Dr.
Roland O. Gertjejansen
Professor Emeritus
Ph.D. 1966, University of Minnesota
Fiber and particle products technology
Phone: (612) 624-4730
E-mail: rgertjej@umn.edu
Areas of Interest
Wood-Based Composite Products
This research program at the University of Minnesota was
started in the mid 1960s in response to a growing interest
for establishing a waferboard industry in Minnesota and an
increasing number of requests for technical information from
the existing fiberboard industry and users of particleboard
and hardboard. The program, which started with almost no
laboratory space or manufacturing and testing equipment,
has evolved into a state-of-the art research facility with
a twenty five year history of productive research and graduate
education.
Our current wood-based composite products research program
is comprised of five areas of concentration:
* improved utilization of underutilized species;
* development of new and improved composite products and manufacturing processes;
* evaluating and improving the performance of wood-based composite panels in
residential housing;
* fundamental studies of wood and material interactions applicable to wood-based
composites;
* preservative treated wood-based composites.
Wood-based composites research, broadly speaking, is a many-faceted
endeavor and therefore often involves cooperative efforts
with other faculty and staff both from within and outside
the Department of Forest Products. This provides a graduate
student with a unique opportunity to expand his or her intellectual
horizons and research experiences in wood science and technology.
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