Borealis, a leading provider of chemical and innovative plastics solutions, has announced the winners of its 2011 Borealis Student Innovation Awards. Alfred Stern, Borealis Senior Vice President Innovation & Technology, presented Rana Qudaih and Dr. Said Mehdiabadi with their awards, certificates and monetary prizes at the Lentos Kunstmuseum Linz, Austria. The awards recognise the most innovative research papers for master’s and doctorate degree students working in olefins and polyolefins. The master thesis award went to Rana Qudaih, while Dr. Said Mehdiabadi received the PhD award.

Alfred Stern, Borealis Senior Vice President Innovation and Technology, said that Rana Qudaih showed ‘in a very comprehensive way’ the recycling possibilities of crosslinked polyethylene cable materials: ‘The broadness and applicability of her work was impressive’. Alfred Stern also complimented Rana as the first female winner of the master thesis award.

The title of Dr. Mehdiabadi’s PhD is ‘Synthesis, Characterisation and Polymerisation Kinetic Study of Long Chain Branched Polyolefins Made with Two Single-Site Catalysts.’ According to the jury, Dr. Mehdiabadi was able to present a new pathway for polyolefin catalysis leading to structures of high industrial relevance.

Borealis held the awards ceremony during its 17th annual Innovation Day. The Borealis Student Innovation Award is an important element in Borealis’ support for the development of new talent and thought processes in chemicals and polymers.