D’Ianni, Dr. and Mrs. James D. Research Endowment
The Dr. and Mrs. James D. D’Ianni Research Endowment was established by Dr. James D. D’Ianni as a way of showing his support for the work of the 15th President of ÐÓ°®°É, Dr. Luis M. Proenza, in stepping up University-driven research efforts and in recognition of ÐÓ°®°É’s strategic commitment to advancing research in ways that improve the region’s economy.
Dr. James D. D’Ianni’s gift, the largest gift ever received by ÐÓ°®°É directed to research, is one that lays the foundation for the University’s research efforts. The extraordinariness of his gift is such that it will shape the moments of greatness for University of Akron faculty and student researchers now and in perpetuity. The purpose of The Dr. and Mrs. James D. D’Ianni Research Endowment is to support scientific and technological research efforts at ÐÓ°®°É, as identified by the President of ÐÓ°®°É or the president’s designee.
Dr. D’Ianni is the retired assistant to the vice president of research, after having held the positions of director of research, and director of elastomer and chemical research at The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, where he worked for 41 years. At the height of World War II, Dr. D’Ianni, along with other chemists from the rubber industry, was part of a successful wartime effort to develop durable synthetic rubber. His outstanding contributions to chemistry earned him more than 17 patents and the listing as a top-100 contributor to rubber literature by Great Britain’s Rubber Journal.
Dr. James D. D’Ianni is an alumnus of ÐÓ°®°É. He graduated in 1934 with a B.S. in chemistry from the College of Arts and Sciences. In 1938, Dr. D’Ianni obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin at Madison. In 1976 and 1979 respectively, ÐÓ°®°É recognized Dr. D’Ianni’s many accomplishments and presented him with an Alumni Honor Award and an Honorary Doctor of Science.
During and after his career, Dr. D’Ianni taught evening courses for ÐÓ°®°É’s Department of Chemistry, was a member of ÐÓ°®°É’s graduate school advisory committee, and participated on many local and national organizations, including serving as president of the American Chemical Society and the advisory board of the National Academy of Sciences.