A Brief History of the Department of Sustainable Biomaterials
The globe in front of the Brooks center
Originally an outgrowth of the College of Engineering, the Department of Wood Science was created to focus on forest products, specifically wood and its uses.
In 1941, Professor E. George Stern began his 50-year career at Virginia Tech teaching in the engineering school, specializing in wood products that could be rapidly assembled and disassembled. His work expanded, but he was always an advocate for the many uses of wood, a renewable resource.
Stern began work on pallet design and construction, knowing that pallets were vital to shipping and transportation.
In 1993, the Center for Unit Load Design was created when industry pushed for a material handling system to be used when designing safer ways to move products to consumers. The Center expanded the focus of the department beyond pallets, examining and testing the crating for durability so cargo could withstand shipping unscathed.
Within the transportation industry, the Center became a source of data that would increase the efficiency and lower the risk to packages in transit.
As that was happening in the pallet lab, new materials were being used to move wood science to the cutting edge in construction. With a focus being on sustainability through durability and eco-friendly materials, the
Industry leaders in construction, as well as those in shipping and transportation, began looking to Virginia Tech for research into the new products and manufacturing methods in both areas.
Packaging grew from being focused on pallets to the design and manufacture of durable containers for shopping and transit.