#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.

Keeping products moving with Swedish automation at FILTECH 2026

At FILTECH 2026, taking place in Cologne from June 30th to July 2nd, members of TMAS – the Swedish textile machinery association – will highlight how the country’s engineering expertise is enabling filtration manufacturers to increase productivity, improve traceability and reduce dependence on labour-intensive manual processes.

Results of the 38th ITMF Global Textile Industry Survey

The global textile industry appears to be turning a corner, but this is more likely a fragile and possibly temporary improvement than the start of a durable recovery. According to the 38th ITMF Global Textile Industry Survey, conducted worldwide during the second half of May 2026, business sentiment, order intake, order backlogs and capacity utilization all improved versus March — yet every indicator remains weak by historical standards, and rising costs cast doubt on how long the upturn can last.

“Innovation, resilience and international experience remain the great strengths of the Swiss textile machinery industry”

Geopolitical uncertainty, growing competitive pressure from China, new free trade agreements and the shift towards a circular economy are currently reshaping the global textile industry. In this interview, Cornelia Buchwalder discusses the current mood within the Swiss textile machinery sector, the industry’s distinctive innovative strength, new market opportunities in India and Asia, and the technological trends that could shape the upcoming trade fair cycle leading up to ITMA 2027.

DYNEEMA® and NP Aerospace advance personal protection for military servicewomen

Dyneema®, owned by Avient Corporation, an innovator of materials solutions, is supplying its high-performance unidirectional (UD) materials to world-leading armor manufacturer NP Aerospace, enabling the production of armor systems designed specifically to fit the female body. With 2,000 new armor systems, including 4,000 plates, made in the United Kingdom (UK) and delivered in June 2026, this collaboration addresses a long-standing lack of high-quality personal protection specially built for female defense and security personnel.

Textile Exchange publishes comprehensive polyester LCA study

Textile Exchange has released a new Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) study on polyester, providing detailed data on the environmental impacts of both virgin and recycled polyester production. The study aims to strengthen understanding across the fashion, textile and apparel industries and support more informed decision-making regarding polyester sourcing and production.