Announcing All 2024 AATCC Award Recipients
SAVANNAH, G.A., November 22, 2024 – AATCC presents several prestigious awards each year, along with thousands of dollars in honoraria. Some awards were established to recognize outstanding achievers in the textiles sciences, whose discoveries influence the world. Others recognize AATCC members for service to the Association that has strengthened and promoted its purpose and mission to the world.
All the awards were presented on October 8, 2024, during the Textile Discovery Summit Awards Luncheon held at The Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Resort & Spa in Savannah, GA, USA.
To read about the Olney Medal Recipient, visit www.aatcc.org/olney24
Future Leaders Award
The AATCC Future Leaders Award recognizes promising young professionals in the fields of textiles, apparel, and related material sciences, provides acknowledgement and recognition to enhance their careers, engages these young professionals in the work of the Association, and brings their insights and needs to the forefront. These young professionals are the future of the textile industry and the future leaders of AATCC. Award recipients represent the various AATCC Interest Groups.
Read more about all the Future Leader Awardees in the September/October AATCC Review.
Chemical Applications
Brandon Francois is an account manager at Silver Fern Chemical. He has been a member of AATCC since 2017. He is a member of the Piedmont Section, and currently serves as Treasurer.
Francois graduated with a BS in Packaging Science from Clemson University in 2015. After graduation, he worked with Berry Plastics, Pulcra Chemicals, and HeiQ. Throughout his career, Francois has gained experience in chemical applications by working with global brands, focusing on materials innovation and sustainability. At Silver Fern Chemical, he is a sales leader serving the US specialty chemical market with tailored supply-chain solutions for customers across HII, CASE, agriculture, textiles, nonwovens, and beyond. He is focused on developing long term partnerships and introducing Silver Fern to new markets across the Southeast, Gulf, and Midwest.
Concept 2 Consumer
Isha Nabar has been a member of AATCC since 2023 and is a part of Concept 2 Consumer and Rising Professionals Interest Groups.
Nabar is a ready-to-wear designer for Tanya Taylor. She has been with Tanya Taylor since 2022, where she has been responsible for all stages of design development with the Ready-to-Wear womenswear team. She has interpreted seasonal direction into innovation and commercial designs, participated in concept research, vintage sourcing, trim, and 3D swatch development. Her skills and experience in embroidery and embellishment, jewelry making, and fashion design led her to become the Founder of Project ‘De-Tech,’ a fashion-centric initiative influencing teens to engage in gadget-free activities.
Materials
Joshua Ingram has been a member of AATCC since 2019 and has been an active member on several research committees.
Ingram is a development engineer at PBI Performance Products Inc. He has been with PBI since 2019 and represents the company on various committees. He is a technical expert on PBI materials and test methods used for evaluation materials; coordinates with yarn, fabric, and garment manufacturers to ensure products are of the highest quality; and investigates new applications for PBI products. He has a BS in Materials Science and Engineering and a MS in Textile Engineering from North Carolina State University. His research on fabric flammability and thermally induced fabric shrinkage was presented at ASTM F23 11th Symposium on Performance of Protective Clothing and Equipment.
Rising Professionals
Nur-Us-Shafa Mazumder has been a member of AATCC since 2019 and has presented his research and many AATCC events.
Mazumder is a graduate research assistant in the Textile Protection and Comfort Center (TPACC) at North Carolina State University. As a graduate research assistant, he analyzes PFAS and evaluates firefighter protective clothing for their contamination resistance to improve wearer protection.
Mazumder received a BS in Textile Technology from Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology. He then received a MS in Design, Housing, and Merchandising from Oklahoma State University, and is currently studying at North Carolina State University to receive a PhD in Fiber and Polymer Science. He received a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency-Assistance to Firefighters to work on his research of the development of contamination resistance as a measure for firefighter protective clothing.
To read about the Chapin Recipient, visit www.aatcc.org/chapin24
TCR Service Award
The Technical Committee on Research Service Award was established in 2008 to recognize those members who have contributed greatly to the AATCC organization in a technical capacity. Individual members of the Association with at least five years of continuous membership in AATCC, who have contributed outstanding technical service to the Association through activity in a research committee, are eligible. The Award consists of a plaque and an honorarium.
Read more about the TCR Awardees in the September/October AATCC Review.
AATCC is pleased to recognize Suzanne Holmes and Kiarash Arangdad as the 2024 recipients of the AATCC Technical Committee on Research (TCR) Service Award.
Since 2016, Suzanne Holmes has been on RA56, RA42, RA60, RA61, RA63, and Home Laundering Technology research committees. Holmes is the chair of Stain Resistance Test Methods and is an active member of the Technical Committee on Research. Holmes was recognized for her continuous service and leadership of the RA56 and for spearheading the committee’s test method, TM213-2023 which measures the ability of fabrics to release household soils during home laundering.
Holmes is currently Manager of the Product Evaluation Laboratory at Cotton Incorporated. She oversees and participates in delivery of dependable test data from standard fiber, yarn, fabric, and product tests in support of internal research and marketing efforts for cotton breeders and promotes the accomplishment of using quality measurements to increase upland cotton marketability worldwide. Holmes joined AATCC as a staff where she was a Lab Technician for the Association from 2003 to 2004, a Technical Associate from 2004 to 2006, a Senior Technical Associate from 2006 to 2012, and Technical Product/Program Manager from 2012 to 2016. Holmes received her BS in Textile Technology and Design and a MS in Textile Management and Technology from North Carolina State University. She also worked as a Laboratory Assistant and a Teaching & Research Assistant at North Carolina State University.
Kiarash Arangdad joined AATCC in 2016. He has been a part of the following research committees: RA31, RA56, RA100, RA49, RA63. He is the chair of Water Resistance Test Methods and is an active member of the Executive Committee on Research and the Education Advisory Board. Arangdad is recognized for his continuous service and leadership of RA63 and RA114. Throughout his service as Chair for both committees, Arangdad has overseen the development of TM213-2022 and TM214.
Arangdad is currently Director of Raw Material Innovation at Lululemon. He holds both a BS and Master’s degree in Textile Engineering and earned a PhD in Fiber and Polymer Science with a minor in Chemistry from North Carolina State University in 2015. Throughout his career, Arangdad has managed numerous projects focused on developing sustainable materials for apparel, footwear, and consumer goods. His efforts have led to more than fifteen patents and patent-pending innovations, as well as the successful commercialization of sustainable products.
To read about the Millson Recipient, visit www.aatcc.org/millson24
J.W. Weaver Award
Even before it began publishing its own journal, AATCC had a long-standing tradition of friendly rivalry among authors. From 1925 to 1933, awards were presented for the best AATCC conference papers published by American Dyestuff Reporter. From 1940 to 1996, an Intersectional Paper Competition winner was chosen each year. In January 1969, AATCC began publishing Textile Chemist and Colorist and in February 1979, an annual award was established to honor the best paper printed in that journal.
In 1990, the award was named for J. William Weaver, who was chair of the AATCC editorial board at the time of his death. Over the years, winning papers have covered a variety of topics. The award includes a framed certificate signed by the AATCC president and the Publications Committee chair.
Read more about the J.W. Weaver Awardees in the September/October AATCC Review.
Heng Quan, Jingzhi Ren, Lin Xu, Yang Wang, and Zengfeng Wei are the recipients of the J. William Weaver Paper of the Year Award for their paper, “Design and Fabrication of Bistratal Functional Anionic Polyurethane Membrane on the Surface of Cashmere Fiber Based on Foaming Micro-Coating and the Studies of its Structure–Activity Relationships” published in the 2023 AATCC Journal of Research.
About the Authors
Heng Quan is a faculty member of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at Wuhan Textile University in Wuhan, China. They also work at Hubei Province Key Lab of Biomass-fibers and Eco-dyeing & Finishing, and the Wuhan Engineering Center of Cleaner Production of Dyeing and Finishing and Functional Textile, in Wuhan, China. Quan earned a BS from Northwest Textile College (1993); a MS degree from Xi’an University of Engineering and Technology (1998); a PhD from Tianjin Polytechnic University (2005); and a Postdoc from Shaanxi University of Science and Technology (2015). In the past 10 years, Quan has led and completed over thirty various scientific and technological projects. Before working at Wuhan Textile University, they were an associate professor at Xi’an Polytechnic University. Quan has achieved five provincial level science awards, five national industry association science and technology awards, and three provincial and ministerial level teaching achievement awards. They have several publications in peer-reviewed journals and books. Quan was appointed expert of the Chinese Foreign Cultural Exchange Center of the Ministry of Education and the National Advanced Printing and Dyeing Technology Innovation Center.
Jingzhi Ren is a faculty member of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at Wuhan Textile University in Wuhan, China. Ren also works at the Wuhan Engineering Center of Cleaner Production of Dyeing & Finishing and Functional Textile and the Graduate workstation (Hubei Daya), Wuhan Textile University, in Wuhan, China. Ren received their BS and MS from Wuhan Textile University.
Lin Xu works at Hebei Product Quality Supervision and Inspection Institute, Shijiazhuang, China. Xu received their BS from Hebei University of Science and Technology in 2001, and their MS from Xi’an University of Engineering and Technology in 2005. Xu is a member of the China Clothing Standardization Technical Committee, and a member of the China Cashmere Products Standardization Committee.
Yang Wang is a faculty member of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at Wuhan Textile University in Wuhan, China. Wang also works at the Wuhan Engineering Center of Cleaner Production of Dyeing & Finishing and Functional Textile and the Graduate workstation (Hubei Daya), Wuhan Textile University, in Wuhan, China. Wang received a BS and MS from Wuhan Textile University.
Zengfeng Wei is a faculty member of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at Wuhan Textile University in Wuhan, China. They also work at Hubei Province Key Lab of Biomass-fibers and Eco-dyeing & Finishing, and the Wuhan Engineering Center of Cleaner Production of Dyeing and Finishing and Functional Textile, in Wuhan, China. Wei received a BS from Huanggang Normal University (2014), and a MS and PhD from Central China Normal University (2019). In the past 5 years, they have presided over and participated in the completion of more than ten scientific and technological projects. They have published over ten SCI papers and granted more than ten invention patents.
AATCC connects the global textile community to empower an innovative, informed, and sustainable future. Headquartered in Research Triangle Park, NC, USA, AATCC has provided standards development, testing materials, educational resources, and professional networking to the global textile industry for more than a century.
Media Contact: Bhavani Jayaraman; Marketing Associate; jayaramanb@aatcc.org
Administrative Contact: India Hansen; Administrative Associate and Foundation Coordinator; india@aatcc.org
https://www.aatcc.org/allawards24/
