Dr David DeVallance, research group leader for InnoRenew CoE’s Renewable Materials Composites group, recently undertook a research visit to the United States.

Dr DeVallance visited West Virginia University (WVU) to complete the setup of a lumber scanning system needed to finish an ongoing research project.

“The scanning system being developed at WVU is part of a project to use lumber from emerald ash borer infested trees for producing cross-laminated timber (CLT) panels,” said Dr DeVallance. “The scanning system is being used to evaluate the quality of the lumber material using optical, rather than human, measures.”

While at WVU, he gave a presentation titled “International Student and Research Exchange Opportunities at the University of Primorska” that aimed to foster student and research collaborations between the two universities and InnoRenew CoE. Specifically, possible research cooperation with WVU’s Wood Science and Technology program was discussed.

Before ending his trip, Dr DeVallance attended the 2020 Association of International Education Administrators (AIEA) Annual Conference in his role as Vice Rector for Internationalization at the University of Primorska. Dr DeVallance came away with valuable information that will benefit the university’s internationalization efforts as well as InnoRenew CoE’s work in the BRACKET project.