Local High School Students Learn about Recycling Paper

Posted on February 7, 2011 by moorman

NC State University Department of Forest Biomaterials faculty member, Dr. Med Byrd and Undergraduate Recruiter, Katie McIntyre recently spent two days bringing paper properties to life for Broughton High School chemistry students. Dr. Byrd gave a lively lecture about the chemical properties of paper, highlighting many of the concepts that they will focus on in their chemistry class in the coming weeks.

After learning the basic principles behind hydrogen bonds and flotation de-inking, students had the opportunity to recycle their own paper. Groups were challenged to recycle two sheets, improving upon their first procedure with the second sheet. Students with the cleanest, most uniform sheet, and highest yield in their recycled sheets were awarded with Wolfpack gear!

The Paper Science & Engineering faculty at NC State actively engage in outreach in our community. Lab and lecture instructions for papermaking, flotation de-inking, and other areas of interest are available for teachers and community leaders.

If you would like to schedule a visit to the NC State Department of Forest Biomaterials or inquire about a visit to your classroom, please contact Katie McIntyre at katie_mcintyre@ncsu.edu.

Zoo Visitors Prefer New Animals, Interaction

Posted on December 16, 2010 by

Dr. Stacy Tomas and her students surveyed visitors to the NC Zoological Park

From the Courier-Tribune.com 11/6/201
by Kathi Keys

New animals and more animal interaction are the top reasons N.C. Zoo visitors would return more often. That’s the consensus of more than 60 percent of the 848 zoo visitors who were surveyed at random during October 2010.

The research study was conducted by NC State University assistant professor and tourism extension specialist, Dr. Stacy R. Tomas, with the assistance of students in the Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management .

Read the complete article>>

Students Get Hands-on Experience Outside and Inside of the Lab

Posted on November 9, 2010 by rwgonzal

– submitted by Christi Standley

Terrie Litzenberger instructs the students prior to going down to the creek for data collection

The College of Natural Resources offers an abundance of opportunities for students to learn through hands-on experiences!

Recently, students in the Environmental Technology and Management major trekked out to Rocky Branch Creek, which is conveniently located on NC State’s campus. Students actively participated in measuring water quality parameters at four locations along the creek.

The Environmental Technology and Management program focuses on the biological and chemical mechanisms of environmental processes and prepares students to minimize and manage pollution and to solve complex environmental problems. Water Quality is one of the seven labs that Environmental Technology and Management students can choose to take.

On this particular rainy day for the Rocky Branch Creek exercise, students gathered information about their environmental surroundings, while they recorded data collected using a variety of sensitive instruments to test water quality. The students practiced the preciseness needed when recording data to include date, time, location, the person taking the measurement, and other important information. After collecting the data, the students returned to the lab, where they tested the water for E. coli bacteria.

Students collecting water quality data

Through this experience, students used field and laboratory instruments for monitoring water quality. On a daily basis, students gain real-life, hands-on experience to practice managing, analyzing, interpreting, and reporting environmental data sets. This is just one more example of how students in the College of Natural Resources are learning real-world skills through hands-on experiences.

Analyzing water samples taken that day for pathogens

New Degree: Master of Environmental Assessment

Posted on October 18, 2010 by rwgonzal

– submitted by Sarah Slover

The first class of our new Master of Environmental Assessment began this fall with 16 students (8 in Forestry and Environmental Resources and 8 in Toxicology). This online degree is now officially affiliated with the Professional Science Masters Program.

The Master of Environmental Assessment (EA) degree is intended for working professionals who seek advanced study beyond the undergraduate level but are not interested in pursuing a career in research. The EA degree is a joint non-thesis graduate degree program administered by the College of Natural Resources (CNR) and the College of Agriculture Life Sciences (CALS). The program requires 30 credit hours. Twenty-two credit hours will be in required courses with the remaining nine hours selected from the list of elective courses or equivalent. No thesis is required.

The courses are selected to offer a cohesive continuing education opportunity for people in agricultural, chemical, environmental, energy, natural resource, pharmaceutical, biomedical, and biotechnology fields. Companies and government research facilities in these fields, as well as regulatory agencies, all have a need for employees who understand the basic principles of environmental assessment, how to perform and review human and ecological risk assessments, and how these assessments relate to environmental regulation and management.

For more information, please see the Masters of Environmental Assessment website.

Sarah Slover is the Graduate Coordinator in the Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources. Learn more at http://cnr.ncsu.edu/fer/grads/, or contact Sarah at sarah_slover@ncsu.edu, or 919-515-7563.

Annual Retreat a Bonding Experience for Forest Biomaterials Freshman

Posted on September 21, 2010 by

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.