Around CMEC

In a 2021 report funded by the Recycling Development Center, research professor Karl Englund and a civil and environmental engineering team at Washington State University outlined existing chemical and thermal […]

A method to convert commonly thrown-away plastic to a resin used in 3D printing could allow for making better use of plastic waste. A team of Washington State University researchers […]

Post-doctoral research associate Yu-Chung Chang and his team won $50,000 to explore chemical recycling on May 10 at Cougar Cage, hoping to reduce plastic waste in landfills and oceans. Cougar […]

Simpson Strong-Tie, the leader in engineered structural connectors and building solutions, recognized Washington State University retiring professors Dr. Don Bender, P.E., and Dr. J. Daniel Dolan, P.E., for their significant […]

March 7, 2022 — Congratulations to Somayeh Nassiri and Karl Englund on their tenure and promotions! Karl has been a faculty member at CMEC since 2003 and specializes in wood […]

June 22, 2020 — Every year, Washington State University welcomes dozens of students and scholars from across the globe in partnership with the prestigious Fulbright Program. In turn, the university […]

Julia Day, assistant professor in the WSU Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture’s School of Design and Construction and director of the WSU Integrated Design + Construction Laboratory, will be […]

WSU researchers have received a Department of Energy (DOE) grant to use seafood waste from shrimp and crab shells to improve concrete. The work could lead to more durable concrete […]

March 8, 2021 — Congratulations to Julia Day and Hang Liu on their tenure and promotions to Associate Professors!Julia has been with CMEC since 2017 and specializes in Energy efficiency, […]

January 21, 2021 — A WSU research team has created a recyclable carbon-fiber reinforced composite that could eventually replace the non-recyclable version used in everything from modern airplane wings and […]

February 21, 2020 — Congratulations to Vikram Yadama on his promotion to full Professor! Vik has been with CMEC since 2003 and specializes in the mechanics of wood and wood […]

January 22, 2020 — Congratulations to Dr. Hui Li for 5 years of exemplary service at Washington State University!

November 13, 2019 – When it’s built later this year, the Catalyst Building in Spokane’s University District will be one of the most innovative buildings in the country — a […]

October 8, 2019 – WSU research shows that coffee grounds, usually viewed as a waste product, can be used to form a new, stronger type of plastic. Poly‑lactic acid (PLA), […]

October 1, 2019 – We’re excited to welcome Joshah Jennings to CMEC as the new Scientific Laboratory Manager!  Joshah joins us from the WSU Center for Materials Research where he […]

September 27, 2019 – WSU researchers have been a key partner and recently joined in the opening celebration of what will eventually be the largest cross-laminated timber (CLT) facility in […]

September 26, 2019 – Washington State University research on aviation biofuels has attracted the interest of one of the world’s largest commercial air carriers. Delta Air Lines, as part of […]

Students are invited to join Simpson Strong-Tie engineers and field specialists for a day of building connections where they will learn how structural connectors and pre-engineered building components help structures […]

While most of a turbine can be recycled or find a second life on another wind farm, researchers estimate the U.S. will have more than 720,000 tons of blade material […]

August 30, 2019 – CMEC’s Associate in Research Scott Lewis has completed 20 years of dedicated service at Washington State University. His work with CMEC has been performed with professionalism, […]

Washington State University has received a $7.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to lead a national university transportation center focused on improving the durability and extending the […]

A WSU research team for the first time has developed a promising way to recycle the popular carbon fiber plastics that are used in everything from modern airplanes and sporting […]

When the 50th International Paris Air Show gets underway on June 17, representatives from Washington State University will be here to promote the university’s expertise in developing viable alternative jet […]

Five Washington State University employees have won annual awards for student advising. They will be formally recognized at the April 16 awards ceremony of the University College in the Lewis […]

More than 50 outstanding students from over 30 universities have spent their summers on the Washington State University Pullman campus conducting research and attending workshops in science, technology, and engineering […]

Nearly 450 students from across the Pacific Northwest took up the challenge May 18-20 to imagine a more sustainable, fuel-efficient tomorrow. Their ideas ranged from using neodymium magnets to enhance […]

More than 450 middle and high school students from throughout the Northwest, including first-time participants from Oregon, Montana, and Idaho, will present their creative solutions to society’s energy challenges at […]

Three WSU faculty members have been promoted to Regents professor. The promotion honors the highest level of international distinction in the discipline that raises university standards through teaching, scholarship, and […]

Sustainability education must be expanded and more fully integrated into students’ curricula in order to best meet society’s long-term goals, according to a research policy paper released Nov. 30 and […]

This fall, Washington State University faculty who rarely interact will start a series of lunch-hour conversations about their work. And freshmen from a world civilizations class will team up with […]

Nearly 50 undergraduate researchers from Washington State University and other institutions across the country gathered in the Engineering Teaching and Research Laboratory building on Thursday, June 2, to meet their […]

The future of Auburn, is looking greener, thanks to a multi-disciplinary group of students developing a sustainability plan for the city. Read more…

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke recently reappointed Donald Bender as a principal member of the American Lumber Standard Committee representing consumers. Bender is a professor of civil and environmental engineering and […]

Auburn is the site of many great events each year, including the Veterans Day Parade and the July 4 Kids Parade.  Starting in April 2012, it may add a yearly […]

A WSU delegation will return to China this month to continue the momentum created by the fall 2010 trip, find new research partners, and complete the hiring of a WSU […]

Facilities along the country’s first electric highway are being designed by a group of WSU architecture and construction management students.  Read more…

President Elson S. Floyd cites the reopening of a wood products plant in Grays Harbor County as an example of the effectiveness of WSU’s economic development and extension mission in […]

A multidisciplinary group of students is working on the Auburn Environmental Park District, a 130-acre parcel of land in the city of Auburn for sustainable development and green businesses.  Read […]

The Organic smartFARM project harnesses interdisciplinary teamwork to design sustainable systems into the organic farm at WSU Pullman. With preliminary funding from a National Science Foundation grant, the project promotes […]

Panels & Furniture Asia: The first of a two-part series on particleboard guru Tom Maloney and his influential career in the wood products industry. Read more…

WSU’s organic farm wanted a clean power source, so a group of engineering students is providing a wind turbine and solar panels. The project began in the fall, recently broke […]

Balasingam Muhunthan, professor of civil and environmental engineering, has been named a fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers. The fellow designation is one of the most esteemed honors […]

WSU organic farm provides a testing ground for new methods in resource management. Read more…

Green has become the buzzword for products that are earth-friendly. Read more…

Explore ways that the construction industry is changing from the inside out. Read more…

Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce: Washington State University recently launched its Institute for Sustainable Design with the help of $500,000 from the Weyerhaeuser Company Foundation. Read more…

Addressing the dramatic need for sustainability in building materials and design, the Weyerhaeuser Company Foundation has committed $500,000 to launch Washington State University’s Institute for Sustainable Design.

Imagine one day living in a community based on the precepts of sustainability. We would drive less, reducing gasoline consumption. We would walk more, improving our health. And all of […]

Washington Technology Center has awarded $99,778 in research and technology development funding based on a proposal from WSU’s Wood Materials and Engineering Laboratory in collaboration with Plant Care Technologies Corporation.

WSU’s wheat going strong Western Farmer-Stockman: It’s a double wheat payoff for Washington-bred varieties and the residue they leave after harvest.

By Tina Hilding, College of Engineering and Architecture Fresh water to 35,000 people: Student engineers head to Kenya for pipeline project A group of Washington State University engineering students will […]

By Samantha M. Graf, IMPACT Communications WSU researcher finds a new market for wheat growers The four million tons of wheat straw produced annually in the Pacific Northwest may have […]

WSU graduate students will help Auburn, Wash., create a plan for sustainable development and green businesses with $95,000 in funding from the city. For more about the project, see the […]

Our gas-guzzling, carbon-spewing automobiles draw a lot of the blame for the build-up of greenhouse gases most scientists say is making the world warmer. That’s led to a worldwide flurry […]

By Tina Hilding, College of Engineering and Architecture A group of Washington State University engineering students will head to Kenya this month, where they hope to start work to design […]

Dr. Pizhong Qiao named a Fellow by ASCE Pizhong Qiao, Ph.D., P.E., SECB, a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental […]

By Bill London, WSU Today Getting engaged? Sharing expertise enriches all involved Vikram Yadama is an engineering hybrid. At the Wood Materials and Engineering Laboratory, Yadama’s time is split between […]

Michael Wolcott, civil and environmental engineering professor, will discuss ‘The Evolution and Future of Renewable Composite Materials’ at the first annual Anjan Bose Outstanding Researcher Lecture at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, […]

Dr. J. Daniel Dolan was awarded the Distinguished Service Learning Award for 2005-2006. It was presented by the WSU Community Service Learning Center for “recognition of your commitment to learning […]

For more than two years, a group of Washington State University students in architecture, construction management, interior design, and engineering designed and built a solar house, including all of its […]

Dr. Marie G. Laborie, Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering, was the keynote speaker for the COST (European Cooperation in the Field of Scientific and Technical Research) Action E35: “Fracture mechanics […]

Kristin DuChateau, Graduate Research Assistant, was featured in the 2005 March-April Newsletter for the Society of Wood Science and Technology.  Adding this to her recent piano solo win at the […]

Nanoscale Engineering of Bio-based Composites Numerous studies suggest that nanoscale characteristics govern the processing and end-use performance of biopolymers and bio-based composites. Unfortunately, the structural complexity of biomaterials often complicates […]

Local News Brief, WSU Evergreen, May 21, 1997The new director of the Wood Materials Engineering Laboratory at WSU will take over the position in June.Don Bender, from Texas A&M University, […]