NCCS Awards
NCERCAMP is structured to encourage representation and participation across multiple UA colleges as well as partner institutions around the world. Each of the following individuals have demonstrated excellence in reducing corrosion and increasing sustainability for materials, thus receiving the Michael Baach Award of Excellence, named after one of the first recipients of this inaugural award.
Award recipients
Michael Baach
President and former CEO of Philpott Rubber Company
Key to the early success of NCERCAMP was the effort of Mr. Baach. His leadership provided the environment and energy to bring together the elements that would become the National Center for Education and Research on Corrosion and Materials Performance (NCERCAMP). Following Mr. Baach’s vision gave birth to University of Akron’s strategic partnership with the Department of Defense to create the nation’s first bachelor of science degree in corrosion engineering. It is in his person that the Michael Baach Award of Excellence is thus named.
David Bastidas, Ph.D.
Associate Professor at NCERCAMP, The University of Akron
An educator and researcher in the fields of Chemical, Biomolecular, and Corrosion Engineering, Dr. Bastidas has mentored and taught the next generation of corrosion problem solvers for years while also recently conducting research for concrete and steel structures through the advancement of smart micro encapsulated corrosion inhibitors. It is for both his role in the lab and as an educator he is recognized.
Bill DuBois, CSI, iSCS, CS, AIA
Senior architect, construction specifier and sustainability leader
Mr. DuBois has over 30 years of specification and design experience. He has dedicated significant time and effort in elevating the design industry’s understanding of the materiality of concrete as well as the language used to design and specify it. In a true spirit of service, Mr. DuBois left a prominent position at a leading architecture firm on a mission of discovery. Designers, constructors, and facility users alike now enjoy the sustainable fruits of his labor. Thank you, Mr. DuBois. Congratulations on this inaugural achievement!
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles
Global automobile design, engineering, and manufacturing firm
As a manufacturing leader, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) has spent years exploring technologies and challenging construction perspectives that have culminated in the installation of newer, stronger, more sustainable concrete at several of its U.S. facilities. The company’s Kokomo Casting Plant, the world’s largest die cast plant located in Kokomo, Ind., is an example of such efforts, which have redefined green operations in the industrial world. It is for this work that FCA is recognized with the Michael Baach Award for Excellence (MBAE).
Carbon emission reductions are now prioritized by strengthening the building’s concrete instead of relying on older carbon-heavy mobilizations of installing and maintaining floor coatings. Thank you to the women and men of FCA for creating a better path for all to emulate. Congratulations on your award!