Tien Named Ohio Eminent Scholar in Physics A new link between the College of Arts and Sciences and the School of Engineering has been forged with the selection of Norman Tien as an Ohio Eminent Scholar with an appointment in the department of physics.
Tien joined the Case faculty in January as the Nord Professor of Engineering and chair of the department of electrical engineering and computer science. His research interests are in micro- and nanotechnology: the fabrication of exceedingly small structures, tools, and instruments for use in communications, biomedical systems, and environmental monitoring.
The Ohio Eminent Scholars Program was established by the state Board of Regents as part of the $1.6 billion Third Frontier Project to expand Ohio’s high-tech research capabilities.
“Senior scholars such as Professor Tien drive Ohio’s technology-based economic development by attracting federal and industrial funding, as well as academically talented students and postdoctoral associates,” said Garrison Walters, interim chancellor of the Board of Regents.
In addition to its commercial applications, nanotechnology has significant research applications in physics. According to Cyrus Taylor, interim dean and chair of physics, facilities that Tien “is building or will oversee are of critical importance to the basic research programs of several of our existing faculty.”
In his new dual role, Tien plans to encourage collaborations between faculty members in Arts and Sciences and in Engineering. “Nanosciences and nanotechnology,” he explains, “are disciplines that cross over into many fields.”
Before coming to Case, Tien was chair of the department of electrical and computer engineering at the University of California at Davis. He also held an appointment at the University of California at Berkeley, where he served as co-director of the Sensor and Actuator Center. Earlier in his career, Tien was a member of the electrical engineering faculty at Cornell University.
| 
