Dr. Keizo Uematsu, Professor of Nagaoka University of Technology (NUT), was selected as the winner of the 19th KONA Award, which is sponsored by Hosokawa Powder Technology Foundation and given to the scientist(s) or group(s) who have achieved distinguished research works in the field of particle science and technology.
Dr. Uematsu received BS (1969) and MS (1971) from Tokyo Institute of Technology (TIT), and Ph.D. in Ceramics (1976) from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. After working as a post-doctoral fellow at MIT, he returned to TIT where he worked for several years as a Research Associate. In 1985 he moved to NUT as an associate professor. He was promoted to the position of full professor in 1991. He served as the director of Library from 2009 to 2011.
He made a great contribution to the particle science and technology through the establishment of processing-structure-property relationship for advanced alumina ceramics. The basis of research was the development of powerful characterization tools for analyzing the packing structures of particles in ceramic green compacts and macro-defects in ceramics in 1990s. They consist of preparation of transparent specimen by the addition of immersion liquid and thinning for green compacts and ceramics, respectively, and the subsequent examination by optical microscopes in the transmission mode. They could identify origins of macro-defects, as well as deformation and cracking of ceramics during manufacturing. Systematic study on ceramic processing successfully showed changes of structures explicitly from raw powders to final ceramics. He could show answers for many important problems in the production of ceramics, leading to the establishment of basis for high reliability and reduction of production costs in ceramics.
On January 25, 2012, Mr. Yoshio Hosokawa, President of the Foundation, handed the 19th KONA Award to Dr. Uematsu at the presentation ceremony held at Hosokawa Micron Corporation in Hirakata.
