral liquid crystals.

List of confirmed speakers: http://flc2021.ijs.si/prog.html

You are invited to submit the abstracts via our online submission form found at the conference webpage:

Abstract submission is now open: http://flc2021.ijs.si/abss.html


With this mail you can also find attached the Second Circular. We would be grateful if you would print it out and post the attached flyer to help publicise the conference.

With best regards,

Alenka Mertelj

Conference Chair on behalf of the Organising Committee.

Obituary

It is with great sadness, that I would like to inform the liquid crystal community of the passing of Prof Wojtek Kuczynski of the Institute of Molecular Physics in Poznan, Poland. Those who knew him will agree with me, that Wojtek was a kind and very modest, yet excellent liquid crystal experimentalist and mentor. He will be greatly missed by friends and colleagues.

Ingo Dierking

WKuczynski (2)

Results of Election

Dear ILCS Members:

I am pleased to announce the results of the election of the next President and Vice President of the ILCS, which was held from April 1st, 2020 to May 15th, 2020. Ingo Dierking will be the next President, and Jun Yamamoto will be the next Vice President with the four year term until 2024.
The term begins at the general assembly to be held remotely on July 29th.

Thank you for your participation.
​Hiroshi Yokoyama
President, ILCS

Final Call for Voting

Dear ILCS Members:
I hope this email finds you all well.
I am writing to make the final call for your vote for the next President and Vice President of the ILCS.
So far, only slightly over 25% of active members have voted. We desperately would like to hear more.

If you have not voted yet, please vote at https://ilcsoc.org/members/election/president.php

The election will be closed on May 15th!
I thank the members who have already voted.

Stay safe.

Hiroshi Yokoyama
Presidient, ILCS

ILCC 2020 Postponed

Dear ILCS Members and Colleagues:

I hope this email finds you well in the time of coronavirus pandemic.
As announced on the website of the ILCC 2020 the Organizing Committee and the ILCS have made a decision to postpone the 28th ILCC to 2022.
Given the significance of this biennial event, we have been making every effort to minimize the negative impact of postponement. The honors and awards ceremony and the presentations by the awardees will be conducted on-line during the original conference period. Details will be communicated to you as soon as possible.

To keep our community alive and well through this difficult time, your understanding and contributions are very much appreciated.
Sincerely,
Hiroshi Yokoyama
President, ILCS
—————————————————————————
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

In response to the global pandemic caused by the novel coronavirus, the Organizer of the 28th International Liquid Crystal Conference (ILCC) and the International Liquid Crystal Society (ILCS) has made a decision to postpone the 28th ILCC in Lisbon for a similar week in 2022, dates to be confirmed. Information will be placed on the conference website. Consequently, the 29th ILCC to be held in Brazil is rescheduled to 2024. Postponement of the ILCC is unprecedented in the long history of the conference since its inception in 1965. The 28th ILCC has attracted enthusiastic submission of over 650 papers from all over the world and from all generations of scientists working at the frontier of the liquid crystal research. The real global nature of the liquid crystal community has made this decision inevitable to assure the safety of its members.

In order to make up for the loss of personal gathering in Lisbon this year, we are planning to hold the awards session on-line, to make sure that the awardees get their prizes and have a chance to present their research. We are diligently working out the specifics of the web-based presentations on the basis of on-going assessment of demand from the community.

The 28th ILCC in 2022 will refresh the program to reflect the up-to-date advances of the field.

We will keep you informed of any further development about the ILCC. Please visit the conference website often to get the latest information.

Other relevant information:
Participants who had already paid the ILCC2020 registration will receive a refund, please contact Ms. Madalena Almeida from Abreu.
Participants who had already booked a Hotel through Abreu (our Backoffice company), please contact Ms. Madalena Almeida from Abreu.
Participants who had already booked and paid the Students Residence Halls, please contact SASNOVA.
Finally, we apologize for the disappointment and inconvenience you may have. Your understanding and continued support is very much appreciated.

Best wishes for your health and wellbeing in this difficult time.

Election of President and Vice President

Dear ILCS Members:

First of all, I hope you and your family are doing well at the time of the global calamity caused by the novel coronavirus.

I am writing to you today about the election of the next President and Vice President of the International Liquid Crystal Society(ILCS).
Based on the nominations from the members, the Nominating Committee (Chair: Claudio Zannoni; Helena Godinho, Antonio Figueiredo Neto, Kattera A. Suresh, Wei Lee, Hiroshi Yokoyama) has selected four candidates as listed below:

President:
  • Heinz Kitzerow
  • Ingo Dierking

Vice President:
  • Jun Yamamoto
  • Ivan I. Smalyukh

For your reference, their Vision Statements and CVs are available at: https://ilcsoc.org/members/election/president.php, where you can also cast your vote. Please have a careful look at the statements. All active members of the society are entitled and encouraged to vote on the same webpage in the period starting from April 1st and ending on May 15th.


This is an important opportunity to reflect your voice in the future of the society.

Last not the least, I would like to extend my sincere wishes for your wellbeing.


Hiroshi Yokoyama
President, International Liquid Crystal Society (ILCS)


ILCS art contest jury of 2020

The International Liquid Crystal Society is pleased to announce that Professor Georg Mehl from the University of Hull, UK, will be a juror in 2020 of the ILCS art contest.

Georg Mehl obtained his PhD in Chemistry at the University of Freiburg in Germany. Currently he is Professor for Organic and Materials Chemistry at the Department of Chemistry, University of Hull, UK. His work focuses currently on the design and investigation of novel functional molecular and supra-molecular systems and nanoparticle-liquid crystal composites.

Jurors in previous years.

Nomination for 2020 ILCS Honors and Awards

Dear ILCS Members:

The ILCS has several different honors and awards for scientists and engineers at different career stages. These include:
1) The Glenn H. Brown Prizes for the best Ph.D. theses (four are usually awarded every two years);
2) The Michi Nakata Award for early career (postdoctoral) achievement;
3) The Samsung and LG Philips Display Mid-Career Awards (two separate awards);
4) The Pierre Gilles de Gennes Prize; and
5) Election as Honored Member.

The ILCS Awards are given biennially (once every two years) at the International Liquid Crystal Conference (ILCC). General rules governing the process for solicitation of nominations and selection of the winners can be found in the ILCS Bylaws. Nominations will be accepted from December 1, 2019 through February 15, 2020.  Detailed descriptions about the awards, eligibility and nomination guides are found here including the list of past recipients.

Nomination for the ILCS awards will be accepted online ONLY at:
https://www.ilcsoc.org/members/honors_awards/nomination.php

The last not the least caveat is that the eligibility for nomination is not limited to the members of ILCS.  I would like to encourage all of you to widely distribute this announcement to anybody who might have potential interest in the awards.

We look forward to having strong candidates.

The nomination period is from Dec 1, 2019 to Feb 15, 2020.

Dear ILCS member, if you wish to receive emails send by the society, for example about nominations, elections, calls etc., please see that you have included an up to date and working email address in your profile.


Sincerely,

Sin-Doo Lee
Chair, ILCS Honors and Awards Committee

Seoul National University, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Seoul, Korea

The new issue of Liquid Crystals Today has now been publish online

The new issue of Liquid Crystals Today has now been published online and is ready to view. Happy reading!

Liquid Crystal Today Editor
Ingo Dierking

17th International Ferroelectric Liquid Crystal Conference Early Bird Registration Deadline Extended

17th International Ferroelectric Liquid Crystal ConferenceEarly Bird Registration Deadline Extended


Dear Colleagues:

The Early Bird registration deadline for the 17th International Ferroelectric Liquid Crystal Conference, FLC 2019: Frontiers of Chirality and Polarity in Soft Matter, which will take place Sunday – Wednesday, August 4 – 7, 2019, on the campus of the University of Colorado Boulder has been extended to next Monday:

Monday, 10 June: new deadline for Early Bird Registration

FLC 2019 will feature presentations in all areas involving chirality and polarity in soft matter. All scientists interested in organic or inorganic nanomaterials chemistry and physics are cordially invited to submit abstracts for either oral or poster presentation.

* There are still several openings for Oral presentations. *

Information regarding abstract submission, invited and plenary speakers, accommodation, travel, and registration is available on the Conference website:

flc2019.colorado.edu

With best regards,
Joe Maclennan
for the Organizing Committee

Optics of Liquid Crystals 2019 - extension date  for abstract submission

Dear colleagues,

On behalf of the 18th edition of Optics of Liquid Crystals's committee, we would like to inform you that abstracts will be accepted up to April 30, 2019 midnight, Québec city time, to accommodate general request.

We are grateful to all of those who already submitted!

Visit our website to discover our Invited Speakers who already confirmed their participation.

Don't miss the opportunity to be a part of this important event !

Topics:
- Optics of traditional liquid crystalline materials
- Novel liquid crystalline materials and phenomena
- Liquid crystal optical components and devices
- Biophotonic applications of liquid crystalline materials

Submit your abstract before April 30, 2019

Please do not hesitate to contact us, If you have any questions or comments. We are looking forward to hearing from you and to seeing you in Québec City!

Tigran Galstian, Université Laval, and the Organizing Committee

15th European Conference on Liquid Crystals

15th European Conference on Liquid Crystals, June 30 - July 5, 2019, Wroclaw (Poland)

We are pleased to inform you that the abstract submission and registration for the 15th European Conference on Liquid Crystals are now open. The deadline for submitting your abstract and registration is 15 March 2019.

Please visit the conference website
www.eclc2019.pl for deadlines, registration details and arrival instructions (NEW!).

ECLC 2019 is an International Conference organized by Military University of Technology, Warsaw, under the auspices of the Polish Liquid Crystal Society.

We are looking forward to seeing you in Wroclaw,
With best regards,

Chairman:Marzena Tykarska
Co-chairs: Wiktor Piecek, Przemysław Kula
Chairman of the Programme Committee:Janusz Parka
Chairman of the Organizing Committee:Jerzy Zieliński

Wolfgang Haase passed away on Tuesday, 11th of December 2018

With sadness I would like to pass on to the liquid crystal community the information that I received yesterday from one of his long time collaborators, Eduardo Soto-Bustamante, that Prof Dr Wolfgang Haase has passed away last Tuesday. An obituary will appear in one of the next issues of LC Today. Our thoughts are with his wife and family.

Ingo Dierking

New reserch group webiste in Asia

We have added a new research group website in Asia:

State Key Laboratory of Advanced Displays and Optoelectronics Technology, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology


Research Groups around the world

New issue of Liquid Crystal Today

The latest issue of LC Today has just been published and is freely available on the Taylor&Francis website. This will be the last issue of 2017. All the best for the coming New Year.

Ingo Dierking

Soft Matter and Nanomaterials Lab

We have added a new research group website: Soft Matter and Nanomaterials Lab, U.S. Naval Academy, USA.

Research Groups

Dr. Patricia Elisabeth Cladis (1937 - 2017)

On July 3, 2017 the international liquid crystal community lost one of its pioneers, Patricia E. Cladis, who was also an Honored Member of the International Liquid Crystal Society (ILCS).

Obituary of Dr. Patricia Elisabeth Cladis (1937 - 2017)

Cliff Jones receives Katharine Burr Blodgett Medal of the IoP

Cliff Jones has been awarded one of the Institute of Physics' gold medals for 2017. Institute of Physics's gold medals reward outstanding and sustained contributions to physics by people of international reputation. Cliff has been recognised for his contributions to the application of physics in an industrial and commercial context. More information you will find on the website of the Institute of Physics (IOP).

ILCC 2020 in Portugal

The International Liquid Crystal Society is pleased to announce that Portugal was selected to host the 28th International Liquid Crystal Conference (ILCC), which will be held in Lisbon in 2020.

About ILCC

New Research Group in India: Soft Matter Research Group

Soft Matter Research Group at Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati joins to affiliated ILCS research groups.

New Research Group in India: Laboratory of Smart Materials and Supramolecular Chemistry

New research group website in India:

Chinese Liquid Crystal Society

I am pleased to inform you that the Chinese Liquid Crystal Society (Director, Prof. Li Xuan) has formally become an Affiliate Society Member of the ILCS. Today, China is one of the major contributors to the advancement of science and technology of liquid crystals. It has been much anticipated that CLCS joins the ILCS. This is the culmination of long efforts by the past presidents and leadership of the society. I would like to express my gratitude for their foresight and resilient endeavor.

Please join me to welcome CLCS as our new Society Member.

Hiroshi YOKOYAMA, Ph.D.
President, International Liquid Crystal Society (ILCS)

Facebook Page

Good news! International Liquid Crystal Society now has a Facebook Page, which you can visit by clicking here.


New Subpage: International Liquid Crystal Conference

We have added a new subpage about International Liquid Crystal Conference (ILCC).

Two-day conference on cholesteric lyotropic liquid crystals

On May 10-12, 2017, the Experimental Soft Matter Physics Group (headed by Jan Lagerwall) and the Theory of Soft Condensed Matter Group (headed by Tanja Schilling) of the University of Luxembourg are organizing Twisted, a focused conference on the physics, chemistry and applications of cholesteric lyotropic liquid crystals developing in colloidal suspensions of chiral nanorods. The conference is motivated by the rapidly growing interest in liquid crystals formed by nanocrystals of cellulose or chitin, filamentous viruses, carbon nanotubes and similar rod-like nanoparticles. Some of the world's leading researchers in the field are coming to Luxembourg for this two-day meeting, which will give an excellent view of the state of the art of research in the field. You can read more about the conference on its website: www.twisted.lcsoftmatter.com.

Welcome to our new website!

After months of hard work, we are pleased to welcome you to the newly redesigned website of the International Liquid Crystal Society. The website has been created by our webmaster - Mateusz Mrukiewicz.

Here are just some of the features we’d like to highlight:
  • The website is fully responsive, therefore it is much easier to use on mobile devices and tablets.
  • Visit the new Art Contest section gallery with beautiful liquid crystal pictures.
  • Find all the liquid crystal related events and submit your events as well.
  • Check out the Education section. Here you will find interesting teaching sources, e.g. books, web tutorials, education programs, and videos.
  • You can find the information about the research groups around the world led by ILCS members, just visit the Research Groups section.

This is the first stage of the changes and the work will continue to improve and develop our new site. We encourage you to explore the new site, although much has changed, all of the resources that we have created over the years are still part of the site.

We hope you enjoy the new look, please let us know what you think by sending an email. If you need assistance finding anything, please contact us.

Of course, please do share the news about our wonderful new site!



ILCS
www.ilcsoc.org

John Goodby is awarded the Royal Medal

We are pleased to announce that, John Goodby is awarded the Royal Medal, one of the most prestigious awards of the Royal Society.
Learn more

Results of ILCS Elections 2016

The results of the recent ILCS elections are as follows:

New President: Hiroshi Yokoyama
New Vice-President: Helena Godinho

Please join me in congratulating both on their new post, which will commence during the ILCC in August 2016 at Kent State University.

Ingo Dierking

Prof. J. Lagerwall finished his job as a webmaster

From 1st of January of 2016 Prof. Jan Lagerwall is no longer the webmaster of the ILSC web site. His duties are taken over by Mateusz Mrukiewicz, Ph.D. The International Liquid Crystal Society expresses its gratitude to Jan for his work as the webmaster from 2008 to 2015, which led to some major improvements and new functionalities of the web site.