1998 Buessem Award Recipient

Gene Haertling received his B.S. degree in ceramic engineering from the University of Missouri at Rolla in 1954. His M.S. and Ph.D. degrees, also in ceramic engineering, were earned from the University of Illinois in 1960 and 1961, respectively. From 1961 to 1973, he held staff and managerial positions at Sandia National Laboratories. During this time, he developed the first transparent ferroelectric ceramics, the PLZT (lead lanthanum zirconate titanate) materials, which are now used in both military and commercial applications. From 1974-1987, he was Vice-President of the Technical Staff and manager of the ceramic research group at Motorola, Inc., in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Just prior to joining Motorola, he was president of Optoceram, Inc., a small, entrepreneurial company he founded, which was engaged in the development and manufacture of PLZT electrooptic ceramics. After briefly serving on the faculty of University of Missouri-Rolla from 1987-1988, Dr. Haertling joined the Ceramic Department of Clemson University as the Bishop Distinguished Professor of Ceramic Processing. While at Clemson, he developed the special process for producing high displacement, piezoelectric ceramic materials known as RAINBOW (Reduced and Internally Biased Oxide Wafer) ceramics. Recently retired from active teaching, Gene is Professor Emeritus of Clemson University and is presently located in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Gene is a member of the National Academy of Engineers, the American Ceramic Society, IEEE, Materials Research Society, National Institute of Ceramic Engineers, and Sigma Xi. He is a Fellow of both the IEEE and the American Ceramic Society and is a co-holder of 10 patents in the area of ferroelectric and electrooptic ceramic materials and devices. He has published 85 papers and 3 book chapters on electronic ceramics.

The Center for Dielectric Studies presented Dr. Haertling with the Wilhelm R. Buessem Award at the CDS Awards Dinner on October 29, 1998.