FPL Researcher Honored with Multiple Awards

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Laura Hasburgh, a fire protection engineer in FPL’s Building and Fire Sciences unit has recently been awarded two accolades for her work.

Laura Hasburgh, FPL fire protection engineer

The University of Wisconsin – Madison’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering (MS&E) presented Laura with the 2019 Turnbull Service Award. This award is meant to honor an exemplary MS&E graduate student who has made notable contributions to public service. Committee members deemed Laura an ideal recipient of this award based on her significant contributions to the public in the area of fire safety and outstanding service.

Laura has also been named the recipient of the Society of Fire Protection Engineers‘ (SFPE) Margaret Law Award for pioneering advancements associated with engineering fire safety of the built environment. This award will be presented at the SFPE Annual Conference and Expo in October.

‘ (SFPE) Margaret Law Award for pioneering advancements associated with engineering fire safety of the built environment. This award will be presented at the SFPE Annual Conference and Expo in October.

Congratulations, Laura, on these well-deserved honors!

FPL Welcomes USDA Undersecretary, FS Chief

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FPL researcher Zhiyong Cai shows Forest Service Chief Vicki Christiansen food packaging made with nanocellulose materials. (Background L to R: FS Deputy Chief Alex Friend, FPL Director Tony Ferguson, FPL program manager Brian Brashaw, USDA Undersecretary Jim Hubbard, FS Acting Deputy Chief Patti Hirami.)

This week the Forest Products Laboratory (FPL) hosted a meeting bringing together leaders from USDA, the Forest Service (FS) and industry partners to discuss opportunities to exploit FPL’s expertise as a world leader in developing and enhancing forest products.

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World Wildlife Fund Asks “Can Forensics Save Forests?”

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Researchers at the Forest Products Laboratory (FPL) have partnered with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to investigate whether wood from products sold in the United States is accurately labeled. The forensic expertise of FPL botanist Alex Wiedenhoeft was key in this research, and the findings of the study were recently published in a journal article in PLOS One.

For an easily-accessible explanation of the research, check out this story from WWF. It’s full of great photos that give you a behind-the-scenes look into Alex’s forensic work and the world’s largest research wood collection, housed here at FPL in the Center for Wood Anatomy Research.

FPL botanist Alex Wiedenhoeft and his team in the Center for Wood Anatomy Research.
Photo credit: Jim Schnepf, WWF-US

Researcher Honored with Distinguished Science Award

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Xiping Wang, a Forest Products Technologist at the Forest Products Laboratory (FPL), recently received a Forest Service Research and Development Deputy Chief’s Distinguished Science Award.

Xiping Wang was awarded a Research and Development Deputy Chief’s Distinguished Science Award. (L to R: Forest Service Chief Vicki Christiansen, Xiping Wang, Forest Service Deputy Chief of Research and Development Alex Friend.) 

Wang was recognized for his exceptional contributions to the discovery and development of technologies that enhance the use of wood materials, mitigate the spread of invasive species, and further the use of wood in engineered materials.

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Forest Service Awards $8.9M in Wood Innovation Grants

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Public–private partnerships spearheaded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service create jobs, support fire-safe communities, restore healthy forest conditions, and spur environmentally sound innovation. Recently, the Forest Service awarded over $8.9 million through the Wood Innovations Grant program. Thirty-nine business, university, nonprofit and tribal partners in 20 states are matching the grants with an additional $8.8 million.

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