Spectrum - Volume 19 Issue 09 October 24, 1996 - Achievers

A non-profit publication of the Office of the University Relations of Virginia Tech,
including The Conductor , a special section of the Spectrum printed 4 times a year

Achievers

Spectrum Volume 19 Issue 09 - October 24, 1996

C.W. Smith , alumni distinguished professor emeritus of engineering science and mechanics, was reappointed to the IDEA (Innovations Deserving Exploratory Analysis) Program, which is part of the National Research Council's National Cooperative Highway Research Program. Smith also has been invited to present a paper during a special section on Fracture Mechanics in Retrospect at the International Conference on Fracture in Sydney, Australia, April 1-5, 1997.

Greg Brown, dean of the College of Forestry and Wildlife Resources, was appointed to the board of directors of the Virginia Forestry Association. As a director, he will help guide the association in its mission to promote stewardship and wise use of forest resources for the economic and environmental benefits of all Virginians.

Jim Burger, forestry professor, has been selected as a 1996 Fellow of the Soil Science Society of America and will receive award recognition at the annual meeting this fall in Indianapolis. Burger, who specializes in forest soil management and sustaining forest land productivity, has been a key researcher in the acclaimed Powell River Project, where he has developed mine reforestation methods to improve post-mining timber productivity.

Eric Hallerman, associate professor of fisheries in the College of Forestry and Wildlife Resources, was recently named to the editorial advisory board of the Aquaculture Journal , an international publication by Elsevier Science. He will be a member of the Genetics and Breeding, Economics, and Marketing Section for a one-and-a-half year appointment. As a member of the board, he will referee manuscripts, encourage submission of quality manuscripts, and offer advice about the editing and production of the journal.

A.L. Hammett, associate professor of wood science and forest products, has written a book, Factors Affecting the International Trade and Marketing of Southern Forest Products , published by Garland Publishers Inc. of New York City.

Bill Hyde, forestry professor, delivered an address for Auburn University's Weaver Lecture Series in Forestry. He spoke on "Wood and the Environment: A Win-Win Proposal for the Forest Industry, Consumers, Government, and the Environment." Hyde also was the guest speaker at two graduate seminars, as well as consulted with students and faculty.

Hyde also spent two weeks as a guest of the Economics Department at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden. He delivered a lecture on forestry and economic development and collaborated with the faculty and graduate students on their research on tropical deforestation, sustainability, and the rural poor. Hyde and Greg Amacher , assistant professor of forestry, have research projects similar to Gothenburg's in Ethiopia, India, and Nepal. Their collaboration will form the basis for the final chapter in their book, An Empirical Introduction on Forestry and Rural Development.

Hyde worked in the Philippines this summer, advising the Department of Environment and Natural Resources on forest concession agreements, property rights, and sustainable management. His paper, "Forest Charges and Trusts," is being published in the research journal of the Philippine Institute of Development Studies.

Hyde co-presented a paper, "The Pattern of Forest Development and the Impacts of Columbian Forest Policy," at a seminar hosted by the University of the Andes and the National Planning Commission of Columbia in South America. The international expert also presented a seminar on "The Principal Problems in Forestry: Do Economists Do a Good Job of Addressing Them?" at the University of Toronto.

Don Orth, professor of fisheries who has returned from a sabbatical as a visiting scientist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee, had a three-page article, "Chubs: Architects of the Fish World," published in The In-fisherman color journal, May-June. His discourse on chubs, referred to as "minnows" by the lay person, focuses on river chubs, what biologists call "keystone species." They build spawning habitats for numerous species; their removal from streambeds are more detrimental than the removal of other species.

Bob Smith, assistant professor, and Bob Bush, associate professor, in the Department of Wood Science and Forest Products presented a paper at the Forest Products Society meeting in Minneapolis entitled "An Investigation into the Perceptions of Timber as a Bridge Material." With Vijay Reddy, a post-doctoral research associate, they also presented papers on "Market-Perceived Value Analysis: A Case Study to Determine the Relative Performance of a Company," and "Customer Value Management in the Softwood Lumber Industry."

At the same conference, Bush, Reddy, and Philip Araman, senior research scientist and project leader in the department of wood science, presented a paper, "Pallets: The New Hardwood Resource." Araman, Bush, and Mark White, professor of wood science and forest products, presented a paper, "Wood Pallet Repair and Recycling Research."

Bush and Reddy presented with E.N. Hansen a paper, "Quality: The Ultimate Added-Value," at the Penn State University. Bush gave a talk on "Pallet Quality: An Oxymoron," at the Marketing of Value-Added Hardwood Products Conference.

Smith and Reddy received a grant from the Virginia Department of Energy for $26,000 to study wood by-products and their value as energy in the state of Virginia.

Smith had a paper accepted at the Wood in Transportation Conference being held in Madison WI in October. The topic was on "Perception versus Reality: An Analysis of Timber Bridge Performance in the U.S." He also conducted a short course in "Selling Forest Products" in Roanoke in September for business people in the industry from Ohio to Georgia.

Bush traveled to Hungary to work on a U.S. Agency for international Development project. In the city of Sopron he presented a five-day course on "Advanced Marketing of Wood Products" to 32 managers and directors of wood processing firms. During the second week of his stay, Bush provided technical assistance to individual firms.

Smith and Bush gave a seminar-workshop on forest products marketing at the Institute of Forest Conservation, University of the Philippines.

Recent publications by Reddy and Bush with R. Roudik include: "A Market-Oriented Approach to Maximizing Product Benefits: Cases in U.S. Forest Products Industries," in Environmental Issues and Market Orientation. In that same book published by Helsinki University Press, Smith, Bush, and D.L. Schmoldt also write, "Understanding Consumer Product Choices," and Hansen and Bush wrote "Measuring Consumer Perceptions of Quality in Forest Products."

Smith and Bush authored with D. Cohen a chapter, "International Forest Products Marketing" in Forests-A Global Perspective. , published by the Pennsylvania Academy of Science.

The Virginia Tech Student Engineering Branch of ASAE , the society for engineering in agricultural, food, and biological systems, took second-runner-up honors in the annual Equipment Manufacturers Institute trophies competition recently in Phoenix. The competition recognizes student branches that have compiled outstanding records of activities and achievements during the previous year.

The St. Petersburg Marine Technical University in Russia awarded the degree of Doctor Honoris Causa, an honorary doctorate, to Virginia Tech University Distinguished Professor Ali Nayfeh . Nayfeh, a professor of engineering science and mechanics (ESM), will receive the degree in St. Petersburg on October 14. The Russian university is honoring Nayfeh for his achievements in the field of applied nonlinear dynamics. He recently was named co-director, with ESM Professor Dean Mook , of a $6.8 million project funded by the U.S. Office of Naval Research and aimed at better controlling the motion of Navy ships and ship-mounted cranes in rough seas. Nayfeh is the author of several books and papers and has received numerous awards in his field.

Patrick R. Liverpool, vice provost for international programs, has been named to the executive committee of the Association of International Education Administrators (AIEA), a professional organization with members from more than 60 countries and universities throughout the United States. Formed in 1982, AIEA looks for new approaches to international education on college campuses, addresses specific international legislative issues, and offers an informed perspective on the development of policy on international education. The professional organization provides its international membership with an opportunity to exchange ideas and information, seeks solutions to common problems, and pursues objectives of mutual interest. Liverpool will serve a two-year term on the executive committee.

The American Pulpwood Association's (APA) Appalachian Technical Division honored Bill Stuart , professor of Industrial Forestry operations, for authoring the technical release, "Is it worth the trouble to assure trucks are fully loaded?" Stuart received a plaque and cash award for first place during APA's recent meeting. Stuart's paper showed with simple math examples why on-board scales, training the loader operator, or other means of ensuring that a log truck is loaded up to the legal limit can be a worthwhile investment-in many cases easily bring in a return on the investment within the first year. APA focuses on issues relating to safe and efficient harvest and transportation of forest products from e wood to the mill.

Based on data collected during the Spring 1996 Arbitron radio listening survey, WVTF Radio has been ranked by the Radio Research Consortium, of Silver Spring, Maryland as one of the Top 50 Public Radio Stations in America. WVTF placed #49 in total listeners against stations located in predominately much larger markets (number 50 was San Francisco's KFPA).

In market share-the percentage of all radio listening captured in a given area-WVTF's 5.2 percent in Roanoke/Lynchburg ranked 19th nationally, and Charlottesville's 7.1 per cent earned the number four position. While WVTF has consistently placed quite well in the share standings, where the field is a bit more level, placing number 49 nationally in total listeners is a remarkable distinction.