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MSE Seminar: “Why Industrial Research Is Critical: A Brief History in the 20th and 21st Centuries”
November 7, 2019 at 10:45 AM - 11:45 AM
David Morse
Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, Corning Incorporated
Formal industrial research in the U.S. began at the beginning of the 20th century with the formation of a handful of U.S. R&D laboratories. Corning was one of those to establish an R&D effort in 1908.
The rise and fall over time of several of iconic R&D labs will be briefly discussed as will the factors that ensure the sustainability of the industrial R&D enterprise. Among those factors are the importance of the long-term view of patient money contrasted with the contemporary threat of activist investors viewing R&D as high cost/low value.
Corning’s R&D endeavors in technical glass science have shown remarkable sustainability since switching from common soda-lime glasses to specialty glasses in 1875 and naming the company the Corning Glass Works. The subsequent historical trajectory of life-changing inventions and innovations in materials science and engineering reflects the long-standing, critical role of R&D at Corning.
Dr. Morse will overview Corning’s approach and culture for materials invention and innovation, discuss the evolving product portfolio, and illustrate some emerging opportunities and new directions.