(pictured John Enns, 1966 and current)
Congratulations to John Enns (MEI Jr. Matriculation 1966, Sr. Matriculation 1967) for being the 2018 recipient of the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award. Enns is being recognized for having excelled in his field for at least 20 years, and having achieved greatness in his industry. Visit www.ltachievers.com for more information about this honour.
John Benjamin Enns was born in Chilliwack, British Columbia, and attended high school at the Mennonite Educational Institute, graduating with the class of 1966. He immigrated to the United States in 1973, after completing a Bachelor of Science in chemistry at the University of British Columbia. He then pursued additional degrees, including a Master of Science in macromolecular science at Case Western Reserve University {1975), as well as a Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy in chemical engineering at Princeton University in 1979 and 1982, respectively. Prior to earning his degrees, Dr. Enns became a certified teacher in biblical studies through the Winkler Bible Institute in Manitoba, Canada, in 1969. He has been married to his wife Mary Lou for more than 40 years.
MEI Secondary Science & Chemistry Teacher, Edwin Andres in 1966
On the road to his venerated career, Dr. Enns heeded the advice of several mentors. Taking notice of Dr. Enns’ interest in the sciences, his high school chemistry teacher, Ed Andres, served as his mentor. In the ensuing years, Dr. John Gillham, a professor at Princeton University, was a major influence during Dr. Enns’ postgraduate studies. Notably, Ray Boyer mentored Dr. Enns during his endeavors at Midland Macromolecular Institute.
A retired research fellow at Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc. (Vistakon), in Jacksonville, Florida, since 2013, John B. Enns, Ph.D., was first hired by the company as a senior scientist in 1989. Earning the role of principal scientist between 1998 and 2003, he then spent another five years as senior principal scientist (2003-2008) before becoming a research fellow.
A long-time consultant for Plastics Analysis Instruments, Inc., since 1981 and at his alma mater, Princeton University, during the mid-to-late 1980s, Dr. Enns has contributed many articles to scholarly journals. Responsible for the development of the concept of a liquid-liquid transition in polymers, the time-temperature-transformation (TTT) isothermal cure and continuous-heating-transformation {CHT} cure diagrams for thermosetting polymers, and for applying these concepts to the photopolymerization of crosslinkable monomer units to form 30 objects (e.g., contact lenses) without the use of a mold, Dr. Enns holds 30 patents in his area of expertise. Other notable achievements include the Outstanding Service Award from the North American Thermal Analysis Society in 1996 and being elected Fellow of the Society of Plastics Engineers in 2000.
