AKRON—Shingo Futamura, who has more than 40 years of experience in rubber science and tire technology, was among the award winners named by the ACS Rubber Division.
Futamura will be awarded the Melvin Mooney Distinguished Technology Award, which is given to a person who has exhibited exceptional contributions to rubber science and technology.
Other winners include:
• Seiichi Kawahara, winner of the Sparks-Thomas Award, recognizing outstanding scientific contributions and innovations in elastomers by younger scientists, technologists and engineers;
• Charles P. Rader, winner of the Chemistry of Thermoplastic Elastomers Award, which honors contributions to the advancement of chemistry of thermoplastic elastomers;
• Alan A. Wineman, winner of the George S. Whitby Award for Distinguished Teaching and Research; and
• John S. Dick and Henry A. Pawlowski, winners of the Fernley H. Banbury Award for contributions in production equipment, control systems and instrumentation.
The award winners were announced in conjunction with the Rubber Division's International Elastomer Conference, being held through Thursday at the I-X Center in Cleveland.
Futamura has worked for Nippon Zeon Co., Firestone and Goodyear. He has written 25 scientific papers and has 38 U.S. patents. The Rubber Division said he characterized the relationship between the macro- and micro-structure of solution SBR and the physical properties and tire performance of tread compounds.
Kawahara is an associate professor of materials science and technology at Nagaoka University of Technology in Japan. According to the Rubber Division, two of Kawahara's achievements include discovering the nanomatrix structure of natural rubber and the elucidation of the relationship between the structure and properties of natural rubber.
He has published more than 180 articles and review chapters in peer-reviewed journals and books, and he has submitted 26 patent applications. He holds five patents on novel materials prepared from natural rubber.
Rader is a well-known consultant who spent years at Advanced Elastomer Systems and Monsanto. He also has served as Rubber Division chairman and in many other capacities with the organization. He was a member of a team that commercialized Santoprene thermoplastic rubber.
Wineman is professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Michigan. His expertise has been in the development and application of mathematical response of polymeric solid and fluid materials. More than 160 of his papers have been published.
Dick is a senior scientist at Alpha Technologies, with more than 39 years of experience in the rubber industry, and he has written more than 80 journal and magazine publications, including four books. Pawlowski started with Guilford Instruments and spent 31 years with Alpha Technologies and its predecessor, Monsanto Instruments and Equipment.