Dr. Mark Soucek, a professor in the Department of Polymer Engineering at The University of Akron, will be awarded the prestigious American Chemical Society's Division of Polymeric Materials: Science and Engineering (PMSE) Roy W. Tess Award in Coatings. This major award, which recognizes outstanding individual achievements and noteworthy contributions to coatings science, technology and engineering, confirms PMSE's long-standing and continuing support and dedication to excellence in the science, technology and engineering of coatings. During Dr. Soucek's exceptional career in the field of polymer coatings, he has made significant scientific contributions to the field, pioneered innovations and trained students in cutting edge coatings technology. Many of those students are now leaders in the field. Recognized as a leader in drying oil technologies, especially with regard to bio-based feedstocks, he has published more than 25 scientific papers in that area. He was also a major contributor to the renaissance of alkyd technology. He is among the leading authorities in reactive diluent technologies, replacing VOCs with solvating bio-based liquids that dissolve the polymeric binder and then participate in the film formation by reactive crosslinking into the coating. Dr. Soucek's research contributions have been well recognized by the coatings technical community. He has twice been awarded the Roon Award: once for his work with thermosetting latexes, and again for developing a new class of alkyd coatings. He was the recipient of the inaugural Gordon Award by the Coatings Tech Conference in 2000, and he was selected as a Gordon Award finalist for his work in UV-curable bio-based polymers in 2003. In 2004 and 2005, Mark received honorable mention for the Gordon Award for his core-shell latex work and UV-curing of unsaturated polyesters. Also in 2004, he was awarded the Innovation Award by Radtech (the European association for UV/EB technology) for his work in UV-curable coatings. He received the The Society for Protective Coatings Editor's Award for his work "Self-Stratifying Corrosion Resistant Coatings," and has published >150 peer reviewed technical papers on coating science, 15 book chapters. Dr. Soucek has 15 issued U.S. patents and pending patent applications. The Tess Award consists of $3,000 and an engraved plaque and will be presented at the Fall 2016 ACS Meeting in Philadelphia, PA, in conjunction with a symposium and an evening reception in honor of Dr. Soucek and other award winners.