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Paul K. Mueller, News Services, 919/515-3470

March 29, 2004

Gilligan Elected to Oak Ridge Universities Board of Directors

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Dr. John G. Gilligan, vice chancellor for research and graduate studies at North Carolina State University, was elected to the Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) board of directors at the recent meeting of the ORAU Council of Sponsoring Institutions in Washington, D.C.

Dr. John G. Gilligan

Gilligan, who served as NC State’s councilor to the consortium from 2000 to 2002, said he looks forward to serving the board. “It’s an exciting place to be right now, representing universities in the Southeast on national-agenda items,” he said. “Whether in nanotechnology or nuclear science or homeland security, the ORAU consortium provides a focal point for university activities in our region, and we need to take advantage of that.”

Gilligan, who joined the NC State faculty in 1983, was named full professor of nuclear engineering in 1990 and served as associate dean for research for the College of Engineering. He was named NC State’s vice chancellor for research and graduate studies in 2002.

As a researcher, Gilligan studies the properties of ionized plasma, a high-temperature gas used in technologies such as lighting, propulsion, electronics manufacture and energy production. He is exploring how plasma interacts with the surface of various materials, which can limit the purity of the plasma stream and reduce the useful lifetime of plasma-based devices.

In addition to his administrative duties, Gilligan also serves as a member of the University of Tennessee-Battelle Science and Technology Committee, and is incoming chair and member of the board for the Engineering Research Council of the American Society of Engineering Education.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering sciences from Purdue University, and his master’s and doctorate degrees in nuclear engineering from the University of Michigan.

ORAU is a university consortium which combines the scientific strengths of major research institutions by partnering national laboratories, government agencies and private industry. ORAU manages the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education for the U.S. Department of Energy.

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