On November 17, 2023, a significant ceremony occurred in the Center for Nanotechnology Teaching and Research auditorium at the West Pomeranian University of Technology in Szczecin. During this event, the highest honor of the university, the title of Doctor Honoris Causa, was conferred upon Professor Judit E. Puskas from The Ohio State University in the USA. The graduation laudation was presented by the supervisor, Professor Miroslawa El Fray, PhD, DSc, Eng., the head of the Department of Polymer Engineering and Biomaterials (formerly the Polymer Institute).
Professor Puskas, having worked for many years at American and Canadian institutions such as the University of Akron, OH, USA, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada, and The Ohio State University, OH, USA, has become an eminent international authority and founder of the scientific school of thermoplastic elastomers and rubbers. Prof. Puskas specializes in carbocation polymerization and is a co-author of pioneering work on producing the first thermoplastic elastomer based on polyisobutylene. One of her greatest achievements is the development of the poly(styrene-isobutylene-styrene) copolymer, which has successfully been used as a coating on drug-eluting vascular stents implanted in over 10 million patients worldwide. She is also the only woman among distinguished scientists to receive the Charles Goodyear Gold Medal, the highest award presented by the American Chemical Society Rubber Division since 1941.
Professor Puskas was born in Budapest, Hungary, where she completed her studies in polymer engineering at Budapest University of Technology in 1977. She gained scientific and professional experience at foreign universities and in the industry, working for companies such as Polysar Rubber Co., Nova, and Bayer. Her academic career began at the University of Akron, where she and her husband, Gabor Kaszas, focused on carbocation polymerization.
Prof. Puskas's research interests developed both at the University of Akron and currently at The Ohio State University, OH, USA, revolve around the functionalization of polymers using enzymatic catalysis as carriers of diagnostic and therapeutic compounds in cancer treatment. These studies are particularly important for the development of safe breast implants with anti-cancer and diagnostic properties.
Professor Puskas was elected to the National Academy of Engineers of the United States of America - Class of 2023 for these and other lifetime achievements. She is also a teacher and mentor to many students and doctoral candidates in the fields of chemistry and polymer engineering. Professor Puskas has published the results of her research over four decades in more than 400 publications and holds 35 awarded patents. She is the author or editor of 22 books and chapters on rubbers, thermoplastic elastomers, and enzymatically catalyzed synthesis.
The collaboration between Professor Puskas and Szczecin dates back to the times of Szczecin University of Technology (now ZUT), where for over twenty years, scientific cooperation has been conducted with the Department of Polymer Engineering and Biomaterials (formerly the Institute of Polymers) of the Faculty of Technology and Chemical Engineering at ZUT, led by Prof. Mirosława El Fray, PhD, DSc, Eng. This long-standing collaboration has focused on thermoplastic elastomers (including those developed by Prof. El Fray's team based on natural resources) and biomaterials, resulting in joint scientific articles and research internships involving seven employees and doctoral candidates to date.
