Andrew M. Kraynik - 2001 Distinguished Service Awardee

During a special Society luncheon held at the 73rd Annual Meeting of the Society of Rheology in Bethesda, MD, the Distinguished Service Award of the Society of Rheology was bestowed on Dr. Andrew Kraynik of Sandia National Laboratories. This award, which is given infrequently at the discretion of the Executive Committee, recognizes substantial works of service to the Society.

Andy’s record of service to the Society is both long and admirable. During the period from 1989 to 1999 he served the Society as Secretary and assisted five Presidents in guiding the Society through important events and changes. Indeed, all five Past Presidents were present at the ceremony (Bob Armstrong, Joe Goddard, Ron Larson, Bob Mendelson, and Kurt Wissbrun) and commemorated the extraordinary manner in which Andy handled his stewardship during the decade of service. Andy will be fondly remembered for hosting the 62nd Annual Meeting of The Society of Rheology in Santa Fe in 1990. The organization of that conference set the standard for future meetings. He presently serves the Society as its Delegate to the International Congress on Rheology.

Andy received his Ph.D. in chemical engineering from Princeton in 1976 working with Bill Schowalter and was an undergraduate at Carnegie-Mellon. His career since graduation has been spent at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, NM. Andy is recognized as the leading authority on the dynamics and rheology of foams and the processing of these complex, multicomponent systems.

Andy has a passion for “birding”, and he has traveled extensively pursuing this hobby. A visit to his home will also reveal his skill as a craftsman fabricating objects using stained glass. He resides in the hills above Albuquerque with his wife Holly and daughters Sally and Jessica.