The Polyurethane Foam Association (PFA) has awarded Adona Marcum with the Herman Stone Technical Excellence Award for her presentation at the PFA Fall Technical Program in Phoenix, AZ. Her paper was judged “best paper” by attendees.

Marcum is a technical specialist, Flexible Foam Raw Materials Group, at Bayer MaterialScience. Her technical paper, “New Chemical Technology for the Production of Super High Air Flow Flexible Foams,” focused on the development of new polyether polyol and formulating technology that enables the direct production of very high air flow foams. This technology can help to significantly enhance the air flow of low-porosity foam types. In addition, the surface characteristics of the foam can be controlled through formulation or through coating processes, thus facilitating use in a wide range of prospective end-use applications such as bedding, seating, and other indoor and outdoor cushioning applications.

The Herman Stone Technical Excellence award intends to encourage the sharing of technical innovations, the use of scientific methodology, and professionalism in presentation technique. Stone, Ph.D., a member of the Flexible Polyurethane Foam Hall of Fame, is retired and living in Williamsville, NY. Stone was a leading contributor to the flexible polyurethane foam industry.

For more information or to download a copy of the paper, visit www.pfa.org.