Department Chair's Letter

Gerry Ring

This has been an excellent year for Paper Science and Engineering. Our ABET engineering accreditation, which was reported in last year’s annual report, has resulted in the recruitment of an outstanding class. Our freshman enrollment now stands at 24 students. This is a substantial increase from last year. In addition our total student number has increased from 66 to 77, a 17% increase. Furthermore, this year we experienced 92% retention of our freshmen.

Dr. Don Guay was promoted this year to associate professor and received tenure. As part of a 3-member research team at UWSP, Don received the 2009 Innovation Scholar Award from the WiSys Technology Foundation for developing a process to create liquid biofuels from wood-based materials.

Dr. Karyn Biasca, wrote a successful UW System grant to develop electronic portfolios for the assessment of student learning. Dr. Biasca also become one of the first Wisconsin Institute for Sustainable Technology (WIT) Scholars. Her WIST project encompasses the development of a continuing education course in Life Cycle Assessment.

With the official creation of WIST this year, Dr. Guay become the Director of Laboratory Services, and I became the WIST Director of Education. The new Executive Director of WIST, Dr. Paul Fowler, is now on board with his office across in the PS&E Department of the College of Natural Resources.

This past year was also a successful first year for our Trans Atlantic Paper Science Program. Five students from Finland and one from Germany spent the entire academic year with us, while three of our students spent the year in Finland and then Germany. All of our European exchange students worked with last year’s seniors on our senior-year engineering design projects. These projects were presented at the annual Academic Advisory Committee meeting, and one was presented during the “Posters in the Rotunda” in Madison last May. This year two students from the University of Applied Science at Munich have joined us while one of our juniors in now in Finland.

We have had the greatest number of personnel changes in our history this year. Dr. Amit Arora has joined our faculty as a new assistant professor. Mr. James Carr has joined us as both an adjunct instructor and the interim lab manager. Kelly Klaas is now pursuing her Ph.D. in engineering in UW-Madison, but will be doing her research at UWSP and working in the department part-time. Both Jim Servi and Craig French joined the department as instrument technicians. And finally, Danielle Mortag, our Program Associate for the last year, has left us and joined the UWSP Admissions Department as a student councilor. In her new position, she will be recruiting new students to UWSP and the Paper Science and Engineering program.

Continuing a record since 1973, 100% placement for 2010 graduates was once more achieved. Starting salaries matched the national starting salaries for chemical engineering, which according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers is the second highest paying major. All PS&E sophomores and juniors seeking co-op and summer jobs were also placed.

Lastly, the Paper Science and Engineering program is now beginning its 38th year. As mentioned in my report last year, we will be celebrating our 40th anniversary in 2013. But, who is counting.

Gerry Ring
Chair, Department of Paper Science & Engineering