The SVC Foundation provides annual scholarships to students studying a field related to vacuum coating technology. The number of scholarships each year has grown through the generosity of our donors, who have helped establish various endowments to further our cause. The SVC Foundation is very thankful to ALL of our generous donors. Those that have established perpetual funds for our College Scholarships are listed below.
Helen & Rolf Illsley Scholarship
Established 2007
Support Type College Scholarships
Rolf Illsley was co-founder of Optical Coating Laboratory, Inc., (OCLI) and then President & Chairman of the Board until his retirement in 1991. Helen joined OCLI in 1963, as Rolf’s assistant, and remained with the company until 1989 when Helen and Rolf married. OCLI was purchased by JDS Uniphase in 2000.
The Helen and Rolf Illsley fund is a reflection of Rolf’s commitment to helping the vacuum coating industry continue to grow.
John B. Fenn, Sr. Foundation Endowed Scholarship
Established 2007
Support Type College Scholarships
John Bennett Fenn received the 2002 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for development of electrospray Ionization (ESI), an important technique used in mass spectrometry.
John gave the Plenary Address at the 2004 SVC TechCon. Coupled with the interests of his son John B. Fenn, Jr., a long-time participant in the SVC, led to the creation of this scholarship. Committed to education and to solving problems of a practical and useful nature, he felt the SVC was a good venue for finding students with the same inclination
Bernard Henry AIMCAL-SVC Scholarship
Established 2009
Support Type College Scholarships
AIMCAL and the SVC, with participation of many donors, established The Bernard Henry AIMCAL and SVC Scholarship Fund in honor of the late Bernard Henry.
Bernard Henry made major contributions to science with his work on flexible gas barrier materials. From 2000, Bernard began work on polymer solar cells where he focused interest on transparent conducting materials like TiO2 and ZnO. Bernard also maintained a very active interest in the thin film barrier field and in 2006 became project manager for the production-scale web coater facility in the Oxford Materials Department.
J.A. Woollam Company Scholarship
Established 2016
Support Type College Scholarships
John A. Woollam is a Distinguished Professor at the University of Nebraska in Physics and Electrical Engineering. His research has focused on the study of thin films which led to his involvement in spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE). In 1987, he founded the J.A. Woollam Company to develop and enhance the state-of-the-art in SE instruments.
His dedication to science education involves funding and involvement in programs for middle-school through post-doctoral education levels. He strongly supports the SVC Foundation’s goal of encouraging students to continue advanced science education and get the excellent opportunity to present their work at the SVC TechCon.
Clark & Karen Bright Endowed Scholarship Honoring Angus Macleod
Established 2021
Support Type College or Industry Scholarships
Clark and Karen Bright have a strong commitment to the education of students pursuing science and engineering degrees. This endowed scholarship was created in honor of a great friend to them and the SVC, Angus Macleod, who passed away in 2021. This scholarship endowment will provide $2,500 annually for students working with Optical Thin Films and/or Transparent Conductive Thin Films, whether in the design, deposition and processing, thin film characterization, general study of these thin films or use in applications where a key or enabling feature is provided.
Both Clark and Angus had extensive careers in industry and encouraged early career individuals working in industry to attend the SVC Techcon. Thus, this scholarship is a natural extension of their on-going promotion of the SVC and the further education of those studying in similar fields.
Clark I. Bright
Clark has worked for small companies (such as Sierracin Corporation (now part of PPG Aerospace) and Delta V Technologies (a vacuum technology and custom equipment supplier, acquired by 3M) and large companies (e.g., Xerox Corporation in the Electro-Optical Systems Division and 3M in the Corporate Research Laboratory). He also started his own company, Optical and Conductive Coatings; an optical thin film coating business he led for 16 years before selling to and joining a company in Silicon Valley (Southwall Technologies, now part of Eastman Chemical). When he retired from 3M, and started a consulting company, Bright Thin Film Solutions LLC, they wrote, “During a career spanning more than 50 years, Clark has been a recognized leader in the global transparent conductor and vapor processing community.”
H. Angus Macleod
Angus was born and educated in Scotland and his first career opportunities were with various companies in the UK. He wrote the first edition of his book, “Thin-Film Optical Filters” while at an optical coatings company in the northeast of England. This book is now in its 5th edition and established Angus as an international expert in the area. Angus came to the United States in 1979 to join the University of Arizona as a professor and later as head of the Optical Science Center. Angus developed the thin film software that led to the formation of his company, the Thin Film Center, just as personal computing was becoming more available. Angus passed on April 29, 2021 at the age of 87, but will always be remembered as an outstanding educator, prolific researcher, mentor, and friend to so many.
