InnoRenew CoE at the 66th SWST International Convention

The 66th SWST International Convention was held June 25-30 in Asheville, North Carolina, USA. The overall theme was “Wood Sciences in the Carbon Economy – Return to the Birthplace of U.S. Forestry“.

InnoRenew CoE researchers joined the conference and presented their research work.

Lei Han presented his study with the title “A Review on Adhesive- and Metal-Free Assembly Techniques for Prefabricated Multi-Layer Engineered Wood Products”. He also took part of the poster session.

Following, Amy Simmons presented the COST Action HELEN and how it is driving innovation and collaboration in taller timber buildings.

Dr. Rok Prislan discussed the use of an acoustic camera to evaluate sound transmission through CLT junctions during construction. Further he presented the co-designing of a professional bachelor’s degree program and its main challenges and opportunities. He also focused on challenges of working with industry stakeholders, and highlighted the recently established NEBAcademy Pioneer Hub for Sustainable Built Environments with Renewable Materials (NEBAP Hub) at the University of Primorska.

Lea Primožič presented her study about outreaching and informing society about sustainable construction through social media. She also took part of the poster session.

Dr. Matthew Schwarzkopf presented how using bark can improve the healthy indoor environments, and Dr. Dean Lipovac presented how to understand student willingness to participate in research by exploring factors that influence motivation and engagement. Further Dr. Dean Lipovac received the George Marra Award for Excellence in Writing for the published article “Perception and evaluation of (modified) wood by older adults from Slovenia and Norway”.

The conference ended with the Business Meeting where the next SWST 2024 conference was announced. It will be hosted by InnoRenew CoE on 30 June-6 July 2024.

Additionally, the SWST 66^th conference hosted the Women in Science Exhibition, and provided a rich program for participants to network and engage in fruitful discussions.