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Teresa S. Thomas
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For immediate release:
September 6, 2002

Carnegie Mellon's Rick McCullough Receives Award from American Chemical Society

PITTSBURGH—Rick McCullough, dean of the Mellon College of Science (MCS) and professor of chemistry at Carnegie Mellon University, was named this year's recipient of the American Chemical Society's Akron Section Award. The award is given to a scientist or engineer under the age of 45 and working within a 300-mile radius of Akron, Ohio, who "demonstrates exceptional promise for making significant contributions to chemical science."

McCullough was recognized for his synthesis of regioregular polythiophenes. Called the "McCullough Synthesis," it has been used internationally to achieve regioregularity, which aids the self-assembly process and therefore the conductivity of materials. The polythiophenes are used in electronic applications including integrated circuits, nanowires, flat-screen displays and electronic paper.

He recently founded Polytronics, a company that will develop and distribute polymer technologies for electronic applications.

McCullough joined the Carnegie Mellon faculty in 1990 and has served as dean of MCS since 2001.