Tiles

Ohio State Department of Materials Science and Engineering faculty 1988
circa 1988
Ohio State Department of Materials Science and Engineering faculty Lannutti, Niezgoda, Gouma, Soghrati
John J. Lannutti
Mars G. Fontana Outstanding MSE Teacher Award
March 2020
John J. Lannutti
Mars G. Fontana Outstanding MSE Teacher Award
March 2020
John J. Lannutti
Macular degeneration therapies innovation team
circa 2010
John J. Lannutti
MSE Day
2001
John J. Lannutti
MSE Day
2001
John J. Lannutti
MSE Day
2002
I-CORPS team 2010
I-Corps@Ohio team
2010
John J. Lannutti
MSE Day
2002

John Lannutti 1959 - 2022

Posted: 
photo of John J. Lannutti Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering Ohio State
John J. Lannutti
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July 6, 1959 – March 6, 2022

The Department of Materials Science and Engineering is mourning the sudden passing of Dr. John Lannutti. John J. Lannutti, professor of materials science and engineering and former associate chair of the department, died on Sunday, March 6 from the effects of a massive heart attack that he suffered a week earlier. He was 63 years old. 

“John has been a valued colleague – always ready to take on difficult and selfless tasks for our department while following his passion for research and teaching,” shares Department Chair Michael Mills. “Even now, John is working for the betterment of others since he has been matched for organ donation and medical research.  

“He was an esteemed member of the faculty, a beloved instructor to the students, and a caring colleague who supported diversity and treated all with respect. He will be greatly missed by his many professional colleagues.”

Professor Lannutti was a fixture within the Department of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) since 1990, when he was hired as an assistant professor. Nearly every student in the MSE program over the past 32 years had the privilege of knowing him. John was gifted with a propensity to educate and research with purpose. His career is marked by the thousands of Ohio State students who were inspired by his thoughtful and enthusiastic approach to developing future materials science engineers. Two prominent examples are Professor Heather Powell at Ohio State and Professor Kathy Lu at Virginia Tech. Students awarded him with the Mars G. Fontana Award for Outstanding Teaching in Materials Science and Engineering in 2020. 

Recipient of the College of Engineering’s Lumley Research Award in 2000 and Innovators Award in 2014, Lannutti was well known for embracing research that translated into improving humanity. More recent projects include developing a smart paint used on outdoor surfaces to facilitate navigation of people with vision impairments. He developed a biomedical device to analyze cancer cell growth and was in the process of developing an oxygen biosensor to help manage respiratory disease. Another project involved designing a polymer for slowly releasing injectable therapeutics in the vitreous humor of people suffering from macular degeneration. Two startup companies are based on his novel technologies – Nanofiber Solutions and AccuFiber Technologies.

John Lannutti's obituary

Memories of John were shared by colleagues

"The memory of seeing him in his office on the day this sad saga began is still fresh in my mind. He looked young, vibrant and dedicated to work as always. My career here has overlapped with the entire period of his invaluable service to our department. I can only remember a smiling John, who always carried his responsibilities with utmost sincerity and professionalism. He was an ideal academician successfully balancing his research with his care and dedication for students."  Sheikh Akbar

“My strongest memory of John is how welcome he made everyone around him feel. John knew how to be kind and I think he celebrated those moments of kindness. We have some big shoes to fill.” David Dean

“He was a warm and friendly colleague. I remember him from the time he was hired in the Ceramics department.” Prabhat Gupta

“I truly enjoyed working with him – he was a very decent man and always treated me with respect.” Geoff Hulse

“John has been my colleague for almost half of my life. We need to focus on the goodness of John, his smile and warmth.” Gerald Frankel

John joined the department just after I did, and over all these years brought to us his calm, friendly, and generous spirit. What a super person, and what profound contributions made to our department.” Hamish Fraser

"I remember a long phone conversation with John – it must have been the summer of 2015 – when we discussed whether he would be willing to take on being Associate Chair of the department. He showed his selfless nature mentioned by so many. It wasn’t an easy decision. He first thought about his family and how the position would affect time with his kids and Tess. He then considered the big things facing the department – the planning for the new building, the upcoming ABET review, hiring, and a host of other issues. He didn’t bring up his research – it was about what was facing the department and where help was needed. In the end, he rationalized taking on the position because it was in his nature to look beyond himself.” Peter Anderson

Memories of John represent the kind, soulful, and impactful man that John embodied. We hold dear the treasure of his friendship and collegiality. My immediate memory of John at a happier time was a department family event many years ago when the Lannutti boys were very young. John and Tess arrived behind the cyclone of little boy chaos.  As the three boys noisily made their way into the house, John jogged behind them with a big smile, greeted everybody with a look of ‘the Lannuttis are here!’ and kept going. It was a joyful moment of love.” Mary Juhas

“John was an incredible faculty member and person. He was one of my first collaborators and was a strong role model of the type of faculty member I aspired to be.” Carlos Castro

“John was a great individual, an excellent scholar, and I have nothing but good memories of him.” Soheil Soghrati

John was always kind, cordial and wore a smile.” Perena Gouma

John always helped me when I have needed it. He provided a lot of support to me as I have been pursuing my bachelor's degree in engineering.” Wayne Papageorge

“In my book, John was really one of the good guys. Steady, calm, affable, always willing to pitch in, self-motivated and self-contained. Humble and confident at the same time. I had the pleasure of working with him from the time he joined MSE from the ceramics side, right around the time of the merger, he was a pleasure to work with.  A collegial example for us all.” Robert Wagoner

“I greatly enjoyed interacting with John, an esteemed colleague.” Jos Heremans

“I remember his great research on electrospinning of polycaprolactone to make nanostructured electrospun scaffolds for cell adhesion and migration studies in the NSF Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center (NSEC) led by Jim Lee, John and other colleagues several years ago. John was a great contributor to this NSEC research program. On his personal side, John was always kind, courteous and considerate to everyone, including students, staff, and colleagues.” Winson Ho

“John was such a gentle man with unwavering integrity, kindness, and selfless. I am so lucky to have had John as a colleague, who has impacted me greatly in many different aspects over the past 25 years!” Yunzhi Wang

“John was a good fellow and a good colleague.” Michael Sumption

As the search committee chair, John brought me to Ohio State. He helped me every step of the way since then in teaching, research, and career development. I cannot tell you how grateful I am for everything he did. And I am sure there are so many other people who have been influenced by John in such an extremely positive way.” Jinghua Li

“John was not only an amazing professor and scientists, but also a great person who supported us all.” Jenifer Locke

“John was a great guy and I always enjoyed brainstorming with him and working on his proposals, as they were always on varied, interesting topics from paint that can help people with vision impairments to helping wild burros and horses maintain a healthy population.” – Layla Manganaro

To make a memorial contribution

St. Vincent de Paul Society

C/O Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church

3730 Broadway

Grove City, Ohio 43123