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The Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP), the global authority in materials protection and performance, recently announced the recipients of its 2024 awards program.

Winners are being honored during the AMPP Annual Conference + Expo, which is being held March 3–7, 2024, in New Orleans, La. These prestigious awards serve as a testament to the exceptional achievements and groundbreaking contributions in the industry.

“The conference is a convergence of unparalleled expertise and innovation,” said Rebecca Griebe, AMPP’s senior director of user experience. “Our awards stand as a tribute to exceptional individuals whose contributions are reshaping the landscape of our field. This year’s honorees have showcased excellence in research, teaching, technical practice, and volunteerism, making substantial strides in advancing corrosion control and materials performance.”

The recipients of AMPP’s 2024 service, technical, and project awards will be recognized during the conference’s Honoree Night, which provides a platform to acknowledge the exemplary achievements of these outstanding individuals and teams. Held on Wednesday, March 6, at the National World War II Museum, the awards ceremony aims to inspire professionals in the field while fostering an environment of collaboration and mentorship.

“The important thing is to let the younger generations that we are recognizing their contribution to the science of materials protection and performance, for the benefit of society,” said Raul Rebak, corrosion engineer at GE Global Research and chair of the AMPP Awards Committee.

“We have several levels to it,” Rebak said of the program. “We have science [awards], we have early career. And we have awards for people in the field that do coatings [work], or the application of paints to a structure. Both for aesthetics and for resistance against corrosion. We have several areas to this, and we invite everybody from AMPP to participate in this awards committee, and to contribute their knowledge.”

Service, Technical Awards

For 2024, service and technical award winners include the following:

Willis Whitney Technical Achievement Award

• Sannakaisa Virtanen (podcast interview)

“The Whitney Award is the flagship of this society, going all the way back to 1947, and it’s been awarded every year since,” said John R. Scully, chaired professor of materials science and engineering at the University of Virginia and chair of the Whitney task force.

“The first award, of course, went to Willis R. Whitney,” Scully said. “At the time, the corrosion field was largely based on some really good but empirical knowledge. He sought to provide a scientific foundation that would guide you. When you came up with a new service environment or new alloy, or new coatings, or a new mitigation strategy for corrosion, you’d have some theory behind it. So it’s given for a lifetime, integrated body of work.”

Regarding this year’s Whitney Award, an extended podcast interview with Scully, Rebak, and Virtanen can be listened to here. Winners of other awards are available below.

Russell Brannon & John Keane Signature Award

• Teresa Estela Perez

Joyce Wright Industry Impact Award

• Zineb Belarbi

Educator Award

• Recipient in honor of Herbert Uhlig: Rajeev Gupta

• Recipient in honor of Richard Drisko: Martin Alejandro Rodriguez

Publications Awards

• Nicholas Laycock, Mehrooz Zamanzadeh, Federico Bertasi

Fellow Honor

• Hisashi Amaya, Torben Lund Skovhus, Ardjan Kopliku, Jason S. Lee, Dawei Zhang, Alyn Jenkins, Tao Chen, Toleti Subba Rao, Kamlesh Chandra, Gregory R. Ruschau, Mark Yunovich, Francois Ayello

Early Career Excellence Award

• Lindsey M Blohm, Thu Tran Addis

Elaine Bowman Distinguished Service Award

• Yousef Khuraibut, Nurul Asni Mohamed, Jordan Groody, Laszlo Forgo, Brett John Johnson, David Enos

Oladis Troconis de Rincón Field Applied Technology Award

• Kurt Lawson, Gustavo Adolfo Romero Urdaneta, Mark Yunovich

Distinguished Organization Award

• Research & Analytical Services Department, Saudi Aramco

Project Awards

Project award winners are also being announced as part of AMPP’s 2024 program. These winners include the following:

Excellence in Coating Craftsmanship: Project in honor of E. Crone Knoy and Charles Munger

Yellow Line Tunnel and Bridge Rehabilitation: Washington, DC, USA

• Structure Owner: Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority

• Contractor: Kiewit Infrastructure Co.

• Applicator: Blastech Enterprises, Inc.

• Coating material supplier: Sherwin-Williams

Excellence in Management of a Complex Materials Protection: Project in honor of George Campbell 

Etiwanda Pipeline: Fontana and Rancho Cucamonga, California

• Structure owner: Metropolitan Water District of Southern California

• Contractor: F. D. Thomas

• Coating material supplier: Carboline

Excellence in Technical Support of Materials Protection Systems 

Sunoco LP Tank 32001: Linden, New Jersey, USA

• Structure owner: Sunoco LP

• Contractor: Dave Cushman

• Coating material supplier: Carboline Company

Outstanding Achievement in Coatings Work in a Fixed Shop: Project in honor of Eric Kline

Hoyer Tanks Chemical Linings Project: Nantong, Jiangsu Province, China

• Contractor/applicator: Nantong Fuchen Tank Co., Ltd

• Coating material supplier: Advanced Polymer Coatings

Outstanding Engineering in the Area of Materials Protection or Remediation 

Robotically Coating of a Mock Tanker Car: Alberta, Canada

• Applicator: Confined Space Robotics Inc.

• Coating material supplier: AkzoNobel Canada

Recognition of Excellence in Aesthetic Merit in a Coatings Project: Project in honor of William Johnson 

Ellensburg Water Tower: Spokane, WA, USA

• Structure owner: City of Ellensburg

• Contractor/applicator: Marlin Peterson

• Coating material supplier: Sherwin-Williams

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While at the March 6 gala, honorees and guests will be able to enjoy a relaxing evening of networking, heavy hors d’oeuvres, and entertainment. Tickets are $75 each and are available through conference registration.

2024 Contractor Awards

The 2024 AMPP Annual Conference + Expo will also feature the release of CoatingsPro Magazine’s annual Contractor Awards. The official March 4 announcement, which will take place immediately prior to the ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Exhibit Hall entrance, will be live streamed at CoatingsPro’s Facebook page.

An official announcement of those winners will be published at www.coatingspromag.com shortly thereafter, with further coverage available in AMPP’s exclusive Show Daily newsletters from the conference.

For more information, contact: AMPP Annual Conference + Expo, ace.ampp.org.