Elizabeth McCullough
Professor of textiles
Co-director of the Institute for Environmental Research
Elizabeth McCullough is well known for her research on the thermal and barrier properties
of fabrics and on the development and evaluation of sleeping bags and protective clothing
systems. She holds a joint appointment at Kansas State as a professor of textile science
and as the co-director of the Institute for Environmental Research. The institute
houses eight environmental chambers and unique measuring devices like walking, sweating
thermal manikins.
McCullough has given numerous presentations at national and international meetings in the United States, Canada, Japan, Singapore, Korea, Israel, Great Britain, Argentina, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, and Switzerland. Her work has been incorporated into textbooks in English, Japanese, Chinese and Italian. Her research findings also have contributed to the development of several standards for the American Society for Testing and Materials, the International Standardization Organization and the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers.
McCullough is the recipient of the K-State Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award and the Outstanding Research Award from the College of Human Ecology. She received the Best Technical Paper Award from the Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry for her work on the barrier properties of surgical gowns; the Best Paper Award from the International Textiles and Apparel Association for her evaluation of personal cooling systems for the military; the Ralph F. Nevins Award from the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers for significant accomplishment in the general area of physiology and human response to the environment; and the Harold DeWitt Smith Memorial Medal from the American Society for Testing and Materials' Committee D-13 on Textiles for outstanding research related to the utilization of textiles as engineering materials. McCullough also received the Distinguished Scholar Award from the International Textiles and Apparel Association and the Manufactured Fiber Research Award from the American Fiber Manufacturers Association. Recently, she was added to the Ad Astra Kansas Initiative's list of the Top 150 Scientists for the organization's project, "Science in Kansas: 150 Years and Counting."
She received her bachelor's from Ohio State University and her master's and doctorate from the University of Tennessee in textile science.
McCullough can be reached at 785-532-2284 or lizm@k-state.edu.