SOLON, OH - Dean C. Webster of North Dakota State University, Department of Coatings and Polymeric Materials, will receive the Roy W. Tess Award in Coatings for 2011. The officers and the Award Committee of the Division of Polymeric Materials: Science and Engineering (PMSE) of the American Chemical Society made the announcement.

Webster began his career in the coatings industry in 1984 working initially in corporate R&D and later for the Consumer Division of Sherwin-Williams in Chicago, IL, where he was involved in resin development for industrial coatings as well as long-range research in new resins and crosslinking chemistry. In 1993, he moved to Eastman Chemical Co., where he led project teams in the areas of application development for new monomers, new chemistry for coatings systems and polymer development for coatings. In 2001, he joined the Coatings and Polymeric Materials department of North Dakota State University as a professor.

Webster received his Ph.D. in Materials Engineering Science at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in 1984. Prior to that, he received his B.S. degree in chemistry at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

At North Dakota State University, Webster carries out research in the synthesis and characterization of novel polymers. Webster has authored over 75 peer-reviewed papers and publications and is credited with 11 patents (an additional 18 pending) on coatings-related topics, as well as having numerous presentations on coatings-related topics.

The Tess Award is presented annually by the Division of Polymeric Materials: Science and Engineering in recognition of outstanding contributions to coatings science and technology. It is funded by a grant to the division from Dr. and Mrs. Roy W. Tess. The purpose of the award is to encourage interest and progress in coatings science technology and engineering and to recognize significant contributions to the field.