Wolcott, Michael P.

English

Wood and Fiber Science (E-Journal)

WOOD AND FIBER SCIENCEJOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY OF WOOD SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGYLESSONS THAT CHALLENGE THE IMAGINATIONAND ENGAGE LEADERSI love TED talks. I have for years now. In mymind, TED lives up to its tagline, “Ideas WorthSpreading,” by inspiring, challenging, entertain-ing, and stimulating, all in less than 15 min. Iknow that I am not the only one who likes TED.Even my fellow Washingtonian, Bill Gates, hascurated his favorites into a playlist (Gates 2013).The top spot on both our lists is Hans Rosling,the maestro of data and statistics.You can imagine my surprise when, a year ago,I opened my computer to see: “Skyscrapers ofWood—Michael Green at TED 2013 (Green2013). Really. Wood. On TED?Many of you likely know that Michael Green isa renowned architect from Vancouver, BritishColumbia, Canada, my neighbor to the north.He has now become something of a celebrity ofmass timber construction. To date, Michael’sTED Talk has garnered nearly 1 million views.Not enough to rank him in the top 10 of 2013,but not far out either.So what is my point here anyway? Believe it ornot my objective is not to expound the virtues ofTED Talks, nor Michael Green, nor mass timberconstruction for that matter. Rather, my goal is todissect how this video was able to get 1 millionpeople to dedicate 15 min of their entertainmenttime to learn about wood and what lessons wemight take to move our profession forward.For me the three take-home messages were:1) connect to big ideas—“Ideas Worth Spread-ing”; 2) stir the imagination; and 3) reach pastour own discipline or science and engineeringfor that matter.IMPACTFUL IDEASMichael spent the first third of his talk connectingthe use of wood to relevant societal issues includ-ing rising world population, homelessness, cli-mate change, food security, and deforestation.Whether you are a social scientist, agronomist,economist, environmentalist, architect, or simplya concerned citizen, you do not need to listenlong to see that there is something here for you.Best of all, WOOD is part of the solution.IMAGINATIONTall timber buildings. Skyscrapers from wood.Wood construction does not really need to gotall; there are plenty of markets and franklymore impact at low-rise buildings. However,these are ideas that make you go WOW ormaybe just HOW. Either way, they capture yourimagination and more importantly, they capturethe imagination of people who are not woodscientists. I have seen the same response in ourbiofuels project, NARA tag lined “Wood toWings” (NARA 2013). Students and stake-holders from every walk of life are interested,intrigued, or challenged about how one wouldmake jet fuel from slash piles in the forest. Itevokes many opinions and ideas, not always theones we want, but that is exactly the point.TRANSDISCIPLINARYThis talk is not aimed at the converted, butrather at reaching people from every walk oflife. In doing so, Michael used science, data,VOLUME 46 JULY 2014 NUMBER 3Wood and Fiber Science, 46(3), 2014, pp. 301–302# 2014 by the Society of Wood Science and Technologyand engineering, but also he invoked concepts ofart and business to sell his thoughts. In fact, oneof his enduring messages was how Gustaf Eiffelused an art piece, the Eiffel Tower, to inspireconfidence in tall steel buildings and “transformthe skylines of the world.” Engineering progressinspired by art and design.LESSONS THAT CHALLENGE THE IMAGINATIONAND ENGAGE LEADERSOur SWST Board of Directors has been talk-ing about these same concepts. As a Societywe wonder:How do we reach more people?How do we develop a more impactful aca-demic journal?How do we become a more vibrant and influ-ential profession?Several years ago, SWST leaders took a hugerisk and moved our meetings to internationalvenues. This year, we have seen the fruits ofthat insight with over 200 applications for presen-tations in Zvolen, Slovakia. Now our challenge isto follow this lead and step outside ourselves byproviding content and venues that engage a wideraudience while maintaining the rigor, integrity,and relevance of our profession.As a Board, we are optimistic about our futureand excited by our direction. In 2015, we committo bring you, our members, a new Annual Meet-ing in an engaging physical and natural venue,the historical Jackson Lake Lodge in the famedGrand Teton National Park. More importantly,we are committed to delivering a program worthattending. In selecting this site, we understoodthat great discussions are facilitated by greatplaces, physical and natural.With this inspiration we are challenging ourselvesto conceive and develop platforms, real and vir-tual, that engage a wider audience and deliverthought toward innovations that push the boundsof our material and strengthen our profession.However, we need you to engage in this future.Get involved, wherever you live, bring us yourideas and passions, and engage your friends andcolleagues who think similarly.MICHAEL P. WOLCOTTWashington State UniversitySWST PresidentE-mail: wolcott@wsu.eduREFERENCESGates B (2013) My 13 favorite talks. TED playlists. http://www.ted.com/playlists/35/bill_gates_my_13_favorite_tal.Green M (2013) Why we should build wooden skyscrapers.TED. http://www.ted.com/talks/michael_green_why_we_should_build_wooden_skyscrapers.NARA (Northwest Advanced Renewables Alliance). 2013.http://nararenewables.org/.302 WOOD AND FIBER SCIENCE, JULY 2014, V. 46(3)

Lessons that Challenge the Imagination and Engage Leaders

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Lessons that Challenge the Imagination and Engage Leaders

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Wood and Fiber Science (E-Journal)