USDA-FS Symposium: Build It Back Better with Wood: Connecting Urban & Rural Communities with Innovation - Online Symposium Sessions

Wednesday, 4/17/2024, 12:15 – 4:30pm EDT

Register for this event at: https://wvu.zoom.us/w/96199535762

MISSION STATEMENT
“Build It Back Better with Wood: Connecting Urban and Rural Communities with Innovation” Symposium:

Promote innovation, knowledge exchange and collaboration
Promote higher technical and commercial interaction between urban and rural communities
Promote value-added utilization of all wood species, especially under-utilized hard wood species and their by-products for economic growth
Explore the potential of wood products in infrastructure applications, energy savings, carbon sequestration, waste reduction and management
Innovative applications for wood include transparent wood in lieu of glass for energy saving windows, wood frames for solar panels, soft and hard wood as core materials for FRP sandwich structural slab, beam, column, and wall panels in lieu of balsa wood, wood composites utilizing low-quality wood using high pressure infusion process, and use of nanocellulose for packaging applications
Inspire individuals and organizations to leverage the power of wood, foster R&D advancements, and empower communities towards a more sustainable future with wood as a method of natural CO₂ sequestration

	Wednesday, April 17, 2024, from 12:15 – 4:30pm EDT
Session 1
12:15-1:15 pm	Opening session - Moderator: Fred King, WVU VP for Research Objectives: 3 keynotes (general & technical), Conference objectives, research and development needs Welcome remarks - Gordon Gee, WVU Vice President Opening remarks - Senator Shelley Moore Capito WVDA-FS Perspective - Kent Leonhardt, WVDA Commissioner USDA FS Perspective - Brian Brashaw Industry/Community Perspective - Cindy Squires Q&A - All Opening Session Speakers
1:15-2:15pm	Theme 1 - Current Trends for Engineered Wood Products - Moderator: Hota Gangarao Objectives: Current trends for Engineered Wood Products — Dwellings, Medium-rise Buildings & Bridges, Hydro systems, Others Urban Housing and Buildings with modular sub-system fabrication in factories of rural areas - Mike Blanford The state-of-the-art review of bridge applications: New construction, rehabilitation, and retrofit (Timber piles, super structures, trestles) - Hota Gangarao, Radhey Sharma Hydraulic systems (Wicket gates, miter gates, boardwalks, retaining structures): Past and Present- Eric Johnson Q&A - All Theme 1 session speakers
2:15-2:30 pm	BREAK
Session 2
2:30-3:30 pm	Theme 2 - Wood Sciences Education in the US - Moderator: Gloria Oporto Objectives: Wood sciences education in the US – Traditional and non-traditional wood utilization – Urban and Rural wood-based infrastructure Wood science education to prepare rural workforce to adopt innovations and develop value-added products for urban utilization - Gloria Oporto WoodWorks: Changing the Way People Build with Sustainable, Value-Added Mass Timber - Jason Reynolds Structural engineering perspective: Product development in rural areas and urban implementation - PV Vijay Q&A - All Theme 2 Speakers
3:30-4:30 pm	Theme 3 - Wood upgrade including high-pressure resin infusion, FRP reinforcement and ease of upgrade at low initial cost for rural affordability - Moderator: Rakesh Gupta Objectives: Wood update including high-pressure resin infusion for improved utilization, strength/stiffness, durability, thermo-mechanical upgrades, hybridization, and resistance to fungus, termites, and fire Properties and limitations of common species with focus on structural applications that are amenable for infusion - Doug Gardner Materials science and engineering: how to upgrade low grade wood properties with infusion and help rural wood industry - Rakesh Gupta, Hota Gangarao Design, Fabrication and Testing of FRP Reinforced Timber Beams - Huifeng Yang Q&A - All Theme 3 Speakers

Last updated April 3, 2024