Department of Forest Biomaterials

Exterior closeup photo of metal sculpture of wolf with lowered head, green leaves and shrubbery in the background.

Mar 10, 2023

Martin Hubbe awarded 2023 Gunnar Nicholson Gold Medal Award

Established in 1928, the Gunnar Nicholson Gold Medal Award is the highest honor that the Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry (TAPPI) can bestow upon an individual.

Close-up photo of man holding a yam tuber partially wrapped in banana paper prior to planting.

Feb 23, 2023

Yams benefit from banana ‘paper’ cocoon

Wrap-and-plant technique shows promise for increasing tuber size, yields and storage quality.

Lavoine dressed in white labcoat and protective eye and handwear conducts thermal analysis of bio-foams in the lab. A male colleague works in the background.

Feb 22, 2023

Lavoine selected for 2022 TAPPI NanoDivision Mid-Career Award

Lavoine, an assistant professor of forest biomaterials at NC State, studies the use of biomass-derived nanoparticles for sustainable product design, processing and engineering.

A group of students each wearing clear safety glasses listen and watch as a professor shows one of the students the manufacturing line for a roll of red paper.

Dec 16, 2022

Nicholson Scholarship supports first-generation paper science students

Bart Nicholson is grateful. He’s not only grateful for the education he received at NC State’s College of Natural Resources but also for the lifetime friends and colleagues he made there. And maybe most of all, he’s grateful for the opportunity to make a difference for those yet to come.

Summer camp students participate in competition.

Dec 1, 2022

Summer on campus

At 9 a.m. on a July Wednesday, more than 70 middle school students filed into a classroom, waiting to be assigned the real-world problem they’d be solving that day. Clustered together, campers tackled complex problems like how to construct a moving boat or how to stop a viral outbreak. Using cardboard, aluminum foil, balloons and more, these campers were trying to solve some of the fundamental challenges in engineering.

Chavonda Jacobs-Young dressed in red speaks while standing behind a lecturn.

Nov 15, 2022

USDA chief scientist Chavonda Jacobs-Young to deliver NC State Fall commencement address

Three-time NC State alumna Chavonda Jacobs-Young returns to deliver the commencement address to summer and fall graduates.

Oct 25, 2022

Paper Science Engineering alum Chavonda Jacobs-Young appointed as USDA Under Secretary

Jacobs-Young, the first Black woman in the United States to earn a Ph.D. in paper science, was nominated by President Joe Biden in July 2021 and confirmed by the Senate Agriculture Committee in June 2022.

Textiles project display showing a variety of designs.

Apr 22, 2022

Bio-inspired textiles promote sustainable fashion

NC State researchers are using nanocrystals extracted from wood to produce iridescent clothing.

Aerial view of Centennial Campus looking towards downtown Raleigh, NC.

Oct 28, 2021

Chancellor’s Innovation Fund supports research commercialization

Research breakthroughs from the College of Engineering lead to society-changing products and startups. To help faculty members move their research project to the market, the Chancellor’s Innovation Fund (CIF) provides funding to short-term, commercially focused projects. For every dollar awarded, almost $20 has been generated in additional funding or investment. This year, all six projects…