College of Forestry - Oregon State University

Department of Wood Science & Engineering
The Department of Wood Science
& Engineering (http://
woodscience.oregonstate.
edu) is a multidisciplinary program
with teaching, research and outreach
activities that advance intelligent and
sustainable use of renewable woodbased
materials. Through an emphasis
on science, engineering, business,
and technology, we seek to help the
Oregon forest sector be competitive in
the global marketplace. WS&E offers
undergraduate and graduate degrees,
conducts research, and has an active
outreach education program.
Goals:
n Expand and strengthen undergraduate
and graduate programs to better
meet the needs of students and
Oregon employers
n Improve the competitiveness of
Oregon’s forest products industry
through innovation in new products,
new manufacturing processes,
and new business strategies
n Focus our research programs on a)
investigating wood-based composite
materials science and applications,
b) promoting
manufacture
and safe, longterm
use of wood
products, especially
for building
applications,
c) expanding
understanding
of the chemistry,
biology, and
physical properties
of wood, and
d) identifying
innovative business
strategies and management
practices
n Be proactive in helping technical
and general publics understand the
essential role that wood plays in the
21 st century and the appropriate use
of wood-based products
n Expand our outreach and technical
assistance program through a new
initiative to create an Oregon Wood
Innovation Center
Accomplishments:
n Two privately endowed chairs have
recently been filled:
Professor Fred
Kamke is the first
JELD-WEN Chair
of Wood-based
Composites Science,
and Professor John
Nairn is the new
Richardson Chair
in Wood Science
and Forest Products.
Drs. Nairn and
Kamke form the
nucleus of a major
expansion of research and teaching
related to wood-based composite
materials. OSU is now one of the
world centers for biobased composite
materials.
n Through a partnership with the
OSU Extension Service, the department
launched the Oregon Wood
Innovation Center (OWIC). The
Center is designed to connect the
Oregon wood industry more effectively
with resources at OSU that
can foster innovation and enhance
Oregon’s competitiveness in a
global marketplace. Scott Leavengood
is the new director of OWIC,
and a program assistant was recently
hired. The work of OWIC is
featured elsewhere in this report.
n Kaichang Li was granted a patent
for a new innovation with wood
adhesives. His earlier discovery of
a soy-flour replacement for formaldehyde-based
adhesives use in
plywood has been successfully
commercialized by an Oregon
manufacturer. New research initia-
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