PPG Industries' Charles Bunch, chairman and CEO, along with Charles Kahle the company's chief technology officer, recognized four science and technology leaders into the PPG Collegium. The individuals were selected based on their accomplishments and contributions to PPG's innovations.One of those inducted into the PPG Collegium was Bill Blackburn. Blackburn has contributed to PPG's technologies and businesses related to automotive coatings and Transitions Optical Inc. He is the inventor/co-inventor on 18 granted U.S. patents.
PPG also acknowledged Jean Barjot for her work. Barjot retired in 2011 as director of decorative coatings systems technology for PPG's European automotive coatings business and spent 30 years at PPG developing technologies to improve automotive coatings. Barjot was a committee member of Surcar, an international conference on automotive finishing, as well as a board member for PPG Kansai Automotive Finishes, France, the French affiliate of the joint venture between PPG and Kansai Paint.
Hong Li was also recognized for his contributions including three new glass compositions developed or adapted for fiberglass commercial production in the wind power, corrosion resistance and high-performance electronics markets. Li has had more than 70 pieces published in peer-reviewed journals, and is named in more than 20 patents and patent applications. He was recently named a fellow of the American Ceramic Society.
Dennis O'Shaughnessy was also inducted into the PPG Collegium. O'Shaughnessy was selected as a co-recipient of the PPG President's Award for outstanding technical achievement in 2000 and 2006. The author of eight U.S. patents and pending patent applications, O'Shaughnessy also participates on the U.S. Department of Energy's panel on organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) for solid-state lighting.
"Members of the collegium personify the research, innovation and technology leadership that has transformed and recreated PPG businesses time and again," says Kahle. "They are our R&D brain trust, inspiration and catalyst for future success. Election to the collegium is the highest honor that PPG bestows on the members of its technical community."
