The Charles Goodyear Medal is the highest honor conferred by the
American Chemical Society, Rubber Division. Established in 1941, the award is named after
Charles Goodyear
Charles Goodyear (December 29, 1800 – July 1, 1860) was an American self-taught chemist and manufacturing engineer who developed vulcanized rubber, for which he received patent number 3633 from the United States Patent Office on June 15, 1844 ...
, the discoverer of
vulcanization
Vulcanization (British English: vulcanisation) is a range of processes for hardening rubbers. The term originally referred exclusively to the treatment of natural rubber with sulfur, which remains the most common practice. It has also grown to ...
, and consists of a gold medal, a framed certificate and prize money. The medal honors individuals for "outstanding invention, innovation, or development which has resulted in a significant change or contribution to the nature of the rubber industry".
Awardees give a lecture at an ACS Rubber Division meeting, and publish a review of their work in the society's scientific journal ''
Rubber Chemistry and Technology''.
Recipients

Source:
* 1941
David Spence –
Diamond Rubber Co. researcher noted for synthesizing
isoprene
Isoprene, or 2-methyl-1,3-butadiene, is a common volatile organic compound with the formula CH2=C(CH3)−CH=CH2. In its pure form it is a colorless volatile liquid. It is produced by many plants and animals (including humans) and its polymers ar ...
for use in synthetic rubber
* 1942
Lorin B. Sebrell –
Goodyear Research Director noted for his work on organic accelerators for
vulcanization
Vulcanization (British English: vulcanisation) is a range of processes for hardening rubbers. The term originally referred exclusively to the treatment of natural rubber with sulfur, which remains the most common practice. It has also grown to ...
* 1944
Waldo L. Semon – early developer of synthetic rubber, in particular
Ameripol
The Police Community of the Americas or Ameripol () is a hemispheric mechanism of cooperation police organization created in 2007.
Mission
The Police Community of the Americas - AMERIPOL is a hemispheric mechanism of cooperation, which purpose i ...
for
B. F. Goodrich
* 1946
Ira Williams
Ira Williams (1894–1977) was an American chemist at DuPont's DuPont Central Research, Jackson Laboratory in New Jersey, who in the summer of 1930, together with Wallace Carothers, Arnold Collins and F. B. Downing, made commercial Neoprene possibl ...
–
duPont
Dupont, DuPont, Du Pont, duPont, or du Pont may refer to:
People
* Dupont (surname) Dupont, also spelled as DuPont, duPont, Du Pont, or du Pont is a French surname meaning "of the bridge", historically indicating that the holder of the surname re ...
developer of
Neoprene
Neoprene (also polychloroprene) is a family of synthetic rubbers that are produced by polymerization of chloroprene.Werner Obrecht, Jean-Pierre Lambert, Michael Happ, Christiane Oppenheimer-Stix, John Dunn and Ralf Krüger "Rubber, 4. Emulsion Rub ...
* 1948
George Oenslager –
B. F. Goodrich chemist
A chemist (from Greek ''chēm(ía)'' alchemy; replacing ''chymist'' from Medieval Latin ''alchemist'') is a graduated scientist trained in the study of chemistry, or an officially enrolled student in the field. Chemists study the composition of ...
known for pioneering vulcanization accelerator chemistry
* 1949
Harry L. Fisher – 69th national president of the
American Chemical Society
The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a scientific society based in the United States that supports scientific inquiry in the field of chemistry. Founded in 1876 at New York University, the ACS currently has more than 155,000 members at all ...
, and an authority on the chemistry of
vulcanization
Vulcanization (British English: vulcanisation) is a range of processes for hardening rubbers. The term originally referred exclusively to the treatment of natural rubber with sulfur, which remains the most common practice. It has also grown to ...

* 1950
Carroll C. Davis – first editor of ''
Rubber Chemistry and Technology'', serving from 1928 to 1957, and developer of the first practical oxygen-aging test in the industry and the use of antioxidants in rubber
* 1951
William C. Geer –
B. F. Goodrich pioneer in studying rubber ageing, and developer of early aircraft
de-icing systems
* 1952
Howard E. Simmons –
Dupont
Dupont, DuPont, Du Pont, duPont, or du Pont may refer to:
People
* Dupont (surname) Dupont, also spelled as DuPont, duPont, Du Pont, or du Pont is a French surname meaning "of the bridge", historically indicating that the holder of the surname re ...
chemist that discovered the
Simmons–Smith reaction
The Simmons–Smith reaction is an organic cheletropic reaction involving an organozinc carbenoid that reacts with an alkene (or alkyne) to form a cyclopropane. It is named after Howard Ensign Simmons, Jr. and Ronald D. Smith. It uses a me ...
* 1953
John T. Blake – Research director at
Simplex Wire and Cable company, pioneered understanding of rubber as an
electrical insulator
An electrical insulator is a material in which electric current does not flow freely. The atoms of the insulator have tightly bound electrons which cannot readily move. Other materials—semiconductors and electrical conductor, conductors—con ...
* 1954
George S. Whitby – Head of the
University of Akron
The University of Akron is a public university, public research university in Akron, Ohio, United States. It is part of the University System of Ohio. As a STEM fields, STEM-focused institution, it focuses on industries such as polymers, advance ...
rubber laboratory, for many years the only teacher of rubber chemistry in the USA
* 1955
Ray P. Dinsmore –
Goodyear pioneer of the use of
rayon
Rayon, also called viscose and commercialised in some countries as sabra silk or cactus silk, is a semi-synthetic fiber made from natural sources of regenerated cellulose fiber, cellulose, such as wood and related agricultural products. It has t ...
as a reinforcing material in auto
tire
A tire (North American English) or tyre (Commonwealth English) is a ring-shaped component that surrounds a Rim (wheel), wheel's rim to transfer a vehicle's load from the axle through the wheel to the ground and to provide Traction (engineeri ...
s
* 1956
Sidney M. Cadwell –
United States Rubber Company
Uniroyal, formerly known as the United States Rubber Company, is an American manufacturer of tires and other synthetic rubber-related products, as well as variety of items for military use, such as ammunition, explosives, chemical weapons and op ...
researcher noted as discoverer of
antioxidant
Antioxidants are Chemical compound, compounds that inhibit Redox, oxidation, a chemical reaction that can produce Radical (chemistry), free radicals. Autoxidation leads to degradation of organic compounds, including living matter. Antioxidants ...
s for rubber.
* 1957
Arthur W. Carpenter – past president of
ASTM
ASTM International, formerly known as American Society for Testing and Materials, is a standards organization that develops and publishes voluntary consensus technical international standards for a wide range of materials, products, systems and s ...
, known for contributions to
quality control
Quality control (QC) is a process by which entities review the quality of all factors involved in production. ISO 9000 defines quality control as "a part of quality management focused on fulfilling quality requirements".
This approach plac ...
for rubber
* 1958
Joseph C. Patrick –
Thiokol Chemical Company inventor of first American synthetic elastomer –
Thiokol (polymer)
''Thiokol'' is a trade mark for various organic polysulfide polymers. Thiokol polymers are used as an elastomer in seals and sealants. The distinction between the polymers first commercialized by the Thiokol Chemical Company and subsequent polysu ...
* 1959
Fernley H. Banbury –
Farrel Corporation executive and inventor of the
Banbury mixer
In industrial process engineering, mixing is a unit operation that involves manipulation of a heterogeneous physical system with the intent to make it more homogeneous. Familiar examples include pumping of the water in a swimming pool to homogeni ...

* 1960
William B. Wiegand – researcher at
Columbian Carbon Co. who demonstrated the effect of
carbon black
Carbon black (with subtypes acetylene black, channel black, furnace black, lamp black and thermal black) is a material produced by the incomplete combustion of coal tar, vegetable matter, or petroleum products, including fuel oil, fluid cataly ...
particle size on
rubber reinforcement
* 1961
Herbert A. Winkelmann –
B. F. Goodrich developer of first commercially feasible
antioxidant
Antioxidants are Chemical compound, compounds that inhibit Redox, oxidation, a chemical reaction that can produce Radical (chemistry), free radicals. Autoxidation leads to degradation of organic compounds, including living matter. Antioxidants ...
* 1962
Melvin Mooney –
United States Rubber Company
Uniroyal, formerly known as the United States Rubber Company, is an American manufacturer of tires and other synthetic rubber-related products, as well as variety of items for military use, such as ammunition, explosives, chemical weapons and op ...
physicist and rheologist responsible for the
Mooney viscometer and the
Mooney-Rivlin solid constitutive relation
* 1963
William J. Sparks –
Exxon
Exxon Mobil Corporation ( ) is an American multinational oil and gas corporation headquartered in Spring, Texas, a suburb of Houston. Founded as the largest direct successor of John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil, the modern company was form ...
chemist and co-inventor of
Butyl rubber
Butyl rubber, sometimes just called butyl, is a synthetic rubber, a copolymer of isobutylene with isoprene. The abbreviation IIR stands for isobutylene isoprene rubber. Polyisobutylene, also known as "PIB" or polyisobutene, (C4H8)n, is the homop ...
* 1964
Arthur E. Juve –
B. F. Goodrich Director of Technology who developed oil-resistant rubber compositions, lab tests for tire treads, and improvements in manufacture of rubber products and the processing of
synthetic rubber
A synthetic rubber is an artificial elastomer. They are polymers synthesized from petroleum byproducts. About of rubber is produced annually in the United States, and of that amount two thirds are synthetic. Synthetic rubber, just like natural ru ...
* 1965
Benjamin S. Garvey - worked for
B.F. Goodrich and
Pennsalt Chemicals. Dr. Garvey developed the "10 Gram Evaluation Process."
* 1966
Edward A. Murphy –
Dunlop researcher credited with invention of
latex foam, first marketed as
Dunlopillo
* 1967
Norman Bekkedahl - pioneered understanding of
Glass transition
The glass–liquid transition, or glass transition, is the gradual and Reversible reaction, reversible transition in amorphous solid, amorphous materials (or in amorphous regions within Crystallinity, semicrystalline materials) from a hard and rel ...
in elastomers, and former Deputy Chief of the Polymers Division at the
National Bureau of Standards
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is an agency of the United States Department of Commerce whose mission is to promote American innovation and industrial competitiveness. NIST's activities are organized into physical sc ...
* 1968
Paul J. Flory
Paul John Flory (June 19, 1910 – September 9, 1985) was an American chemist and Nobel laureate who was known for his work in the field of polymers, or macromolecules. He was a pioneer in understanding the behavior of polymers in solution, and ...
–
Cornell University
Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...
pioneer in the
physical chemistry
Physical chemistry is the study of macroscopic and microscopic phenomena in chemical systems in terms of the principles, practices, and concepts of physics such as motion, energy, force, time, thermodynamics, quantum chemistry, statistical mech ...
of
macromolecule
A macromolecule is a "molecule of high relative molecular mass, the structure of which essentially comprises the multiple repetition of units derived, actually or conceptually, from molecules of low relative molecular mass." Polymers are physi ...
s, later a
Nobel laureate
The Nobel Prizes (, ) are awarded annually by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the Swedish Academy, the Karolinska Institutet, and the Norwegian Nobel Committee to individuals and organizations who make outstanding contributions in th ...
* 1969
Robert M. Thomas –
Exxon
Exxon Mobil Corporation ( ) is an American multinational oil and gas corporation headquartered in Spring, Texas, a suburb of Houston. Founded as the largest direct successor of John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil, the modern company was form ...
chemist and co-inventor of
Butyl rubber
Butyl rubber, sometimes just called butyl, is a synthetic rubber, a copolymer of isobutylene with isoprene. The abbreviation IIR stands for isobutylene isoprene rubber. Polyisobutylene, also known as "PIB" or polyisobutene, (C4H8)n, is the homop ...

* 1970
Samuel D. Gehman –
Goodyear physicist noted for development of a modulus-based measurement of rubber's
glass transition temperature
The glass–liquid transition, or glass transition, is the gradual and reversible transition in amorphous materials (or in amorphous regions within semicrystalline materials) from a hard and relatively brittle "glassy" state into a viscous or rub ...
* 1971
Harold J. Osterhof - inventor of
Pliofilm, a plasticized rubber hydrochloride cast film, and director of research at
Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.
* 1972
Frederick W. Stavely -
Firestone researcher responsible for development of synthetic
polyisoprene
Polyisoprene is, strictly speaking, a collective name for polymers that are produced by polymerization of isoprene. In practice polyisoprene is commonly used to refer to synthetic ''cis''-1,4-polyisoprene, made by the industrial polymerisation of ...
a.k.a. "coral rubber"
* 1973
Arnold M. Collins Arnold Miller Collins (1899-1982) was a chemist at DuPont who, working under Elmer Bolton and Wallace Carothers with Ira Williams, first isolated polychloroprene and 2-chloro-1, 3-butadiene in 1930.
Personal
Born 1899. Married Helen Clark Colli ...
–
polychloroprene
Neoprene (also polychloroprene) is a family of synthetic rubbers that are produced by polymerization of chloroprene.Werner Obrecht, Jean-Pierre Lambert, Michael Happ, Christiane Oppenheimer-Stix, John Dunn and Ralf Krüger "Rubber, 4. Emulsion Rub ...
developer at
DuPont
Dupont, DuPont, Du Pont, duPont, or du Pont may refer to:
People
* Dupont (surname) Dupont, also spelled as DuPont, duPont, Du Pont, or du Pont is a French surname meaning "of the bridge", historically indicating that the holder of the surname re ...
* 1974
Joseph C. Krejci –
Phillips researcher known for developing oil furnace method to make
carbon black
Carbon black (with subtypes acetylene black, channel black, furnace black, lamp black and thermal black) is a material produced by the incomplete combustion of coal tar, vegetable matter, or petroleum products, including fuel oil, fluid cataly ...
* 1975
Otto Bayer
Otto Bayer (4 November 1902 – 1 August 1982) was a German industrial chemist at IG Farben who was head of the research group that in 1937 discovered the polyaddition for the synthesis of polyurethanes out of poly-isocyanate and polyol.
Ba ...
– head of the research group at
IG Farben
I. G. Farbenindustrie AG, commonly known as IG Farben, was a German Chemical industry, chemical and Pharmaceutical industry, pharmaceutical conglomerate (company), conglomerate. It was formed on December 2, 1925 from a merger of six chemical co ...
that discovered the polyaddition for the synthesis of
polyurethane
Polyurethane (; often abbreviated PUR and PU) is a class of polymers composed of organic chemistry, organic units joined by carbamate (urethane) links. In contrast to other common polymers such as polyethylene and polystyrene, polyurethane term ...
s out of polyisocyanate and polyol
* 1976
Earl L. Warrick –
Dow Corning
Dow Corning Corporation, was an American multinational corporation headquartered in Midland, Michigan, United States, and was originally established as a joint venture between The Dow Chemical Company and Corning Inc., Corning Incorporated. In 20 ...
pioneer of
silicone
In Organosilicon chemistry, organosilicon and polymer chemistry, a silicone or polysiloxane is a polymer composed of repeating units of siloxane (, where R = Organyl group, organic group). They are typically colorless oils or elastomer, rubber ...
elastomer chemistry and inventor of
Silly Putty
Silly Putty is a toy containing silicone polymers that have unusual physical properties. It can flow like a liquid, bounce and can be stretched or broken depending on the amount of physical stress to which it is subjected. It contains viscoelas ...
* 1977
James D. D'Ianni –
Goodyear scientist noted for contributions in the development of
synthetic rubber
A synthetic rubber is an artificial elastomer. They are polymers synthesized from petroleum byproducts. About of rubber is produced annually in the United States, and of that amount two thirds are synthetic. Synthetic rubber, just like natural ru ...
* 1978
Frank Herzegh –
Goodrich inventor of the first successful
tubeless tire
A tubeless tire ( also spelled as tubeless tyre in Commonwealth English) is a pneumatic tire that does not require a separate inner tube.
Unlike pneumatic tires which use a separate inner tube, tubeless tires have continuous ribs molded integra ...
and owner of patents for over 100 inventions in the field of tire technology
* 1979
Francis P. Baldwin –
Exxon
Exxon Mobil Corporation ( ) is an American multinational oil and gas corporation headquartered in Spring, Texas, a suburb of Houston. Founded as the largest direct successor of John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil, the modern company was form ...
Chief Scientist noted for his work on chemical modifications of
low functionality elastomers

* 1980
Samuel E. Horne, Jr. –
Goodrich chemist who first polymerized synthetic
polyisoprene
Polyisoprene is, strictly speaking, a collective name for polymers that are produced by polymerization of isoprene. In practice polyisoprene is commonly used to refer to synthetic ''cis''-1,4-polyisoprene, made by the industrial polymerisation of ...
using
Ziegler catalyst
* 1981
John D. Ferry –
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin, UW, UW–Madison, or simply Madison) is a public land-grant research university in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. It was founded in 1848 when Wisconsin achieved st ...
chemistry professor noted for co-authoring the
Williams–Landel–Ferry equation
* 1982
Adolf Schallamach –
MRPRA researcher who pioneered understanding of the mechanisms of tire traction, abrasion and wear
* 1983
J. Reid Shelton – professor at
Case Western University
Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) is a private research university in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It was established in 1967 by a merger between Western Reserve University and the Case Institute of Technology. Case Western Reserve Uni ...
known for contributions to understanding of
oxidation
Redox ( , , reduction–oxidation or oxidation–reduction) is a type of chemical reaction in which the oxidation states of the reactants change. Oxidation is the loss of electrons or an increase in the oxidation state, while reduction is ...
and
antioxidants
Antioxidants are Chemical compound, compounds that inhibit Redox, oxidation, a chemical reaction that can produce Radical (chemistry), free radicals. Autoxidation leads to degradation of organic compounds, including living matter. Antioxidants ...
in rubber, and for application of laser-
Raman spectroscopy
Raman spectroscopy () (named after physicist C. V. Raman) is a Spectroscopy, spectroscopic technique typically used to determine vibrational modes of molecules, although rotational and other low-frequency modes of systems may also be observed. Ra ...
to the study of sulfur
vulcanization
Vulcanization (British English: vulcanisation) is a range of processes for hardening rubbers. The term originally referred exclusively to the treatment of natural rubber with sulfur, which remains the most common practice. It has also grown to ...
* 1984
Herman E. Schroeder – R&D Director at
DuPont
Dupont, DuPont, Du Pont, duPont, or du Pont may refer to:
People
* Dupont (surname) Dupont, also spelled as DuPont, duPont, Du Pont, or du Pont is a French surname meaning "of the bridge", historically indicating that the holder of the surname re ...
and a pioneer in the development of
tire cord adhesion and
specialty elastomers
* 1985
Maurice Morton – Inaugural director of the Institute of Rubber Research at the
University of Akron
The University of Akron is a public university, public research university in Akron, Ohio, United States. It is part of the University System of Ohio. As a STEM fields, STEM-focused institution, it focuses on industries such as polymers, advance ...
* 1986
Leonard Mullins –
MRPRA research director who first described the effect of prior overloads on rubber's stress-strain curve (i.e. the
Mullins effect)
* 1987
Norman R. Legge –
Shell Oil Company
Shell USA, Inc. (formerly Shell Oil Company, Inc.) is the United States–based wholly owned subsidiary of Shell plc, a UK-based transnational corporation " oil major" which is among the largest oil companies in the world. Approximately 18,000 ...
researcher and pioneer of
thermoplastic elastomer
Thermoplastic elastomers (TPE), sometimes referred to as thermoplastic rubbers (TPR), are a class of copolymers or a physical mix of polymers (usually a plastic and a rubber) that consist of materials with both thermoplastic and elastomeric prop ...
s
* 1988
Herman F. Mark –
Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn
The New York University Tandon School of Engineering (commonly referred to as Tandon) is the engineering and applied sciences school of New York University. Tandon is the second oldest private engineering and technology school in the United St ...
faculty known as the "father of polymer science" for his early work focused on the
crystal structure
In crystallography, crystal structure is a description of ordered arrangement of atoms, ions, or molecules in a crystalline material. Ordered structures occur from intrinsic nature of constituent particles to form symmetric patterns that repeat ...
of natural rubber and other polymers
* 1989
Jean-Marie Massoubre –
Michelin
Michelin ( , ), in full ("General Company of the Michelin Enterprises P.L.S."), is a French multinational tyre manufacturing company based in Clermont-Ferrand in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes '' région'' of France. It is the second largest t ...
researcher associated with early development of the
radial tire
A radial tire (more properly, a radial-ply tire) is a particular design of vehicular tire. In this design, the cord plies are arranged at 90 degrees to the direction of travel, or radially (from the center of the tire). Radial tire constructio ...

* 1990
Alan N. Gent –
University of Akron
The University of Akron is a public university, public research university in Akron, Ohio, United States. It is part of the University System of Ohio. As a STEM fields, STEM-focused institution, it focuses on industries such as polymers, advance ...
professor who contributed to understanding
adhesion
Adhesion is the tendency of dissimilar particles or interface (matter), surfaces to cling to one another. (Cohesion (chemistry), Cohesion refers to the tendency of similar or identical particles and surfaces to cling to one another.)
The ...
physics, and fracture of rubbery, crystalline and
glassy polymers
* 1991
Edwin J. Vandenberg – chemist at
Hercules Inc. known for discovery of
isotactic polypropylene and the development of
Ziegler-type catalysts
* 1992
Ronald S. Rivlin –
MRPRA physicist and developer of
finite elasticity theory for elastomers
* 1993
Leo Mandelkern –
Florida State University
Florida State University (FSU or Florida State) is a Public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preeminent university in the s ...
Distinguished Professor of Chemistry, pioneered understanding of
crystallization in polymers
* 1994
Alan G. Thomas –
MRPRA physicist and developer of
fracture mechanics
Fracture mechanics is the field of mechanics concerned with the study of the propagation of cracks in materials. It uses methods of analytical solid mechanics to calculate the driving force on a crack and those of experimental solid mechanics t ...
theory for elastomers
* 1995
Aubert Y. Coran –
Monsanto
The Monsanto Company () was an American agrochemical and agricultural biotechnology corporation founded in 1901 and headquartered in Creve Coeur, Missouri. Monsanto's best-known product is Roundup, a glyphosate-based herbicide, developed ...
researcher responsible for invention of
thermoplastic elastomer
Thermoplastic elastomers (TPE), sometimes referred to as thermoplastic rubbers (TPR), are a class of copolymers or a physical mix of polymers (usually a plastic and a rubber) that consist of materials with both thermoplastic and elastomeric prop ...
Geolast
* 1996
Siegfried Wolff –
Degussa scientist who first recognized the potential for using
silica
Silicon dioxide, also known as silica, is an oxide of silicon with the chemical formula , commonly found in nature as quartz. In many parts of the world, silica is the major constituent of sand. Silica is one of the most complex and abundant f ...
in tire treads to reduce
rolling resistance
Rolling resistance, sometimes called rolling friction or rolling drag, is the force resisting the Motion (physics), motion when a body (such as a ball, tire, or wheel) Rolling, rolls on a surface. It is mainly caused by Plasticity (physics), non- ...
* 1997
Adel F. Halasa –
Goodyear scientist who developed a
terpolymer
In polymer chemistry, a copolymer is a polymer derived from more than one species of monomer. The polymerization of monomers into copolymers is called copolymerization. Copolymers obtained from the copolymerization of two monomer species are som ...
rubber of
styrene
Styrene is an organic compound with the chemical formula C6H5CH=CH2. Its structure consists of a vinyl group as substituent on benzene. Styrene is a colorless, oily liquid, although aged samples can appear yellowish. The compound evaporates easi ...
,
isoprene
Isoprene, or 2-methyl-1,3-butadiene, is a common volatile organic compound with the formula CH2=C(CH3)−CH=CH2. In its pure form it is a colorless volatile liquid. It is produced by many plants and animals (including humans) and its polymers ar ...
and
butadiene
1,3-Butadiene () is the organic compound with the formula CH2=CH-CH=CH2. It is a colorless gas that is easily condensed to a liquid. It is important industrially as a precursor to synthetic rubber. The molecule can be viewed as the union of two ...
(SIBR) that was used in the
Aquatred tire
* 1998
Jean-Baptiste Donnet –
CNRS
The French National Centre for Scientific Research (, , CNRS) is the French state research organisation and is the largest fundamental science agency in Europe.
In 2016, it employed 31,637 staff, including 11,137 tenured researchers, 13,415 eng ...
pioneer in surface chemistry of
carbon black
Carbon black (with subtypes acetylene black, channel black, furnace black, lamp black and thermal black) is a material produced by the incomplete combustion of coal tar, vegetable matter, or petroleum products, including fuel oil, fluid cataly ...
* 1999
James E. Mark –
University of Cincinnati
The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati, informally Cincy) is a public university, public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1819 and had an enrollment of over 53,000 students in 2024, making it the ...
pioneer in
molecular dynamics
Molecular dynamics (MD) is a computer simulation method for analyzing the Motion (physics), physical movements of atoms and molecules. The atoms and molecules are allowed to interact for a fixed period of time, giving a view of the dynamics ( ...
computer simulations of
rubber elasticity
Rubber elasticity is the ability of solid rubber to be stretched up to a factor of 10 from its original length, and return to close to its original length upon release. This process can be repeated many times with no apparent Material failure th ...

* 2000
Jack L. Koenig –
Case Western Reserve University
Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) is a Private university, private research university in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It was established in 1967 by a merger between Western Reserve University and the Case Institute of Technology. Case ...
professor who pioneered spectroscopic methods of polymer characterization
* 2001
Yasuyuki Tanaka –
Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology
The commonly known as TUAT is a national university headquartered in Fuchū, Tokyo, Japan. The university consists of two faculties that provide courses in agriculture and engineering.
History
The predecessor of the university was founded i ...
professor noted for elucidating the molecular structure of
natural rubber
Rubber, also called India rubber, latex, Amazonian rubber, ''caucho'', or ''caoutchouc'', as initially produced, consists of polymers of the organic compound isoprene, with minor impurities of other organic compounds.
Types of polyisoprene ...
* 2003
Graham J. Lake – former pro cricketer and
MRPRA pioneer in understanding fatigue behavior of rubber
* 2006
Robert F. Landel – Caltech
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is a Federally funded research and development centers, federally funded research and development center (FFRDC) in La Cañada Flintridge, California, Crescenta Valley, United States. Founded in 1936 by Cali ...
physical chemist
Physical chemistry is the study of macroscopic and microscopic phenomena in chemical systems in terms of the principles, practices, and concepts of physics such as motion, energy, force, time, thermodynamics, quantum chemistry, statistical mecha ...
noted for co-authoring the
Williams–Landel–Ferry equation
* 2007
Karl A. Grosch –
Uniroyal
Uniroyal, formerly known as the United States Rubber Company, is an American manufacturer of tires and other synthetic rubber-related products, as well as variety of items for military use, such as ammunition, explosives, chemical weapons and op ...
scientist who pioneered in the study of
friction
Friction is the force resisting the relative motion of solid surfaces, fluid layers, and material elements sliding against each other. Types of friction include dry, fluid, lubricated, skin, and internal -- an incomplete list. The study of t ...
and
abrasion in relation to
tire traction and
wear
Wear is the damaging, gradual removal or deformation of material at solid surfaces. Causes of wear can be mechanical (e.g., erosion) or chemical (e.g., corrosion). The study of wear and related processes is referred to as tribology.
Wear in ...
* 2008
Joseph P. Kennedy
Joseph Patrick Kennedy Sr. (September 6, 1888 – November 18, 1969) was an American businessman, investor, philanthropist, and politician. He is known for his own political prominence as well as that of his children and was the ambitious patri ...
–
University of Akron
The University of Akron is a public university, public research university in Akron, Ohio, United States. It is part of the University System of Ohio. As a STEM fields, STEM-focused institution, it focuses on industries such as polymers, advance ...
Polymer Science professor and inventor of the polystyrene-polyisobutylene-polystyrene
triblock polymeric coating on the Taxus
Drug-eluting stent
A drug-eluting stent (DES) is a tube made of a mesh-like material used to treat atherosclerosis, narrowed arteries in medical procedures both mechanically (by providing a supporting scaffold inside the artery) and pharmacologically (by slowly ...
* 2009
James L. White –
University of Akron
The University of Akron is a public university, public research university in Akron, Ohio, United States. It is part of the University System of Ohio. As a STEM fields, STEM-focused institution, it focuses on industries such as polymers, advance ...
Polymer Engineering professor who developed numerical models of rubber rheological behavior in batch and continuous mixing machines
* 2010
Edward Kresge –
Exxon
Exxon Mobil Corporation ( ) is an American multinational oil and gas corporation headquartered in Spring, Texas, a suburb of Houston. Founded as the largest direct successor of John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil, the modern company was form ...
Chief Polymer Scientist who developed tailored
molecular weight
A molecule is a group of two or more atoms that are held together by Force, attractive forces known as chemical bonds; depending on context, the term may or may not include ions that satisfy this criterion. In quantum physics, organic chemi ...
density
EPDM
EPDM rubber (ethylene propylene diene monomer rubber) is a type of synthetic rubber that is used in many applications.
EPDM is an M-Class rubber under ASTM standard D-1418; the ''M'' class comprises elastomers with a saturated and unsaturated co ...
elastomers
* 2011
Joseph Kuczkowski –
Goodyear chemist who elucidated mechanisms of
antioxidant
Antioxidants are Chemical compound, compounds that inhibit Redox, oxidation, a chemical reaction that can produce Radical (chemistry), free radicals. Autoxidation leads to degradation of organic compounds, including living matter. Antioxidants ...
function, resulting in the commercialization of several new antioxidant systems
* 2012
C. Michael Roland –
Naval Research Lab scientist recognized for blast and impact protection using elastomers, and for diverse contributions to elastomer science
* 2013
Russell A. Livigni –
Gencorp
Aerojet Rocketdyne is a subsidiary of American Arms industry, defense company L3Harris that manufactures rocket, Hypersonic flight, hypersonic, and electric propulsive systems for space, defense, civil and commercial applications. Aerojet traces ...
scientist known for discovery and development of barium-based
catalysts
Catalysis () is the increase in reaction rate, rate of a chemical reaction due to an added substance known as a catalyst (). Catalysts are not consumed by the reaction and remain unchanged after it. If the reaction is rapid and the catalyst ...
for the
polymerization
In polymer chemistry, polymerization (American English), or polymerisation (British English), is a process of reacting monomer molecules together in a chemical reaction to form polymer chains or three-dimensional networks. There are many fo ...
of butadiene and its copolymerization with styrene to give high trans rubbers with low vinyl content
* 2014
Alan D. Roberts –
TARRC physicist noted for contributions to understanding
friction
Friction is the force resisting the relative motion of solid surfaces, fluid layers, and material elements sliding against each other. Types of friction include dry, fluid, lubricated, skin, and internal -- an incomplete list. The study of t ...
and contact in elastomers, in particular the
JKR equation
* 2015
Sudhin Datta –
ExxonMobil Chemical scientist noted for development of Vistamaxx
propylene
Propylene, also known as propene, is an unsaturated organic compound with the chemical formula . It has one double bond, and is the second simplest member of the alkene class of hydrocarbons. It is a colorless gas with a faint petroleum-like o ...
-based elastomers.
* 2016
Georg Bohm-
Bridgestone
is a Japanese multinational manufacturing company founded in 1931 by Shojiro Ishibashi (18891976) in the city of Kurume, Fukuoka Prefecture, Fukuoka, Japan. The name Bridgestone comes from a calque translation and transposition of (), meaning ...
scientist noted for development of
electron beam
Since the mid-20th century, electron-beam technology has provided the basis for a variety of novel and specialized applications in semiconductor manufacturing, microelectromechanical systems, nanoelectromechanical systems, and microscopy.
Mechani ...
pre-curing of elastomers
* 2017
Judit Puskas –
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...
scientist noted as co-inventor of the polymer used on the Taxus-brand
coronary stent
A coronary stent is a tube-shaped device placed in the coronary arteries that supply blood to the heart, to keep the arteries open in patients suffering from coronary heart disease. The vast majority of stents used in modern interventional ca ...
*2018
Eric Baer –
Case Western Reserve University
Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) is a Private university, private research university in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It was established in 1967 by a merger between Western Reserve University and the Case Institute of Technology. Case ...
professor noted for contributions to understanding elastomeric
polyolefin
A polyolefin is a type of polymer with the general formula (CH2CHR)n where R is an alkyl group. They are usually derived from a small set of simple olefins (alkenes). Dominant in a commercial sense are polyethylene and polypropylene. More speciali ...
s and rubber toughening of brittle polymers, and for founding the university's Department of Macromolecular Science and Engineering.
*2019
Roderic Quirk –
University of Akron
The University of Akron is a public university, public research university in Akron, Ohio, United States. It is part of the University System of Ohio. As a STEM fields, STEM-focused institution, it focuses on industries such as polymers, advance ...
professor noted for contributions to
anionic polymerization
In polymer chemistry, anionic addition polymerization is a form of chain-growth polymerization or addition polymerization that involves the polymerization of monomers initiated with anions. The type of reaction has many manifestations, but tradit ...
technology that is used to produce
butadiene
1,3-Butadiene () is the organic compound with the formula CH2=CH-CH=CH2. It is a colorless gas that is easily condensed to a liquid. It is important industrially as a precursor to synthetic rubber. The molecule can be viewed as the union of two ...
,
isoprene
Isoprene, or 2-methyl-1,3-butadiene, is a common volatile organic compound with the formula CH2=C(CH3)−CH=CH2. In its pure form it is a colorless volatile liquid. It is produced by many plants and animals (including humans) and its polymers ar ...
and
styrene
Styrene is an organic compound with the chemical formula C6H5CH=CH2. Its structure consists of a vinyl group as substituent on benzene. Styrene is a colorless, oily liquid, although aged samples can appear yellowish. The compound evaporates easi ...
homo and block
copolymers
In polymer chemistry, a copolymer is a polymer derived from more than one species of monomer. The polymerization of monomers into copolymers is called copolymerization. Copolymers obtained from the copolymerization of two monomer species are som ...
.
* 2020
Nissim Calderon –
Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company is an American multinational tire manufacturer headquartered in Akron, Ohio. Goodyear manufactures tires for passenger vehicles, aviation, commercial trucks, military and police vehicles, motorcycles, recreati ...
researcher who first demonstrated
olefin metathesis
In organic chemistry, Olefin Metathesis or Alkene Metathesis is an organic reaction that entails the redistribution of fragments of alkenes (olefins) by the Bond cleavage, scission and regeneration of carbon-carbon double bonds. Because of the ...
and later applied it to development of new elastomers, copolymers, terpolymers, alternating copolymers and oligomers.
* 2021
Joseph DeSimone
Joseph M. DeSimone (born May 16, 1964) is an American chemist, inventor, and entrepreneur who has co-founded companies based on his research, including the American 3D printing technology company, Carbon, of which he was CEO from 2014 until Nov ...
– American chemist, inventor, entrepreneur and co-founder of
Carbon
Carbon () is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol C and atomic number 6. It is nonmetallic and tetravalence, tetravalent—meaning that its atoms are able to form up to four covalent bonds due to its valence shell exhibiting 4 ...
, the
3D Manufacturing company that commercialized his
Continuous Liquid Interface Production
Continuous Liquid Interface Production (CLIP; originally Continuous Liquid Interphase Printing) is a proprietary method of 3D printing that uses photo polymerization to create smooth-sided solid objects of a wide variety of shapes using resins. It ...
(CLIP) technology.
* 2022
Timothy B. Rhyne and
Steven M. Cron –
Michelin
Michelin ( , ), in full ("General Company of the Michelin Enterprises P.L.S."), is a French multinational tyre manufacturing company based in Clermont-Ferrand in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes '' région'' of France. It is the second largest t ...
engineers who jointly invented and developed non-pneumatic tire technology for the
Tweel and
Uptis tires.
*2023
Christopher Macosko -
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota Twin Cities (historically known as University of Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint ...
professor emeritus who invented a
rheometer
A rheometer is a laboratory device used to measure the way in which a viscous fluid (a liquid, suspension or slurry) flows in response to applied forces. It is used for those fluids which cannot be defined by a single value of viscosity and ...
for the rubber industry and co-founded
Rheometric Scientific.
*2024
Katrina Cornish -
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...
professor known for development of alternative sources of natural rubber.
*2025
Gert Heinrich -
TU Dresden
TU Dresden (for , abbreviated as TUD), also as the Dresden University of Technology, is a public research university in Dresden, Germany. It is the largest institute of higher education in the city of Dresden, the largest university in Saxony a ...
professor known for contributions to "
statistical-mechanical and
constitutive continuum theory,
molecular dynamics
Molecular dynamics (MD) is a computer simulation method for analyzing the Motion (physics), physical movements of atoms and molecules. The atoms and molecules are allowed to interact for a fixed period of time, giving a view of the dynamics ( ...
,
friction theory and
fracture mechanics
Fracture mechanics is the field of mechanics concerned with the study of the propagation of cracks in materials. It uses methods of analytical solid mechanics to calculate the driving force on a crack and those of experimental solid mechanics t ...
" of polymers.
See also
*
List of engineering awards
This list of engineering awards is an index to articles about notable awards for achievements in engineering. It includes aerospace engineering, chemical engineering, civil engineering, electrical engineering, electronic engineering, structural e ...
*
List of chemistry awards
*
International Rubber Science Hall of Fame: Another ACS award
*
Melvin Mooney Distinguished Technology Award
*
Sparks-Thomas award
References
External links
The ACS Rubber DivisionOral histories of several medal winners
{{authority control
Awards of the American Chemical Society
Awards established in 1941
Materials science awards
Chemical engineering awards
Rubber industry