VIRGINIA
TECH STUDENT RECEIVES EASTMAN
FELLOWSHIP TO STUDY CELLULOSE
BLACKSBURG, Sept. 7, 2002 - Scott
Renneckar, Ph.D. candidate in
Virginia Tech's College of Natural
Resources, has received a 2002-2003
Eastman Fellowship in the cellulose
esters technology area from Eastman
Chemical Company in Kingsport,
Tenn. "Renneckar is the first
recipient in the college to receive
an Eastman fellowship, and possibly
our first Virginia Tech recipient
in the cellulose esters technology
area," noted internationally known
wood chemistry professor Wolfgang
Glasser.
Michael
Shelton, senior research chemist
in the company's Cellulose Esters
Research Lab, said, "Eastman is
very proud to have the opportunity
to work with the Department of
Wood Science and Forest Products
(WSFP) and Virginia Tech in awarding
this fellowship." Renneckar, a
Wood-Based Composites Center graduate
fellow in WSFP, was among several
students at Virginia Tech and
other institutions to be nominated
for Eastman fellowships.
The
fellowship offers an $18,000 stipend
that covers a 12-month period
and a $2000 unrestricted departmental
grant. "I'm very excited about
this and honored to have been
chosen. It will partially fund
my dissertation research work
that focuses on modifying wood
and cellulose fiber surfaces with
thermoplastics. We hope the research
will yield better wood-plastic
products without using glues,
and it may offer possibilities
for recycling wood and plastic
waste destined for landfills,"
Renneckar explained.
According to Renneckar, "Cellulose,
a component of wood, is the most
abundant polymer on earth and
this fellowship funds research
on aspects to develop and characterize
cellulose-based materials. The
fellowship recognizes multiple
facets of wood science, which
applies fundamental aspects from
many sciences, including chemistry,
biology, and physics, to better
understand and utilize wood as
a material within our society."
Renneckar
came to Virginia Tech from outside
the beltway in Northern Virginia,
where he grew up. He enrolled
in the WSFP program and later
graduated in 1997 with a B.S.
degree in forestry and wildlife
with a minor in chemistry. In
1998, he and his wife moved to
California where he enrolled in
the wood science and technology
masters degree program at the
University of California at Berkeley,
where he received his M.S. degree
in December of 1999.
In August 2000, he returned to
Virginia Tech to begin his Ph.D.
program under the guidance of
Audrey Zink-Sharp, associate professor
of wood science, and Glasser.
Zink-Sharp said, "We are pleased
that Scott was chosen for this
fellowship. He's a dedicated professional,
and he and his research reflect
well on what our department offers."
Renneckar has served as teaching
assistant and lab coordinator
in the college's wood identification
laboratory. His research interests
focus on wood-thermoplastics composites
and fiber modification, as well
as advanced uses of wood and biobased
resources to create high performance
materials and lower-cost commodity
items. "After finishing my Ph.D.,"
he said, "I hope to obtain a post-doctoral
position overseas to connect with
the larger scientific community
and then teach."
Eastman
Chemical Company awards a limited
number of its highly prized fellowships
through its Fellows Program on
a national competitive basis and
within its division specialties.
Several chemistry and chemical
engineering students have received
Eastman fellowships in recent
years.
