ATLANTA, GA – TAPPI is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2016 Coating and Graphic Arts Division Technical and Leadership and Service Awards.

The Coating and Graphic Arts Division Technical Award and Charles W. Engelhard Prize recipient is Martti Toivakka. The award recognizes Toivakka’s outstanding contributions, which have advanced the industry's technology.

“As an academic, it is very rewarding for me to be acknowledged by a professional organization such as TAPPI,” said Toivakka. “I think the award recognizes that our research, education related to it and our students have relevance and impact valued by the industry. The contact network created by TAPPI has been extremely useful throughout the years, and the appreciation in the form of an award encourages me to continue an active participation in TAPPI.”

Martti Toivakka is currently a full professor and head of the Laboratory of Paper Coating and Converting at Åbo Akademi University, Finland. He received his doctoral degree in chemical engineering in the area of paper chemistry in 1998. His research group is a member of the Academy of Finland appointed Center of Excellence for Functional Materials, which develops functional materials and demonstrates devices for printed intelligence.

In recent years, his research interests have expanded from pigment coating to include novel coating and surface treatment methods for natural fiber-based products, printing as a fabrication method and use of paper as a substrate for printed electronics. He has (co-)authored over 150 peer-reviewed scientific publications and has organized and been the chairman of 2006 TAPPI Advanced Coating Fundamentals Symposium and the 2011 European Coating Symposium, both held in Turku, Finland. Furthermore, he has arranged numerous international short courses for industrial professionals and doctoral level students, the recent ones being Coating and Drying of Thin Films – Fundamentals & Applications with a Special Topic on Printed and Organic Electronics in 2011, Pigment Coating Technology in 2012, and Advanced Printing Technology in 2014.

The Coating and Graphic Arts Division Leadership and Service Award and DuPont Soy Polymers Prize recipient is Al Osgood of Sappi North America. This award recognizes Osgood’s outstanding leadership and exceptional service, which has resulted in significant and demonstrable benefits to Coating and Graphic Arts Division members.

“It is a tremendous feeling to realize that my peers believe my volunteer work with TAPPI is worthy of such an honor as the Coating & Graphics Arts Leadership & Service award,” said Osgood. “It’s been a wonderful privilege working with everyone in the paper industry over the years, especially the fantastic volunteers associated with the C & GA TPC. It has been extremely rewarding to have the opportunity to give back to those coming after me in this intellectually challenging and sustainably sourced industry.”  

Al received his B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Maine in 1981 and currently is an Associate Research Fellow at Sappi North America. He did his co-op engineering work at the Boise-Cascade paper mill in Rumford and found his calling with paper coatings. He has thoroughly enjoyed focusing his career on paper coatings and their processes with S.D. Warren/Sappi.

In 1983 he began his career with leading edge paper coating research by pioneering with JM Huber the use engineered particle size distribution pigments in paper coatings. Since then he has focused on developing & applying his understanding of coating pore structure as a function of pigment particle size distributions and how it affects ultimate print quality. Combining this with the understanding of binder chemistry ink vehicle interactions, he has updated old grades & developed many new grades for the Westbrook, Muskegon, Cloquet and Somerset mills; including the revolutionary rapid ink drying Tempo grade in 2008.

Al is active in TAPPI coating leadership roles; he was the 2012 Coating Conference chairperson and was C & GA Division chair as well as Advanced Coating Fundamentals Symposium chair in 2014. He has co-authored & presented several coating related articles at TAPPI coating conferences. He holds one industry associated patent and has a couple more pending.

TAPPI congratulates both award recipients and will honor them at the PaperCon Awards Dinner on May 15 in Cincinnati.