Wilmington, DE, Jan. 16, 2003 - - The Society of Chemical Industry (American Section) has named William H. Joyce, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Hercules Incorporated, as winner of its 2003 Perkin Medal.  The Perkin Medal, considered one of the chemical industry’s highest honors, will be presented to the Wilmington-based scientist at the Society’s annual dinner on March 12, 2003 at The Plaza Hotel, New York.

Dr. Joyce is being honored for his contributions to the chemicals and plastics industry, most notably his involvement in the creation of a breakthrough process for making polyethylene—one of the most versatile and widely used modern plastics.  His involvement with polyethylene and its potential began in the early 1970s.  At the time, the manufacture of polyethylene was widely done using high-pressure processes.

Dr. Joyce envisioned the economic and environmental advantages of using low temperatures and low pressures to make these practical plastics.  Under his guidance and direction, an interdisciplinary research team at Union Carbide developed such a process, now known internationally as UNIPOL®.  With that process in hand, Dr. Joyce spent the subsequent decade with a single mission—to turn the method into the world’s leading process for producing polyethylene and then extending it to other polyolefin plastics.

Since its introduction in 1978, UNIPOL has generated for the plastics industry worldwide polyethylene sales of $32 billion as well as energy, operating, and raw materials costs savings of almost $7 billion.  Today, the UNIPOL Process continues to be installed in place of the costly conventional high-pressure method of manufacturing low-density polyethylene.  Because of its significant economic and environmental advantages, as well as the improved properties of polyethylene made with the UNIPOL Process, it has opened a range of new markets for plastics and transformed the plastics industry.

More significantly, the world economy has reaped considerable benefits from the UNIPOL Process.  Compared to high-pressure and solvent-based methods, UNIPOL saves 75 percent in energy costs, cuts capital investment by more than half, and represents a vast improvement in environmental performance.  As an example, a typical large facility producing 200,000 metric tons of polyethylene a year could reduce hydrocarbon emissions by 81 percent and cut its annual liquid waste from 2,000 tons to just 4 tons.  UNIPOL polyethylene reactors now operate in 17 countries and produce over 15 billion pounds of polyethylene resin per year.

UNIPOL makes stronger plastics at lower cost.  Resulting products range from puncture-resistant trash bags to sturdy stretch wrap and diaper backing.  The invention of UNIPOL is considered one of the most significant advances in the plastics industry.

Dr. Joyce joined Hercules after a distinguished career spanning more than four decades with Union Carbide.  He began in 1957 as a product development engineer and served in a variety of technical, marketing, and management positions.  He was named President and Chief Operating Officer in 1993, Chief Executive Officer in 1995, and became Chairman of the Board in 1996.  He stepped down as Chairman, CEO and President of Union Carbide when it merged with the Dow Chemical Company in 2001.

Dr. Joyce is a member of the Board of Directors of CVS.  He is a trustee of the Universities Research Association, Inc., and Co-Chairman of the Government-University-Industry Research Roundtable of The National Academy of Sciences.

A native of Jeannette, Pennsylvania, Dr. Joyce holds a B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering from Penn State University and a MBA and Ph.D. from New York University.

Dr. Joyce is an award-winning chemical engineer, receiving the National Medal of Technology Award (1993), the highest honor bestowed by the President of the United States to America’s leading innovators.  The primary purpose of the National Medal of Technology is to recognize technological innovators who have made lasting contributions to enhancing America’s competitiveness and standard of living.

He is the recipient of the Plastics Academy’s Industry Achievement Award (1994) and Lifetime Achievement Award (1997).  In 1997, he was inducted into the National Academy of Engineering.

The Perkin Medal, the highest honor given for outstanding applied chemistry in the United States, is bestowed upon scientists and engineers who have made outstanding contributions to the improvement of the quality of life and the world competitiveness of the U.S. economy.  Presented annually, the medal was established in 1906 to commemorate the discovery of the first synthetic dye by Sir Henry Perkin.  Winners are selected by a panel of officers representing all six "sister" societies of the chemical industry: The American Section of the Society of Chemical Industry (SCI), the American Chemical Society, the American Institute of Chemists, the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, the Electrochemical Society and the American Section of the Societe de Chemie Industrielle.

The SCI is an international society founded in London in 1881 to foster applied chemistry in all its branches and to facilitate the exchange of ideas.  The American Section was established in 1894 and is one of the largest sections of the society.

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Released by The Society of Chemical Industry