BEACHWOOD, Ohio-- The ACS Rubber Division gave out its top honors during an April 26 luncheon during its Spring Technical Meeting in Beachwood, including the first ever female recipient of the Charles Goodyear Medal.
Judit Puskas, a University of Akron professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, received the Charles Goodyear Medal, the highest honor given out by the technical organization.
Puskas received a doctorate in plastics and rubber technology in 1985 and a master's in organic and biochemical engineering in 1977 from the Technical University of Budapest in Hungary. She started her academic career in 1996. Before that she was involved in polymer research and development in the microelectronic, paint and rubber industries.
Her current interests include the integration of breast reconstruction and cancer research; green polymer chemistry; biomimetic processes and biomaterials; living/controlled polymerizations; polymerization mechanisms and kinetics; thermoplastic elastomers and polymer structure/property relationships; and probing the polymer-bio interface.
David Lohse, retired from ExxonMobil Chemical, received the Melvin Mooney Distinguished Technology Award, given to individuals who have exhibited exceptional technical competency by making significant and repeated contributions to rubber science and technology.
Sadhan Jana of the University of Akron was the recipient of the George Stafford Whitby Award for Distinguished Teaching & Research, which honors teachers of chemistry and polymer science, and recognizes innovative research.
Juan L. Valentin was honored with the Sparks-Thomas Award, which is for younger scientists, technologists and engineers who have made contributions in the elastomers field. He currently is a tenured scientist in the Elastomers Group at the Institute of Polymer Science and Technology in Madrid.
Jimmy Mays took home the Chemistry of Thermoplastic Elastomers Award. He is a distinguished scientist at the University of Tennessee, in Knoxville, at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
Richard Jorkasky received the Fernley H. Banbury award, which honors innovations of production equipment widely used in the manufacture of rubber or rubber-like articles. Jorkasky is technical manager at Kobelco Stewart Bolling Inc.
Each of the honorees delivered a technical presentation following the banquet as part of the Rubber Division meeting.