December 2, 2013
John Manuck Recognized along with Fellow Founding Sponsor during a Visit to the Cooper Union
CLINTON, Tenn., December 2, 2013 – John Manuck, Techmer PM CEO, was honored by the Royal Society of the Arts (RSA) during a recent visit to The Cooper Union, Manuck’s alma mater, for Techmer PM’s founding sponsorship of the RSA’s Student Design Awards (SDAs).
The SDAs is an awards program to inspire collaborative, multidisciplinary, design-led social change that connects design students and faculty with industry needs. As a founding sponsor of the SDAs in the USA, Techmer PM sponsors special judges’ prizes to celebrate excellence in sustainable design, design innovation, and materials science as well as the Bill Moggridge Award for interdisciplinary design. “We believe that excellence in design is fundamental to future economic growth in the USA. Also, Techmer PM’s competence in modifying polymer properties gives designers greater flexibility in product design and performance,” said Manuck.
Manuck’s visit, his first trip back to The Cooper Union since graduating in 1969 with a degree in chemical engineering, came about due to the connection to fellow SDAs founding sponsor, The Cooper Union. David Turner, a former SDAs award winner and current managing director, fibers division at Techmer PM, introduced Techmer PM to the RSA. Manuck, along with The Cooper Union School for the Advancement of Science and Art President Jamshed Bharucha, was presented with a framed poster by the RSA to commemorate the inaugural year of the SDAs. The poster was specially designed for the founding sponsors and inaugural keynote speakers: Kevin Owens, design principal of the London 2012 Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games; and Penny Egan, executive director of the UK Fulbright Commission.
Manuck further stated, “It was amazing for me to visit the Great Hall at The Cooper Union where I spoke as a student in 1969 and to tour the award-winning academic building on Cooper Square that was opened only a few years ago.”
About the Royal Society of the Arts and Student Design Awards
The Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA) was founded in 1754 to embolden enterprise, enlarge science, refine art, improve manufactures, and extend commerce. Four of the signatories of the American Declaration of Independence were RSA members, and Benjamin Franklin actively supported the work of the RSA.
The RSA in the United States is one of over one hundred RSA networks around the world collectively supported by more than 27,000 Fellows. This diverse network of designers, inventors, educators, business leaders, and social entrepreneurs makes for a powerful and creative force for change. For the past 88 years the RSA, through the Student Design Awards (SDAs), has sought to promote design leadership and identify young design innovators who will shape our future.
In 2013 the SDAs was launched in the United States. In addition to Techmer PM, the founding sponsors are Billings Jackson Design, The Cooper Union, Target Corporation, Grimshaw Architects, Pointcarre, and SC Collective. For more information, please visit sda.rsa-us.org.
About Techmer PM
Techmer PM, LLC, is a major producer of value-added color and additive masterbatch for the plastics and fiber industries. The company has worldwide manufacturing capabilities focusing on high-performance applications where quality, technical support, and problem solving are critical. Learn more by visiting techmerpm.com.
For more information, please contact:
Techmer PM
Ryan Howley
Phone: +1-865-457-6700
Email: globalmarketing@techmerpm.com
Web: techmerpm.com