AATCC Presents The 2006 Millson Award For Invention

Research Triangle Park, NC — The world's top textile scientists will be honored during AATCC's 2006 International Conference & Exhibition (IC&E) in Atlanta, Ga., U.S.A., October 31 - November 2 at the Georgia World Congress Center. This year, AATCC's IC&E will be a co-located event with MEGATEX, which is co-anchored by the American Textile Machinery Exhibition International 2006 (ATME-I 2006) and the Industrial Fabrics Association International Expo 2006 (IFAI Expo 2006). The awards will be presented at the Association's conference Awards Banquet on Wednesday, November 1, at the Embassy Suites Centennial Park.

AATCC has named David Offord as the 2006 recipient of the HENRY E. MILLSON AWARD FOR INVENTION for innovative chemistry using nanotechnology to permanently bind performance-enhancing finishes to textile fibers. The award, established in 1979, recognizes outstanding contributions to textile technology.

Offord obtained a BS in chemistry at Bethany College, and a PhD in organic chemistry from Stanford University. He began his career in 1995 as a senior scientist with AmCell Corp and joined Alnis Biosciences as a senior scientist in 1997. Offord founded Nano-Tex in 1998 and served as the company's chief scientific officer. He is currently the head of David Offord Consulting.

Offord is a member of the American Chemical Society and joined AATCC in 2003. He has written several articles and textbook chapters covering textile finishing using nanotechnology and other methods.

AATCC named the Millson Award for Invention for Henry E. Millson, a noted inventor and previous head of dyes research for American Cyanamid. Millson, the 1958 recipient of AATCC's Olney Medal for outstanding achievement in textile chemistry, endowed the Millson Award in 1979 with the stipulation that he never be considered a candidate. After agreeing to that condition, the Association promptly named the award in his honor. The Millson Award is given for an invention that is recognizable as an innovation based on its merits and its impact on the U.S. textile, fiber, polymer, and medical industries.

SOURCE: AATCC