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One of the nation's most
coveted awards for inventors honors alumnus James Fergason,
who invented the first practical uses for LCD technology.
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Alumnus
Inventor Makes
Scientific Matter Crystal Clear
At a time when liquid crystals drew little interest in the academic world, James Fergason found a way to make them shine.
As inventor of the modern liquid crystal display
(LCD), the Mizzou alumnus has gained national attention for his
experiments with the substance over the past five decades. Fergason
had originally begun experimenting for the purpose of finding
a temperature-measuring device, but now innovations range from
mood rings to wrist watches to flat-panel televisions and medical
devices.
The Wakenda, Mo., native graduated from MU
with a bachelor's degree in physics in 1956 and later received
an honorary doctorate of science from the University in 2001.
After graduation, Fergason headed north to Pennsylvania where
he researched uses of liquid crystals at Westinghouse Research
Laboratories. He earned his first patent in 1963 and now holds
more than 130 U.S. patents and more than 500 foreign patents.
In 2006 Fergason received the Lemelson-MIT
Award, often considered the “Nobel Prize for inventors and
innovators.” Upon acceptance of the award, he had already
decided to give $200,000 out of the $500,000 prize to the MU Department
of Physics and Astronomy. James and his wife had previously
created the James L. and Dora D. Fergason Fund for Excellence
in Physics in 2001.
“Providing the opportunity to excel
in the hard sciences has been difficult because of a lack of interest
on the part of society and an opportunity to have the funding
to attract students to the required discipline of a career in
science,” Fergason said at the award ceremony. “I
hope this is a building block in a physics department that excels
and meets this need.”
Fergason's accomplishments also led him to
be inducted into the National
Inventors Hall of Fame in 1998.
Before Fergason's invention, LCD used a large
amount of power, had low visibility and a limited life span. After
receiving a patent for the LCD, a Switzerland watch company manufactured
the first LCD watch through Fergason's company. Now uses have
expanded from quartz watches to pocket calculators, computer monitors,
high definition televisions, medical devices and a variety of
consumer electronics. 
In 2001 Fergason invented and founded Fergason
Patent Properties. The company, which is based in Menlo Park,
Calif., is a property development and licensing company. Current
licensees include Sharp, Epson, Samsung and LG Phillips.
Fergason continues his work in the science
field. Through his company he works on projects improving the
LCD quality for flat-panel televisions, computer monitors and
projectors. As an independent inventor, he continues to refine
and update modern technology in the liquid crystal field.
His influential donations have not only contributed
to the physics department at Mizzou, but have also helped lay
the foundation of a multi-billion dollar LCD industry, making
the world a bit more crystal clear.
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Published by the Mizzou Alumni Association
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Last Update:
November 15, 2007
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