Dr. Michael Kocurek to Retire in June 2010

Dr. Michael Kocurek, Professor of Paper Science & Engineering in the Department of Forest Biomaterials, has announced that he will retire in June of this year, after 40 years of undergraduate and graduate teaching in the area of pulp and paper.

Mike is one of the world's most recognized educators in pulp and paper. In addition to teaching and mentoring hundreds of students at the undergraduate and graduate level, he has taught over 5,000 industry operators and professionals at over 65 paper, government, and other companies or organizations. He has taught the well-recognized TAPPI Introduction to Pulp & Paper short course since 1974. He is the editor of 11 books, including the esteemed Pulp and Paper Manufacture series covering the entire field of pulp and paper. He has also authored or co-authored 25 video publications.

Dr. Kocurek receive his BS, MS, and PhD. degrees in Paper Science & Engineering from the SUNY College of Environmental Science & Forestry, at Syracuse University. He has served as both Professor and Department Head at the University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point (an academic program he founded) and at NC State. He has also served as Executive Director of the Herty Foundation, overseeing a $27 million modernization.

His honors include: TAPPI Fellow; TAPPI Distinguished Service Award; and the Paper Industry International Hall of Fame.

From your students and colleagues: Dr. Kocurek....Mike.....your contributions to this program will be long remembered. Thanks for your service -- you will be greatly missed!

Dr. Marty Hubbe Named as TAPPI Fellow

Martin A. Hubbe, Ph.D., has been designated as one of nine TAPPI Fellows for 2010. He currently serves as Professor in the Department of Forest Biomaterials at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, N.C., USA. "Fellow" is an honorary title bestowed upon less than one percent of TAPPI's membership. It is given to individuals who have made extraordinary technical or service contributions to the industry and/or the Association.

Dr. Hubbe teaches PSE 322 (Wet End and Colloid Chemistry) at the undergraduate level, as well as several graduate-level classes. He serves as the Buckman Distinguished Scientist in Wet End Chemistry, and he has a very active research program in this area. He is the co-editor of BioResources, an on-line journal.

MORE Students Win TAPPI Scholarships!

PSE students continue to represent their program well in the competition for national TAPPI scholarships. Recent awards include:

Richard Pridgen -- Corrugated Packaging Division
Jonathan Roesch -- Engineering Division
Michael Woolford -- Process and Product Quality

WPS Department Changes Its Name

Effective in early 2010, the Department of Wood & Paper Science changed its name to the Department of Forest Biomaterials. This decision was based on a desire to more accurately describe the wide scope of education, research, and extension activities being done by the department -- not just in the traditional areas of paper and wood products, but also in the rapidly-growing area of biomaterials and bioenergy from woody and non-woody biomass.

It should be noted that the names of the two undergraduate programs in the department (Paper Science & Engineering, and Wood Products) will not be affected by this name change. Correspondingly, the prime focus of both programs will continue to be the training of outstanding new engineers and technologists to support industries in the forest products arena.

"We are excited about the opportunities to continue to serve the needs of our core industrial partners, while expanding our research opportunities," said Dr. Steve Kelley, the head of the department. "We believe that the new name will allow us to attract more students into the undergraduate degree programs, but also allow us to leverage our traditional engineering and science skills into new and exciting areas of interest to our graduate students."

27 New Freshmen Slated for PSE in Fall 2010

A vigorous recruiting campaign in 2009 and early 2010 has yielded great results -- we are expecting 27 new freshmen to join the PSE in the fall of 2010. Last year, at this time, we had only 12 new students lined up -- hopefully, that low figure was only a temporary blip.

For the 27 new recruits, 22 are recipients of Foundation scholarships. The statistics for these students are interesting:

• Three originally applied to PSE (five scholarship offers were made)
• Five originally applied to Engineering Undeclared (16 offers were made)
• 14 originally applied to Chemical Engineering (18 offers were made)
  

Recruiting is a team effort...and we have lots of people to thank, including:

> Those of you that spoke of our program to a prospective student or parent of a student
> The Pulp and Paper Foundation
> The Foundation Scholarship and Recruitment Committee
> Industry reps who organize and host regional recruiting events
> Carrie Hawes
> Pat Hill
> PSE Faculty and staff

PSE Hosts Pulp & Paper Merit Badge Day

The PSE program is committed to public service, in the local community and beyond. Part of this commitment is support of the Boy Scouts of America by hosting on-site activities that lead to the Pulp & Paper Merit Badge.

This year, as part of a large merit badge day on the NCSU campus (over 300 Scouts participating), the PSE program hosted 25 young men and their scoutmasters. After an introductory video about the overall pulp and paper process, the scouts did two hands-on activities: flotation deinking and papermaking in the laboratory (shown above), and an interactive tour of a real, pilot-scale paper machine in operation (the "Wolfpack Baby").

Hopefully, some of these scouts will take an interest in the industry and choose the PSE program as their college destination!

PSE Students Do "Neat Stuff"

One big reason for the success of the PSE program and its graduates is that students are permitted to participate in exciting, unique, and meaningful "hands-on" experiences throughout their academic career. Here are a few examples from the past year:

> Sophomores in PSE 371 (Pulping Process Analysis) conduct laboratory experiments in which they convert simple sugars, biomass, and wastepaper into ethanol. This exercise helps them understand the potetial importance of biofuels and biomaterials to the pulp and paper industry -- and to the world. This year, for Earth Day, students did a demonstration of the "Wastepaper to Ethanol" project and garnered a lot of attention from the general student population. The photo above shows seniors Nick King and Brandon Jones at the display. To see a funny video of this demonstration, go to http://www4.ncsu.edu/~medbyrd/WastepaperIntoEthanol1.wmv .

> Seniors in PSE 472 (Paper Process Analysis) traditionally make a variety of paper grades on the NCSU pilot paper machine, affectionately known as "The Wolfpack Baby." This year, they did a very special run to make wedding invitation paper for classmate Jordan Jernigan's upcoming wedding. The quality of the paper was "pretty darned good," according to the Professor in charge, Dr. John Heitmann.

> Freshmen in PSE 201 (Introduction to Pulp & Paper Technology) were challenged by Professor Med Byrd to produce a work of visual or performance art that conveyed a key concept of science, engineering, or pulp paper technology. The results included: The Paper Tree of Life (shown above left), a 7-foot high tree made of solid wood at the base and ending up with various paper products as the leaves; A model of the fourdrinier paper machine made up of (mostly) paper products; "Refining Beast Man," a 3/4-scale figure (shown above right), made of paper mache, meant to represent the brutal force imparted to fibers during disk refining; and a video with students doing "interpretive dance" to show the different physical processes occurring during paper formation, pressing, and drying.

> To address the need for inexpensive housing for victims of natural and other disasters, Seniors in PSE 465 (Paper Physics and Product Design) were asked by Professor Joel Pawlak to design a portable and disposable/recyclable/compostable shelter out of paper or paperboard. This story was picked up by the local newspaper -- click on the link below.

http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/04/30/460316/a-better-shelter.html?storylink=misearch

Recruiting Video Features NCSU Students and Prof

To facilitate the recruiting of talented students into the pulp and paper industry, TAPPI has produced a clever, high-energy video featuring students and faculty/staff from paper schools across the country. Students and one professor from NCSU are included in this video.

The title of the video is "Five Reasons You Should Be A Paper Engineer." It covers good job availability, the variety of jobs and careers possible, the importance of paper in people's lives, and the sustainable nature of the papermaking process.

Alumni and friends are encouraged to use the video and other materials on the TAPPI website to help attract fresh talent to the PSE program and into the industry.

Download the Video - Flash

See more recruiting materials - TAPPI Career Center

Voith Fabrics Hosts Students

In March, Voith Fabrics in Wilson, NC hosted a large group of PSE students at its manufacturing site in Wilson, NC. Students spent the morning touring the manufacturing facility and learning about paper machine clothing. The event was finished up with lunch.

Field/site visits like this are a valuable part of the education process for pulp and paper students. If your company would like to sponsor such a visit, please contact med_byrd@ncsu.edu.

PSE Students Attend 2010 Student Summit

In January 2010, 17 students from the PSE program attending the annual TAPPI PIMA Student Summit in Charleston, SC. Students from pulp and paper programs across the country came together at this event to participate in industry awareness, professional development, and engineering challenge activities. One of the highlights of this year's summit was a formal "etiquette dinner," which instructed participants how to dine and behave appropriately in a formal dining setting.

Two NCSU students (Nick King and Katie Payne) were awarded Deborah McNutt scholarships to help cover travel expenses.

Welcome to Your PSE Update

Happy fall, everyone. The 8 posts below will keep you updated on the life of your Paper Science & Engineering Program. Enjoy!

If you have any news items or personal updates, send them to med_byrd@ncsu.edu.

Pulp & Paper Foundation Meeting/Webinar Is This Friday -- Please Join Us

In order to direct as much funding as possible towards student scholarships in this difficult economic time, the Foundation has elected to hold its annual meeting this year in the form of a web-cast ("webinar"). This event will occur this Friday, November 6, from 9:30 - 11 am. Students, faculty, and members will gather in Room 2010, which has been equipped with webcast capabilities. All alumni, friends, and supporters of the PSE program are encouraged to tune in to this webcast by doing the following:

1. Go to the link below (cut and paste into browser if necessary):

http://online.ncsu.edu/Mediasite/Viewer/?peid=17620335dc9144279c6dbb9d7b35971a

2. You will need Windows Media Player or Silverlight to view the webcast. The link will prompt you to download silverlight if you have neither.
3. It is recommended that you try the link some time before 9:30 am to make sure it works.
4. If you have problems on the day of the event, call 919-274-3230.

The program will be traditional in nature and will give viewers an update on the state of the program:

9:30 am
David Hickman, Thiele Kaolin
President NC State PPF
Welcome and PPF Update

Dr. Bob Brown
Dean, College of Natural Resources
College Update

David Ashcraft
Executive Director of Development & College Relations
Financial Update

Dr. Steve Kelley
Department Head & Professor
PSE Program Update

10:00 am
Dr. Med Byrd
Director of Undergraduate Programs, PSE
Introduction of Three Student Speakers
Meet-The-Seniors

11:00 am
David Hickman
Adjourn

Recruiting New Students -- Your Help Is Needed

Dr. Med Byrd is asking for the help of alumni and friends of the PSE program in identifying young people who are a good fit for this industry -- and for a degree in Paper Science & Engineering at NC State.

Most of us in the industry know that there is a certain kind of high school student that just seems "right" for pulp and paper. They are sharp kids, with good academic credentials -- but they are also well-grounded. They have a kind of determination, ambition, drive, and "stick-to-it-ness" that distinguishes them from a lot of other students. These students don't mind working, and they respond well to hands-on learning in the lab, pilot plant, and the field.

Do you know a young person like this who is considering an engineering career? Maybe it's your own kid...maybe that of a friend or colleague. Maybe it's someone in an organization you lead or the church you go to. Whatever the source, you could do this student a great favor by bringing up the PSE program at NC State and telling them about the incredible educational opportunity it represents.

If you identify a promising candidate, contact Med Byrd at med_byrd@ncsu.edu. He can arrange for a personal visit, tour of the labs and pilot plant, and the opportunity to shadow a current PSE student as they go to class.

We all share the responsibility of identifying new talent that can ensure the future success of the industry. Your support is appreciated!

Classroom Renovation Complete!

The renovation of the main PSE classroom has been completed at last. The renovation, made possible by a generous donation from an anonymous donor, was partially complete when reported previously in this blog. The room is now up to the most modern standard on campus. Features include:

> New carpeting and paint
> Corner-mounted wide screen for full white board access
> New LCD projector with high resolution and wide aspect ratio
> New teaching media center, with PC, document camera, DVD player, and A/V support
> Tables that give students better access to books and laptop computers

Three important spaces in the department (classroom, student study room, and graduate student flex office) have now been updated with generous donations from program supporters. One additional classroom was also updated using university funds.

PSE Students Win TAPPI National Scholarships

Students in the PSE program were the recipients of national scholarships awarded by TAPPI for 2009. Genevieve Pike, a junior, was announced as the winner of a William L. Cullison Scholarship. This award, the most prestigious awarded by TAPPI to students, is made based on academic achievement and involvement in the TAPPI at the student and national levels. The scholarship is made in two $2000 payments for the junior and senior years of study. (Catherine Currence, a PSE senior, is in her second year of this award)

Other scholarship winners were:

Nicholas King -- Coating and Graphic Arts Division Scholarship
Kolby Stockton -- Corrugated Packaging Division/MHI Corrugated Scholarship
Colby Jackson -- Corrugated Packaging Division/Bobst Corrugated Scholarship
Peter McAnulty -- Engineering Division Scholarship