​​​​Stephen Amiandamhen, a PhD student in the
Forest and Wood Science Department, was awarded
the second prize of 250 US dollars for oral and poster
presentations at the 59th Society of Wood Science and
Technology (SWST) Convention held in Curitiba, Brazil,
recently. Stephen also bagged a plaque in the student
poster session.
His study focuses on the use of phosphate based
binders, which have a lower carbon footprint compared
to cement based products. He used these binders to
produce wood composites from alien invasive tree species
and showed that it is possible to produce products of
acceptable quality even without bark removal, which is a
requirement for a majority of such products.
Stephen’s trip to Brazil was made possible with support
from the National Research Foundation (NRF) and an 800
US dollar sponsorship from the conference organisers.