Kent State History: Digital Archive

Liquid Crystal Oral History: Groom, Merrill

Kent State History: Digital Archive

Liquid Crystal Oral History: Groom, Merrill

Transcription Show Transcript
Title Liquid Crystal Oral History: Groom, Merrill
Author/Photographer Crawford, Matthew James
Groom, Merrill
Description

An oral history interview with Merrill Groom, Research Engineer at the Liquid Crystal Institute (LCI)  at Kent State University. This interview is part of the Liquid Crystal Oral History Project. Groom shares of the development of his educational and professional careers. Born and raised in Norton, Ohio, Groom went into the Marine Corps where he spent a few months in Vietnam and California during the Vietnam War. After leaving the Marine Corps, he attended Kent State, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in physics. Groom’s interest in science started from a young age and became the focus of his career after graduation. Throughout his career, Groom worked at companies such as Clevite (1971-1972), Addressograph-Multigraph (1976-1977), and Comtec (1980-1986). Beginning as an instrument technician (1986-1993) at the Liquid Crystal Institute, he later became an instrument engineer (1993-1999) then a research engineer (1999-2022). Groom’s work in repairing and installing instruments proved vital to conducting research at the LCI, with improvements such as installing wires to connect the LCI to the internet through BITNET or building devices for graduate students' use. He has experienced many transitional changes at the LCI, but continued to create projects that assisted research, both with students and faculty members. 


Sponsors: The Liquid Crystal Oral History Project is funded in part by the Ohio History Fund, a grant program of the Ohio History Connection. Your donations to the Ohio History Fund make this program possible.
Decade 2020-29
Subject(s) Audio Recording
Institutes and Centers
Format of Original audio digital file
Repository Special Collections and Archives
Finding aid title Finding Aid for the Liquid Crystal Oral History Project records
Access Rights This digital object is owned by Kent State University and may be protected by U.S. Copyright law (Title 17, USC). Please include proper citation and credit for use of this item. Use in publications or productions is prohibited without written permission from Kent State University. Please contact the Department of Special Collections and Archives for more information.
Duplication Policy http://www.library.kent.edu/special-collections-and-archives/duplication-policy
Publisher Kent State University
Duration 2:23:36 hours
DPLA Rights Statement http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Interviewee Groom, Merrill
Narrator's Role LCI Staff
Date of Interview 2022-10-10