Get Social – Three New Ways to Connect with Forestry and Environmental Resources

Social Media Connections to FERThe Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources at NC State University has created more opportunities for you to connect with us and others through Social Media.

If you haven’t already been following us in the College of Natural Resources Facebook community, you will definitely want to check out all of the latest happenings at www.facebook.com/NCSUCNR.

Now, three new social media connections have been created to help you keep in touch with faculty, staff, students, alumni and friends of the Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources (FER).

The Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology program’s new Facebook page is designed to keep you up on what’s going on in that program’s classes, research and clubs, as well as posting job openings. Like them at https://www.facebook.com/ncsufwcb!

Follow us @NCState_FER on Twitter – Looking for more hot job postings, environmental news, events, and career tips? We launched @NCState_FER for current students and alumni to stay connected to the Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources. https://twitter.com/NCState_FER.

FER’s new LinkedIn group provides an additional resource for career links and advice, as well as discussions on various topics. Join the many departmental students, faculty, staff, alumni and other interested colleagues by sending a request to join at http://www.linkedin.com/groups/NC-State-Department-Forestry-Environmental-8110214/about, and then collaborate as you wish within this dynamic group.

Looking for even more ways to stay in touch? Check out all of these other great social media sites related to the department:

NC State Natural Resources College to Commemorate the Centennial of the Extinction of the Passenger Pigeon

2014 Marks the Centennial of the Extinction of the Passenger Pigeon

passenger pigeon - extinctOn September 1, 1914, Martha died. Her death, at the Cincinnati Zoological Gardens, marked the extinction of the Passenger Pigeon – a species made extinct due to the actions of humans.

The College of Natural Resources invites you to join us at one of these events marking this significant moment in environmental history.

“In Memory of Martha” Sculpture Build
Help remember the Passenger Pigeon by folding origami pigeons to symbolically recreate the flocks of 100 years ago.  The origami birds will be assembled into a sculpture.
More @ foldtheflock.org

WHEN: September 2, 2014 / 11:00 – 2:00 pm
WHERE: The Brickyard, NC State Main Campus

***********************************************************************************

“Wildlife Trafficking: A Growing Global Threat to Threatened and Endangered Species” Lecture
SPEAKER: Susan Lieberman, Vice President – International Policy
Wildlife Conservation Society

Dr. Susan LiebermanWHEN: September 9, 2014 / 7:00 -8:00 pm
WHERE: Nelson Auditorium, NC State Main Campus

Dr. Susan Lieberman has worked in international biodiversity conservation, at the intersection between science and policy, for more than 25 years, and has extensive experience working on international wildlife trade. She is a member of the U.S. Presidential Advisory Council on Wildlife Trafficking, former director of the Species Programme of the WWF-International, and Chief of the Division of Scientific Authority of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

She has worked on the conservation of species of tigers, African and Asian elephants, African and Asian rhinos, giant pandas, African and Asian great apes, whales, marine turtles, and polar bears and conducted postdoctoral research on tortoises in Mexico and on prosimians.

Lieberman completed her Ph.D. at the University of Southern California where her research focused on tropical ecology, and amphibians and reptiles in Costa Rica.

 

These events are part of the NC State College of Natural Resources’ 85th Anniversary Celebration

NC State Names New Department Head for Forestry & Environmental Resources


Gower_Pic-webDr. Stith T. (Tom) Gower will join the College of Natural Resources at NC State University as head of the Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources.

Dr. Gower is an internationally recognized forest ecosystem ecologist, and is currently a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology and Faculty Director of BioHouse, a living learning community program for undergraduates majoring in biological sciences.

He holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Furman University, a Master of Science in Forest Ecology and a minor in Soil Science from NC State University, and a PhD in Forest Ecology from the University of Washington.  He is a University of Wisconsin Systems Teaching Fellow and Scholar and an HHMI Faculty Fellow with the Institute for Biology Education.

Dr. Gower’s research focuses primarily on the effects of disturbance on carbon, water and nutrient budgets of forest ecosystems, life cycle inventories of greenhouse gases to produce wood and paper products, forest carbon adaptation and mitigation management, and whole system (biological and industrial) analysis of forest ecosystems and landscapes to optimize sustainable production of ecosystem goods and services.

He has served as PI or co-investigator on numerous large multidisciplinary research teams raising over $14 million in extramural funding from the Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. His research has built productive collaborative relationships with state, provincial, federal, and private industry in the USA, Canada, Russian Federation, Sweden, China, and Portugal.

Dr. Gower is a frequent speaker on the topic of forest carbon cycles in biological and industrial (e.g., life cycle inventory) ecosystems and national forest carbon management policy at national and international conferences and symposia. He is the co-author of two books, approximately 200 peer-reviewed journal articles, and numerous proceedings papers, book chapters, and presentation papers and abstracts. He has also served on numerous forestry and natural resource advisory boards such as Advisory Committee for the Oak Ridge National Laboratory Digital Active Archive Center, and served as subject editor for forestry journals such as Tree Physiology and the Canadian Journal of Forest Resources.

In recent years, Gower has become interested in education innovation, and is a recent co-recipient of a NSF Ideas Lab grant to promote quantitative sciences in natural sciences, as well as renewing a national dialogue on rewarding faculty for outstanding education. He is currently involved in developing a series of education innovation classroom case studies and curricula that emphasize student-centered learning.

“Tom Gower brings a wealth of new ideas and a proven record of accomplishment to the Department and the College,” says Dean Mary Watzin. “I am delighted that he is willing to take on this new challenge.  Tom has a solid record of interdisciplinary thinking – developing and implementing creative new curricula and first-year retention programs and fostering opportunities for students to engage in meaningful research experiences.  His research exploring the dynamics of forest ecosystems and the tradeoffs that exist under different future scenarios of natural and industrial forest management, along with an enthusiasm for sharing information and solving practical problems, make Tom an excellent match for our college.  I look forward to working with him and am fully confident that under his leadership, this strong department will rise to the next level of excellence.”

Originally from Kentucky, Dr. Gower is married to Connie Gower, a native of Hendersonville, NC and graduate of North Carolina State University. They have two daughters, Kristen and Cathy, both of whom graduated from or attended NC State.

“I am thrilled to be returning to NC State and building on the incredibly rich history of the department, college and institution” says Dr. Gower. “It is truly an honor to return and serve the students, staff, and faculty.”

Dr. Gower will assume the duties of department head on October 16, 2014.

 

NC State University to Host “Progress in Paper Physics Seminar 2014”

Progress in Paper 2014 Raleigh NCBy Guest Blogger, Dr. Joel Pawlak; Asst. Professor, Dept. of Forest Biomaterials

From September 8-11, 2014, the international paper physics community is coming to Raleigh and NC State University for its annual meeting. This is a group of scientists dedicated to understanding the behavior of paper from a physical standpoint.

Over the years, NC State has had a number of professors involved in this community. Perhaps some of you alumni remember taking a class from Dr. Olf, Dr. Kocurek, Dr. Ram, Dr. Rojas, or even me, Dr. Pawlak? These faculty members have all taken part in the paper physics community over the years.

This year’s meeting is part of annual gathering of this paper physics community that rotates around the world. These meetings date back to the 1960’s when the concept of describing the properties of paper from a fundamental standpoint was first explored.

Early work described the tensile strength of paper, formation of paper, bonding in paper, and the strength of single papermaking fibers. Over the years, the science has continued to advance and involves a diverse set scientific principles that describe the water resistance of paper, barrier properties of paper, and the compression strength of paper. Advanced mathematical modeling of paper, state of the art imaging and x-ray tomography are all now staples of the scientific approaches used by the community.

This year, the conference will be hosted by NC State and sponsored by Domtar and MWV.

This will be the first time NC State will host the conference and provides us an opportunity to showcase the strength of paper science and engineering program at NC State. The focus of the conference has evolved to include emerging areas of paper industry including novel products and materials from forest products.

The conference has been timed to coincide with the annual NC State Pulp and Paper Foundation meeting. If you are planning to come to Raleigh this fall for the foundation meeting, consider extending your time and taking part in the paper physics conference earlier in the week.

I look forward to seeing in Raleigh this fall and I hope that you will come to both the paper physics conference and the annual foundation meeting!

View the preliminary technical program and register for the conference>>

NC State University Paper Science & Engineering Program to Celebrate 60 Years of Success

NC State Paper Science & Engineering 60th AnniversaryThe Paper Science & Engineering(PSE) program in the College of Natural Resources at North Carolina State University will celebrate a tradition of success with a 60th Anniversary Celebration in September 2014. Alumni, industry partners, donors, faculty, staff, and students are invited to join us.

Three days of activities are planned for September 10-12 including: an Open House at Biltmore, Robertson and Pulp and Paper Labs, a Celebration Banquet, a Paper Industry Career Fair, a Golf Tournament, a Corn Hole Tournament, Lunch at Lonnie Poole Golf Course, “Insider” Tours of campus, and the NC State Pulp & Paper Foundation Annual Meeting!

One of the oldest and most respected paper science and engineering programs in the world, NC State has been building industry leaders and supporting a robust, innovative and sustainable industry since the creation of the Pulp and Paper program and the Pulp and Paper Foundation.

Students of the program are highly valued by companies as summer interns and semester co-ops. Nearly 100% of students graduate with multiple job offers with starting salaries among the highest at NC State University.

PSE graduates make significant contributions to the paper industry, other chemical process industries, and many other professional arenas. Our alumni include vice-presidents, mill managers, technical managers, research directors, consultants, sales personnel, business owners, professors, teachers, lawyers, doctors, and clergymen.

With a long history of outstanding student care and thorough engineering education, the PSE program has much of which to be proud.

A fine testament to NC State’s land grant mission, PSE’s research and technical service programs support the state’s Forest Products industry – an industry that contributes almost 30 billion dollars annually to North Carolina’s economy.

The program’s faculty has been recognized with numerous honors including six TAPPI Fellows, the highest honor awarded by the Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry, more than any other institution.

This coming year, PSE expects to have 170 undergraduates and 40 graduate students.

For details of the NC State Paper Science & Engineering 60th Anniversary Celebration
visit: http://go.ncsu.edu/pse60th

Contact: Jennifer Piercy, (919) 515-7709   jennifer_piercy@ncsu.edu