Georg-Menges prize goes to Hartwig Höcker

During the opening session of this year's 25th International Plastics Technology Colloquium, organized by Germany's Institute for Plastics Processing (IKV; Aachen), the prestigious Georg-Menges prize, awarded to individuals who promote research and development in the plastics processing field, was presented to Hartwig Höcker. He is emeritus professor for textile chemistry and macromolecular chemistry, as well as former director of the Interactive Material Research Institute (DWI), at the RWTH Aachen University.

Höcker, 73, studied at the University of Mainz, Germany, where he received his doctorate before taking a position as research associate at Stanford University (Stanford, CA). Later he held teaching and research positions at the universities of Mainz, Munich, and Bayreuth, Germany before joining the RWTH Aachen University in 1985. His work includes extensive research in the fields of plastics composites, plastics recycling, and fiber as well as functional textile finishing.

Since 2004 he has been a member of the board of the German Academy of Technology (acatech). The Georg-Menges prize, awarded every two years since 1999, is cosponsored by the Plastics & Rubber Machinery division of the German Engineering Federation (VDMA), the plastics suppliers' association PlasticsEurope Deutschland, and the IKV. The Menges trophy is a replica of a hand-assembled Leitz microscope from 1899.

MPW attended the IKV's colloquium and will report on the technical developments and processing technology discussed at the event in articles to come.—[email protected]