The NC State University Department of Forest Biomaterials welcomed incoming students recently with their annual freshmen retreat. The festivities kicked-off with a department-wide picnic with students, faculty and staff.
MeadWestvaco generously provided students with a “welcome to the industry” goodie bag including water bottles, cinch sacks and other necessities for the weekend.
To get students off on the right foot and their eyes focused on their futures, Professor Emeritus Mike Kocurek and Dr. Med Byrd spoke with students about resume writing, interviewing skills and career opportunities in wood products and paper sciences.
On Saturday, paper science and engineering students were hosted by the Domtar paper mill in Bennettsville, SC. For most of these students, this was their first inside look at a major paper mill. Alum Ricky Gardner led a tour through the fiberline and demonstrated his dedication by happily climbing 10+ stories repeatedly to give each group of students a birds-eye-view of the facility!
Freshman in the wood products program are scheduled to participate in a Habitat for Humanity project the weekend following the retreat.
All the freshman woke up early Sunday morning for a trip to NC State’s nearby Schenck Forest to tackle the low ropes challenge course and a variety of team building activities. After mastering the ropes course and surviving the perils of wiener walking, rubber chicken tossing and swinging across imaginary pits of lava, the Forest Biomaterials freshmen have formed a strong bond!
The Department of Forest Biomaterials looks forward to watching this year’s freshman class grow in months and years ahead.
Learn more about degrees offered by the NC State Department of Forest Biomaterials.