Society News
Letter from the President
Dear Adhesion Society Members,
I am excited and honored to begin my first year serving as president of the society. Joelle has done a fantastic job, and I hope to emulate her as best I can. Joelle and her executive team delivered an excellent conference in Savannah last February! Hats off to Michael Bortner and Chelsea Davis, program chair and co-chair along with the Division Chairs, session organizers, and Society members who volunteered their time.
The 2025 Program Co-Chairs Chelsea Davis and Christopher So are working hard to organize another great Annual Meeting in New Orleans! Among all the fascinating sessions cutting across all aspects of adhesion, including sessions on reversible/responsive adhesives and designing with adhesives, the program committee has also planned a panel discussion on careers in adhesion science. We will also celebrate the 2025 Award Winners, Anil Bhowmick for the Excellence in Adhesion Award, and Ngon Tran for the Early Career Award.
Beyond the upcoming Annual Meeting plans, our amazing Executive Committee and many member volunteers have been busy. Malinda Armstrong continues to upgrade our new website and database platform. Heather Liddell is our new Sustainability Chair and is working with the Programing committee to include sustainability content in the program as well as to help us pursue more sustainable avenues to run our annual meeting. Similarly, Bindu Krishnan is our new DEI chair. She’s helping us gather data on the diversity of our membership and strategies for outreach. Follow us on Twitter(X) (@adhesion_the) and LinkedIn. Please tag the Society if you post something relating to adhesion so that we can help advertise recent advances in adhesion science & engineering.
Grace Wan is leading and organizing the short course committee, please let her know if you would like to get involved.
Please contact me if you have suggestions to advance the Adhesion Society or if you simply want to get involved at any level.
Nick Shephard
President, Adhesion Society
Member Spotlight
2025 Early Career Award (sponsored by Adhesive and Sealant Council)
Dr. Ngon Tran Awarded the Adhesion Society Early Career Award!
We are thrilled to announce that Dr. Ngon Tran, a distinguished scientist at the DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory, has been honored with the prestigious Early Career Award by the Adhesion Society. This award recognizes Dr. Tran’s significant contributions to the field of adhesion science, particularly her innovative work on surface functionalization methods including clustered hydroxyl groups for improved hydrolysis resistance.
Dr. Tran’s multidisciplinary research strategies have led to collaborations that push the boundaries of our understanding of adhesion in high humidity and wet environments. Dr. Tran has rapidly established credibility across structural adhesive, composites, and adhesion promoter technologies. Her dedication to mentoring students and serving the broader scientific community, including numerous positions in the Adhesion Society, further exemplifies her commitment to excellence and leadership in her field.
Please join us in congratulating Dr. Ngon Tran on this well-deserved recognition and in celebrating her bright future in adhesion science.
2025 3M Award for Excellence in Adhesion Science to Dr. Anil Bhowmick
It is our great pleasure to announce Dr. Anil Bhowmick as the 2025 recipient of the Award for Excellence in Adhesion Science sponsored by 3M. This is the Society’s premier award for outstanding achievements in scientific research, contributions to the field, and longstanding impact with worldwide recognition. Dr. Bhowmick currently holds the position of Research Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Houston as well as the International Center for Polymers and Soft Matter. He is being primarily recognized for his outstanding and seminal contributions in the area of adhesion of rubbers and rubber-based composites.
Professor Bhowmick has made several seminal contributions to the filed of adhesion science and technology in such areas as interfacial bonding theory and bonding mechanisms for rubber to rubber joints, the chemistry of self-healing rubbers, synthesis of sustainable tackifiers for rubber applications and pressure sensitive adhesives, structure property relationships of block co-polymer adhesives, compatibilization of rubber polymers for adhesive utility, and surface engineering to improve adhesion to name just a few. He is an outstanding teacher who shares his wealth of practical experience and case studies in his lectures, and he is a tremendous mentor to so many in both industry and academia that have studied and collaborated with Dr. Bhowmick throughout his distinguished career. His impressive track record of scientific contributions, expansive legacy of impact, and his dedication to his field are truly incredible and he is extremely deserving of the 2025 Award for Excellence in Adhesion Science.
Newsletters
AS Newsletter - 2024 Edition