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John Richard “Dick” Aspland is the 2013 recipient of the Olney Medal for outstanding achievement in the field of textile chemistry. The Olney Medal, the highest award presented by AATCC, is for outstanding lifetime achievement in a field of major importance to textile science.
Aspland’s research has included a wide range of textile chemistry interests, including fluorescence of dyeings and laundered fabrics (bispectralspectrometry); fastness properties of dyeings on novel polymers; implementation of novel shade-sorting software for color users from color-instrument manufacturers to apparel cutters; the influence of fiber, yarn, and fabric parameters on the physical properties of coated fabrics; synthesis of isotopic tracers for studying diffusion in nylon dyeing; the effect of color distribution on the color appearance of yarns, fibers, and fabrics (microspectrometry); and the interactions between pigment particles and polymers.
A member of AATCC since 1971, he has been active in textile chemistry for more than 50 years as a scientist, researcher and educator in academia and industry. His book, Textile Dyeing and Coloration, published by AATCC in 1997, has been used as a premier text on dyeing. Aspland and his former student, Ann Laidlaw, together published the AATCC Color Guidebook in 2011. Aspland has published more than 145 articles in peer-reviewed journals and in conference proceedings, three peer-reviewed book chapters, and holds two patents.
The award will be presented at the AATCC International Conference, which is being held April 1-3, 2014, at the Crowne Plaza Resort in Asheville, N.C. USA. For additional information on IC 2014, visit the AATCC website.
The Olney Medal
Established in 1944 in honor of Louis Atwell Olney, the founder and first president of AATCC, the Olney Medal recognizes outstanding achievement in textile or polymer chemistry or other fields of chemistry of major importance to textile science. The award consists of a gold medal, a scroll, and an honorarium.