Eric, Hansen

Negro, Francesco

Tamara Filgueira Amorim Franca,

English

Institutional Research Information System University of Turin

SWST STUDENT CHAPTERS: A VALUABLE MEANS OF BROADENINGSTUDENT PERSPECTIVES IN WOOD SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGYFrancesco Negro*†Assistant ProfessorDepartment of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences (DISAFA)University of TorinoLargo Paolo Braccini 210095 Grugliasco, ItalyE-mail: francesco.negro@unito.itTamara Filgueira Amorim Franca†Assistant ProfessorDepartment of Sustainable BioproductsMississippi State UniversityMississippi State, MS 39762-5724E-mail: tsf97@msstate.eduEric Hansen†ProfessorForest Products MarketingDepartment Head of Wood Science and EngineeringOregon State University119 Richardson HallCorvallis, OR 97331E-mail: eric.hansen@oregonstate.edu(Received March 2022)Abstract. SWST Student Chapters exist to broaden student perspectives in wood science and technol-ogy. This is pursued through the organization of various activities, including seminars, site visits, and prac-tical experiences. Over the years, chapters have proven to be beneficial to students, first and foremost, andalso to faculty advisors and involved institutions. To encourage the activation of new chapters, theknow-how of faculty advisors of the existing chapters is here shared. The details on constituting and run-ning SWST Student Chapters are illustrated, the opportunities that chapters offer are discussed, and a listof possible activities is provided for guidance.Keywords: Education, SWST, wood science, wood technology.INTRODUCTIONThe Society of Wood Science and Technology(SWST) Student Chapters provide unique oppor-tunities for undergraduate and graduate studentsto network and to broaden their perspectives inwood science. Chapters are a valuable meansof professional development, and of fosteringlifelong members of the society. Student Chap-ters can be activated by any SWST memberand can be hosted, upon approval of theExecutive Board, by any institution of highereducation worldwide.The main goal of SWST Student Chapters is toorganize activities focused on wood scienceand technology, including seminars, experimentalactivities, site visits, and discussions with profes-sionals and others. In general terms, through inter-actions among students, advisors, and industry, thechapter is an interesting educational method that inthe last decade has become considerably more ori-ented toward practical experiences, practice of softskills, and a learning-by-doing approach (Wachen-heim 2007).* Corresponding author† SWST memberWood and Fiber Science, 54(2), 2022, pp. 75-80https://doi.org/10.22382/wfs-2022-08SWST is aspiring to extend the number of Stu-dent Chapters. Of note, constituting and runningSWST Student Chapters is free of charge. Cur-rently, three are active, at the Department ofWood Science and Engineering, Oregon StateUniversity (OSU), at the Department of Sustain-able Bioproducts, Mississippi State University(MSU), and at the Department of Agricultural,Forest and Food Sciences (DISAFA), Universityof Torino, Italy. Although SWST has a constitu-tion and bylaws that should be followed by thechapters, each chapter has the opportunity to cus-tomize and adapt the activities accordingly to itsneeds.Because students represent the future of both thefield of wood science and the society, we as fac-ulty advisors of existing chapters would like toshare our experience in advising SWST StudentChapters, and encourage other wood science pro-grams to reopen or activate their Student Chapter.In this view, we intend to: 1) share the know-howon constituting and running SWST Student Chap-ters, and 2) discuss the opportunities inherent inoperation of Student Chapters.HOW TO CONSTITUTE AN SWST STUDENT CHAPTERThe process of constituting a Student Chapter ispresented as follows, based on the SWST Consti-tution and Bylaws and on the experience gainedby running chapters. The constitution process canbe divided into five steps, followed by an annualorganizational step (Fig 1).After the initial idea, the proponent should 1) pre-liminarily define the characteristics of the pro-posed Student Chapter. Vision, mission, availablefacilities, eventual funding, etc. can be consideredin this phase. Constitutions of existing StudentChapters are available on the SWST website andcan be consulted for framing this initial design.Once the main outline is defined, checking 2)with SWST, hosting institution, students, and stu-dents’ associations can be recommended. Thisenables the assessment of the overall feasibilityand to refine the elements to be included in theConstitution. Afterward, the most straightforwardway to draft the Constitution 3) consists of down-loading the Constitutions of Student Chaptersactive to date and taking them as a model. Theproponent can modify or integrate the Constitu-tion according to the specific needs of the pro-posed Student Chapter; SWST Bylaws on StudentChapters on the SWST website can also be con-sulted (https://www.swst.org/wp/education/student-chapters/ [10 Mar 2022]). Next, the Constitutionand the Faculty advisor must be approved 4) bothby the hosting institution and by the SWST execu-tive board. Exchange of official attestations ofapproval finalizes formation of the Student Chap-ter. Once the Student Chapter is active, a kick-offmeeting 5) can be held. In this occasion, Studentofficers are nominated and the overall setting isshared with participating students. From then on,an annual organizational meeting 6) shall be orga-nized to nominate new officers, to review the pastyear and to set goals for the new one.Approx. six monthsInitial idea: vision, mission, facilities,  etc.Preliminary check with SWST, hosting institution, and Students.Student Chapter Constitution is ready.Constitution approved by hosting institution and SWST. Faculty advisor is nominated.First meeting. The Student chapter is running.Annual check: elections, goals, membership, etc.1 2 3 4 5 6Figure 1. Outline of the constitution process of a SWST Student Chapter.76 WOOD AND FIBER SCIENCE, APRIL 2022, V. 54(2)INSIGHT INTO SWST STUDENT CHAPTERSSWST Student Chapters are intended as flexibleorganizations that can be set according to the spe-cific needs of the context in which they operate.Relations with existing student associationsshould be managed to collaborate and to differen-tiate the initiatives.Within the broad range of possible set-ups, themain considerations regarding students, facultyadvisors, and institutions are presented in thefollowing.StudentsEnrollment in Student Chapters is free of chargeand can be a way for students to obtain SWSTmembership (see Membership in Table 1). A struc-tured chapter can benefit undergraduate and gradu-ate students by facilitating the organization ofseminars, external visits, networking with profes-sionals, lab/experimental activities, and team build-ing. Chapters can ease contacts with associationsand students from other sectors, like engineering,and with industries, from which internships or jobopportunities can arise. Overall, chapter activitiesrepresent an alternative learning pathway, beyondformal teaching in the classroom, where studentscan embrace new information in an informal set-ting without exams, homework, etc. In addition,students have the opportunity to develop organiza-tional and leadership skills via serving as an officerof the chapter.Faculty AdvisorsDepending on the interests of the faculty advisor,the chapter can provide an opportunity to test inno-vative teaching, fine tune research presentations,and build a strong service element into their CV.Although the role can be demanding, there are nospecified time investments. Depending on the sup-port given by the home institution, the faculty advi-sor may need to be especially in tune with issuesaround insurance coverage, liability, etc. Of course,an active Student Chapter can help with studentrecruiting, benefiting the home department, andindirectly the advisor.InstitutionsBy hosting a Student Chapter, institutions acquire avaluable means of promoting practical experiencesand innovative education. In addition, they increasetheir networking opportunities at national and inter-national levels, and also enhance their image asinternational bodies. The activity of the chapter canalso help in recruiting new students and in achiev-ing higher student retention.Table 1 provides examples of activities com-monly realized by active Student Chapters. Activ-ities can be a single event (a meeting, a seminar)or extended over time (ie the design and realiza-tion of a wooden object), and can be proposedboth by the faculty advisor and by students. Goalscan be directly related to wood science and tech-nology, such as in the case of an experimentalactivity, or to the development of transferableskills, ie practicing English language or acquiringorganizational competencies.CONCLUSIONSTeaching methods considerably evolved in the lastdecade, aiming at increased interaction, inspiringlearning, innovative experiences, etc. SWST Stu-dent Chapters offer a valuable opportunity tobroaden student perspectives in wood science andtechnology by providing a dynamic environmentthat favors practical experiences, team building,networking, international perspectives, etc. Actu-ally, experience has shown that Student Chaptersnot only have positive impacts on students bybroadening their network with professionals andpromoting leadership and team-building skills, butalso, they are beneficial to faculty advisors andinvolved institutions.The main factors that lead to having a successfulStudent Chapter are the amount of time spent byadvisors and students, providing high qualityactivities and meetings, fostering networkingopportunities, and educating students to77Negro et al—SWST STUDENT CHAPTERS TO BROADEN STUDENT PERSPECTIVESTable1.Exampleofactivitiesrealizedinthepastyears,oralreadyscheduled,byexistingStudentChapters.ActivityOverviewGoalChallengeSuggestionMillvisits/sitevisits/visitatfairsVisittofacilitiesandsites,evenmultipledaylong,combinedwithparallelrecreationalactivitiessuchashikingandcamping.Buildateam-orientedorganization.Findactivitiesthatwillbeinterestingtoallstudents.Egasawmillvisitcanbenotattractivetostudentsthatdonotwanttoworkordoresearchrelatedtothisarea.Educateandmotivatestudentstogobeyondtheirfieldandshowhowtheseexperienceswillenrichtheirviews.DevelopmentofawoodenitemGuidedbythefacultyadvisor,studentsdesignawoodenobject,andrealizeitusingthefacilitiesoftheinstitution.Learningthedevelopmentprocess(TechnologyReadinessLevels);practicalworkingofwood.Theactivitycanbetime-consuming;logis-ticshastobescheduled.Theactivityshouldhaveawell-definedtimewindow.Multipleunitsoftheitemshouldberealizedsothateachstudentcantakeoneaftertheactivity.Theactivitycanalsobestructuredasacontest.VolunteeringCollaborationinvolunteeringactivitiesthataresomehowrelatedtothecurriculardisciplines.Volunteeringperse;testingone’sskillsandlearningtransferablecompetences.Technicalaspectshavetobemanaged,egdraftingofaformalagreementwiththevolunteeringassociation.Adequateschedulingisneeded.Areferencepersonofthevolunteeringassociationshouldbeclearlyidentified.MakingofascientificarticleAscientificarticleauthoredbythespeakerispresented,bothtodiscussthecontentandtoshowits“makingof.”Deepeningintoaspecificargumentatscientificlevel,andintroducingtheresearchenvironment.Topicsandmethodscanbecomplex,especiallyforstudentsenrolledinfirstyears.Forwardthearticleinadvance;keeptheoverviewsimple.BookreviewPartsofabookarereadanddiscussed.Activatethestudents’interesttowardspecificthemes.Partstobereadhavetobeselectedtogiveasuitableoverviewofthebook.Theauthorcanbeinvited,inpersonoronline,topresenther/hiswork.Thebookshouldbemadeavailableintheinstitution’slibrary.SeminarsSeminarsareheldbythefacultyadvisororbyacademicsandprofessional.Deepeningspecifictopicsinwoodscience.IfthepresentationisheldinEnglish,studentscantesttheirlistening.Topicsandmethodscanbecomplex,especiallyforstudentsenrolledinfirstyearsofcourse.Keeptheoverviewsimple;double-checkinadvancewiththespeaker.(continued)78 WOOD AND FIBER SCIENCE, APRIL 2022, V. 54(2)Table1.Exampleofactivitiesrealizedinthepastyears,oralreadyscheduled,byexistingStudentChapters.(cont.)ActivityOverviewGoalChallengeSuggestionThesispresentationsStudentspracticetheirBachelor’sorMaster’sdegreepresentationinfrontoftheircolleagues,priortothefinaldiscussion;thefacultyadvisorcommentsonit.Seespecifictopics;candidateshavetheopportunitytopracticetheirdiscussioninarealisticenvironment;studentsseehowtoworkonapresentation.Ensurethatthecandidate’spresentationisclear;fine-tuningofthepresentationcanresultflat.Setthemeetingjustbeforethediscussion,sothatthecandidateisadequatelyprepared;keepthefine-tuningshort,justtoshowhowtheprocessworks;encouragestudentstoaskquestions.OrganizationalmeetingOnceamonthduringspringandfallsemestertheStudentChapterreceivesaguestspeaker,fromindustry,researchinstitutions,andotherguests.Interactionwithexperiencedprofessionalsfromindustries,professionalassociations,researchagencies/institutions,andothers.Maintainstudentengagementtotheendofeachterm.Scheduleaday/timethatfitsguests’availabilityandthatmoststudentscanattend.Mealsareprovided.MembershipThechapterpaystheSWSTmembershipforstudentsthatattendatleastthreemeetingspersemesterandcollaborateonatleastoneactivity.Tomeasureattendanceandrecordofwhichstudentswillearnthemembership.Keepstudentsengagedtoparticipateinthemeetingsaftertheymeetthecriteriatoearnthemembership.Attendanceistakenattheendofeverymeetingusinganappwithquestionsfromthepresentationgivenatthemeeting.Thispromotesinteractionbetweenstudentsandkeepstheirattention.FinancingThereisacostinvolvedinpayingSWSTmemberships(seeaboverow)andmealsprovidedduringthemeetings,andanyotheractivitiesthatthestudentsdecidetopursue.PayforexpensesrelatedtoSWSTmemberships,meals,andotheractivities.Ensurethatallstudentsparticipate.Fundraisings,sponsorshipsandservicestothedepartment.Forexample,MSUdepartmentneededwoodenboxesforthewoodanatomycollection,andthechapterreceivedmoneytofabricatethem.OthersThestudentsmaycomeupwithextraactivitiesorclubsderivedfromthechapter.Promoteadeeperinteractionbetweenstudentsoutsidethestudent’schapter.Activatethestudents’interesttowardspecificthemes.MSUChapterhascreateda“woodclub”wherestudentscometogetherinmini-projectstolearnpracticalworkinthewoodshop.79Negro et al—SWST STUDENT CHAPTERS TO BROADEN STUDENT PERSPECTIVESunderstand the value of participating in the activi-ties promoted by the chapter. The main benefitsof serving as a faculty advisor are: 1) satisfactionderived from mentoring and developing newprofessionals (students); 2) opportunities forthe advisor to interact with stakeholders, creat-ing opportunities for future academia-industrycollaboration; and 3) contribution to tenure andpromotion, as advising chapters can be listed asteaching and/or service. Being a faculty advisordoes consume time, but the benefits overflow itsdownside. We strongly encourage other woodscience programs to reopen or activate their Stu-dent Chapter.ACKNOWLEDGMENTSAlberto Falaschi, Jacob Atkins, Detlef Laughery,Jacob Gradwohl, Mia Craig, Alan Sherrington,Adam Wade, and Noah Babik, to date enrolledand/or officers in the active chapters, arethanked for their feedback that contributed inrefining the text.REFERENCEWachenheim CJ (2007) Growing and maintaining viablestudent chapters of professional organizations: The caseof the National Agri-Marketing Association. NACTA J51(2):60-64.80 WOOD AND FIBER SCIENCE, APRIL 2022, V. 54(2)

SWST student chapters: a valuable means of broadening student perspectives in wood science and technology

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SWST student chapters: a valuable means of broadening student perspectives in wood science and technology

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