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Awards
2025 Award Nomination Deadline: March 14
The Forest Products Society will celebrate leaders and innovators in the forestry industry with its Annual Excellence Awards at the 2025 Joint Convention of the Forest Products Society and the Society of Wood Science & Technology. FPS members are encouraged to nominate outstanding contributors or encourage colleagues to do so.
To view the 2024 Award Winners Press Release, click here.
2025 Awards Chair: Joseph Jakes, PhD, Forest Products Laboratory
Fred W. Gottschalk Memorial Award
The Fred W. Gottschalk Memorial Award recognizes and honors exceptional service to the Forest Products Society by an individual member. The Award is presented annually in memory of Fred W. Gottschalk, the first President of the Forest Products Society who died in a plane crash in Salt Lake City in 1965.
To be eligible for nomination, the candidate must have been an active member of the Society for a minimum of 10 years with a demonstrable history of service to the Society.
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To submit a nomination, send a letter of recommendation and the nominee's background to memberconnect@forestprod.org.
2024 Fred W. Gottschalk Award Winner
Joseph Jakes, PhD
Wood Engineering Achievement Award
The Wood Engineering Achievement Award, sponsored by the American Wood Council (AWC), recognizes accomplishments and innovations in the discipline of wood engineering including structures, structural elements, building codes, consensus standards, design procedures and education.
The Wood Engineering Lifetime Achievement Award (2025) honors an individual for their cumulative contribution to the discipline of wood engineering. Significant and measurable impact must be demonstrated and tangible evidence of accomplishment in the marketplace is key.
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To submit a nomination, include a summary/background of the nominee’s accomplishments (200 words or less), letters of recommendation, nominee’s CV to memberconnect@forestprod.org.
2024 Wood Engineering Achievement Award—Engineering Innovation
Mostafa Mohammadabadi, PhD
L.J. Markwardt Wood Engineering Award
The L.J. Markwardt Wood Engineering Award is intended to encourage research and promote knowledge of wood in the engineering field as a means of enhancing the efficient utilization of wood. This Award was established in 1969 by L.J. Markwardt, a Charter member of the Society, who was for many years an Assistant Director at the USDA Forest Products Laboratory in Madison, WI in charge of Wood Engineering Research.
The Award is presented annually to the author or authors of a technical paper published during the two calendar years prior to the award year in either the Forest Products Journal or Wood and Fiber Science that is judged to be the most outstanding research paper in the field of wood as an engineering material.
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In 2025, wood engineering research papers stressing engineering practice (applied research) are eligible for the Award.
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To submit a nomination, send the citation of a paper published during 2023 or 2024 in Forest Products Journal or Wood and Fiber Science and the nominee's background to memberconnect@forestprod.org.
2024 L.J. Markwardt Award Winner
Rafael da Rosa Azambuja
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Cross-Laminated Timber Panels Produced from Low-Grade Yellow-Poplar Sorted by Structural Visual Grade
Authors: Rafael da Rosa Azambuja; David B. DeVallance; Joseph McNeel; Gregory A. Dahle
Published in FPJ 73:2
FPS Wood Award
The Forest Products Society’s Wood Award (first and second place) recognizes and honors the most outstanding research in the field of wood and wood products conducted by graduate students. The Wood Award is the most prestigious award in the area of graduate research in wood and wood products. The 1st Wood Award was presented in 1948, and with the exception of the years 1951 and 1952, it has been given annually since its inception.
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The graduate student author must have been registered for a full quarter or full semester at any university or college during the prior year. The paper must be in English, limited in length to between 2,000 to 4,000 words, and in a format consistent with that of a submission to a scientific journal. For judging purposes, any reference to the university or institution where research is or was conducted, and any mention of the author's name must be deleted from the title page and the body of the text.
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To submit a nomination, the appropriate advisor, dean, or department head must submit the nomination packet on behalf of the student. The packet must include the complete paper, a short autobiography of the author, and a statement by the advisor or administrative leader that the author and paper meet the above eligibility requirements, to memberconnect@forestprod.org.
2024 FPS Wood Award Winner - 1st Place
Rakibul Hossain
University of Maine
2024 FPS Wood Award Winner - 2nd Place
Suman Pradhan
Mississippi State University
Distinguished Service Award
The Distinguished Service Award is presented to the individual who has demonstrated outstanding dedication to the Forest Products Society and biomaterials industry as a whole. The award recipient will have contributed to the society and the industry throughout their career through research, society leadership positions, and service.
To submit a nomination, send a letter of recommendation and the nominee's background to memberconnect@forestprod.org.
2024 Distinguished Service Award Winner
Christopher Hunt, PhD
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