Blacksburg, VA., Feb. 2, 1999 -- Recognizing that composites are the future of the wood products industry, Virginia Tech researchers in the College of Forestry and Wildlife Resources have established with industry partners a Wood-Based Composites (WBC) Center. Fred Kamke, center director and wood science professor, said, "Virginia Tech has been a leader in education and research for the broader forest products industry for more than 30 years, so this new center reflects our ongoing commitment to an area that is growing in importance."
The proposed areas of concentration for instruction and research are: adhesion and adhesives, manufacturing of wood-based composites, materials science, performance of wood-based composites, and raw material resource and product marketing issues.
A cooperative effort between Virginia Tech and several corporations, the new program addresses emerging educational and research needs of the wood-based composites industry. "The center will involve a concentration of resources and faculty members with one focus being to attract talented young people to this career path," Kamke explained.
He noted that Virginia Tech will continue seeking other partnerships with industry and universities throughout North America to enhance the center's effectiveness. Funding for the center is shared by the industry members and Virginia Tech.
Founding members of the WBC Center are: Dow Chemical Company, Georgia-Pacific Resins, ICI Polyurethanes, J.M. Huber Corporation, Louisiana-Pacific Corporation, Neste Resins Corporation, Trus Joist MacMillan, and Weyerhaeuser Company.
The WBC Center offers its industry members technical research bulletins, newsletters, short courses, testing services, student internship and co-op educational opportunities, direction of research priorities, and well-trained graduates.
Kamke summed up the mission of the center as "to provide relevant and effective teaching, and research and technology transfer to service the North American wood-based composite industry, along with other related industries."
The wood-based composite industry is comprised of manufacturers of wood-based panels for industrial and construction purposes, manufacturers of composite lumber products, and suppliers of machinery, adhesives, and other raw materials used in the manufacture of these products.
The WBC Center will provide financial support to graduate students and scholarship funds for undergraduates seeking degrees in the field of Wood Science and Technology, with emphasis on the wood-based composites industry. Students may enroll at Virginia Tech, or at other WBC Center affiliate universities (yet to be named). One highlight is that WBC Center scholarship students may also enroll at any one of 145 National Student Exchange member institutions, study for 12 months at Virginia Tech, and receive their degree from their home university.
Virginia Tech is located in Blacksburg, a town of 30,000 permanent residents in the mountains of Southwestern Virginia. The university has a student population of 25,000, and is among the top 50 research universities in the United States, based upon research expenditures as reported by the National Science Foundation. Undergraduate enrollment in the Department of Wood Science and Forest Products is the largest in North America in this discipline.
Companies interested in membership, or prospective students, should contact WBC Center Director, Dept. Wood Science and Forest Products, Virginia Tech, 1650 Ramble Road, Blacksburg, VA 24061-0503, call 540-231-7100, or email wbc@vt.edu.
Dr. Kamke can be reached at kamkefa@vt.edu or 540-231-7100
PR CONTACT: Lynn Davis, 540-231-6157, davisl@vt.edu