Seshadri Ramkumar to Receive the 2023 AATCC Chapin Award 

In recognition of his outstanding service to the Association, AATCC has named Seshadri Ramkumar as recipient of the Harold C. Chapin Award.

AATCC Involvement 

Ramkumar has been a member of the Association since 1999. He was a strong proponent for expanding AATCC into the area of nonwovens and technical textiles. He supported the founding of the Materials Interest Group and served as an officer in this Interest Group for 11 years.

Ramkumar was involved in the development and promotion of nonwoven and technical textile conferences and symposia, nationally and internationally. He presented webinars and tutorials, chaired conference committees, and served as a moderator or speaker at AATCC conferences, symposia, and events. He especially encouraged AATCC’s involvement in conferences in India and co-organized major conferences, promoting AATCC widely to all who attended. His tenacious promotion of the Association strengthened AATCC’s significance throughout the Indian textile community.

Ramkumar has authored or co-authored numerous articles and research papers in AATCC Review and AATCC Journal of Research. He serves as a member of the Publications Committee. He served for several years as an associate editor for the AATCC Journal of Research and strives to elevate its status as a peer-reviewed journal. He also promotes AATCC events in his newsletter, “TexSnips,” which goes to over 2,000 people around the world.

Accomplishments 

Ramkumar has three published patents and 20 invention disclosures. He has authored more than 150 peer-reviewed papers and has co-edited a book and book chapters. In 2022, he was recognized as a Fellow of the Technical Association of Pulp and Paper Industry (TAPPI) in the United States, and in 2020, received the Silver Medal from the Society of Dyers and Colourists (United Kingdom). He is also a Fellow of The Textile Institute (United Kingdom) and an Honorary Fellow in the Textile Association (India).

Education and Professional  

Ramkumar earned his PhD in Textile Materials from the University of Leeds, UK, in 1998; a Master of Technology in Textile Materials Science, First Rank in the Discipline from Anna University, India, in 1994; and a Bachelor of Technology in Textile Materials Science, Graduating with Distinction from Anna University, India, in 1992

He joined Texas Tech University as a Research Associate in January 1999. He became an Assistant Professor in Environmental Toxicology at The Institute of Environmental and Human Health (TIEHH) at Texas Tech in 2005 and was a full professor in Environmental Toxicology/TIEHH by 2013.

Ramkumar and his laboratory developed a non-particulate dry sorbent nonwoven wipe for use in chemical compatibility and chemical warfare agent retention. The Department of Homeland Security contracted with a national laboratory to evaluate this product against 30 or more currently available products. The results of the evaluation concluded that the dry wipe technology developed in Ramkumar’s laboratory was the best performing wipe. Ramkumar and his laboratory’s development of FiberTect wipe technology is recognized as one of the first technology commercialization activities at Texas Tech University.

Chapin Award  

The Chapin Award was established in 1958 in honor of Harold C. Chapin, professor of chemistry at Lowell Textile School, who served as national secretary of AATCC for nearly 25 years. It is awarded to those who portray outstanding service to AATCC, enabling the Association to attain the objects for which it was founded. The Association will present the Chapin Scroll to Dr. Seshadri Ramkumar during the AATCC Textile Discovery Summit Awards Luncheon that will take place in Greenville, SC, USA on September 14, 2023.