Two named to Board of Agriculture and Natural Resources

Posted on May 17, 2013 by

Two North Carolina State University faculty members have been named to the Board on Agriculture and Natural Resources (BANR), a major program unit of the National Research Council.

Dr. Stephen Kelley, professor and head of the Department of Forest Biomaterials in the College of Natural Resources and Dr. Fred Gould, William Neal Reynolds Professor of Entomology in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, were named to the board.

The board is responsible for organizing and overseeing studies on agriculture, forestry, fisheries, wildlife and the use of land, water, and other natural resources. The National Research Council is a private, nonprofit institution that provides expert advice.

Known collectively as the National Academies, the National Research Council, National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering and Institute of Medicine provide information designed to address the most pressing challenges facing the nation and world, help shape sound policies, inform public opinion and advance the pursuit of science, engineering and medicine.

Gould and Kelley join the board as Dr. Julia Kornegay, professor of Horticultural Science in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, leaves it.

Dr. Steve Kelley

About Dr. Steve Kelley

Kelley’s research interests include the sustainable production of energy and materials from biomass and the application of novel analytical tools to biomass. He teaches classes in Wood Chemistry, Wood Adhesives and Composites, and Sustainable Building Materials.In addition to his research and teaching, he has helped develop international partnerships for his department.

Prior to joining NCSU, he spent 13 years at the Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) working on biomass conversion technologies. At NREL his responsibilities included technical leadership and innovation in the areas of biomass characterization, production of value-added biobased products and thermal conversion processes, and project management.

Prior to joining NREL, Kelley worked in industry (Eastman Chemical Co. and Bend Research Inc.) for seven years developing new cellulose-based materials and membrane processes.

Dr. Fred Gould

About Dr. Fred Gould

Gould, a member of the National Academy of Sciences, studies the ecology and genetics of insect pests to improve food production and human and environmental health. He has received funding from the National Science Foundation, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the National Institutes of Health, among others, for his work.

Gould has been honored with both N.C. State’s Holladay Medal, the highest honor presented for faculty achievement, and the O. Max Gardner Award, the most significant university wide honor given to faculty by the UNC Board of Governors.

Gould has served on National Academy of Sciences-National Research Council committees to study the environmental effects of the commercialization of genetically modified plants and develop recommendations on genetically modified pest-protected crops. He has also served on Environmental Protection Agency panels on genetically modified crops.

More About BANR

A variety of problems and causes drive work on issues in the fields of agriculture, forestry, fisheries, wildlife, and the use of land, water, and other natural resources . Often conflicts arise between growing demands for food and resources and the impacts of developing and producing those resources on the natural ecosystem. The need to sustain, restore and improve the productivity of agriculture for the economic well-being of the nation can also generate vital questions.

BANF maintains a critical overview of the several fields under its purview so that it is aware of relevant work relating to public policy formulation, research frontiers, technological developments, human resource needs, economic and social trends. The Board is also responsible for planning new studies, conducting oversight on projects carried out by its subsidiary committees, and making an annual appraisal of emerging issues related to food, fiber, fuel and the natural resource base supporting their production.

New Scholarship Recognizes Influence of Drs. Zobel and Kellison

Posted on February 14, 2013 by

The Richard and Rita Porterfield Charitable Trust established a scholarship endowment dedicated to the late Bruce J. Zobel and Robert C. Kellison. Drs. Zobel and Kellison, professors, mentors and friends to innumerable NC State University students over their decades of service to the profession of forestry, will be recognized in perpetuity through this endowment.

These “teachers” positively affected the lives and work of many natural resource managers here at NC State and around the world.

The endowment states, “The recipient of this scholarship should ever strive to be such a positive influence on others throughout their careers.”

Dr. Bruce Zobel

Dr. Zobel served NC State 55 years in the field of forest genetics and founded the Camcore program in gene conservation and forest genetics. During his tenure, Dr. Zobel received numerous awards including the Alexander Quarles Holladay medal for career achievements and contributions to the university.

Dr. Robert Kellison

Dr. Kellison, Professor Emeritus of Forestry, came to NC State in 1966 to pursue his MS and PhD. He joined the faculty and became a leader in the areas of forest genetics and silviculture. Because of their contributions, our natural environment as well as the populous of the world has ultimately benefited.

Public Furniture Project Webinar Offered

Posted on February 11, 2013 by

The Public Furniture Research Project will host a project webinar on Tuesday, February 26th, 2013 at noon Eastern time to discuss the results of this project that is directed to learning how local governments and school districts buy furniture and furnishings in an effort to support the growth of sales of wood products by these public entities.

Local governments and school districts currently are buying little locally made wood products for classrooms and government buildings. This project interviewed twenty purchasing departments in West Virginia, North and South Carolina to learn what issues are important for buyers of public furniture and how the wood products industry can better serve this important market.

More information about the webinar can be found at the project website at www.cnr.ncsu.edu/publicfurniture. Webinars are interactive discussions with a PowerPoint slide show and comments by moderators and participants. Participants can communicate via microphones and text chatting.

There is no charge to participate in the webinar. A recording of the webinar will be available on the project website after the webinar is completed.

Harry Watt of NC State University’s Wood Products Extension Program is the project leader for the USDA USFS Public Furniture Research Project.

This research project is sponsored by the Princeton Forestry Sciences Lab in Princeton, WV and the Wood Products Extension Department at North Carolina State University.

For more information contact:
Harry Watt- email: harry_watt@ncsu.edu, cell 704-880-5034.

The work upon which this project is based is funded through a grant awarded by the Princeton Forestry Sciences Lab in Princeton, West Virginia, which is part of the Northern Research Station of the USDA Forest Service.

Paper Science & Engineering Celebrates 6th TAPPI Fellow

Posted on January 31, 2013 by

Each year TAPPI, the leading association for the worldwide pulp, paper, packaging, and converting industries, elects members as TAPPI Fellows in recognition of meritorious service to the Association and the industry. In 2012 Dr. Richard A. Venditti, was elected as a TAPPI Fellow, joining TAPPI Fellows and NC State Paper Science and Engineering faculty Drs. Hou-min Chang, Martin A. Hubbe, Hasan Jameel, Michael J. Kocurek, and Richard B. Phillips.

Learn more about all 6 of these outstanding Fellows in the PSE Winter 2013 Update

Nominations Sought for Annual Borlaug Award

Posted on January 31, 2013 by

Dr. Norman E. Borlaug

Nominations are being accepted for the 2013 Norman E. Borlaug Service to Society and Environment Award. This award is open to all tenure-track faculty of N.C. State University and is presented annually at the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and College of Natural Resources “Nobel Laureate Dr. Norman E. Borlaug Distinguished Lecture on Global Service to Society and Environment.”

Faculty members from any of N.C. State’s colleges are eligible for this award, named in honor of the late Dr. Norman E. Borlaug, Nobel Laureate and father of the Green Revolution. The award recognizes exemplary service to the environment and society in academics, research or service through enhancing global practices, new technologies, impact on students or global communities. The award is intended to recognize accomplishments and to encourage future work.

The 2013 award will be presented at the Norman E. Borlaug Distinguished Lecture on Global Service to Society and Environment on April 16. Frances Seymour, director general of the Center for International Forestry Research, is this year’s guest lecturer. The event will be held at the new Hunt Library Auditorium on Centennial Campus beginning at 3 p.m.

Award nomination packets are due March 11. Please send nomination packets to: Dr. Joel Pawlak, Campus Box 8001, N.C. State University.

Nomination packets should include the following:

Nominee’s complete resume
Letter of support from department head, dean, associate or assistant dean or university officer
Statement from the nominee about the impact of his or her work and future plans
Letters of support from outside the university are encouraged, but not required. Such letters should describe the impact of the nominee’s accomplishments.

Nominations can originate from individual faculty members on their own behalf or from colleagues at any level of university administration. However, nomination packets must be submitted to the selection committee via the person writing a letter of support (see No. 2 above.)

The awardee will have a chance to briefly address the audience assembled for the Borlaug Lecture and will receive an award certificate, a $1,000 prize, a gift from the selection committee and his or her name engraved on a university plaque.

For information contact John Sabella, CALS, jasabell@ncsu.edu,919.515.2665; or Joel Pawlak, CNR, jjpawlak@ncsu.edu, 919.515.2890.