#Associations

2021-01-28

AATCC announces call for award and leadership nominations

AATCC is full of creators, volunteers, and researchers, and AATCC applauds their contributions to the textile industry. AATCC recognizes achievements in science, service, and more every year. The association is now accepting nominations for recognition of excellence in the textile industry through March 31, 2021.

Nomination forms for all awards are available online at www.aatcc.org/about/awards. Anyone may nominate a deserving colleague or themselves for the following awards:

Olney Medal

Established in honor of Louis Atwell Olney, the founder and first president of AATCC, the Olney Medal recognizes outstanding achievement in textile or polymer chemistry or other fields of chemistry of major importance to textile science.

Chapin Award

Senior members who have dedicated 20 or more years of continuous service to the Association are eligible for nomination. The award is a presented as a beautifully illustrated scroll.

Millson Award for Invention

Awarded every three years, 2021 is your next opportunity to nominate an inventor or inventors who impacted the textile, fiber, polymer, and medical industries. Nominees need not be AATCC members. Group and posthumous nominations are also welcome.

Technical Committee on Research (TCR) Service Award

The award recognizes up to two senior members, 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.

Future Leaders Award

Young professionals in the fields of textiles, apparel, and related material sciences are eligible for recognition as the future leaders of the Association. Nominees must be members of AATCC, 39 years of age or younger, and exhibit leadership skills.

Education Award

This award recognizes those members who have contributed extensively to the educational activities of AATCC.

Faculty Advisor Award

Nominate AATCC student chapter faculty advisors who actively work to ensure their AATCC student chapters are active and growing.

While most of the AATCC Board of Directors (BOD) will serve 2021-2022, the Materials Interest Group At-Large role will open sooner. Nominations for the BOD may be to Diana Wyman (diana@aatcc.org) by March 31. The election will be held this summer and the selections will be announced at the November 2021 annual meeting. For more information about the current Board members and job responsibilities, visit www.aatcc.org/about/bod.

AATCC announces 2025 Herman & Myrtle Goldstein Graduate Student Paper Competition winners

The American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists (AATCC) recognized the winners of the 2025 Herman & Myrtle Goldstein Graduate Student Paper Competition. Founded in 1982 to give student members the chance to conduct and present original research, the competition was renamed in 1994 in honor of Herman and Myrtle Goldstein, following their US$60,000 endowment. Their gift is a lasting remembrance of their dedication to young people in the textile industry.

New funding available for textile research

The AATCC Foundation Student Research Support Grant Program provides financial assistance for undergraduate and graduate students pursuing textile-related projects. Students may submit proposals now for funding to be awarded January 2026. Applications must be submitted by October 1, 2025, to be considered.

Young talents honoured – 60 years Walter Reiners Foundation

At the Techtextil trade fair in Frankfurt at the end of April, Peter D. Dornier, chairman of the VDMA’s Walter Reiners Foundation, presented awards to five successful young engineers. Promotion and sustainability awards were presented in the categories of bachelor’s/project theses and diploma/master’s theses. Academic theses are eligible for the sustainability awards if, for example, they develop solutions for resource-efficient products and technologies.

BTMA backs global growth while investing in future UK leaders

As one of a number of new initiatives launched this year, the British Textile Machinery Association (BTMA) is launching the UK-India Textile Machinery Coalition. The UK-India Free Trade Agreement, signed in July 2025, has implications that extend across sourcing, competitiveness and long-term trade dynamics, believes BTMA CEO Jason Kent.

China projected to increase cotton production, yields, and imports in 2026/27

World cotton production in the 2026/27 season is projected at 25.9 million tonnes, exceeding global consumption of 25.2 million tonnes, according to the May 2026 issue of Cotton This Month. That means both production and consumption are expected to remain close to current season levels, while global cotton trade is projected to decline by 2.7% to approximately 9.6-9.7 million tonnes.

Itema to showcase weaving excellence at ITM 2026

From June 9 to 13, Itema will exhibit at ITM 2026 in Istanbul (Hall 8 – Stand 806D), unveiling a distinctive exhibition concept designed to highlight the Company’s expertise across the entire weaving value chain. For this year’s edition, Itema will introduce an innovative stand experience built around two core areas: advanced weaving and spare parts solutions and an immersive textile gallery featuring fabrics produced by Itema Customers worldwide.

Last chance to apply: ITMA 2027 Start-Up Valley closes tomorrow

Applications for the Start-Up Valley at ITMA 2027 close tomorrow, offering young technology companies the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of several successful participants from the 2023 edition. The initiative, organised under the CEMATEX Start-Up Grant programme, has already helped a number of textile start-ups accelerate their transition from early-stage concepts to industrial partnerships, funding rounds and commercial deployment.