New Materials for Green Innovations - Materials and the Challenges of Environmental Issues

With examples such as carbon fiber composites for aircraft and new membrane technologies for water treatment, Dr. Tomoya "Tomo" Yamashiki, Director of Corporate Research and Business Development, Toray Industries (America), discusses the importance of materials innovation and the challenges of putting emerging technologies into commercial markets in order to address pressing worldwide needs for environmental and energy solutions. Tomo is currently tasked with establishing a new framework for North American innovation for Toray Industries (the parent company in Japan), a major supplier of advanced materials and components. He actively works to establish strategic partnerships for Toray in Clean/Green Tech, Advanced Materials, IT/Electronics, and Alternative Energies areas.  He is also co-founder and managing director of FLOX Co. (http://www.flox.jp/), a Japanese high-tech start up company with emerging C60 derivatives