CFR News Forest Products Stories


Mississippi State develops smartphone app to test lumber

Mississippi State develops smartphone app to test lumber

Determining the stiffest piece of lumber is now easier with a new smartphone app created by scientists in Mississippi State University's Forest and Wildlife Research Center.

Called "Smart Thumper," the app uses soundwaves or vibrations to determine stiffness, a quality that relates to strength, for individual pieces of lumber.

Developer Dan Seale, professor in MSU's Department of Sustainable Bioproducts, said it will hel...

2/12/2019

Seale named James R. Moreton Fellow in Sustainable Bioproducts at MSU

Seale named James R. Moreton Fellow in Sustainable Bioproducts at MSU

Longtime faculty member Dan Seale is the inaugural James R. Moreton Endowed Fellow in the College of Forest Resources at Mississippi State University.

The James R. Moreton Fellow in Sustainable Bioproducts was established through a gift from James Reginald Moreton, a 1956 mechanical engineering alumnus. After a career in banking as founder and CEO of First Federal Savings and Loan, Moreton moved into the industrial access mat busines...

2/2/2018

MSU Wood Magic to participate in Mississippi Science Fest

MSU Wood Magic to participate in Mississippi Science Fest

Mississippi State University's Wood Magic Science Fair will be in Jackson to participate in the second annual Mississippi Science Fest later this month.

MSU Wood Magic will be an attraction at the Sept. 23 STEM-themed festival, focused on delivering a hands-on experience for children and families that sparks curiosity in various STEM-related fields.

The Mississippi Science Fest is a partnership between the Mississippi Agric...

9/7/2017

MSU's reorganized Franklin Furniture Institute continues to support industry, contribute research and drive innovation

MSU's reorganized Franklin Furniture Institute continues to support industry, contribute research and drive innovation

Mississippi State University's Franklin Furniture Institute is reaffirming its strong commitment to the state's furniture manufacturing industry by continuing to provide testing and research while broadening its focus to enhance innovation and technology.

MSU vice president for the Division of Agriculture, Forestry, and Veterinary Medicine Gregory A. Bohach said "The university and MSU's Franklin Furniture Institute remain dedicated to t...

7/14/2017

Governor touts importance of state's forest products

Governor touts importance of state's forest products

Forest products are part of the DNA of Mississippi.

That is how Gov. Phil Bryant welcomed participants Monday [June 26] to the 71st International Convention of the Forest Products Society, hosted by Mississippi State University's College of Forest Resources and Forest and Wildlife Research Center.

Bryant, whose grandfather once harvested timber by mule in south Mississippi, made the connection that all Mississippians have been ...

6/26/2017

MSU to train furniture industry supervisors through grant

MSU to train furniture industry supervisors through grant

A new $44,900 grant from the Furniture Foundation will facilitate training of front-line furniture supervisors by Mississippi State University personnel.

Four supervisory management training programs will be offered by the university's Franklin Furniture Institute at manufacturing locations throughout the state between August and July 2018. The Furniture Foundation, a research and education fund administered by the American Home Furn...

5/4/2017

MSU summit looks to the future of manufacturing

MSU summit looks to the future of manufacturing

Mississippi State University's 7th Annual Manufacturing Summit showcased ways teamwork can help keep Mississippi and the U.S. competitive in the manufacturing industry in the 21st century.

The event was hosted by MSU's Frankl...

3/22/2017

MSU, partners announce Furniture Academy

MSU, partners announce Furniture Academy

Mississippi State President Mark E. Keenum (standing) discusses the university's role in the Furniture Academy during a press conference in Tupelo Thursday morning [Jan. 12].

The new manufacturing skills certification program is a partnership between MSU's Franklin Furniture Institute, Itawamba Community College, Northeast Mississippi Community College, the Community Development Foundation, Three Rivers Planning and Development Distr...

1/12/2017

MSU summit shows businesses how to 'Make it in America'

MSU summit shows businesses how to 'Make it in America'

A Mississippi State University reshoring summit Aug. 11 aims to help businesses profitably bring manufacturing jobs back home to the U.S.

The Make it in America Summit takes place at the university's Franklin Furniture Institute, located on campus at the intersection of Blackjack Road and Locksley Way.

The program is designed for manufacturers and their supply chains, economic developers and relevant university employees an...

7/26/2016

Wildlife event will include Wood Magic

Wildlife event will include Wood Magic

South Mississippi students will learn details about daily wood use when they visit the Mississippi State University Wood Magic Science Fair on March 31.

MSU Wood Magic will be an attraction at the Crosby Arboretum’s Wildlife Day, a one-day event that draws 200 to 300 participants annually.

Students from kindergarten to the eighth grade will learn all about the significance of wood in their lives. Teachers will receive resou...

3/24/2016

MDA head touts Mississippi as economic leader

MDA head touts Mississippi as economic leader

Mississippi is winning.

That's how Glenn McCullough, executive director for the Mississippi Development Authority, characterized the state's recent economic development strides in a keynote address for the sixth annual Manufacturing Summit, which Mississippi State University's Franklin Furniture Institute hosted Wednesday [March 16].

Touting Mississippi's top 10 national ranking in manufacturing, specifically its footprint ...

3/16/2016

McCullough to headline annual manufacturing summit

McCullough to headline annual manufacturing summit

The Mississippi Development Authority's executive director will be featured speaker March 16 for the sixth annual Manufacturing Summit at Mississippi State.

Glenn McCullough Jr. was appointed by Gov. Phil Bryant last year to head the state's lead agency for economic and community development. An agricultural economics graduate of the university, he is a Tupelo native and former mayor of Northeast Mississippi's largest city.

...

2/26/2016

MSU researchers test lumber quality, strength

MSU researchers test lumber quality, strength

When he walks into a hardware store and starts looking at lumber, he could be your average do-it-yourselfer, ready to start a project.

But Dan Seale, a sustainable bioproducts professor in the Mississippi State University Forest and Wildlife Research Center, is no ordinary weekend warrior building a little something for the house.

Seale is on a cross-country mission, looking for lumber from the Southern pine region cut from dozen...

10/28/2015

Shmulsky furthers timber research to fuel discovery

Shmulsky furthers timber research to fuel discovery

Dr. Rubin Shmulsky greatly enjoys his job leading the Department of Sustainable Bioproducts in the College of Forest Resources at Mississippi State University. Every day he has an opportunity to appreciate the role of trees as one of nature's greatest gifts, and to wisely utilize that gift for societal benefits.

Professor Shmulsky and his colleagues are taking timber research to a new level and positively impacting the world's ...

10/9/2015

Gov. Bryant keynotes MSU manufacturing summit

Gov. Bryant keynotes MSU manufacturing summit

When Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant spoke at Mississippi State University's 2015 Manufacturing Summit on Wednesday [March 18], he emphasized the Magnolia State is fostering a positive environment for manufacturers.

"We are competing with the fastest growing states in manufacturing," Bryant said. "We already have almost 40,000 working in the manufacturing industry, but what if we had 80,000? It's possible."

The state's manufac...

3/18/2015

MSU to hold annual Manufacturing Summit

With Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant offering the keynote address, manufacturing, logistics and transportation leaders will "Focus on the Future" at the fifth annual Manufacturing Summit.

The March 18 program, held by Mississippi State University and American Home Furnishings Alliance, will be held on campus at the Franklin Center, 8 a.m....

3/9/2015

Entrepreneurship program offered at Mississippi State

Beginning March 24, Mississippi State University experts will offer a course designed to help potential business owners plan for success.

The nine-week Kauffman FastTrac NewVenture program will be held Tuesday evenings from 5:30-8:30 p.m. at the university's Franklin Furniture Institute.

The FastTrac NewVenture course, design...

2/24/2015

Chinese delegation coming to Tupelo furniture market

Mississippi furniture manufacturers will have an opportunity to meet with retailers and representatives of furniture associations from China at the Tupelo Furniture Spring 2015 Market according to coordinators at Mississippi State's Franklin Furniture Institute.

As China's demand for American-made upholstered furniture has increased, c...

1/23/2015

MSU wax research focused on sustainability

Mississippi State University scientists strive to establish sustainable best practices in the application of slack wax for the wood composites industry.

Slack wax is a waterproofing agent used in the production of composites, including particle board, oriented strand board, fiberboard and laminated strained lumber. The wax improves the...

12/19/2014

Fourth-graders enchanted by MSU's wood magic

Mississippi State University hosted approximately 4,000 children, teachers and visitors Oct. 6-10 at the annual MSU Wood Magic Science Fair.

"We had another successful fair," said Rubin Shmulsky, head of the MSU Department of Sustainable Bioproducts. "It was a fun-filled, busy week when children traveled from all over the4 state to learn...

12/12/2014

MSU professor emeritus receives lifetime merit award

A Mississippi State University professor emeritus recently received a national honor for his lifetime of service.

The Railway Tie Association, or RTA, executive committee gave Terry Amburgey, a Giles Distinguished Professor, the 2014 Award of Merit for his contribution to the industry. The award is given at the executive committee's di...

11/3/2014

MSU's wood magic fair enchants fourth graders

Wood is a major part of Americans' daily lives. In fact, wood consumption in the U.S. is five and a half pounds per person per day. This is just one of the fascinating facts fourth graders will discover about wood when they visit Mississippi State University's Wood Magic Science Fair.

MSU will host about 4,000 children, teachers and vi...

9/26/2014

MSU hosts a domestic manufacturing summit

Anticipating the return of manufacturing to the U.S., Mississippi State University's Franklin Furniture Institute is hosting the Mississippi Reshoring Summit on Sept. 24.

Higher labor costs in China and technological advances that aid in U.S. production are partly responsible for increasing domestic manufacturing. The summit will help ...

9/19/2014

Lieutenant Governor emphasizes importance of education

The Magnolia State can better encourage capital investment through improved education, low taxes and balanced budgets, said Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves at Mississippi State's Furniture Summit.

At the Wednesday [April 23] gathering, Reeves spent more than half his keynote speech emphasizing the importance of education at all levels: from kinder...

4/23/2014

Reeves to address 2014 manufacturing summit at MSU

Furniture-industry experts, as well as government officials, will examine "The Road Ahead" at Mississippi State University's 2014 Manufacturing Summit.

The fourth annual summit, to be held Wednesday [April 23], will feature Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves for the 11:15 a.m. keynote address. All activities will be held at MSU's Hassell H. Franklin...

4/15/2014

Manufacturing event scheduled for April 23

Industry leaders will gather at Mississippi State University on April 23 to discuss existing and potential issues related to manufacturing and how to capitalize on the state's current momentum.

Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves will be the keynote speaker at the 2014 Manufacturing Summit: The Road Ahead. The event will be held at the Franklin Furni...

3/12/2014

Retired MSU professor donates forestry papers

A retired Mississippi State University professor recently donated his professional archives to the Forest History Society Library in Durham, N.C.

Forest products professor emeritus Terry Sellers Jr. was invited to donate his collection of research, publications, patents and speeches to the nonprofit educational institution associated w...

2/10/2014

MSU unit changes name, emphasizes sustainability

A Mississippi State University department has been renamed to reflect the renewable, natural and sustainable resources used in the industry.

The MSU Department of Forest Products is now the Department of Sustainable Bioproducts.

Department head Rubin Shmulsky said that over the last few decades, the profession has grown and...

12/16/2013

MSU team places first in timber bridge competition

A Mississippi State student team holds top honors in a national design and construction challenge, thanks to the collaboration of two university colleges.

Civil engineering majors in the Bagley College of Engineering, with guidance from faculty in the College of Forest Resources, were overall winners of the recent 2013 American Society...

11/1/2013

MSU host thousands at Wood Magic event

About 4,000 fourth-graders, teachers and parents from across the state will be at Mississippi State University Oct. 14-18 for the annual Wood Magic Science Fair.

Activities and exhibits illustrating everything from papermaking to the strength of a toothpick-sized piece of wood are part of the annual event at the Forest Products Lab ...

10/11/2013

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