White

An Auburn engineering student is the first American to be honored with a British award for contact lens research.

Charles White, a graduate student in chemical engineering, has won the British Contact Lens Association’s (BCLA) Da Vinci award, an international research award given for practical contributions to the contact lens field. He is the first American to receive the award; past recipients include students from, Britain, France, Germany, Canada and Australia. White is being recognized for his groundbreaking work in controlling the release of medications from continuous wear contact lenses. His work has been published in this month’s edition of Biomaterials, the leading journal in the field.

“Charles is an excellent researcher who took grand ideas and made them happen in the lab,” says Mark Byrne, Daniel F. and Josephine Breeden associate professor in chemical engineering and White’s adviser. “He is a focused and diligent researcher, and he deserves this substantial honor and recognition.”

White’s award includes a £1,000 honorarium, as well as lodging and conference fees. He will give an invited presentation and receive his award at the 36th Annual BCLA Clinical Conference later this month in Birmingham, U.K.

The British Contact Lens Association is an international organization that promotes excellence in research, manufacturing and clinical practice for contact lens and ophthalmology related fields.