Upcoming Rubber Division, ACS Training

​Members receive FREE registration to our webinars, and all our courses and webinars are FREE for our Student Members. Members also receive significant savings on our training opportunities that aren't free.

May 13 - Course: Natural Fillers for Rubber Compounds May 18-21 - Endurica Workshop: Application of Rubber Fatigue Analysis with Endurica Software May 19 - Course: Rubber Extrusion Technology May 21 - Course: Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Chemicals in Laboratories May 25 - Course: Rubber Explained May 26 - Course: Respiratory Protection June 1-4 - Course: Advanced Rubber Compounding & Testing June 8 - Course: Hazardous Communication June 16, 23 & 30 (three-part webinar): Webinar: Mastering Virtual for Scientific Success June 17 - Course: Mixing and Testing for Compound Consistency June 18 - Course: Setting Up a Rubber Molding Process June 21 - Webinar: U.S. Regulatory Compliance in the Rubber Industry June 22 - Webinar: General Considerations in Failure Analysis of Rubber and Elastomers June 23 - Webinar: Explained June 24 - Webinar: Rubber Manufacturing Economics June 25 - Webinar: Basics of Polymer Testing & Processing June 29 - Course: Introduction to Hydrogels July 7 - Course: Basic Rubber Compounding July 13 - Course: Preincident Planning July 21 - Course: Compound Development Series - Polymers July 21 - Course: Compound Development Series - Fillers July 27 - Course: Sustainability in the Rubber Industry August 3 - Course: Electroelastomers: Applications, Principles and Opportunities August 4 - Course: Compound Development Series - Oils, Plasticizers & Process Aids August 4 - Course: Compound Development Series - Antidegradants & Aging August 11-12 - Course: Laboratory Safety Guidance August 18 - Course: Compound Development Series - August 18 - Course: Compound Development Series - Processing & Testing of Rubber August 19 - Course: An Introduction to Continuous Vulcanization August 25 - Course: How to Extend Lifetime of Elastomers and Rubber Products August 26 - Course: Soft Skills for Scientific Success

Contact Heather Maimone, Membership & Outreach Director, at [email protected] or 330-595-5546 with any questions about our courses or webinars. Register For Courses Or Webinars

Call For Abstracts - Deadline Extended to May 17th! 2021 International Elastomer Conference - 200th Technical Meeting & Annual Student Symposium

To celebrate our 200th Technical Meeting, we are organizing special "Frontiers" symposia to address the past, present and future of key areas in rubber science. We welcome abstract submissions on the following topics:

Frontiers of Rubber Science: Rubber Synthesis Frontiers of Rubber Science: Reinforcement of Rubber Frontiers of Rubber Science: Additives & Vulcanization

We are also accepting abstract proposals of basic and innovative research in the following featured topics:

Characterization of Elastomers & Raw Materials Sustainability & Renewable Materials Non-pneumatic Elastomers for Healthcare Advances in Materials & Processes for Tires Modelling & Simulation Connectivity, Robotics & AI in the Rubber Industry New Commercial Developments

Student Symposium Undergraduate and Graduate students are also invited to submit abstracts to the Annual Student Colloquium. This separate event includes both oral presentations and a poster session on the Expo Floor. The Colloquium provides a platform for research activities and applied industry experiences of students in Rubber/Polymer chemistry and processing. Come show our attendees what you are doing! Financial prizes will be awarded to the top Posters and Oral Presentations.

DEADLINES: Abstracts must be received by May 17, 2021 in order to be considered for inclusion in the schedule.

Submit An Abstract Our Spring Technical Meeting Was A Success

It was our first step in bringing our industry back together and it was great! With a combination of in-person and virtual attendees and speakers, valuable knowledge was shared and gained. In addition, 13 companies joined us to market their products and services at our on-site table top exhibits.

We honored our 2020 Science & Technology Award winners at a banquet during the meeting week. Congratulations to the winners and thank you to our valued award sponsors & supporters:

Charles Goodyear Medal - Dr. Nissim Calderon

Melvin Mooney Distinguished Technology Award sponsored by Lion Elastomers - Dr. Kenneth T. Gillen

George Stafford Whitby Award for Distinguished Teaching and Research sponsored by Cabot Corporation - Dr. Chrys Wesdemiotis

Sparks-Thomas Award sponsored by ExxonMobil - Dr. David Simmons

Chemistry of Thermoplastic Elastomers Award sponsored by Renkert Oil, LLC - Dr. Lewis Fetters

Fernley H. Banbury Award sponsored by Endurica, LLC - Dr. Ken Nakajima

Bioelastomer Award supported by Versalis Americas, Inc. - Dr. Colleen McMahan

The overall message from attendees at the meeting was that this event was a wonderful first step...but they absolutely Congratulations to all our winners! can't wait for our International Elastomer Conference in October! Keep up on the details at rubberiec.org. Registration will open June 1st.

We can't wait to bring our industry back together in-person at this event! Word on the street is that our industry is just as excited. Don't miss your chance to showcase your company at the expo. Become an exhibitor and give your company the opportunity to:

- Introduce new products, programs, technology and product lines - Network with industry decision makers, current clients and potential clients - Support sales efforts with connections made on-the-floor - Obtain a multitude of qualified contacts in just days - Reach an international audience - individuals from over 30 countries in attendance - Reinforce your corporate image with current and potential buyers - Meet your competition head-on

Don't wait - secure your exhibit space today! Registration and housing will open June 1st.

Buy Exhibit Space

Featured Tier IV Corporate Member

ASW Supply Chain Services, LLC a division of ASW Global has over 37 years of experience in operating over 2.5 million square feet of shared service and contract logistics operations in North America. Their shared service environment, located in Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ) #181, occupies 500,000 square feet of warehousing and distribution space dedicated to a diverse group of global clients. Their FTZ status is ideal for international companies and U.S. - based companies that engage in international commerce. Their strategic location within one day transit to 60% of the U.S. is optimal for Midwest regional distribution and for managing the inbound supply from the South and Southeast. They utilize a Warehouse Management System (WMS) that interfaces with numerous legacy and ERP systems. They also incorporate custom programming, when needed, to connect with their clients.

ASW Supply Chain Services specializes in providing supply chain solutions for the polymer, specialty chemical, industrial, retail, and CPG industry sectors. Their experience managing supply chains from point of origin to final destination has made them uniquely qualified to understand the needs of your specialty chemical and polymer customers, implement standard processes, and leverage complementary technology. They are able to package and repackage bulk commodity plastic resin, provide polymer blending services, transloading services, as well as transportation brokerage. They offer solutions for distribution and warehouse management, ecommerce fulfillment, inventory management, packaging and value-added services to help drive efficiency and value for their clients.

Clink the button below to learn more about their services.

Learn More About ASW

Featuring Rubber Division's "Week of Webinars"

Join us June 21-25 for complimentary Member webinars. As a Rubber Division, ACS Member, you receive free registration to our webinars in 2021. During the week of June 21, we will be doing drawings in our webinars for free memberships to pass on to a colleague, along with other great prizes! Register today for one or all the webinars below.

June 21 - Webinar: U.S. Regulatory Compliance in the Rubber Industry June 22 - Webinar: General Considerations in Failure Analysis of Rubber and Elastomers June 23 - Webinar: Silicone Explained June 24 - Webinar: Rubber Manufacturing Economics June 25 - Webinar: Basics of Polymer Testing & Processing

See Upcoming Learning Opportunities Women of our industry, join us for this online series where we feature discussions with a variety of amazing women throughout the year. Each hour-long online event includes a conversation with an inspirational woman followed by a breakout room session for attendees to participate in networking and Q&A. This is another step in our working to bring together the women of our industry and provide an opportunity to share, learn from each other and network. These events are held via Zoom and registration is free.

May 26, 2021; 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m - Featured Guest: Terry DeLapa, 1st Woman Chair of Rubber Division, ACS July 21, 2021; 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. - Featured Guest: Dr. Tamsin Astor, Chief Habit Scientist, International Speaker & Author

Details & Register

A Word From Our Executive Director & CEO Lakisha Miller-Barclay

With the support of the Executive Committee, we successfully held our first in-person meeting in over 566 days. The team and I were excited to plan this event and are very grateful to those who joined us in-person and virtually. We know that Covid has forced us to adapt to a new normal; however, we are confident that the new normal will continue to include face-to-face networking events and meetings. We know that our exhibitors, members and attendees are equally excited to get back together this fall for our International Elastomer Conference. We are continuing to work with Pittsburgh to ensure that your health and safety are first in all our planning. As we prepare to celebrate the 200th Technical Meeting, we have some great surprises in store as well. As our world begins to open back up, I hope that you have taken a few moments to reflect on what you missed doing during these past 14 months of isolation. Make it a point to take a walk, enjoy the sunshine, and visit friends and loved ones. I hope to see you soon at a local Rubber Group outing or meeting. Stay safe and remember, "Change is inevitable. Growth is optional." – John C. Maxwell

ARPM Partner Corner

ARPM was excited to announce the launch of the brand-new Mill Safety Video in April! ARPM is doing everything that it can to help its members’ bottom line concerns by providing a host of services, products, surveys, networking opportunities, and programs that provide measurable value and often a return on investment. It is in this spirit that ARPM and its membership worked to develop the Mill Safety Video. This video is just one of over a hundred industry standards and publications that ARPM members have free and unlimited access to. In addition to the Mill Safety Video, a new and updated version of MO-1: The Rubber Handbook was released this year. All of ARPM’s publications can be viewed at www.arpminc.com/publications. If you have any questions, please contact [email protected].

A Digital Collection Of Stories In History

From the famous, to the infamous, to the never heard of, The Story Podcast uncovers the little known backstories of eight veterans who have built companies, products, inventions, and brands that have changed the way we live. History builds the present. Where we are today is a result of where we have been. Yet, some of the stories that got us here have remained in the shadows. And the true stories of the people and inventions that have built our world are often lost to time. Our only hope for building a better future is to truly understand what got us to the present.

Click the button below to listen to the story of how a confusing mathematical problem met a confusing astronomical problem and gave birth to not just one… but two holidays.. Season 5 features 8 stories of trailblazers paired with the beginnings of some of the most famous winter holidays.. W​ hat will your story be?

Listen: The Matter of Time

Share Your Stories Around The World

We believe that our members are the life-blood of this organization. Do you know that 30% of our membership base is from outside of the United States?! We have members from Argentina and Australia all the way to Pakistan, Malaysia and also corporate members from Sri Lanka!

Share your stories with us and we can share them around the globe! We are looking to continually engage our members, and one of the ways we know people are engaged is through PHOTOS.

Send me photos of your workplace (from home or the office), your employees participating in (virtual) events, other shows you attend, your colleagues having fun, etc. Send them with a small caption and we will feature your photo in the newsletter and in our member portal over time.

Corporate Member #CancarbCares

What are these fine Cancarb employees up to today you ask? Oh, just beginning construction of their new GREENHOUSE! #CancarbCares about their community and their environment so much that they decided to build a greenhouse to grow vegetables for their local foodbank.

How are you showing that you care?

Student Chapter Global Trivia Game

We held our first ever trivia night with our student chapter members. This was great fun as we engaged with the students using an interactive online game called Kahoot. We had over a dozen participants playing along with subjects including Division history, rubber science and pop culture. Congratulations to Sayan B. from The University of Akron Student Chapter for being our winner of a $100 Amazon gift card and Nick F. from University of Massachusetts Lowell for second place. Special thank you to Anthony Mariniello for joining and playing along. We will continue to engage with the students. Email Heather at [email protected] to learn more or get invited to the next round.​

Rubber: The Miracle Material - Bouncing 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy Ideas Rubber is an everyday substance with a In a world where materials were limited to controversial past. Tim Harford tells the wood, leather, metal, and cloth, rubber was story of the innovations that made it a hot something new: a substance that was property and the surge in demand that led strong, soft, flexible, and waterproof, but to turmoil and bloodshed in an African completely undependable. Then along colony. came a 33 year old hardware merchant named Charles Goodyear, who made it his Listen to this podcast on how rubber has personal mission to conquer rubber at any been instrumental in making the modern cost. Listen to this podcast series to hear economy. the history of rubber.

Blast From The Past: Chairman and Goodyear Medalist

Sidney Marsh Cadwell (5 March 1893 – 24 June 1986) noted as discoverer of anti-oxidants for rubber. Cadwell published perhaps the first scientific study of the fatigue behavior of rubber. Cadwell served as Chairman of the Rubber Division of the American Chemical Society in 1935 and was named the 1956 Charles Goodyear Medalist.

Sidney began his career as the Captain in the Chemical Warfare Service in World War I and in 1919 joined United States Rubber Company. In 1966 he was the director of Institute of Applied Chemistry and Physics at Wayne State University, and he received the Midgley Award of the American Chemical Society Detroit Section.

Local Rubber Groups

Rubber Division, ACS has many regional Rubber Groups and Affiliated Technical Organizations – U.S. and International. Membership in these Rubber Groups and Affiliated Technical Organizations provides you even more opportunities to learn, network and engage with others in our great industry throughout the year. Technical meetings, social events, business opportunities, recognition in the industry and scholarship opportunities are just some of what these groups offer.

Click here to learn about our local Rubber Groups. Upcoming Rubber Group Events:

Bourbon Trail Elastomer Group May 20 - Golf Outing; Cincinnati, OH August 19 - Technical Meeting, Lexington, KY

Detroit Rubber Group July 8 - Fishing Derby August 24 - Golf Outing

Mexico Rubber Group May 27 - Course: Rubber Compounds Engineering; Rubber Chamber Auditorium July 15 - Course: Extrusion, Calendering and Molding of Rubber Compounds; Rubber Chamber Auditorium August 26 - Course: Rubber Compounding Part II - Reverse Engineering; Rubber Chamber Auditorium

Michigan Rubber Group June 3 - Golf Outing; Lansing, MI July 30 - Fishing Derby; Grand Haven, MI

MidAtlantic Rubber & Plastics Group May 20 - Spring Meeting; Exton, PA

Ohio Rubber Group June 15 - Golf Outing; Brookfield, OH August 30 - Golf Outing; Stow, OH

Twin Cities Rubber Group May 20 - Past Presidents Event at Topgolf; Brooklyn Center, MN

The 2021 Rubber Group and industry events calendar is updated regularly throughout the year. You can search our calendar by keyword, save individual events to your calendar or subscribe to this calendar to keep up on all events as they are added.

Industry Events Calendar

Are you an individual member, but think your company can benefit from joining our Corporate Membership Program?

Become a Rubber Division, ACS Corporate Member and experience the value for your company. Save up to 35% on memberships! In addition to the savings within each tier available, corporate members also receive the following benefits:

Discounted exhibit space pricing at the IEC Exclusive corporate member registration kiosk at IEC Discounted exhibit space pricing at IEC expo Group registration for IEC Logo displayed on signage during Rubber Division, ACS conferences Logo displayed in the IEC on-site Show Guide and Show Daily publications Corporate member lounge with coffee, tea and water for corporate members at IEC Opportunity to purchase one corporate table at the IEC welcome reception Housing info for events released to you early Opportunity for on-site corporate training at your company Complimentary hours of library research

Information About Corporate Membership

Looking For A New Career? The Perfect Candidate?

Don't forget to visit the Careers section of our website to post your resume, view open positions in our industry or post a position for your company. This information will be seen by our members, along with numerous other companies and people in the industry who view our website daily. Contact Gretchen Cermak for more information.

Log in to your member account.

Get a sneak peek of The Rubber Zone.

Thank you for your continued support of Rubber Division, ACS!

Heather Maimone, MBA Membership & Outreach Director Rubber Division, ACS 330.595.5546

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