Dr. Rose Ryntz, Manager and Staff Technical Fellow with Visteon Corporation (NYSE: VC), will receive the Roy W. Tess Award in Coatings for 2003. The announcement was made today by the Officers and the Award Committee of the Division of Polymeric Materials: Science and Engineering (PMSE) of the American Chemical Society.
Dr. Ryntz is recognized as one of the world’s leading experts in the area of automotive plastics coatings. She has applied her broad fundamental understanding of how plastic materials and processes interact with coating formulations to develop optimum paints and coatings for the automotive market. She has developed new techniques to study paint on plastic performance including scratch and gouge resistance. Dr. Ryntz has published over 75 papers and received 25 patents in the paint and plastics field. She has also edited two books, “Adhesion to Plastics: Molding and Paintability” and “Plastics and Coatings: Durability, Stabilization, and Testing”.
Dr. Ryntz earned a B.S. in Chemistry from Wayne State University and a Ph.D. in Organic Polymer Chemistry from the University of Detroit. She recently earned a M.B.A degree from Michigan State University (2002). After obtaining her Ph.D., she joined the Dow Chemical as a Senior Research Chemist in 1983. Dr. Ryntz joined the Mt. Clemens Paint Plant of Ford Motor Company in 1985 and moved to DuPont Automotive Coatings following their purchase of Ford’s paint facility. In 1989, she joined Akzo Coatings, Inc. and was appointed Technical Director for Plastics and Industrial Finishes. In 1992, Dr. Ryntz rejoined the Ford Motor Company working as a Sr. Technical Specialist in the Plastics & Trim Products Division (Visteon). She is currently Senior Manager for Advanced Material and Fastener Engineering for Visteon Corporation and also holds the technical scientist position, Staff Technical Fellow.
In addition to her scientific contributions, Dr. Ryntz has made numerous contributions to the general advancement of the field of paints and coatings. She has served as an adjunct professor at the University of Detroit/Mercy, the University of Wisconsin, Kent State University, and the University of Southern Mississippi. She was the Technical Chair for the Detroit Society for Coatings Technology from 1988-1994 and served as Chair of the Younger Chemists Steering Committee for the American Chemical Society from 1988-1990. Dr. Ryntz has held numerous positions in the Federation of Societies of Coatings Technology including Technical Advisory Board, Chair of the Professional Development Committee, Editorial Review Board, Board of Directors, Chair of the Industrial Relations Task Force, and Coatings Industry Research Fund.
Dr. Ryntz has received a number of awards including the Roon Foundation Award and the George B. Heckel Award from the Federation of Societies of Coatings Technology, the Henry Ford Technology Award and several customer driven quality awards from the Ford Motor Company, the Gold Award and Outstanding Leadership Award from the Engineering Society of Detroit for contributions to advancing the knowledge of science and engineering.
Dr. Ryntz will receive the Tess Award from Dr. Paul Valint, Jr., Chair of the PMSE Division on Monday, Sept. 8, 2003 during the 226th meeting of the American Chemical Society in New York, NY. Dr. Ryntz will present her Award Address at that time. An evening reception will follow the Award Symposium.
The Tess Award is presented annually by the Polymeric Materials: Science and Engineering Division in recognition of outstanding contributions to coatings science and technology. It is funded by a grant to the Division by Dr. and Mrs. Roy W. Tess. The purpose of the award is to encourage interest and progress in coatings and recognize significant contributions to the field. The Award consists of a plaque and cash prize.