AATCC announces 2024 student chapter award winners

Every year, the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists (AATCC) student chapters name a graduating senior to be recognized for academic achievement and contribution to the chapter, school and society. This year AATCC presented the 11 awardees with a certificate, copy of the book Color Vision and Technology and an official AATCC graduation cord. Awardees also receive one year of free membership in AATCC as they start their careers.

California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

• Malia Chang is pursuing a degree in apparel merchandising and management, textiles option. Chang is currently president of the AATCC SoCal Broncos student organization (2023–2024) and was previously secretary (2023–2022). She has kept the club active with consistent participation with three to four department and campus activities per semester, including an open house and pumpkin festivals.

Fashion Institute of Technology

• Samantha Galanti is a textile development and marketing major. Galanti currently serves as the president of Fashion Institute of Technology’s student chapter of AATCC and uses the knowledge that she has gained through AATCC and her major and readily applies it in the outside world, participating in panels, events and activist movements related to the textile industry.

Florida State University

• Alex Lackovic is a student in the retail entrepreneurship program at Florida State University (FSU). He immediately took an interest in the opportunity to serve and lead the FSU Chapter of AATCC in a time of rebuilding. During the pandemic, the student membership numbers dropped drastically from 50+ to less than 10. Leadership turnover was frequent, and he took on the challenge of reviving AATCC. He inspired others to join him along the way on the officer team and created a vision for where the FSU Chapter of AATCC would go moving forward. He has served in the role of president for almost two years and will be graduating this spring.

Georgia Institute of Technology

• Anush Singhal, a senior pursuing a Bachelor of Science in materials science and engineering at Georgia Tech, has held various leadership roles throughout his undergraduate career. As the director of curriculum initiatives and Diversity Equity and Inclusion representative on the Georgia Tech materials science and engineering Undergraduate Student Advisory Council, Singhal collaborates with faculty to modernize laboratory classes and fosters a diverse and inclusive environment for over 200 students. Singhal’s other leadership roles include serving as external advisor and CEO at the Materials Innovation Learning Laboratory, where he supervises research-grade equipment and coordinates collaborative efforts.

Government College University Faisalabad

• Bisma Sadiq is an student in the field of textile chemistry. She is a group leader for new students who have joined the school’s research cluster. For the AATCC chapter, she has helped in arranging one tie dye workshop and two seminars on statistics. She is now planning a study tour of industries, along with research group members, to explore practical experience in textiles.

North Carolina State University

• Sophie Frain has held multiple positions within the AATCC student chapter including advertising officer and president. As president, Frain worked to bring students from all degree programs into the student chapter and to organize guest speakers and industry trips to provide members with valuable learning experiences. Furthermore, her work in the pilot laboratory not only gave her experience, but it also allowed her to help industry clients with their product development.

NED University of Engineering & Technology

• Amna Siddiq is honored to be the only female textile engineer among nine students from Pakistan—alongside female engineers from Turkey, Romania and South Africa—to be chosen for an international program (WE-inTech) aimed at empowering female engineers in the research and development department. This opportunity has allowed her to incorporate AATCC standards in developing a project focused on water recycling in washing machines, considering its effect on the textile’s quality with a keen focus on sustainability. Her engagement with AATCC has enabled her to interact with expert scholars in the field of textiles. Beginning with her volunteer work at the 5th International Textile Conference, ever since Siddiq has been an active member as a co-head graphic designer, offering her skills to visually represent her chapter’s events, including a career seminar, visit to the Textile Institute of Pakistan and webpage design to showcase her chapter’s achievements at AATCC’s Textile Discovery Summit 2023.

Thomas Jefferson University

• Ashley Clark tutors textile students and trains students studying other disciplines in the use of analytical equipment in the Jeff Bruner Materials Characterization Lab. Clark regularly attends AATCC chapter events and has encouraged students new to campus to join. She has been instrumental in training students using equipment in the Jeff Bruner Materials Characterization Laboratory.

University of Delaware

• Casey Tyler is a fashion design and product innovation major. Tyler has been constantly engaged with University of Delaware (UD) campus student clubs, such as the AATCC UD chapter, The New, and Synergy. Within The New, they started out as a model, then quickly became the model director. In addition, they’ve volunteered for projects like the Flex Factory recycled bag assembly for all members at the International Textile and Apparel Association 2023 Conference.

University of Rhode Island

• Payton Becker has made significant contributions to both the school and the AATCC Student Chapter at University of Rhode Island. As president, she has revitalized the chapter with her leadership, organizing events such as webinars and a screen-printing workshop, enriching the academic environment.

Virginia Tech

• Hannah Finnell has served as the president of the AATCC student chapter at Virginia Tech since fall 2023. She fostered a positive and welcoming environment for all students to join the chapter. She consistently held monthly meetings and organized activities for the chapter, such as movie nights, vision board making and other social activities. She started an Instagram page for the chapter as a recruitment tool to let more students know about the chapter and attract them to join. She also works with faculty members to spread the word about the chapter and encourage students from other majors at Virginia Tech to join.