Students from Appalachian's Industrial Design class taught by Richard Prisco and Kern Maass have been divided into seven research teams and are responsible for researching and presenting specific characteristics of Perennial Wood.
Read along to find out about what each group is researching.
Nick Barnette, Andrea McFee, Derek Elliot
The Adhesives group is excited to study the strength of adhesive bonds on cutting-edge materials provided by Eastman. “We especially like Eastman because they are letting us have free rein to explore.”
Sam Felts, Dan Culpepper, Josh Russell, Jordan Barger
The coatings team is conducting research on how coatings, finishes and films enhance the appearance of Perennial Wood. “We have been inspired at how enthusiastic they are about this project, and we hope to deliver results that far exceed their expectations.”
Jordan Long, Stuart Griffiths, Erick Tang
The group is focused on finding the maximum distance that Perennial Wood can be bent and be laminated while still being strong enough for use. They are responsible for providing Eastman and fellow classmates with the results and technical data. This team is very excited to be able to partake in a sponsored studio. “Eastman has been very helpful and has done very much to help us be prepared for our research, testing and designing.”
Chris Wall, Jonathan Dineen, Michael DeMarco
The steam bending group is conducting cutting-edge research on the physical properties of Perennial Wood. The team has built steam chambers and molds to be used to study at what point the material will break while bending and what kinds of curves it can bend around. “We are excited to work with Eastman, it is a big deal for us, as juniors, to get a sponsored studio such as this.”
Bo Pollard, Ben Messer, Austin Richards
This team aims to determine what are the best methods to use Perennial Wood in relation with joinery and fasteners. “We are very proud and excited to work with Perennial Wood. This is such a great opportunity for us to learn as students as well as professions.”
Eugene Duclos, Gabriel Grant, Will Larson, Nathan Metty
The Machinability team is working to test and understand machinablility of the material and to see what kind of limits it has. The team is measuring the difference between materials already out on the market against Perennial Wood. “Eastman is easy to work with and provides insightful information on the project.”
Cody Franklin, Cameron Morgan, Johnny Nguyen
The Research Group gathers information on viable markets to sell Perennial Wood. They research the capabilities and benefits of this new material and determine interesting applications for it. “Everyone we met who worked at Eastman was brilliant, including the bus driver.”
Four communication students from Dr. Olga Zatepilina-Monacell's Public Relations Practices class have also teamed up to work with the collaboration between Eastman and Industrial Design students. Students Melissa Vega, Ben Onstot, Taylor Bureau and Natalie Murphy, are responsible for maintaining all social media outlets - Facebook, Twitter and the blog. They are also handling media relations, promotions, all communication efforts and collaboration with video production. All team members are senior public relation majors and are excited to be part of this once in a lifetime journey for Appalachian students.
Sam Howe is a senior communication student with a concentration in electronic media and broadcasting. He has always been passionate about work in video production which is fueled by his constant attention to detail. Sam aspires to one day produce film or video for a major production or motion picture company. His project responsibilities include producing, lighting and shooting interviews, along with producing, editing and finalizing research/journey videos for the Industrial Design class. This is all part of their road to the competition and research taking part on behalf of Eastman.
Four communication students from Dr. Olga Zatepilina-Monacell's Public Relations Practices class have also teamed up to work with the collaboration between Eastman and Industrial Design students. Students Melissa Vega, Ben Onstot, Taylor Bureau and Natalie Murphy, are responsible for maintaining all social media outlets - Facebook, Twitter and the blog. They are also handling media relations, promotions, all communication efforts and collaboration with video production. All team members are senior public relation majors and are excited to be part of this once in a lifetime journey for Appalachian students.
