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Jesser Elected to ORAU Board of Directors

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 11, 2004
FY04-20

OAK RIDGE, Tenn.— William A. Jesser, professor of materials science and engineering at the University of Virginia, was elected to the Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) Board of Directors at the 59th annual meeting of the ORAU Council of Sponsoring Institutions held in Washington, D.C. The board provides policy and fiduciary oversight of ORAU operations for its membership.

Jesser joined the University of Virginia faculty in 1968, where he has published more than 140 papers and co-edited four books. He holds a Ph.D. in physics and master’s and bachelor’s degrees in physics, all from the University of Virginia.

As a materials scientist, Jesser is researching the processing of nanoscale materials, 1/100th of the diameter of a human hair, with the use of pulsed laser beams. These materials have potential electronic and optical applications in sensors and computers. He is also exploring the use of thermoelectric materials as decentralized cooling equipment for applications ranging from submarines to desktops computers.

Since 1978, Jesser has taught at research and higher education institutions around the world during the summer session. He has taught at Nagoya University, Japan; the University of Witwatersrand, South Africa; the University of South Africa; Pretoria University, South Africa; Hunan University, China; and the University of Port Elizabeth, South Africa.