2010 Forest Products Society Awards
The Forest Products Society has the honor of presenting four awards at the Society’s International Convention each year. The prestigious Fred W. Gottschalk Memorial Award honors exceptional service to the Society by an individual member. The L. J. Markwardt Wood Engineering Award encourages research and promotes knowledge of wood in the engineering field. The Wood Engineering Achievement Award recognizes excellence in the discipline of wood engineering. The Forest Products Society’s Wood Award recognizes outstanding research in the field of wood and wood products conducted by graduate students.
Visit the awards page of the 64th International Convention website to learn more about these awards and to submit nominations.
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Seeking Nominations for FPS Vice President
The FPS Nominating Committee is seeking qualified candidates for Vice President of the Society. Candidates should have demonstrated service to the Society through participation, TIG committee work, Section activities, Regional Board work and/or conference leadership. Please send your choices for nominees to Michael Barnes, Nominating Committee Chair, by March 1, 2010.
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NEW! Forest Products Society Chapter Highlight
Purdue University Student Chapter Advances Local Branding of Wood Products
“Support local wood products” is the slogan on the back of the most recent shirt from the Purdue University Student Chapter of the Forest Products Society, a club that is set on getting the word out about themselves and their parent industry. The chapter endeavors to be involved in the work of the Purdue Wood Research Lab and the industry in Indiana as a whole, visiting manufacturers and attending trade shows and conferences.
“Our fundraisers, especially our shirts, have been a great way of getting the message across,” says current president Ethan Ehler. The club’s shirts have shown wood uses, created awareness for the emerald ash borer, and challenged the feasibility of alternative products. Ethan adds, “We do it in a fun way.”
The club’s best fundraiser to date has been the “Premium Indiana Hardwoods” certified cutting boards. These cutting boards highlight Indiana's wood products and have gone through an evolution in design since 2007. The idea behind the boards is something that is educational, with the board comprised of nine of Indiana’s most commercially valuable species glued together and labeled, promotional, using only quality wood and branding it as from Indiana, and functional, being of sound and sturdy construction that it could be used for a cutting board or hot pot trivet.
The cutting boards have also been an education for the club. Making them allows members to be a part of a production process and learn the properties of wood in a hands-on scenario. “Early on we had a lot of reject boards,” says graduate Kyle Newman, “but we started implementing ideas of continuous improvement from our manufacturing classes and managed to cut our defects way back.”
The club doesn’t spend all their time in the lab. Last March they sacrificed their spring break to tour seven wood product related facilities in southern Indiana. Not to say that all their time was in a plant. The club stayed at an FPS member’s cabin. There was time made for fishing and even a trek to Mammoth Cave. The year before they made it to California and Oregon. “It was our West Coast tree tour,” says Daniel Warner, former President, “We went from the Sequoias in Yosemite to the Redwoods and on up to see the Spruce Goose, the largest wood product to ever fly.” Last spring the club held their first boat show as a part of Purdue’s Spring Fest. Over 20 wooden boats were showcased.
Visit Purdue University Student Chapter to learn more about this active FPS Chapter and see pictures of their shirts, cutting boards, wood boat show and other club activities.
Do you have suggestions for a Section or Chapter to highlight in the FPS Member
eUpdate? Send us your ideas
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Solicitation for International Editorial Board Members
The FPS Executive Board is seeking to expand the Society’s global reach through the development of an International Editorial Board for the Forest Products Journal. The International Editorial Board will work with the Editor in Chief of the Journal to help evaluate manuscripts and provide advice and contacts for the selection of appropriate reviewers. The International Editorial Board will be composed of global experts in the field of wood science, engineering, economics and business, forest products technology, and sustainable biomaterials and bioenergy production and applications.
High caliber experts from different sub-specialties in these fields, and from different geographic zones, are being sought for a 3-year term on the International Editorial Board. The goal of the International Editorial Board is to ensure that the content of the Journal meets the highest levels of science, engineering, technology, policy, business and management in the field. The FPS Executive Board is currently accepting applications and nominations of persons to serve as members of the International Editorial Board.
To apply or to nominate someone, please submit the following as an attached PDF file to Professor Barry Goodell, President-Elect, Forest Products Society (c/o Dr. X. Xie at xinfeng.xie@maine.edu):
a) One-page summary with the Applicant’s/Nominee’s name, address and contact information, summary of their area(s) of expertise and interest in serving as a member of the International Editorial Board, and short description of their experience and understanding of review processes for English-language journal articles; and
b) Two-page Curriculum Vitae
Please limit application content to the requested number of pages. ¬ back to top
Southeastern Utility Pole Conference & Trade Show – Still Time to Register!
There is still time to register for the 2010 Southeastern Utility Pole Conference & Trade Show at the regular registration rate. Conference organizers have eliminated the late registration fee. The Forest Products Society is co-sponsoring the event, which will be held February 21-23, 2010 in Memphis, Tennessee. Sessions include presentations on Upgrading the Grid, Greening the Grid, Poles & the Environment, Pole Manufacture & Stewardship, and Preservative Update. A Technical Forum and Supplier Showcase are also available. Learn more & register
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