64 pupils visited the institute
On 15 February 2024, 64 pupils from the Radetzky Gasse grammar school visited us. At 7 stations, they were informed about the many research areas of the institute and WoodKplus.
Visit to the InnoRenew CoE
On 13 February 2024, representatives of the Institute visited the InnoRenew CoE in Izola (Slovenia) together with colleagues from Wood K Plus. After a joint round of introductions and a tour of the institute, possible ideas for interdisciplinary collaboration were exchanged.
DocDay Tulln 2023
The BiRT-DocDay took place at the UFT Tulln this year and was organized by two doctoral students of theinstitute. The internal conference takes place to provide PhD students working at the Campus Tulln with aplatform to present their research, get valuable input from peers & professors and for networking with others.
Research Festival Lower Austria 2023
The Lower Austrian Research Festival took place on 22.9.2023 at the Palais Niederösterreich (Herrengasse, Vienna) with lively participation of the younger junior researchers. More than 5,000 people visited the festival and many of them "baked" their individual small and heart-shaped particle- or fibreboard.
The war on scientific skepticism!
In an interview (in German language) with Bildungs-TV, Prof. Johannes Konnerth explains how science ambassadors promote curiosity about science.
A wide range of workshops, lectures and excursions offer students an interactive insight into the topics covered by the Institute of Wood Technology and Renewable Materials.
Children's UNI Tulln 2023
This year's motto of this annual event was: 10 years of Children's UNI Tulln - unlocking the secrets of nature with researchers. Following this motto, the Institute of Wood Technology and Renewable Resources welcomed 40 young scientists aged 9 to 12 years at BOKU.
Presentations of the bachelor theses 2023
On 28 June, the annual presentations of the bachelor theses took place. The students presented their results in a poster session. The winning poster by Markus Buchebner on "Characterisation of the mechanical properties of cellulose coatings on wood surfaces" will be exhibited in the laboratory area in the coming academic year.
Students' excursion 2023 in Germany
An annual highlight of the Bachelor's degree programme in Wood and Natural Fibre Technology are our technical excursions. In May 2023, we started at an impressive LIGNA fair in Hannover. Afterwards, we were allowed to visit the production facilities of Delignit, Pollmeier, Binderholz and Pfleiderer. Many thanks for the exciting insights into the wood industry!
Part 4 of the wood construction discussions
On 3 March 2023, Prof. Johannes Konnerth will meet a long-time companion at the Builtworld online discussion round: from 8:00 to 9:00 a.m., he will discuss innovations and limitations of wood adhesives with Dr. Erik van Herwijnen from Wood K plus. Be there!
New PhD student at the Institute
At the beginning of October 2022 we were pleased to welcome DI Lukas Malzl. As part of the "UniStrand" project, he will be working as a PhD student on aspects of new wood species and processes in the production of strand-based, unidirectional, panel-shaped wood materials.
Part 3 of the wood construction discussions
On 15.12.2022, Prof. Johannes Konnerth has once again discussed the future of timber construction on the Builtworld online platform - this time with Prof. Günter Berger from FH Salzburg. Efficient timber construction materials were on the agenda in this edition - listen here!
Wood Science Talk with Victoria Herian
Victoria Herian has been the Executive Director of the Society of Wood Science and Technology for the past 46 years. Learn about the early times of the society, how it all developed, why the strong focus on wood science, how the society became fully international, the benefits of becoming a member, mastering covid, getting involved with the society, why young researchers should join, and also some personal aspects such as the role of wood in Vicki's daily life.
Book presentation "Die Schwarzföhre in Österreich"
On 23 June 2022, the new publication of the book "Die Schwarzföhre in Österreich - Ihre außergewöhnliche Bedeutung für Natur, Wirtschaft und Kultur" was presented in St. Egyden am Steinfeld (Lower Austria). This new standard work on the black pine was written with the strong participation of members of the Institute. The variety of topics covered by the BOKU contributions ranges from historical use/dendrochronology to the technological properties of this special type of wood and its use for charcoal/wood tar.
Great team event at the VCM 2022
After our last attempt had to be held at "social distance", our motivated runners could finally participate in the Vienna City Marathon 2022. The result: a great event, 190 kilometres of running and even more team spirit - we are already looking forward to the next time!
Anita Tran on the International Day of Women and Girls in Science
On the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, BOKU put the spotlight on Anita Tran, researcher and role model at the BOKU Institute of Wood Technology and Renewable Resources.
How much wood do we need for 1m³ Cross Laminated Timber?
Under the title "A review of the resource efficiency and mechanical performance of commercial wood-based building materials" we give some answers to this question. The review was published in Sustainable Materials and Technologies (Elsevier) in 2023.
Colloquium with ETH Zurich
A joint colloquium with Wood K plus and ETH Zurich was held on 14th and 15th of September under the title "Advances in Wood and Natural Resources Materials Science". We would like to thank the University of Innsbruck for their hospitality and are already looking forward to the next meeting.
HNT Excursion 2023 in Germany
An annual highlight of the Bachelor's degree programme in Wood and Natural Fibre Technology are our excursions. The first one was in May 2023 at the LIGNA Hannover. Afterwards, we were allowed to visit the production facilities of Delignit, Pollmeier, Binderholz and Pfleiderer. Many thanks for the exciting insights into the wood industry!
Visit of HTL Pinkafeld
We are pleased about the visit of the 4th year of the HTL Pinkafeld, Department of Civil Engineering, on 23.5.2023 and thank the Woschitz Group for the lunch.
Visit to Mendel University in Brno
On 13 April 2023, we had the pleasure of visiting our wood technology colleagues at Mendel University in Brno as part of our institute excursion. Many thanks for the perfectly organised day and the great insights into the current research work - we are looking forward to future cooperation with our "neighbours"!
High-impact commentary on the efficient use of wood
A "Plea for the efficient use of wood in construction" by the team around Dr. Max Pramreiter was published in the journal Nature Reviews Materials in January 2023. The publication is considered the most important journal in multidisciplinary materials science. Congratulations to the authors - click here to read!
2nd place at the Young Researchers Event
At this year's Young Researchers Event as part of the Marcus Wallenberg Prize, PhD student Tobias Nenning came second in the 3MT presentations. He had to present his research topic to an international and interdisciplinary audience in just 3 minutes and convinced the jury.
His presentation entitled "From Branch to Beam" can be viewed here.
Lower Austria Research Festival
After a break due to COVID, the third Lower Austrian Research Festival took place on 30 September 2022 at Palais Niederösterreich (Herrengasse, Vienna).
The Institute of Wood Technology and Renewable Resources,
together with the Wood Materials Technologies Division of Wood K plus and 70 other educational and research institutions, took part in this successful event for the whole family.
Part 2 of the wood construction discussion
On 25.10.2022, Prof. Johannes Konnerth has again discussed the future of timber construction with other experts - re-watch here after login!
Discussion "Is timber construction sustainable?"
Prof. Johannes Konnerth was invited to a discussion by Builtworld on 21.07.2022 on the topic of sustainability of industrial timber construction. Interesting topics from resource efficiency to storage and processing of components and the use of hardwood were discussed and can still be listened to (after registration).
Institute excursion to Wald- und Weinviertel
Perfect weather, a delicious visit to the Käsemacherwelt and an exciting tour through the wine-growing region Langenlois invited us to get to know our ever-growing institute community better. A wonderful "taste" of Waldviertel and Weinviertel, especially for our international colleagues!
Successful ICWA 2022 in Portland
From 11-13 May 2022, the extremely successful International Conference on Wood Adhesives took place in Portland, USA. BOKU had a strong influence on this event, as our institute and Wood K plus were both members of the organising committee and presenters. In addition to exciting presentations on further developments in conventional and trends in bio-based adhesives, new international contacts were made and old friendships cultivated.
We warmly welcome 2 new employees ...
After studying microbiology and physicochemistry for food processes in France, Ritika Malik, MSc. has started mid-May 2022 to investigate new methods for treating plant proteins in order use them as adhesives for wood products.
... to our adhesives team!
DI.in Sarah Suarez has a degree in materials engineering and is working on the development of smart adhesives that can be used to obtain information about the condition of wooden building components. All the best and a successful start to the project!
WoodCAST with Stefan Schrenk
Our guest in this episode: Sophia Adler, successor at Adler Parkett, We talk about valuable wood submissions and the manufacture-like production of parquet floors. We also find out what it was like to join the family business and discuss the image of the timber industry in society and the world of work.
Welcome in our group!
Célia Lointier started her PhD at our institute in October 2023. In the next three years, she will work on structural colours based on cellulose, funded by the Gesellschaft für Forschungsförderung Niederösterreich m.b.H.
Minister of Education Polaschek at BOKU
A first balance of the school visits of science ambassadors throughout Austria. Prof. Johannes Konnerth from the Institute of Wood Technology and Renewable Resources was on the podium.
Vienna City Marathon 2023
Course record for the professionals - record number of participants for us!
24 runners from BOKU and WOOD k plus took part in the 40th VCM and contributed with great team performances to a fantastic sports festival.
Long Night of Wood Research
About 1,500 visitors of all ages were welcomed at the Technopol Tulln for the 10th "Long Night of Research". Together with WOOD K plus, our institute was able to present research topics on wood and natural fibres to the interested public at 5 exciting stations. Thank you very much for your visit!
ÖAW DOC Fellowship Holder
Lena Maria Leiter is supervised by Prof. Wimmer, in the course of her PhD scholarship she investigates the triboelectric charging of wood surfaces during processing.
Inaugural Lecture Prof. Johannes Konnerth
On 10 May 2021, Univ. Prof. Johannes Konnerth held his inaugural lecture with the title "Multitalent Holz - Investieren wir in eine effiziente Nutzung? Wood is a "multi-talent" with universal applications that many people are not aware of. For example, the importance of wood in the building sector. In the future, we will also use wood for the high-tech sector. For him - whenever it makes technical sense - there is no alternative to a cascading use of this versatile material.
BOKU Sustainability Day 2021
At BOKU's 7th Sustainability Day, interesting research results from our institute were presented in an exciting format. Felix Neudecker received one of the coveted sustainability prizes for his master's thesis on the production of a structural material from straw. Congratulations, Felix!
BOKU4you Podcast: Bachelor's programme 'Wood and Natural Fibre Technology
In this edition of its podcast, the BOKU4you study counselling service presents the bachelor's programme "Wood and Natural Fibre Technology".
Wissenschaf[f]t Zukunft price for Dr. Claudia Gusenbauer
Dr. Claudia Gusenbauer was awarded a 2021 Science Prize by the Society for Research Promotion of the Province of Lower Austria for her dissertation.
We offer our sincere congratulations!
New employee at the Institute
On 17 January 2022, we welcome Tobias Nenning as a new PhD student. In the project "High-strength hardwood" he will work on the development of a new process for the production of high-quality composite materials based on hardwood branches. We are pleased to welcome him back to the Institute after a few successful years in the private sector.
Klaus Fischer Innovation Awards
No less than 4 innovation prizes were awarded for outstanding theses at our Institute! Benedikt Preschern, Martin Rohner, Karolina Peter and Maximilian Pramreiter (from left to right) were awarded - congratulations!
New PhD student
Shofi Fauziyyah, supervised by Prof. Wimmer, will delve into the critical properties of Indonesian wood species for sustainable building materials. She is an Ernst Mach Grant scholar organized by the OeAD-GmbH/MPC in cooperation with ASEA-UNINET.
New employee at the Institute
Dr. Jan Janesch took up his position as a university assistant on 17 January 2022 and, in addition to teaching, will focus on the acquisition and handling of research projects in the field of the chemistry of renewable materials. His position is half financed by Wood K plus and will further strengthen our close cooperation. Welcome, Jan!
Award of Excellence - State Prize for Dissertation
Dr. Maximilian Pramreiter was awarded the Award of Excellence 2021 by the Austrian Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research (BMBWF) for his outstanding dissertation. Congratulations!