AATCC announces 2009 design competition winners

In its fourth annual Materials Design Competition for students, intended to promote innovative product development from a material structures design perspective, AATCC has announced the 2009 winners. All entries were evaluated on concept originality, design element integration, technical feasibility, clarity of supporting documentation, technical and materials rationale, efficacy of the proposed commercialization, and viability of economic cost analysis.

First place: “Temp-A-Tote: Solving the Dilemma of Storing Portable Electronics in Automobiles,” by Elizabeth Hathaway, Amanda Shearin, Ashley Amick and Ivy Bunn, from North Carolina State University.

Second place: “Design and Preparation of Super-hydrophobic and Antimicrobial Fabric,” by Jinmei Du, North Carolina State University.

AATCC has also announced the establishment of two new student chapters, at Texas State University-San Marcos in San Marcos, Texas, U.S.A., and at Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos in Lima, Peru. “Getting an understanding of all areas of the textile supply chain will help the students succeed in the industry,” said Dr. Gwendolyn Hustvedt, assistant professor and faculty advisor of the Texas State AATCC chapter. “We intend to demonstrate a new model of involvement in the textile industry for university students and AATCC student chapters, in the United States and globally.”

For more information from the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists, Research Triangle Park, N.C., U.S.A., visit www.aatcc.org.