Weird Wood Science? Not from This Researcher

Dr. Phil Evans, B.C. Leadership Chair in Advanced Forest Products Manufacturing Technology, University of British Columbia. Finishing R&D: Out of the Labs, into Your Shop: Dr. Phil Evans describes practical developments from his wood materials research at  Wood Tech Summit 2012, Oct. 22-23 at the downtown University of British Columbia downtown Vancouver, BC campus.

Evans’s research focuses on the structure and properties of wood at the macroscopic, microscopic and nanoscopic levels. He works with universities and corporations around the world on novel technologies for modifying and improving the properties of wood.

Evans developed image software that can pick out cracks in timber and distinguish them from similar markings – such as annual growth rings – saving researchers the time-consuming job of counting the cracks by hand.

This, along with a machine he developed to speed up cracking, is accelerating the process of finding treatments to prevent wood from weathering. He is also conducting groundbreaking research into new materials that mimic key structural elements found in wood.

“A better understanding of wood will help us to unlock the hidden potentials of this important natural resource,” says Evans. “It also provides us with new opportunities to maximize the economic benefits.”

Dr. Evans was named the British Columbia Leadership Chair in Advanced Forest Products Manufacturing Technology in 2009, with a $2.25 million endowment from the provincial government. Before coming to UBC in 2001, he was director of the Centre for Science and Engineering of Materials at the Australian National University in Canberra. From 2001 to 2006 he was director of UBC’s Centre for Advanced Wood Processing – the world’s largest university-based centre for R&D and education related to value-added wood processing.

More information and register for Wood Tech Summit. Registration is open for Wood Tech Summit, a management level conference for North American woodworking professionals, Oct. 22-23, 2012, at the University of British Columbia’s Robson Square campus in downtown Vancouver.

Wood Tech Summit represents the latest collaboration between the Centre for Advanced Wood Processing (CAWP) at UBC and Woodworking Network. The two-day event will feature three comprehensive full-day conferences — Wood Finishing, Plant Productivity and Business Development. The event will also feature a Networking Reception on the evening of Monday, Oct. 22, including tabletop displays by leading industry suppliers.