Dr. Douglas Coffin, professor in the Chemical, Paper and Biomedical Engineering department, recently won not one… not two… but three awards for his work and research in the paper industry. 

Dr. Coffin’s first award came from the Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry (TAPPI). He won the 2021 William H. Aiken Prize for Research and Development , which highlights his contributions in research. 

The majority of Dr. Coffin’s work has been in paper physics. He studies the mechanical performance and behavior of paper paper products, and specifically works to solve moisture problems in corrugated boxes. 

As a member of TAPPI since 1994, Dr. Coffin said he is honored to be among such a successful group of peers. 

“I’m humbled to be in this list of people because it’s really a great group of people that have been giving to the paper industry for a long time,” Dr. Coffin said. 

In the past, Dr. Coffin was the chair of the TAPPI paper physics committee and was involved in organizing two conferences for the organization. His favorite part, though, has been the overall atmosphere of the group. 

“It’s a really nice community and I’ve gotten to meet a lot of great people and work with them, and so that’s the most enjoyable thing,” he said. 

The Aiken Prize is not the only award Dr. Coffin received from TAPPI — he also won the TAPPI Journal Best Research Paper Award for his work in co-authoring the paper  “Creasing severity and reverse-side cracking.” 

In a Pulp and Paper Canada (P&PC) article by P&PC staff, Dr. Peter W. Hart, TAPPI Journal editor-in-chief, praised Dr. Coffin and co-author Dr. Joel C. Panek for their contributions to paper physics research. 

“It was great to see a paper in the running from North America on paper physics,” Hart said, “because it’s exciting that this important area of research is making a resurgence in the region.” 

In addition to giving a presentation on the history and lost research of corrugated boxes at TAPPICon Live! in October, Dr. Coffin will be given these awards at the conference in Atlanta. 

But not all of Dr. Coffin’s awards come from his time as a TAPPI member. He also won the Paper Science & Engineering Foundation (PSEF) Miami Partnership Award at the 2021 annual banquet. 

The College of Engineering and Computing would like to recognize Dr. Coffin for all of his contributions to the college and for all of his hard work in the paper industry — congratulations, Dr. Coffin! 

By Maggie Peña, CEC Reporter