Purpose

The PMSE Distinguished Service Award is given to recognize extensive, sustained contributions and service to the Polymeric Materials: Science and Engineering (PMSE) Division

Nature

The awardee will receive a $1500 prize, plaque and a $1500 maximum travel allowance to attend the Spring ACS National Meeting where the award is presented.

History

The first awardee was in 1993, recognizing Roy W. Tess’s enormous work to the PMSE division.  It has continued as a yearly award with 23 awardees to date.

Eligibility

The award is granted to an individual who is a current PMSE member.  Nominees must be a long-standing PMSE member and have had on the order of 20+ years of engagement with PMSE, with substantial active involvement in the division (e.g., serving as a leader on the Division’s Executive Committee, organizing many large symposia, serving PMSE on the ACS Council, leading important committee activities, etc.).

Nominations

Nominations are to be submitted by August 30 of each year to the Chair of the PMSE Distinguished Award Committee. The nomination must include: (1) curriculum vitae and (2) supporting letter(s) describing the significance of the service to the PMSE division. Nominations that are not successful will be kept active and considered in subsequent evaluations each year for four years.

2020 Award Winner: David Chung

David Y. Chung received a B.S. from National Cheng Kung University in Taiwan and a Ph.D. under Professor Joseph P. Kennedy from the Institute of Polymer Science, The University of Akron.  After graduation from Akron, David spent one year at Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (C.N.R.S.) in Lyon, France as a visiting scientist, before he joined the Central Research of Dow Chemical in Midland, MI., where he worked on anionic polymerization and block copolymers.   Three years later, David joined Paramins Division of Exxon Chemical Technology in Linden, NJ doing R&D and commercialization of new lube oil additives.   After 13 years in NJ, David moved to Exxon Chemical’s Butyl Polymers Technology in Baytown, TX and worked on various butyl process and product R&D projects until he retired from ExxonMobil in 2006.  David is the author or co-author of over 50 patents associated with his industrial R&D work.   David is also one of the recipients of the 2010 Thomas A. Edison Patent Awards sponsored by New Jersey Research & Development Council.

After retired from ExxonMobil, David was tapped by PMSE in 2007 to manage the investments of PMSE funds, with the objectives of maintaining a steady cash flow to support various PMSE activities each year and enhancing PMSE’s long-term financial security.   Besides managing investments for himself as well as for PMSE, David also enjoys traveling to various parts of the world each year in retirement