On February 6th, IMR Executive Director Steve Ringel was surprised at an Electrical and Computer Engineering department meeting with the awarding of a 2015 University Distinguished Scholar Award. Ohio State President Dr. Michael Drake presented Ringel with the award in front of ECE faculty and staff, members of Ringel’s research group, and IMR members and administrators. Ringel was nominated for this award by a committee of his peers, in recognition of his scholarly activities and international impact in electronic materials research focused toward the areas of advanced photovoltaics and wide bandgap semiconductor devices. President Drake, College of Engineering Dean David Williams, Senior Vice President for Research Carol Whitacre, and Senior Associate Vice President for Research Jan Weisenberger all spoke about Ringel’s far-reaching accomplishments in research, as well as his central role in propelling Ohio State to excellence in materials-allied research in part due to his leadership of the OSU Institute for Materials Research (IMR) and, most recently, as the Principal Investigator of the Materials and Manufacturing for Sustainability Discovery Theme Initiative.
The Distinguished Scholar Award, established in 1978, recognizes exceptional scholarly accomplishments by senior professors who have compiled a substantial body of research. The award is supported by the Office of Research. Recipients are nominated by their departments and chosen by a committee of senior faculty, including several past recipients of the award. Distinguished Scholars receive a $3,000 honorarium and a research grant of $20,000 to be used over the next three years.
Please join us in congratulating Steve on this well-deserved honor!