SPE Honors Members with Prestigious Annual Awards at ANTEC® 2023

SPE announced the latest recipients of two prestigious awards, Honored Service Member and Fellow of the Society, during an ANTEC® awards luncheon on March 29. 

Three individuals received Honored Service Member awards, recognizing outstanding service to and support of the society and its objectives. They are:

Prof. Bradley G. Johnson, Penn State Behrend, nominated by SPE’s Injection Molding Division. Teaching there since 1994, and with a background in industrial plastics, Johnson’s expertise is in injection molding and process optimization. He directs the Plastics Training Academy at the college; organizes and chairs Innovation and Emerging Plastics Technologies conferences there; and is a past chair of the Injection Molding Division.
 

Elizabeth J. Puckerin, Ampacet’s color technology global manager. Based in Terre Haute, Ind., she has been with Ampacet 33 years. Puckerin leads the global color team in developing a global color management system, coordinating global color projects and harmonizing color testing. She works with her team to manage color evaluations for Ampacet North America and approves colorants for all Ampacet regions. Puckerin served on the Color and Appearence Division (CAD) board for several years; chaired two CAD RETECs; was involved with several CAD committees; and is now communication chair. 
 

Dr. Wei Zheng, professor and program director of the plastics engineering program at the University of Wisconsin, Stout. A recipient of the G.A. Taft professorship and of an Outstanding Women of Color in Education Award there, she’s worked on over 40 technical assistant projects focusing on sustainability. She started SPE’s Applied Rheology Division and served as its councilor and chair, as well as vice president and president of the Chinese American Society of Plastics Engineers. 
 

Two SPE members were named Fellows of the Society, which honored them for outstanding contributions in plastics engineering, science or technology or the management of such activities. 

Dr. Vivek Rohatgi, pipe resin and applications technical service manager, Chevron Phillips Chemical, has 24 years of experience in polymer processing, application development and commercialization, and is active in many industry organizations. He holds 18 U.S. patents and has written 24 journal and conference papers and three book chapters.

Dr. Uday K. Vaidya, chief technology officer of IACMI-The Composites Institute. He holds the Governor’s Chair in Advanced Composites Manufacturing at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Vaidya is editor-in-chief of Elsevier’s Composites Part B: Engineering journal; author of two books about composites; and education chair for SPE’s Composites Division. 

The President’s Cup, which honors a member for outstanding service to an incumbent president, will be announced in December. Bruce Mulholland, 2023 president, said he would select the 2023 winner then for presentation at the 2024 ANTEC®, adding that it is too early in his tenure to make such a selection now.