Webinar 27th April: Prof. Kenji Uchino: Introduction to Piezoelectric Actuators ‒ Professor’s Misconceptions Top 10 ‒
We are thrilled to announce the April webinar session for the UK & Ireland Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics and Frequency Control chapter. This event is a fantastic opportunity to share knowledge, foster collaboration, and build a strong community.
Introduction to Piezoelectric Actuators ‒ Professor’s Misconceptions Top 10 ‒
Prof. Kenji Uchino, Professor of Electrical Engineering, The Penn State University
The utilization of piezoelectric actuators in practical applications emerged in the late 1970s, marking the inception of significant investment in their development during the 1980s. This investment was directed towards the advancement of consumer applications, including the design of multilayer devices, the fabrication processes for portable electronic devices, and the development of ultrasonic motors for micro-robotics and smart structures. In the aftermath of the worldwide economic recession that occurred in the late 1990s, a period of decline ensued for piezoelectric actuators. However, recent social and environmental changes have led to a resurgence in the field, marking a sort of “renaissance” for these devices.
In order to stimulate young researchers in this area, the present author has created this teaching material, “Professor's Misconceptions Top 10.” The “piezoelectric actuator” is a truly interdisciplinary field, with contributions from materials, electrical, and mechanical engineers. Due to their limited expertise, young professors may, on occasion, impart their knowledge to students in a manner that is not aligned with the most current or accurate understanding of the subject matter. Over the course of my 50-year career, I have accumulated a substantial body of knowledge, both as an academic authority and an industrial executive. In the process, I have encountered a wide array of misconceptions held by professors. This paper will review the top 10 among these. The initial series of True/False tests that follow have been determined to be incorrect. In the event that no “False” is identified, the individual is considered a “serious patient,” and the recommendation is for the individual to undertake this tutorial course as a prescribed treatment.
In order to provide a long-term research strategy, the author also presents the application trends in the 21st century. In the contemporary global context, there is an increasing emphasis on regulations that address ecological and human health concerns. The utilization of technology initiated by governments, often referred to as “politico-engineering,” has become imperative in this regard.
We encourage you to distribute this event to your own networks to maximize participation and engagement.
Please join us using the link below:
https://uofglasgow.zoom.us/j/81632325463
Meeting ID: 816 3232 5463
Thank you for your support, and we look forward to seeing you at the webinar!
On behalf of the UK & Ireland Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics and Frequency Control Chapter:
Katy Tant (Chair)
Andrew Feeney (Vice-Chair)
Koko- Lam (Secretary)
Andrew Reid (Treasurer)
Weihuan Kong (Events)
Alicia Gardiner (Publicity)
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- Starts 24 March 2026 03:00 PM UTC
- Ends 26 April 2026 10:00 AM UTC
- No Admission Charge
Speakers
Professor Kenji Uchino of the Pennsylvania State University
Biography:
Kenji Uchino, one of the pioneers in piezoelectric actuators, is Academy Professor at Emeritus Academy Institute, Electrical Engineering, was Founding Director of International Center for Actuators and Transducers, Materials Research Institute, and was Professor of EE and MatSE, Distinguished Honors Faculty of Schreyer Honors College at The Pennsylvania State University. He was Associate Director (US Navy Ambassador to Japan) at The US Office of Naval Research – Global Tokyo Office from 2010 till 2014. He was also the Founder and Senior Vice President & CTO of Micromechatronics Inc., State College, PA from 2004 till 2010. After being awarded his Ph. D. degree from Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan, he became Research Associate/Assistant Professor (1976) in Physical Electronics Department at this university. Then, he joined Sophia University, Japan as Associate Professor in Physics Department in 1985. He was then recruited from The Penn State University in 1991. He was also involved with Space Shuttle Utilizing Committee in NASDA, Japan during 1986-88, and Vice President of NF Electronic Instruments, USA, during 1992-94. He was the Founding Chair of Smart Actuators/Sensors Committee, Japan Technology Transfer Association sponsored by Ministry of Economics, Trading and Industries, Japan from 1987 to 2014, and a long-term Chair of International Conference on New Actuators, Messe Bremen, Germany during 1997-2022. He is currently Editor-in-Chief of J. Ferroelectrics, Taylor & Francis, J. Actuators, MDPI, J. Current Applied Materials, J. Current Mechanics and Advanced Materials, Bentham Science Pub. Ltd., and J. Insight-Material Science, PiscoMed Publishing LLT. Uchino served as Administrative Committee Member (Elected) of IEEE Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics and Frequency Control (1998-2000) and as Secretary of American Ceramic Society, Electronics Division (2002-2003).
His research interest is in solid state physics, especially in ferroelectrics and piezoelectrics, including basic research on theory, materials, device designing and fabrication processes, as well as application development of solid state actuators/sensors for precision positioners, micro-robotics, ultrasonic motors, smart structures, piezoelectric transformers and energy harvesting. K. Uchino is known as the discoverer/inventor of the following famous topics: (1) lead magnesium niobate (PMN)-based electrostricive materials, (2) cofired multilayer piezoelectric actuators (MLA), (3) superior piezoelectricity in relaxor-lead titanate-based piezoelectric single crystals (PZN-PT), (4) photostrictive phenomenon, (5) shape memory ceramics, (6) magnetoelectric composite sensors, (7) transient response control scheme of piezoelectric actuators (Pulse-Drive technique), (8) micro ultrasonic motors, (9) multilayer disk piezoelectric transformers, and (10) piezoelectric loss characterization methodology. He has authored 612 papers, 91 books and 33 patents in the ceramic actuator area. 71 papers/books among his publications have been cited more than 100 times, leading to his average h-index 83. Total citation number 37,600 and annual average citation number 1,500 are very high in College of Engineering.
He was also awarded his MBA degree from St. Francis University (2008), and authored a textbook, “Entrepreneurship for Engineers” for College of Business. He is a Life Fellow Member of American Ceramic Society, IEEE (since 2012), Fellow of Ceramics Society of Japan, International Assoc. of Advanced Materials, and Senior Member of National Academy of Inventors since 2019, and also is a recipient of 34 awards, including Japan Ceramics Grand Prix from Japanese Ceramics Society (2022), Wilhelm R. Buessem Award from the Center for Dielectrics and Piezoelectrics, The Penn State University (2019), Distinguished Lecturer of the IEEE UFFC Society (2018), International Ceramic Award from Global Academy of Ceramics (2016), IEEE-UFFC Ferroelectrics Recognition Award (2013), Inventor Award from Center for Energy Harvesting Materials and Systems, Virginia Tech (2011), Premier Research Award from The Penn State Engineering Alumni Society (2011), the Japanese Society of Applied Electromagnetics and Mechanics Award on Outstanding Academic Book (2008), SPIE (Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers), Smart Product Implementation Award (2007), R&D 100 Award (2007), ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers) Adaptive Structures Prize (2005), Outstanding Research Award from Penn State Engineering Society (1996), Academic Scholarship from Nissan Motors Scientific Foundation (1990), Best Movie Memorial Award at Japan Scientific Movie Festival (1989), and the Best Paper Award from Japanese Society of Oil/Air Pressure Control (1987).