News

Frederick to direct IPST at Georgia Tech
William “Jim” Frederick Jr., the CEI Professor of Green Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, Sweden, will be director of the Institute of Paper Science and Technology at Georgia Tech (IPST).
Frederick begins Sept. 1. He will also maintain a faculty appointment in Georgia Tech’s School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering.

“Jim Frederick brings superb strategic and leadership qualities to this position, not to mention a strong, global perspective on issues and concerns facing the pulp and paper industry,” Georgia Tech Provost Dr. Jean-Lou Chameau said in the announcement.

“The coming weeks and months represent an important period in IPST’s history,” Chameau said. “Jim will be key in defining the technical direction of IPST and maximizing its strong ties to the forest products industry. His background and experience will help make IPST an internationally recognized research center in the field of paper science.”

Frederick said the forest products industry stands at a “crossroads of redefinition,” and that IPST at Georgia Tech can help during this transition period.

“The industry has begun to recognize itself as a producer and processor of biomass, as a manufacturer of diverse and environmentally sustainable products from renewable resources, and as a major provider of green energy,” Frederick said.

“The direction of change is toward more profitable, differentiated products for consumers at all levels, rather than production of commodities,” he said. “The changes in focus are accompanied by a need for new technology plus a need for scientists, engineers, and business people with the vision to achieve the change.

“The newly integrated IPST at Georgia Tech has the potential to be a world leader in research and education as this scenario of change unfolds,” Frederick said. “My vision is that IPST will become an organization that connects industry and government with the larger Georgia Tech faculty and research base.”

Frederick’s background in industry, government and academia should prove beneficial in his new endeavor at Georgia Tech.

Between 1972 and 1974, Frederick was a research engineer for General Motors Research. He then conducted research for Battelle Memorial Institute in Columbus, OH, and the US Department of Agriculture’s Forest Products Laboratory in Madison, WI, between 1974 and 1976.

From 1976 to 1980 Frederick was an associate professor at the Institute of Paper Chemistry in Appleton, WI, and then he became the group leader for Recovery Technology Applications at the Weyerhaeuser Co. in Tacoma, WA, between 1980 and 1983.

Frederick maintained faculty positions at Oregon State University from 1983 until 1996, and between 1988 and 1991 he was a visiting professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Finland’s Abo Akademi University. He returned to Atlanta and IPST in 1997 and then was named CEI Professor of Green Chemistry at Chalmers University in August 2001.

“I’m delighted with Jim’s appointment and return to IPST,” said Dr. Ron Rousseau, the Cecil J. “Pete” Silas Chair at Georgia Tech and chair of the Institute’s School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering.

“He brings an impressive set of credentials to the job of director. He’s been a leading researcher and administrator, and he has strong ties to the Institute,” Rousseau said. “Also important is that he is well-connected to the pulp and paper industry. He knows the strengths of IPST and he knows the opportunities for strengthening the delivery of research output to member companies.”

Frederick was born in Bangor, ME, in 1945. He graduated from the University of Maine in 1967 with a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering. He then earned his master’s degree and doctorate in chemical engineering from the University of Maine in 1969 and 1973, respectively.

The IPST integrated its operations with the Georgia Institute of Technology on July 1, 2003. Previously, IPST was an independent graduate school and research center supported by the paper industry for almost 75 years. Its graduates have a long history of industry leadership and can be found in countries throughout the world.

The school, founded in 1929 and previously named the Institute of Paper Chemistry, moved to the Georgia Tech campus from Appleton, WI, in 1989. It has about 70 master’s degree and doctoral students and spends about $10 million on research annually. In 1998, IPST was recognized as the fifth most innovative school in the United States in terms of patents per faculty member. www.ipst.edu. PI

Shawano wins bonding patent
Shawano, WI-based Shawano Specialty Papers, a division of Little Rapids Corporation, has been awarded a patent for its UltraBond® process of high quality bonding multiple-ply tissue for printed napkin stock grades. “This patent builds on our X-Tra Bond™ technology and delivers an even more consistent bond for high-speed flexographic printing and other manufacturing processes where customers demand enhanced bulk and print surface properties,” said Jerry Bartman, product development manager, in a press release.
“Many of our customers are award winners in the flexographic printing industry,” said Mark Zelinski, vice-president. “It is our goal to help these customers be the best they can be and provide the quality bonded napkin product they’ve come to expect from Shawano Specialty Papers. UltraBond does just that.”

Little Rapids Corporation has established a long tradition of success as a specialty paper producer and converter. It has more than 100 years of papermaking experience serving the filtration, foodservice, party goods, medical and consumer products industries. The Shawano Specialty Papers Division develops, manufactures and markets specialty papers, nonwoven laminates and value-added products that serve a wide range of markets from medical products to food packaging to consumer and industrial disposables. www.littlerapids.com. PI

MOTAG meet highlights woodyard technology
The 2003 MOTAG SOUTH Summer meeting takes place August 7-8 at the Atlanta Renaissance Concourse Hotel, One Hartsfield Center Parkway (Atlanta Airport), phone (404) 209-9999.

MOTAG (short for Mill Operations Technical Advancement Group) has chosen Making The Best Of Change for this year’s theme. The keynote speaker is Ginny Silver Rizzo who will look at Mergers, Downsizing, The Economy. How Change Impacts Our Work – and How To Make Change Work For You.

A series of mill profiles gives delegates a look at operations at:
• Smurfit-Stone Container Corp. Stevenson, AL, in a paper from Gerald Thurmond.
• International Paper’s Franklin, VA, facility. Michael Barnes profiles this mill that was underwater due to a hurricane a few years back.
• The Fulghum Brewton Chip Mill, Brewton, AL. John Bradley, H.T. Fulghum and Paul Foy will present this profile of a high production facility that provides better than 40% of the chips for Smurfit-Stone’s Brewton pulp mill.

Also on the agenda: From Dumper to Hog; Chipper Maintenance; Woodyard Technology Profile; What’s New in Woodyard Chains; Debarking Drum Maintenance; Wear Materials in the Wood Yard.

The meeting fee is $100. Contact MOTAG South, PO Box 789, Lexington, SC 29071; phone 803-359-1000; fax 803-359-4351; Attention Ms. Cordellia Swafford; www.MOTAG.org. PI

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