As healthcare facilities grapple with personal protective equipment shortages, West Virginia University researchers are going against the grain to help with an earthy, unorthodox resource: wood. At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Gloria Oporto, associate professor of wood science and technology, had researched woody biomass for food packaging and pharmacy novel applications. Woody biomass are timber-derived products that can be converted to energy through combustion or gasification. Oporto would grow increasingly concerned about reports of the lack of PPE for medical professionals, sparking the question, “Why can’t we use renewable materials, such as wood derivatives to supplement the PPE?” She then reached out ...
Read MoreDr. Robert L. (Bob) Youngs, age 96, passed away on April 25, 2020, in Blacksburg, Virginia. Bob was born on February 10, 1924, in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, to Frank L. and Florence (Wilcox) Youngs. He was preceded in death by his wife, Esther (Stevenson) Youngs, and his son, Steven Wilcox Youngs. He is survived by his children, Susan Catchpole (Tom), Karen Youngs Hartley, Rebecca Youngs Johnson, and Sarah Reardon (Steve); daughter-in-law Susan Grinna Youngs; his sisters, Lois Dennett, and Myrtle Calkins; brother-in-law John Stevenson (Jean); many nieces and nephews; plus eleven grandchildren and eight great grandchildren. Bob served in the U ...
Read MoreAnne pictured in 2019 SWST International Convention at Yosemite, California, USA. Flew from New Zealand, Anne presented her research on Carbon Stocks of End Use Products. Her presentation can be seen here. Check also an article about her in New Zealand news, highlighting her PhD life. Original article: https://www.odt.co.nz/rural-life/rural-life-other/hopes-research-will-help-nz-hit-target A Kenyan student hopes her research into harvested New Zealand trees will help this country meet its climate change targets. Anne Wekesa has been studying for a PhD in forestry science for the last three years at the University of Canterbury, researching the carbon life cycle of New Zealand harvested trees which ...
Read MoreThe following is a video that Dr. Gloria Oporto prepared to describe the Wood Science and Technology Program at West Virginia University. The SWST Director's Board thought this was an excellent video and agreed to share it on SWST blog and social media sites. Here is an exceptional way to promote the field of wood science and recruit the younger generation to our field. Please share and let us know your comments. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4eQ5JpimaE[/embed]
Read MoreBioProducts Business (BioBus) is a journal of the Society of Wood Science and Technology (SWST). BioBus is dedicated to advance theoretical and practical understanding of wide ranging business topics related to wood products, bio/renewable products, and non-wood products and services. The journal publishes timely, rigorous, technically sound, and scientific manuscripts. It strives to disseminate new knowledge bridging the scientific and professional communities. By achieving these aims it is the top-tier, high impact journal in the field. The journal welcomes empirical and theoretical contributions covering both the micro (firm level issues) and macro environments (issues spanning social, technical, economic, and policy domains) surrounding ...
Read MoreOfficial Statement There is understandably a great deal of concern about the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19). Please be assured that we are monitoring the situation very closely. The health and safety of SWST attendees is our utmost priority. We are regularly following the development of the disease and we will follow the guidelines and instructions of state institutions. At present, there are no plans to postpone or cancel the SWST Convention to be held July 12-17, 2020, nor have we received many concerns regarding this issue from already-registered participants. We are also exploring alternative methods to hold the convention ...
Read MoreBuilding on their 100-year old experience, the University of Belgrade – Faculty of Forestry is organizing the international Congress that will provide updated scientific, decision-making and policy-relevant information across a broad array of different forestry, landscape architecture and horticulture, wood science and technology, and ecological engineering in soil and water protection issues and related scientific disciplines. Emphasis will be on what state-of-the-art research is now telling us about present and future change within these topics and its implications for policy- and decision-making. Organized to include plenary and breakout sessions covering both disciplinary and interdisciplinary perspectives, results from the various sessions ...
Read MoreA letter from SWST members: Dear colleagues and friends, Please, let me inform you in deep sorrow that our colleague, friend, teacher, and scientist, Dr. Marian Babiak, passed away peacefully in the presence of loved ones on 17th December 2019, aged 71. He was a Professor Emeritus at University of Zvolen in Slovakia and ended his career at the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague. He was an active SWST member and General Co-Chair of the 2014 International SWST Convention which was held in Zvolen. The last memorial service will be held on December 27, 2019, at 12:30 at Bratislava ...
Read MoreEver since Dr Andreja Kutnar was little, she enjoyed helping her father in the carpentry workshop and creating wood products. After finishing high school, she chose to study wood science and undertake a career path in this profession. She learned a lot and gathered knowledge and experiences abroad and at home. One major turning point in her life was a visit to the USA, to Oregon State University, where she first spent half a year for PhD study and later returned for a postdoc position. She met many experts in the USA with whom she is collaborating in business still ...
Read MoreSave the Date WSF2020 14 - 19 September 2020, Geneva, Switzerland September 2020 marks the 5th birthday of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. If it were a child and given the right circumstances, it would now have developed fine motor skills, be able to stand on one foot for 10 seconds, have long conversations, and start to develop independence and responsibility. With The 8th World Sustainability Forum, we are not only celebrating a birthday, but are also taking stock of where we are in relation to a more sustainable world, what has worked, what has not ...
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