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  June 05, 2008 MSR/MEL Added to AWC Span Calculator

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 News Briefs
» Florida Governor Charlie Crist Appoints AF&PA's Stone to Florida Building Commission
» Bland Elected Chair of ICC-IAC
» WPC/WoodWorks Announces Agreement with RISA Technologies, LLC
» Wood Engineering Achievement Award to Dr. Ghasan Doudak
» Re-aligned AWC Course Topics and New Seminar Packages
» Taiwan Trade Delegation
» Adopt-a-University Program: iLevel + UTA
» Tyree Elected to Several Boards
» ASTM Merit Award to David Gromala
» MSR/MEL Added to AWC Span Calculator
» FEMA Updates Seismic Publication
» AWC Staff passes California Post-disaster Safety Assessment Evaluator Training
» National Blue Ribbon Panel Report on Wildland Urban Interface Fire
» WoodWorks® Design Office 8 Software: New Release
» Industry Research Foundation's Life Cycle Analyis for Solid Hardwood Flooring
» Adopt-a-University Program: LTU + AWC
» ICC and Green Building
» Green Building Professional Certification
» ICC-ES Sustainable Attributes of Products to Supplement Evaluation Reports
» ICC-ES Advisory Committee
» AWC Responds to Fire in Massachusetts
» Wood Product Training Display Cases for Firefighters
» ASHRAE Winter Meeting
» Colorado Chapter ICC Educational Institute
» AWC Fire Research Engineer Honored
» Adopt-a-University Program: VT + Boise; AWC + OSU
   
Florida Governor Charlie Crist Appoints AF&PA's Stone to Florida Building Commission
Governor Charlie Crist recently announced the appointment of Dr. Jeffrey Stone, AF&PA's Southeast Regional Manager to the Florida Building Commission (FBC). The appointment is for a term beginning July 1, 2008 and ending July 27, 2011. Senate confirmation is required. The FBC is responsible for development of the Florida Building Code which was authorized by the 1998 Florida Legislature to be the sole document incorporating all building standards adopted by all enforcement agencies and state agencies that license different types of facilities.


For more information, contact Jeffrey Stone 727-367-0531 or Jeffrey_Stone@afandpa.org.



Bland Elected Chair of ICC-IAC

Kenneth E. Bland, P.E., AF&PA Senior Director of Codes and Standards, was elected to serve a two-year term as chair of the ICC Industry Advisory Committee (IAC). The IAC is comprised of 98 organizations representing professional, labor, trade, voluntary standards, public interest organizations, and public agencies. The IAC provides a forum for industry to develop and make recommendations for consideration by the ICC Board of Directors.

The IAC is currently developing recommendations based on efforts of its Green Building Task Group.

The IAC previously expressed concern to the Board that ICC is moving too quickly to align its mission with those of green building rating systems. ICC claims to be responding to pressure from its building official members, who are increasingly being asked to enforce green building provisions, in addition to their current duties. It is the hope of the task group to find balance between ICC’s historic role of developing codes and standards to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public and the emerging opportunity for sustainable building requirements.

Additional issues facing the IAC include developing recommendations on revisions to ICC’s 3-year code cycle. The code cycle schedule has financial implications on industry groups representing material interests, including AF&PA.

For more information contact Kenneth Bland at 202-463-2765 or Kenneth_Bland@afandpa.org.



WPC/WoodWorks Announces Agreement with RISA Technologies, LLC

The Wood Products Council's WoodWorks educational program announced an agreement with RISA Technologies, to incorporate advanced wood design features into their building design software to offer greater flexibility in non-residential design.

Once the RISA software is updated, it will incorporate information on building code requirements, gravity design, diaphragm modeling and design, shear wall modeling, analysis and design, lateral force design, hybrid design, and several other features. The upgrade will be Building Information Modeling (BIM) compatible and will be released in two stages. The first software release, set to occur this month, will incorporate flexible shear wall design. The second release, slated for December, will allow the design of wood diaphragms.

For more information, contact Jim Jaquish, JACKSON SPALDING at 404.419.9344 or www.jacksonspalding.com



Wood Engineering Achievement Award to Dr. Ghasan Doudak

AWC sponsored and presented the 2008 Wood Engineering Achievement Award at the 62nd International Convention of the Forest Products Society to Dr. Ghasan Doudak of the Canadian Wood Council. This year’s award was in the category of Young Engineer.

The nomination read,

“…Ghasan has an excellent technical understanding of wood design and has made a significant contribution transferring the knowledge through building codes, standards, design tools, and teaching. Furthermore, Ghasan is passionate about wood design and should continue to advance the use of wood in structural applications.”

For more information, contact Buddy Showalter at 202-463-2769 or Buddy_Showalter@afandpa.org.




Dr. Robert Taylor and Sam Francis train members of the MA Building Commissioners and Inspectors Association in Hyannis, MA on the 2005 NDS and 2001 WFCM using the WFCM Workbook.



Re-aligned AWC Course Topics and New Seminar Packages

AWC’s educational offerings are widely recognized as excellent value and continue to be popular among design, building, and regulatory professionals nationwide. Responding to requests, and to better serve audience needs for 2009, AWC re-aligned its live contact seminars and will be offering a few new courses.

Targeted to design professionals and building officials, a revised 2001 WFCM Workshop now includes training on AF&PA’s 2008 Wind & Seismic Standard. For building officials and building professionals, two hands-on house design courses using AF&PA’s High Wind Guides are also offered for 110 and 120 mph wind speed zones, respectively. Training on DCA 6 Prescriptive Residential Wood Deck Construction Guide is included in each High Wind Guide course. You can find the new offerings and details at:
http://www.awc.org/HelpOutreach/seminars/sem-otln.html and
http://www.awc.org/HelpOutreach/eCourses/index.html.

Events are already booking for Spring 2009 with some of the new seminar offerings.  This is a good time for prospective hosts to plan their 2009 events with these new seminar packages. Check in regularly at www.awc.org for educational events in your area.

For more information, contact Dr. Robert J. Taylor at 202-463-2771 or Robert_Taylor@afandpa.org.



Taiwan Trade Delegation

Dr. Jeffrey Stone, C.B.O., AWC’s Southeast Senior Regional Manager, traveled recently with a trade delegation to Taiwan with a goal to increase export of lumber to the Taiwanese market. Other participants in the delegation included representatives from the Southern Forest Products Association, the State of Idaho, and wood treatment companies. The group presented two, seven-hour comprehensive, educational seminars on green building practices and the use of lumber titled “Green Building for Residential Construction and Application of Southern Pine Lumber.” They met with importers of wood products and visited residential construction sites where wood-frame construction was being employed.

For more information, contact Jeffrey Stone at 727-367-0531 or Jeffrey_Stone@afandpa.org.



Adopt-a-University Program: iLevel + UTA
iLevel by Weyerhaeuser is again sponsoring the Fall Structural Timber Design class at The University of Texas at Arlington by donating 15 copies of the 2005 Wood Design
Package for this class.  Professor John Matthys has requested an iLevel engineer to spend a couple of hours with the class to talk about residential engineered wood products. 

“As one of the top three universities in the state of Texas, we strive to provide to our customers - students - the most updated and important materials so that they receive the quality education they deserve and are able to be an immediate asset to industry. With the skyrocketing prices in educational expenses, many classes cut back on materials (industry materials, specifications, codes, etc.) to minimize student financial burden. This can greatly affect the learning environment. Thanks to industry support, such as that by iLevel, this will not be the case for our Structural Timber Design class at UTA. The designated course textbook purchased by the student will be supplemented by the gracious donation of the NDS Wood Design Package by iLevel for each student. Thanks so much for your support of our future timber engineers.” wrote Prof. Matthys.

For more information on how your company can sponsor university students, contact Buddy Showalter at 202/463-2769 or Buddy_Showalter@afandpa.org.



Tyree Elected to Several Boards
CBOAC
David P. Tyree, P.E., C.B.O., AWC Southwest Regional Manager, was recently elected to the County Building Officials Association of California (CBOAC) Board of Directors. The CBOAC is a non-profit corporation of building officials and industry members dedicated to promoting public health and safety in building construction through responsible legislation, education, and building code development. Their mission includes striving for improvements in safety of buildings as well as promoting wider recognition of the Building Official's role in public safety and service.
 
CALBO Seismic Safety Committee
Tyree was also appointed by the California Building Officials (CALBO) Board of Directors to the CALBO Seismic Safety Committee for the 2008-09 term. The objective of the Seismic Safety Committee is to assist California Building Officials with application of seismic design and inspection provisions by developing and disseminating guidelines for applying current codes and for making modifications to existing codes when necessary.
 
For more information, contact David P. Tyree, P.E., C.B.O. at (719) 633-7471 or david_tyree@afandpa.org.


ASTM Merit Award to David Gromala

David S. Gromala, P.E., director of codes and product acceptance in the iLevel structural wood products division at Weyerhaeuser, has received the ASTM International Award of Merit and accompanying title of fellow from ASTM Committee D07 on Wood. The Award of Merit is the highest ASTM recognition for individual contributions to standards activities.

Gromala was cited “for exceptional

contributions in Committee D07 on Wood related to his significant technical contributions in wood engineering as well as the development and maintenance of standards.” 

An ASTM International member since 1978, Gromala has chaired numerous subcommittees, sections and task groups within Committee D07, contributing to the development of new standards and the revisions of existing standards. He currently serves as section chair of Subcommittee D07.02.06 on Reliability-Based Design. The committee has honored him for his work over the years with the L.J. Markwardt Award as well as an Award of Appreciation and Award of Recognition. In addition to D07, he is a member of Committees D20 on Plastics, E06 on Performance of Buildings, and G01 on Corrosion of Metals.

Gromala’s career has focused on the structural applications of engineered wood products. He spent nearly a decade conducting research at the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Products Laboratory before joining the staff at Trus Joist Corp., a division of Weyerhaeuser, in 1984. In 1991, he left the company to begin his own private engineering consulting firm, and then returned to Weyerhaeuser in 1995, when he assumed his current role.

Outside of ASTM International, Gromala is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers and the American Forest & Paper Association’s American Wood Council.

A graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he received a B.S. in civil engineering, Gromala holds an M.S. in structural engineering from Northwestern University. He is the author of more than 100 technical reports in the field of engineered wood products.



MSR/MEL Added to AWC Span Calculator
AWC’s wildly popular online span calculator was recently updated to allow user input of Machine Stress Rated (MSR) and Machine Evaluated Lumber (MEL). With manufacturers taking a renewed interest in machine grading technology and attempting to derive greater value from the premium products they manufacture, having MSR and MEL in the span calculator permits them to point users to this tool for their lumber joist sizing needs. Grades and species shown represent those most commonly manufactured and available today.  
   

Incorporation of MSR and MEL will add even more flexibility to the most popular tool on the AWC website. With an average of 50,300 monthly total page views, the span calculator currently generates over 1/3 of the traffic to the AWC website.

Tom Rogers of iLevel noted “The addition of MSR/MEL grades in AWC's online Span Calculator expands lumber specification options for architects and engineers when


MSR stamp photo: Photo courtesy of Western Wood Products Association
designing for joists and rafters.” He added, “It creates visibility that MSR/MEL products are not just for manufacturing pre-fabricated truss components, but that the performance characteristics valued in trusses can be extended to joists and rafters as well.”

The span calculator is a free tool available on the AWC website at www.awc.org.

 
For more information, contact Buddy Showalter at buddy_showalter@afandpa.org.


FEMA Updates Seismic Publication
FEMA, in late 2002, funded an effort to update its publication, Home Builders Guide to Seismic Resistant Design and Construction. The revision is now available from FEMA. The new version of the guide is entitled, Homebuilders Guide to Earthquake-Resistant Design and Construction (FEMA 232), and provides information on current best practices for earthquake-resistant home design and construction for use by home builders, designers, code officials, and potential home owners. It introduces and explains the effects of earthquake forces on one- and two-family detached houses and identifies the minimum requirements of the International Residential Code intended to resist these forces.
 
For more information contact, David P. Tyree, P.E., C.B.O. at 719-633-7471 or Phil Line, P.E. at 202-463-2767.


AWC Staff passes California Post-disaster Safety Assessment Evaluator Training
 
AWC’s Southwest Regional Manager, David P. Tyree, was recently recognized by the State of California as a Post-disaster Safety Assessment Evaluator. The Safety Assessment Program (SAP) provides resources (volunteers and mutual aid) to local governments, assisting them with evaluation of facilities (buildings and infrastructures) in the aftermath of a disastrous event. SAPs goal is to get people affected by a disaster back into their homes as quickly and safely as possible. SAP has been successful in this endeavor during recent major

earthquakes: Loma Prieta (1989), Northridge (1994), and Napa (2000).

Under the current SAP process, professional organizations train evaluators (engineers, architects and building inspectors) to perform facility evaluations for all types of disasters (earthquakes, floods, landslides, terrorism, etc.). All registered SAP evaluators must be professionally-registered engineers, professionally-licensed architects, certified building officials, plans examiners, or inspectors. They must also have a general knowledge of construction, professional experience, and judgment. This process is not intended to identify or quantify damaged facilities, but to evaluate their potential for safe use.

For more information, contact David P. Tyree, P.E., C.B.O. at (719) 633-7471.



National Blue Ribbon Panel Report on Wildland Urban Interface Fire

The International Code Council (ICC) released the National Blue Ribbon Panel (BRP) Report on Wildland Urban Interface Fire. Wildland fire is escalating as an issue for thousands of communities throughout the United States - particularly in California. The undertaking thus far has involved three stages: initial formation of the BRP, group discussion of various ideas and recommendations, and compilation of the final report. The report recommendations are now being implemented.

The report has been mailed to all the participating BRP organizations, members of Congress, Governors, and key state legislative leaders. Copies have also been sent to each State Forester, State Fire Marshal, and State Fire Chief’s Association. In each correspondence ICC is asking for support and implementation of recommendations outlined in the report.

Panel recommendations now moving forward include:

1. Establishing a National Advisory Council on Wildland Urban Interface Fire - An inaugural meeting will occur on November 5th and 6th in Washington, D.C. Additional information on this meeting will be available in the next several months.
   
2. Inviting new groups and organizations to participate in a new National Advisory Council on Wildland Urban Interface Fire.
   
3. Electronically distribute the BRP Report to interested organizations’ memberships, available at the following link: http://www.iccsafe.org/government/blueribbon/index.html.
   

For more information, contact David P. Tyree, P.E., C.B.O. at (719) 633-7471.



WoodWorks® Design Office 8 Software: New Release
The Canadian Wood Council (CWC) announced the release of its latest version of WoodWorks. The software now conforms to AF&PA’s 2005 NDS®, 2006 IBC, and ASCE7-05. WoodWorks consists of three modules available separately or packaged in a cost saving Design Office suite:
   

  • Shearwalls - Automatically generates seismic and wind loads following either ASCE 7-05 or UBC 97, distributes them to shear lines based on flexible and rigid diaphragm analysis, and designs wood perforated (no hold-downs at openings) or segmented shear walls to resist them. Allows import of CAD .wmf files to use as a template to quickly model the structure.
       

  • Sizer - Sizes beams, joists, columns, and wall studs one at a time or in a system, under various load conditions.
       

  • Connections - Designs new connections using bolts, nails, or shear plates or checks the capacity of existing connections.
       
    Go to www.woodworks-software.com to download an order form. WoodWorks is produced by CWC with technical assistance from AWC.


    Industry Research Foundation's Life Cycle Analyis for Solid Hardwood Flooring

    The National Wood Flooring Association Industry Research Foundation released its Life Cycle Analysis for Solid Hardwood Flooring. The project was undertaken by the University of Wisconsin. The study analyzes the environmental impact of wood flooring and several flooring alternatives. Each flooring type is compared for harmful air emissions, water consumption, total primary energy consumption, and product life expectancy. To see the full report and the supplemental analysis, follow this link: http://www.nwfa.org/uplfiles/whatsNew/LCAFullRpt
    SupplmentalAnalysis.pdf



    Adopt-a-University Program: LTU + AWC

    AWC donated 35 electronic versions of the 2005 Wood Design Package to Louisiana Tech University. Dr. Mike Baumert, Department of Civil Engineering and Civil Engineering Technology is teaching a Structures course this semester. “On behalf of the Construction Engineering Technology Program at Louisiana Tech University, I would like to extend our sincere appreciation to the American Wood Council for the generous donation of 35 CD’s containing the NDS 2005 Edition Wood Design Manual. Our students are faced with particularly burdensome costs for resource material and textbooks in a class that combines both steel and wood design. This donation helps offset that cost and provides essential resources for them to gain experience in up-to-date wood design practice that will help prepare them for successful careers in the construction field.” wrote Dr. Baumert.

    For more information on how your company can sponsor university students, contact Buddy Showalter at 202/463-2769 or buddy_showalter@afandpa.org.



    ICC and Green Building
    ICC continues to increase its involvement with the US Green Building Council (USGBC), prompting a meeting between AF&PA and ICC President, Steve Shapiro. As a result, AF&PA was given an opportunity to present these same concerns at a recent gathering of the ICC Board of Directors. During the meeting, AWC emphasized:

  • ICC is a highly credible organization that develops model codes and standards, which become law.

  • This role requires the highest technical and ethical standards.

  • ICC endorsement of a product results in instant credibility within the building community.

  • The endorsement, whether perceived or real, of building requirements that lack a technical basis in a code or standard is a violation of authority entrusted to ICC.

  • ICC’s own policies mandate that reference only be given to standards that meet ANSI or equivalent consensus criteria, and ensure due process for participants.

  • ICC-ES consideration of “green issues” in its product evaluation may result in an ES evaluation of green which USGBC rejects as “not green” thus creating conflict in ICC policy.
    AWC also encouraged ICC to take leadership in the whole concept of green building issues in the building codes by focusing its attention on items which legitimately fall under the Supreme Court ruling on building codes, such as public health and welfare.

    Finally, AWC pointed out that an important cause of many concerns and conflicts is the lack of a definition of “GREEN.” ICC was urged to assign a committee, possibly the CTC, to craft a consensus developed definition of green for use in all of its codes and standards.

     
    Green Building Professional Certification
    In related news, Greenerbuildings.com reported the following:
      The International Code Council will unveil a certification program to ensure that code officials understand the application of green building technologies.
       
      The group, which creates codes used to build residential and commercial buildings, also wants to ensure that green buildings are safe. Most U.S. cities, counties and states use the safety-related International Codes developed by the council, it said.
       
      "The International Code Council and its members are proud of their support to protect the public through responsible and innovative green building technology that is safe, sustainable and affordable," said Council CEO Rick Weiland. "The Green Building Professional Certification is a tool that communities and code officials can use to help ensure that green building programs can be implemented in a coordinated manner with the International Codes."
       
      The certification will test an official's knowledge about the dominant green building rating systems, such as LEED, Green Globes and National Green Building Standard for residential construction. It also will help ensure officials understand the green attributes of International Codes, such as the International Energy Conservation Code and the International Plumbing Code.
       
      The council is creating a committee of experts versed in green business practices to develop the certification.


    ICC-ES Sustainable Attributes of Products to Supplement Evaluation Reports

    ICC Evaluation Service (ICC-ES) recently hosted a meeting to discuss issues related to evaluation of sustainable attributes of building products and materials. Attendees were from a broad cross-section of industries and interested parties.

    The purpose of the forum was to help gauge whether there was interest for ICC-ES to offer a program that would provide for evaluation of sustainable attributes of products, as a supplement to evaluation reports for code compliance. The general response was that such a program would be beneficial. Topics raised included how the program would be operated and staffed, what sort of data would be required, the fee schedule, and the overall scope of the evaluation performed (e.g. cradle-to-gate or cradle-to-grave).

    ICC-ES will be providing further information as details of the program are developed. Another meeting to discuss the program, initially targeted for implementation by mid-year, is planned in conjunction with the ICC-ES committee hearings to be held in June in Chicago.

    For more information, contact Kenneth Bland at kenneth_bland@afandpa.org or 202/463-2765.


    ICC-ES Advisory Committee
    At the request of AF&PA, the ICC-Evaluation Service (ES) Board of Directors appointed David Tyree to the ICC-ES Industry Advisory Committee (ESAC), replacing Kenneth Bland.

    The objectives of ESAC are to advise the ICC-ES Board of Directors on matters affecting the working relationships and cooperative efforts between ICC-ES and

    its report holders and users; and to offer recommendations for improved communication and better customer service on the part of ICC-ES.

    The Committee received reports from 4 different task groups which are developing guidelines or lists for ES use.  Those task groups included: acceptance criteria (AC) public comment process, consistent application of code & technical issues within ES, uniformity of evaluation service reports based on the same AC, and development of an AC development checklist.

    For more information, contact David Tyree at David_Tyree@afandpa.org or 719-633-7471.



    AWC Responds to Fire in Massachusetts
    The Associated Press reported that on January 21, a fire swept through 16 buildings in Lawrence, MA, leaving as many as 150 people homeless. The article specifically mentioned turn-of-the-century three story wood framed buildings as being among those
    involved. AF&PA has contacted fire service representatives in Massachusetts to determine if type of construction, in this case wood frame, was being cited as a cause or an exacerbating factor in the fire. To date, it is not considered a factor. The investigation is preliminary, but the fire service sees contributing factors to be: a lack of exterior walls on the night club where the blaze originated, very high winds pushing the fire to adjacent buildings, and the structure of origin as well as many of the adjacent exposed structures lacking the sprinkler system which was to be installed. Many of these structures were being renovated and did not have normal fire protection features such as the sprinkler system and fire barriers installed. AF&PA remains in contact with fire service personnel to monitor the situation.

    For more information contact Sam Francis at 610-869-4774 or Sam_Francis@afandpa.org.


    Wood Product Training Display Cases for Firefighters
    Wood product training display cases were developed as part of the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) grant to AF&PA, now completed. Early in the USFA project, AF&PA representatives visited several fire academies to gain a better understanding of the current curriculum on wood construction. The display cases provide industry product samples that will be used to enhance the building construction curriculum taught at the academies.

    Six new wood display cases went to:


  • Utah State Fire Academy – Chief Brad Wardle, Jordan City, Utah 

  • Glendale Arizona Regional Fire Academy – Deputy Chief Jim Higgins, Glendale, AZ 

  • Rancho Santiago College – Chief Marc Martin, Huntington Beach, CA 

  • Antelope Valley College – Robert Falb, Instructor, Fire Technology, Lancaster, CA 

  • San Diego Miramar College – Marty Walsh, Assistant Professor, Department Chair, Fire & EMT Technology, San Diego, CA 

  • Cal Fire State Academy, Kevin Olson, Ione, CA
       
    For more information, contact Kuma Sumathipala at kuma_sumathipala@afandpa.org or 202-463-2763.


    ASHRAE Winter Meeting
     
    For the wood products industry, the recent American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) meeting provided an opportunity to focus on two ASHRAE standards that have potential significant impacts on wood markets. Unless managed, fallout from ASHRAE SPC 189P (draft) and 90.1, for commercial green buildings and commercial building energy efficiency,
    respectively, may be felt for a long time. Other ASHRAE standards monitored by AWC also have implications for building durability.

    The primary agenda of the SPC 90.1 committee is to ramp up building efficiencies 30% in the next edition and 50% by 2030.

    The SPC 189 draft standard is ASHRAE’s first green building standard and could eventually be proposed as a reference standard in the ICC family of codes. This standard is still in the draft phase and will undergo a second full public review this spring and summer. AWC will provide input into this process.   

    For more information, contact Jim Bowman at Jim_Bowman@afandpa.org or 425-822-0179.



    Colorado Chapter ICC Educational Institute
    AWC recently instructed several classes at the Colorado Chapter ICC Educational Institute in Denver. The Institute had over 1800 students from 25 different States over the week-long event. The first class, “The Basics of Wood Frame Construction” had 50 registered students. Subjects covered included: What Is Conventional Construction?; Growth Characteristics of Wood; Grade Marks; Protection Against Termites & Decay; Fasteners; Design Values for Joists and Rafters; Floor & Roof Framing; Wall Framing; and Wall Bracing/Shear Walls and the WFCM. The primary focus of the day-long presentation was the 2003/2006 International Building Code

    and the 2003/2006 International Residential Code.

    The second day found AWC staff educating building design professionals and regulators on AWC Standards and associated design processes. Seven hours of training were provided on the 2005 NDS (ASD and LRFD) and designing with the 2001 WFCM in a hands-on workshop using the WFCM Workbook.

    For more information contact either Dennis L. Pitts at (972) 690-0242, David P. Tyree, P.E., C.B.O. at (719) 633-7471, or Dr. Robert Taylor 202/463-2771.



    AWC Fire Research Engineer Honored
    Kuma Sumathipala, the American Wood Council’s Senior Manager for Fire Research, was presented an Award of Appreciation for his work on ASTM Committee E5 on Fire Standards. Dr. Sumathipala served as Chairman of Subcommittee E05.13 on Large Scale Fire Tests and as a member-at-large of the Executive Subcommittee. The award was presented by Paul Shipp, Committee Chair and Thomas Fritz, Awards Subcommittee Chair, at the ASTM E5 Meeting in Tampa, Florida in December 2007.


    Adopt-a-University Program: VT + Boise; AWC + OSU
    Boise has again sponsored students in the Design of Wood Structures class at Virginia Tech. 2005 Wood Design Packages were provided to 49 undergrads and 10 grad students there. Professor
    Daniel Hindman, Department of Wood Science and Forest Products, expressed appreciation for the donation: “This donation represents a significant investment in the civil engineering students’ future. The students are very appreciative and surprised by the donation.”

    AWC donated electronic versions of the 2005 Wood Design Package to Oregon State University students enrolled in Professor Rakesh Gupta’s course in Wood Design. “We at Oregon State University, really appreciate AF&PA-AWC donating e-copies of the NDS for our WSE458/558-Wood Design Class. I have 35 students in my class and they all appreciate this generous donation in support of their education. Since about 90% of all structures in

    the United States are wood frame structures, it is critical that all graduating civil engineers have some exposure to wood engineering, and AF&PA-AWC's generous support will help ensure that well-qualified civil engineers have that exposure,” wrote Professor Gupta.

    For more information on how your company can sponsor university students, contact Buddy Showalter at 202/463-2769 or buddy_showalter@afandpa.org.


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