Dr. Shia-Chung S. Chen

Shia-Chung is an internationally recognized and respected scholar in the injection molding field. His work on gas-assisted injection molding and thin-wall injection molding, including rapid mold temperature control technology using induction heating were large-scale joint government/industry research projects. He established a large center for mold/molding automation in 2000 and is co-founder of the Society of Advanced Molding Technology, an international organization established in 2005 with more than 100 academic and industrial members worldwide.

George Epstein

George is recognized for his advances in plastics composites and applications for the aerospace/defense industry. He managed an R&D program to develop the theory and concept of composites in ballistic armor systems, led Air Force programs to establish the application of carbon fiber composites for space applications, developed a fiber-reinforced thermal insulation material for use in solid-rocket motors, and worked on a polymeric material that has permitted GPS and other key satellites to operate almost indefinitely in space. His work in film adhesives, phenolic-based structural adhesives and a special epoxy adhesive/coating are widely used in both the Air Force missle program and in industry.

Dr. Rajendra K. Krishnaswamy

Raj is recognized for his research activities in the area of the structure and property relationship in new polyolefins and bio-degradable polymers. He led the development of PHA molecular architecture and product formulation technology to enable the production of blown film (for the first time ever) on a commercial scale. He was instrumental in manipulating the melt rheology of PHA so they can be processed using conventional polymer processing equipment, and has made many important contributions in the field of polymer crystallization.

Dr. Patrick T. Mather

Pat is a world leader in the area of functional polymers. His research has made, and continues to make, major contributions in POSS-based nanocomposites, shape-memory polymers, and liquid crystalline polymers. He was one of the first to introduce and detail the concept of nanoscale building blocks using amphiphilic POSS telechelics. He combined his unique understanding of shape-memory polymers with his work on liquid crystalline polymers and developed a novel one-way shape memory liquid crystalline material being considered for surgeon-tailored medical devices.

Dr. Evan Mitsoulis

Evan is recognized as one of the world’s foremost contributors to the area of polymer extrusion through his efforts on simulating the flow of viscoelastic fluids and the application of this work to die design. The software programs he has developed have analyzed such polymer processes as calendaring, roll coating, wire coating, extrusion, multilayer coextrusion and blow molding. He has shown how to analyze these flows, and from this analysis, to deduce a better design.

Bruce is recognized as a groundbreaker and inventor for the plastics industry, especially in the field of rotational molding. He brought a scientific approach to the pigmenting and specialty compounding part of the rotational molding process. His efforts also led to the ability to pigment and color match the difficult-to-color cross-linked polyethylenes. He invented a method for rotationally molding products incorporating metal flake and the then-new speckled granite effect. He developed “The Shuttle” – a laboratory-size rotational molding machine to fill what he perceived as a gap in the equipment available in many colleges, and invented and produced a unique test mold that can by used by any rotational molding company to evaluate new materials.

Dr. Rajen M. Patel

Rajen is recognized for his work in the advancement of metallocene catalyst technology.  His research work has led to new structure-properties models in metallocene catalyzed polyethylenes, enabling rapid application developments of metallocene catalyzed polyethylene resins.  As a result of his innovative research in the area of the fundamentals of heat seal and hot-tack properties of sealants, sealants have become one of the primary applications of metallocene catalyzed resins, leading to fast packaging line speeds, improved package integrity and security and energy savings at many packaging companies.  He is also one of the pioneers in the development of a brand new XLA elastic fiber for apparel applications, and was recognized for this work as Dow Chemical’s inventor of the year in 2004.