People
Faculty
Computer Science
Layne T. Watson, Professor, Computer
Science and Mathematics
Dr. Watson earned his Bachelor of Arts in Psychology at the University of Evansville in 1969. He completed his Doctorate
in Mathematics in 1974 at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. The goal of his work is provide sophisticated
mathematical software, justified by rigorous mathematical analysis, to attack significant practical engineering and
scientific problems. He has done mathematical analyses in the areas of approximation theory, homotopy theory, optimization,
nonlinear equations, and computer vision. Recently his focus has been on the application of parallel computation to large
scale, interdisciplinary engineering problems such as those of interest to SEMI. He is a member of SIAM, SIAM Activity
Groups on Computational Science and Engineering, Linear Algebra, Optimization, and Supercomputing,
IEEE (Fellow), IEEE Computer Society, ACM. Dr. Watson has served as Associate Editor for the SIAM Journal on
Optimization, ORSA Journal on Computing, Computational Optimization and Applications, Evolutionary
Optimization, Engineering Computations, and International Journal on High Performance Computing Applications.
Other professional experiences of Dr. Watson include:
- 1995-96 Departments of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science and Engineering, and Mathematics, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN.
- 1985-86 Departments of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Industrial and Operations Engineering, and Mathematics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
- 1984 Applied Mathematics Division, Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM.
- 1975-78 Department of Mathematics, Michigan State University, East Lansing.
- 1969-75 Department of Mathematics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
- 1969-78 Computer Systems Consultant, Wright, Griffin, Davis, & Co., CPA's, Ypsilanti, MI.
Areas of Expertise:
- Numerical analysis
- Nonlinear programming
- Mathematical software
- Fluid mechanics
- Solid mechanics
- Image processing
- Parallel computation
Contact Information
Phone: (540) 231-7540
E-mail: ltw@cs.vt.edu
Office: 630 McBryde
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA 24061
Forestry
E.-M. Ulrika Egertsdotter, Associate Professor of Genetics and Biotechnology
Dr. Egertsdotter’s main research interests are in clonal propagation of woody
plants and molecular biology of the wood formation process. Dr. Egertsdotter
earned her Bachelor of Science in Biology and Chemistry from Uppsala University
in Sweden 1985. She completed her Doctorate in 1996 at the Swedish University of
Agricultural Sciences and has worked at research institutes in Europe,
New Zealand and USA. Dr. Egertsdotter has 15 years of experience from tissue
culture of woody plants and is experienced with applying molecular biology tools
and technologies to fundamental studies in woody plants.
Areas of Expertise:
- Molecular regulation of the wood formation process
- Molecular markers for wood properties
- Gene discovery
- Regulation of conifer embryo development
- Somatic embryogenesis as a tool in forest tree breeding
Contact Information
Phone: (540) 231-7267
Email: uegertsd@vt.edu
Office:230A Cheatham Hall
Mail Code 0323
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA 24061
Thomas R. Fox, Associate Professor of Forestry
Dr. Fox's teaching responsibilities include Silviculture Principles and Applications, Advanced Silviculture, Properties and Management of Forest Soils and Watersheds. Dr. Fox earned his Bachelor of
Science from the University of Maine in 1980 from the Forestry Department. He received his Masters from the Virginia Tech Forestry Department in
1984. He completed his Doctorate in 1989 at the University of Florida for Soil Science. Dr. Fox has 15 years of industrial forestry experience
in New England, the Pacific Northwest and The South. He also is a registered Professional Forester in Georgia and Maine, a SAF Certified Forester,
and a certified Professional Soil Scientist. He was the associate editor for Silviculture of Southern Journal of Applied Forestry (1993-1998) and
he has served as an associate editor for the Southern Journal of Applied Forestry and the Soil Science Society of America Journal (2000 - 2004).
Areas of Expertise:
- Silviculture of Appalachian hardwoods
- Intensive silviculture of southern pine plantation
- Forest soils
- Rhizosphere chemistry
- Environmental sustainability of intensive forest management
- Ecophysiology of managed forest stands
Contact Information
Phone: (540) 231-8862
Email: trfox@vt.edu
Office:228 Cheatham Hall
Mail Code 0323
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA 24061
Philip J. Radtke, Associate Professor of Forestry
Dr. Radtke earned his Bachelor of Science (1994), Master of Science (1999), and Doctorate (1999) from the University of
Minnesota. He also earned a Master of Science from Virginia Tech in 1996. His teaching responsibilities at Virginia Tech include Introduction to
Renewable Natural Resources, Introductory Forest and Land Measurements, Forest Measurements, and Forest Measurements Field Laboratory. His professional affiliations include being a member of the American Statistical Association,
the Ecological Society of America, the Society of American Foresters, and Xi Sigma Pi.
Areas of Expertise:
- Assessment and modeling of forest resources
- Evaluating models used in forestry and ecology
- Acquisition, management and analysis of data
- Improving access to growth and yield models.
Contact Information
Phone: (540) 231-8863
Email: pradtke@vt.edu
Office: 304 Cheatham Hall
Mail Code 0323
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA 24061
Shepard M. Zedaker, Professor of Forestry
Dr. Zedaker earned his Bachelor of Science from Humboldt State University in 1975, his Master of Science from Purdue
University in 1977, and his Doctorate from Oregon State University in 1981. His teaching responsibilities at Virginia Tech include Silviculture
Field Lab at Spring Camp, Survey of Forest Ecology and Management, Advanced Silviculture and Forest Vegetation Management, and Forest Protection.
Dr. Zedaker and his students conduct research in regeneration ecology, chemical silviculture, vegetation management, and wildland fire ecology
and protection. His professional achievements include receiving the Certificate of Teaching Excellence from the College of Natural Resources at Virginia Tech in 2002.
Areas of Expertise:
- Regeneration ecology
- Chemical silviculture
- Vegetation management,
- Wildland fire ecology and protection.
Contact Information
Phone: (540) 231-4855
Email: zedaker@vt.edu
Office: 228 Cheatham Hall
Mail Code 0323
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA 24061
Wood Science and Forest Products
Charles E. Frazier, Professor and Director, Wood-Based Composites Center
Dr. Frazier works in the area of adhesion and polymer science, with emphasis on wood-based
composites materials. He earned his Doctorate at Virginia Tech in 1992. He is the
Director of the the Wood-Based Composites Center (WBC), a cooperative effort between four
universities and industry leaders. The goal of the WBC Center is to provide instructional
and research services to the wood-based composites industry. He is also an active
participant in the Sustainable Engineered Materials Institute (SEMI), and the
Macromolecules and Interfaces Institute (MII).
Areas of Expertise:
- Wood Adhesion
- Characterization of the Wood/Adhesive Interphase
- Wood Viscoelasticity
- Thermoplastic and Thermosetting Adhesives for Wood
- Fracture Testing of Bonded Wood
Contact Information
Phone: (540) 231-8318
Fax: (540) 231-8176
Email: cfrazier@vt.edu
Office: 230 Cheatham Hall
Mail Code 0323
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA 24061
Wolfgang G. Glasser, Professor Emeritus
Dr. Glasser is involved in the area of polymer and materials science, with emphasis on bio-based materials and composites.
He earned his Doctorate from the University of Hamburg in 1969. He participates in the Wood-Based Composites Center (WBC) and the Polymer Materials and
Interfaces Laboratory (PMIL). He serves as Editor-in-Chief of CELLULOSE by Kluwer Academic Publishers, and he is on the editorial boards of the
Journal of Applied Polymer Science, Holzforschung, Cellulose Chemistry and Technology, and the Journal of Wood Science.
Areas of Expertise:
- Molecular Structure and Reactions of Wood
- Thermoplastic and Thermosetting Polymers from Wood
- Separation of Wood Components
- Biobased Materials and Composites
- Structure-Property Relationships of Biomaterials
- Chemistry of Wood
Contact Information
Phone: (540) 231-4403
Fax: (540) 231-8176
Email: wglasser@vt.edu
Office: 210 Cheatham Hall
Mail Code 0323
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA 24061
Daniel P. Hindman, Assistant Professor
Dr. Hindman earned a Doctorate in Wood Composites Engineering from the Pennsylvania State University in 2003. He is also active in the Wood-Based Composites Center (WBC). Dr. Hindman’s research involves the efficient use of wood composites for structural materials and understanding the structural behavior differences of composites compared to solid wood.
Areas of Expertise:
- Wood Engineering with an emphasis on the use of composite materials
- Differences in the mechanical behavior of structural wood composites compared to solid wood materials
- Action of lateral torsional buckling of beams
- Integrity of building envelopes and panelized systems
- Modeling of wood composite properties
Contact Information
Phone: (540) 231-9442
Fax: (540) 231-8868
Email: dhindman@vt.edu
Office: Brooks Forest Products Center
Mail Code 0503
Virginia Tech
1650 Ramble Road
Blacksburg, VA 24061
Joseph R. Loferski, Professor
Dr. Loferski earned his Doctorate at Virginia Tech in 1985.
Areas of Expertise:
- Wood Engineering and Structural Design Procedures
- Performance of Wood and Wood Composites in Buildings
- Moisture Problems and Wood Deterioration in Buildings
- Wood Flooring
- Fasteners and Connections
- Product Design and Development
- Preservation of Historic Wood Buildings
- Engineering and Safety of Decks and Balconies
Contact Information
Phone: (540) 231-4405
Fax: (540) 231-8868
Email: jloferski@vt.edu
Office: Brooks Forest Products Center
Mail Code 0503
Virginia Tech
1650 Ramble Road
Blacksburg, VA 24061
Scott Renneckar, Assistant Professor
Dr. Renneckar earned his Ph.D. at Virginia Tech in 2004 with research in the area of wood thermoplastic composites.
He is actively pursuing research in the areas of developing nanotechnology with wood-derived polymers
and modification of cellulose-based fibers and wood-based composites with self-assembled materials.
Areas of Expertise:
- Biomimetic (bottom-up) composites
- Wood thermoplastic composites
- Novel processing methods for biomass
- Applications of nanotechnology to traditional wood-based composites
Contact Information
Phone: (540) 231-7100
Fax: (540) 231-8868
Email: srenneck@vt.edu
Office: 106 Brooks Forest Products Center
Mail Code 0503
Virginia Tech
1650 Ramble Road
Blacksburg, VA 24061
Maren Roman, Assistant Professor
Maren Roman received a German university diploma in Chemistry, equivalent to an
American M.S. degree, from Clausthal University of Technology in 1997. She earned
her Ph.D. degree in Polymer Chemistry at SUNY College of Environmental Science
and Forestry in 2002. Her doctoral research was on wood-based polymer
nanocomposites. Prior to joining Virginia Tech, Dr. Roman held a postdoctoral
research position at the Pulp and Paper Research Centre at McGill University
in Montreal, where she studied the self-assembly behavior of cellulose
nanocrystals. Dr. Roman joined Virginia Tech as an assistant professor in
the summer of 2004.
Dr. Roman is a member of the American Chemical Society – Cellulose and
Renewable Materials Division and Polymeric Materials Science and Engineering
Division. She serves on the faculty advisory boards for both the Wood-Based
Composite Center (WBC) and SEMI.
Areas of Expertise
- Properties and utilization of cellulose nanocrystals
- self-assembly properties of cellulose nanocrystals and their implications on wood ultra-structure
- application of cellulose nanocrystals as reinforcing additive in polymer composites
- molecular interactions of polymers, including wood polymers, wet-end polymers, and commodity and performance polymers, with native cellulose surfaces.
Contact Information
Phone: (540) 231-1421
Fax: (540) 231-8176
Email: maren.roman@vt.edu
Office: 230B Cheatham Hall
Mail Code 0323
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA 24061
Robert L. "Bob" Smith, Professor and Director, Center for Forest Products Marketing and Management
Bob earned his Doctorate at Virginia Tech in 1994. He works in the area of the marketing of forest products. Specific
interests include industrial marketing, strategic planning and personal selling in the forest products industry. Bob teaches marketing, sales,
and wood products continuing education courses throughout the US. He is the Director of the Center for Forest Products Marketing and Management
(CFPMM) and is on the faculty advisory boards for the Wood-based Composite Center (WBC) and the Sustainable Engineered Materials Institute (SEMI).
Areas of Expertise
- Forest Products Marketing
- Industrial Marketing
- Personal Selling
- Sales Management
- Forest Products Management
- Wood Preservation
- Wood Products Industry Studies
Contact Information
Phone: (540) 231-9759
Fax: (540) 231-8868
Email:rsmith4@vt.edu
Office: Brooks Forest Products Center
Mail Code 0503
Virginia Tech
1650 Ramble Road
Blacksburg, VA 24061
Audrey Zink-Sharp, Director and Professor
Dr. Zink-Sharp earned her Doctorate at The State University of New York in 1992.
She is the Director of the Sustainable Engineered Materials Institute, Assistant
Department Head for the Department of Wood Science and Forest Products, and remains
an active faculty member of the Wood-Based Composites Center. She
teaches undergraduate, graduate, and continuing education classes in wood anatomy,
wood properties, and wood processing. Her classes focus on the fine anatomical structure
of wood and its relationship to properties. Dr. Zink-Sharp's primary research emphasis
is wood cell wall architecture, but she is involved in many research projects that include
wood anatomy and the development of improved wood-based composites. She is presently
initiating research on quantitative wood anatomy and creating three-dimensional models
of a wood cell that incorporate the most recently observed cell wall architecture.
Dr. Zink-Sharp also coordinates the department's Wood Magic program and website.
Areas of Expertise:
- Digital Image Processing and Analysis
- Wood Structure/Property Relations
- Wood Anatomy
- Experimental Mechanics
Contact Information
Phone: (540) 231-8820
Fax: (540) 231-8176
Email: agzink@vt.edu
Office: 230 Cheatham Hall
Mail Code 0323
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA 24061
Research Associates, Research Scientists, and Staff
Ralph L. Amateis, Senior Research Associate and Assistant Director, Loblolly Pine Growth and Yield Research Cooperative
Ralph earned his Bachelor of Science from the University of Minnesota in 1977, his Master of Science from the University of Florida in 1979,
and his M.B.A. from Virginia Tech in 1985. His teaching responsibilities
at Virginia Tech include assisting in Forest Biometry. His professional achievements include being a member of Xi Sigma Pi, IUFRO.
Areas of Interest:
- Growth and yield modeling
- Mathematical and statistical techniques applied to forestry problems
- Computer applications
Contact Information
Phone: (540) 231-7263
Email: ralph@vt.edu
Office: 304A Cheatham Hall
Mail Code 0323
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA 24061
Linda Caudill, Senior Research Associate and Managing Director
After receiving her Masters degree from the Department of Wood Science & Forest Products at Virginia Tech, Linda spent
12 years working for Weyerhaeuser Company. For most of those years, she was the Technical Director for a particleboard
plant in North Carolina. In 1999, Linda returned to Virginia Tech to assume the role of Managing Director for the Wood-
Based Composites Center. In 2001, she expanded her responsibilities to include management of the activities of
SEMI. Originially from Massachusetts, Linda received her undergraduate degree from the University of Massachusetts in
Amherst.
Contact Information
Phone: (540) 231-7092
Email: lcaudill@vt.edu
Office: Wood-Based Composite Center
Mail Code 0503
Virginia Tech
1650 Ramble Road
Blacksburg, VA 24061
Takeshi Fujino, Postdoctoral Associate
Dr. Fujino earned his B.S. and M.S. degrees in Biology from Kochi University in Japan. He received his Ph.D. from the Department of
Wood Science and Technology at Kyoto University in 2000. He came to Virginia Tech after completing Postdoctoral projects at North Carolina
State University and Michigan Tech.
Areas of Expertise:
- Cellular and molecular biology of cellulose biosynthesis
- Molecular architecture of the cell wall
- Molecular biology and biotechnology of wood development
Contact Information
Phone: (540) 231-5257
E-mail: tfujino@mtu.edu
Office:311 Cheatham Hall
Mail Code 0323
Blacksburg, VA 24061
P. David Jones, Postdoctoral Research Associate
Dr. Jones received his Ph.D. in Forest Resources from the University of Georgia in 2006, during which time his studies focused on
wood quality and rapid assessment techniques. Prior to his doctoral studies, he received an M.S. degree from Stephen F. Austin
State University in 2002 and his B.S. degree from Clemson in 2000. In addition to forestry and forest resources, David's studies
have also included minor degrees in forest products and statistics.
Areas of Expertise:
- Wood quality and silvicultural effects on wood quality
- Rapid assessment techniques for wood properties including near infrared spectroscopy and x-ray densitometry
- Improvement of forest practices and techniques
Contact Information
Phone: (540) 231- 0426
Email: pdjones@vt.edu
Office: 348 Latham Hall
Mail Code 0324
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA 24061
Ohkyung Kwon, Postdoctoral Research Associate
Dr. Kwon received his Ph.D. in Environmental Resource and Engineering, College of Environmental Science and Forestry,
State University of New York in 2005 during which time his studies focused on multilateral deformation during wood
drying utilizing an enhanced digital image correlation (EDIC) technique. Prior to his doctoral studies, he received
B.S. and M.S. degrees from Seoul National University in 1994 and 1998, respectively.
Areas of Expertise:
- Non contact measurement techniques, technical software development, and numerical methods (FDM and FEM)
- Microscopy, image acquisition, processing, and analysis
- Instrumentation and integration of research resources
- Micromechanical testing and interfacial behaviors between wood and polymers
Contact Information
Phone: (540) 231-5848
Email: oky@vt.edu
Office: 200 Cheatham Hall
Mail Code 0323
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA 24061
Students
Sudip Chowdhury, Ph.D. Candidate
- Department/Major: Wood Science and Forest Products
- Research Interest(s): Small specimen wood rheology; the development of torsional methods on wood disks
- Major Professor(s): Charles Frazier
- Academic Background: B.S. Chemistry, University of Calcutta, India
M.S. Wood Science and Technology, Forest Research Institute, India
M.S. Civil and Environmental Engineering, Washington State University, Pullman, WA
- Contact Information
Phone: (540) 231-8855
Email: sudip@vt.edu
Nate Herring, M.S. Candidate
- Department/Major: Forestry
- Research Interest(s): Modeling tree-ring properties from pith to bark and stump to tip; Site quality modeling in Appalachian hardwoods
- Major Professor(s): Phil Radtke
- Academic Background: B.S. Forest Management, Penn State University
- Contact Information
Phone: (540) 231-4458
Email: ndh129@vt.edu
Jung Ki Hong, M.S. Candidate
- Department/Major: Wood Science & Forest Products
- Research Interest(s): Cellulose nanocrystal reinforcement of wood adhesives
- Major Professor(s): Maren Roman
- Academic Background: B.S.of Agriculture, Forestry, Yeungnam University, Gyungsan, Korea, 2005
- Contact Information
Phone: (540) 808-7958
Email: hkj77.edu
Richard Johnson, Ph.D. Candidate
- Department/Major: Wood Science & Forest Products
- Research Interest(s): Modification of cellulose fiber surfaces by adsorption on polyelectrolytes systems; studies of lignin adsorption
and admocellar polymerizations
- Major Professor(s): Audrey Zink-Sharp and Wolfgang G. Glasser
- Academic Background: B.S., Natural Resource Management, University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana, 1998
M.S. Wood Science and Forest Products, Virgina TEch, 2004
- Contact Information
Phone: (540) 231-5848
Email: rijohns6@vt.edu
Katherine E. Kovach, M.S. Candidate
- Department/Major: Forestry/Forest Biology
- Research Interest(s): Molecular marker applications in forestry and plant ecology, biodiversity conservation, molecular ecology, and invasive species dynamics.
- Major Professor(s): Shepard M. Zedaker and E.M. Ulrika Egertsdotter
- Academic Background: B.S., Botany and Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 2005
- Contact Information
Phone: (540) 953-3119
Email: kekovach@vt.edu
Thammarat Mettanurak, Ph.D. Candidate
- Department/Major: Wood Science & Forest Products
- Research Interest(s): Impact of forest management on mechnical properties of Acer rubrum (red maple)
- Major Professor(s): Audrey Zink-Sharp
- Academic Background: B.S. Mechanical Engineering, Chulanlongkorn University, Thailand, 1999
M.S. Mechatronic Engineering, Asion Institute of Technology, Thailand, 2000
- Contact Information
Phone: (540) 231-5848
Email: mettanur@vt.edu
T. Mason Jeffries, M.S. Candidate
- Department/Major: Wood Science & Forest Products
- Research Interest(s): Influence of silviculture on intra-ring micromechanical properties of wood
- Major Professor(s): Audrey Zink-Sharp
- Academic Background: B.S. Forestry, Virginia Tech Dec 2003
- Contact Information
Phone: (540) 951-4184
Email: tjeffrie@vt.edu
Hometown: Culpeper, VA
Zhiyuan Lin, Ph.D. Candidate
- Department/Major: Wood Science and Forest Products
- Research Interest(s): Nanocomposite-Based Wood Fibers for Reinforcement in Thermoplastic Composites
- Major Professor(s): Scott Renneckar
- Academic Background: BS Beijing Forestry University; MS Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science (Beijing)
- Contact Information
Email: linzy@vt.edu
Phone: (540) 231-5219
Hometown: Beijing, China
Zhou (Angela) Yu, M.S. Candidate
- Department/Major: Wood Science and Forest Products
- Research Interest(s): Nano scale modification of wood surface using layer-by-layer self-assembling technology
- Major Professor(s): Scott Renneckar
- Academic Background: B.S., Wood Science and Technology, Beijing Forestry University, China, 2006
- Contact Information
Email: angelayu@vt.edu
Phone: (540) 808-7670
Hometown: Beijing, China
SEMI Hall of Fame
- Aaron Bernard, M.S. Forestry, Date?.
Title of Thesis? (Steve Prisley, Major professor)
- Dzamal Amishev, M.S. Forestry, September 2005.
Impact of weed control and fertilization on growth on eastern white, loblolly, shortleaf and Virginia pine plantations in the Virginia Piedmont (Thomas Fox, Major professor)
- Jeff Matthews, M.S.Forest Biology, November 2004.
Effects of wildfire intensity on invasives, stand structure, and fuel loading in Shenandoah National Park (Shep Zedaker, Major professor)
- Jonathan Hood, M.S. Wood Science and Forest Products, July 2004.
Changes in OSB mat permeability during hot pressing (Fred KAmke, Major professor)
- Jiang Shu, Ph.D. Computer Science, 2004.
Title of Thesis? (Layne Watson, Major professor)
Updated: 7/27/07; lcc