The 11th edition of the Otto Schott Research Award was presented to French scientist Prof. Tanguy Rouxel (director of the Applied Mechanics Laboratory (LARMAUR), University of Rennes, France) for his …
The 11th edition of the Otto Schott Research Award was presented to French scientist Prof. Tanguy Rouxel (director of the Applied Mechanics Laboratory (LARMAUR), University of Rennes, France) for his research achievements in the area of mechanical properties of glasses and glassy materials. He received the EUR 25,000 award on 18 May 2010, in Corning, New York, during the 2010 Glass and Optical Materials Division Annual Meeting organized by The American Ceramic Society. Tanguy Rouxel initially started working in his original area of expertise of engineering, then deciding to focus on the mechanical properties of materials in general, before finally concentrating on speciality glasses. In this field, he began performing fundamental research on the glassy state of organic polymers and metallic glasses, as well as chalcogenides and oxide glasses. His approach to exploring the mechanical properties is based on the structure of glass in the atomic- and nano-value range. The work of Tanguy Rouxel is essential to gaining a better understanding of the elastic properties and deformation of glasses and how to reduce damages, Prof. Carlo Pantano, a member of the Board of Trustees, noted in his laudation on the selection of this year“s award winner. His ability to apply insights from what appear to be completely different fields to glass science and technology certainly ranks as one of his most remarkable skills, Prof. Pantano added. He also described Rouxel as an excellent networker who actively participates in numerous scientific projects. During his ceremonial address, Dr. Hans-Joachim Konz, a member of the Board of Management at Schott and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Ernst Abbe Fund, highlighted the immense importance of close cooperation between science and industry by saying: The exchange of knowledge and experience is what makes innovations possible, adding that Tanguy Rouxel is hardly a stranger to Schott. After all, he and the company have been working together for years on exploring the strength of glass and the life expectancy of glass products. The Otto Schott Research Award is presented every other year in recognition of outstanding scientific achievements in basic research and technology development in the areas of special materials, components and systems for optics and electronics, solar power, health and lifestyle. This year, for the first time, research work in the area of mechanics and mechanical properties has been recognized.