Bauer is senior staff technical specialist in the Materials Science Department of Ford’s Research Laboratory. He is regarded as an expert on the mechanisms and kinetics of cure; network structure in high-solids coatings; flow control and coatings rheology; polymer photodegradation and stabilization; plastics characterization; and coating service-life prediction. He has authored more than 100 technical papers on coatings and plastics research, and delivered the 1996 Mattiello Lecture of the Federation of Societies for Coatings Technology. The Tess Award will be presented by PMSE Division Chairman Christopher Ober on Aug. 21, during the 220th meeting of the American Chemical Society in Washington.

Bauer’s research credits include extensive use of infrared spectroscopy to study the crosslinking kinetics of melamine-formaldehyde resins and isocyanates, and he was the first to apply network models to calculate crosslink densities from chemical measurements. He also carried out fundamental measurements of coating rheology, and developed quantitative relationships between rheological parameters, coating-formulation parameters and sag-control agents. His work led to a comprehensive model of coating flow, from application to cure. Bauer also has made significant contributions to the study of coating degradation and stabilization, and was the first to measure the rate of crosslink hydrolysis in acrylic-melamine coatings, a process crucial to acid-etch resistance. His research also has focused on the interaction of light and water in the degradation chemistries of coatings; coatings photooxidation kinetics and stabilization by HALS additives; and development of coating-failure models.