We are pleased to announce that Katrina Cornish has joined the faculty at OSU’s Horticulture and Crop Science department at OARDC-Wooster as an Ohio Research Scholar and holds an Endowed Chair in Bio-based Emergent Materials. This key position is one of three Ohio Research Scholars at OSU founded by an Ohio Department of DevelopmentOhio Research Scholars Program award, Technology-Enabling and Emergent Materials, with IMR Director Steve Ringel as the Principal Investigator.
Dr. Katrina Cornish is the leading U.S. scientific expert, and is internationally recognized as a principal authority, on alternative natural rubber production, properties and products, and on natural rubber biosynthesis in general. Her research focuses on bioemergent materials including exploitation of opportunity feedstocks from agriculture and food processing wastes for value-added products and biofuels. Her inventions at USDA were licensed by Yulex and form the foundation of the US domestic rubber industry. Dr. Cornish led the USDA’s development of domestic natural rubber and rubber latex sources for >15 years. Post-USDA, as Senior Vice President, Research & Development at Yulex, Dr. Cornish oversaw the company’s ongoing research, development, production, validation and regulatory programs for the commercialization of Guayule latex for safe medical devices and specialty consumer products, including extramural programs.
To read more about Dr. Cornish and her research, click here for the full press release from OARDC.
Please join us in welcoming Dr. Cornish to The Ohio State University, and to OSU’s materials community. Dr. Cornish will be speaking on “Emergent Biomaterials Emphasizing Alternative Natural Rubber” at next week’s 2010 OSU Materials Week on Wednesday, September 15th during the late morning Cross Cutting Session in Bio-Materials and Bio-Based Products.