Wood Week 2008 begins Sept. 15

Wood Week at Virginia Tech returns for its third year on Monday, Sept. 15. The weeklong event, sponsored by the Department of Wood Science and Forest Products in the College of Natural Resources, is designed to bring focus and attention to the utilization of renewable materials and their growing importance in the global economy.

Wood Week’s events and activities are geared primarily to Virginia Tech students, faculty, and staff. In addition, 4th and 5th grade students will be educated and entertained on Tuesday, Sept. 16 with the award-winning Wood Magic Show, now in its 11th year.

The week’s events also include the Wood Week Career Fair — the largest university‐sponsored career fair in North America for the wood and forest products sector. The fair will be held on Thursday, Sept. 18 under a “big top” tent on the Drillfield in the center of campus. Statistics show that 27,000 students walk across the Drillfield each day going to and from dormitories and classes.

“Our vision is to put the North American forest products industry in front of 27,000 students on the Virginia Tech campus. Our industry needs engineers, chemists, architects, marketers, managers, wood scientists, foresters, and a host of other talents you will find in students on our campus,” stressed Paul Winistorfer, department head and overall organizer of the event. “On the strength of our own department and the relationships that we foster with the industry and the other academic programs at Virginia Tech, we have planned a career fair from which all industries in our sector will benefit. We believe a ‘rising tide floats all boats’ and by working together we can bring tremendous visibility to opportunities in the wood industry,” The career fair attracted nearly 50 industry representatives in 2007, the first year the event took place on the Drillfield.

Wood Week 2008 also includes a keynote speaker, Patrick Calello, founder and designer of Automoblox, a wooden toy company. He will address students during classes as well as in an open public lecture.

• See a complete list of events.