Winter 2018 Newsletter
2017 University Exemplary Department Award
By Audrey Zink-Sharp
We are very pleased to announce that our department was chosen to receive a University Exemplary Department Award from Virginia Tech’s Office of the Provost for the 2017-2018 academic year.
Virginia Tech students completed a sustainability Wintermester course in Costa Rica.
By Henry Quesada
Under the leadership of Drs. Henry Quesada and Earl Kline from the Department of Sustainable Biomaterials at Virginia Tech, a group of 13 students traveled to Costa Rica to learn about sustainability of natural resources. Students registered for this Wintermester course came from the Colleges of Natural Resources and Environment, Agriculture, Engineering, and Liberal Arts. During their time in Costa Rica, the students learned about sustainable agriculture, renewable energy, wildlife management, and forest management.
By Earl Kline
During the current 2017-2018 academic year, 18 new students (Figure 1) joined the team. Nearly a third of the students come from a variety of disciplines such as building construction and industrial design. This year’s WEI team begins a new business around a product based on the advice of the previous year’s team: “keep it simple.” Based on this advice, a business plan was developed to make and sell beer flights (Figure 2) to address the needs of restaurants and craft beer breweries that offer beer tastings to their customers. This product is simple and easy to manufacture but it has been specially designed to help our target market.
New Research Grant
By Mark White
The Virginia Tech, Department of Sustainable Biomaterials is the lead institution in a $500,000, two year grant “Evaluation of vacuum and steam heat as a methyl bromide alternative for the phytosanitary treatment of hardwood and softwood logs.” The funding is provided by the USDA, National Institute of Food and Agriculture and the USDA Forest Service, State and Private Forestry. The lead scientists are Drs. Zhangjing Chen and Marshall White. Also participating are Drs. Henry Quesada and Brian Bond. Cooperating Institutions include University of Minnesota and Purdue University.
Undergrad research in SBIO on recycling wooden skateboards
By Dylan Willard and Joe Loferski
We have all watched the skateboarders zipping by us on campus and maybe even doing jumps or tricks but most of us have never looked closely at a skateboard and wondered how it is made, what it is made from and how it can be recycled into a new useful item. During the fall semester of 2017, sophomore Dylan Willard in the Sustainable Biomaterials Department, did an undergraduate research project investigating the possibilities for recycling skateboards. The skateboards are made from high quality maple plywood that is often dyed with beautiful colors as seen in the photographs.
Welcome Dr. Li Shuai
By Li Shuai
I obtained my B.E. degree in Materials Science and Engineering from China (2007) with specialty in polymer and composites. During my undergraduate study, I got to know “biomass conversion” from a professor who blended lignin with a polymer and processed the mixture into a biodegradable agricultural mulching film. I thought it was very cool that renewable biomass could be used to make the products we needed for our daily lives.
New packaging design class being taught this semester
By Wonjung Jung
Design Fundamentals for Packaging I (SBIO 2984) class will be a project-oriented class. Students will become familiar with the visual language and fundamental design theories from lecture. And then, they can apply those concepts a hands-on project. The instructor will encourage not only practical application but also innovative ideas. Studies will include exercises in 2D using various materials and tools.
Welcome Our New Packaging Instructor
By Eduardo Molina
Eduardo Molina joined the department in January 2018. He started his professional career with a Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Production Engineering from Costa Rica Institute of Technology and acquired professional experience working for five years as a Supply Chain Planning Analyst for a global corporation. Afterwards, he obtained a Master of Science degree in Packaging Systems and Design from Virginia Tech.
New Graduate Students
Meet our new graduate students, Apratim Jash and Yang Zhou.
Poster Win
By Chip Frazier
Mr. Benjamin Peed, a senior in Sustainable Biomaterials, earned the $300 Second Place prize in the poster competition at the 2017 International Conference on Wood Adhesives, Oct. 25, 2017 in Atlanta Georgia! Perhaps even more impressive is that Ben was the only undergraduate student among 22 competitors - the rest were graduate students and professionals.
Welcome, Xilong Zhao!
By Dan Hindman
Xilong (pronounced Shee-long) Zhao is a visiting scholar from the College of Materials Science and Art Design at Inner Mongolia Agricultural University in Huhhot, Inner Mongolia. Xilong is the director of the Department of Furniture Design and Engineering. He will be working with Dr. Hindman looking into the design and use of cross-laminated timber (CLT) materials.
Xilong’s office is in the Composites Graduate loft. Please extend a warm welcome to our visitor!
Passing of a former employee
Harold Vandivort passed away on July 20, 2017. He was instrument maker supervisor for the Department of Sustainable Biomaterials from 1973 until 1995.
When Harold retired in 1995 Dr. Fred Lamb said that “the metal fixtures that are used in testing wood and wood products and the other specialized laboratory testing apparatus are all products of Harold’s shop. Many graduate students owe the success of their research projects to the test fixtures fabricated (and often designed) by Harold.”
By Dan Hindman
The Maslow CNC is a two-dimensional CNC machine using a conventional router to cut sheet goods. The Maslow is operated by a set of three motors – two motors suspended from roller chains which control the position of the device, and a third motor controlling the router depth of cut. Maslow is produced by a start-up company located in Portland, Oregon.
By Tom Hammett
Students are increasingly interested in doing service work. Professor Tom Hammett, an advisor and founder of the Service Without Borders (SWB) group on campus lead a group of Virginia Tech students on a service trip to Nepal during the Winter Break. For many of the students it was their first trip to Asia, and to an underdeveloped country.