Offered: Every Fall      

Unit load and parcel supply chains. Principles of operation and design of warehouse distribution and fulfillment centers. Principles of operation and design of shipping and distribution systems. The relation between packaging design, pallet design, and unit load design and the operation of industrial consumer goods supply chain.

Mechanical properties of wood including concepts of stress, strain, Poisson's ratio, orthotropic properties, tension, compression, bending and effects of moisture on mechanical properties. Current issues of wood mechanics in the wood product industry. Standard methods of evaluating important mechanical properties or solid wood, composites and fiber.

Offered: Every Fall

Understanding, identification, and measurement of hazards in physical distribution. Design and analysis of packaging protection against such hazards as shock, vibration, compression, and climate. Includes laboratory tests of shock, vibration and compression, and performance testing of packaging and components.

Offered: Every Fall         

Wood pallet design and performance. The design of wood containers and crates. Design and performance of unit loads. Design and performance of unit load equipment, i.e. conveyors, racking systems, automatic guided vehicles, fork trucks. Principles of unit load design. Mechanical interactions between pallets, packaging, and unit load handling equipment. Unit load stabilization techniques, i.e. strapping, stretch wrapping. International phytosanitation regulations of solid wood packaging; Principles of dunnage, blocking and bracing.

Offered: Every Spring           Special Study

Industrial management topics of current interest explored from a global perspective. Current domestic and international challenges resulting from a global marketplace and the proliferation of information and technology. Industrial management and organizational performance, total quality management, business process re-engineering, leadership, organizational change, role of communication and information, and ethics. Examination and comparison across international boundaries. II

Introductory polymer, adhesion, and materials science of wood-based composites. Manufacture, performance, and testing of particulate, strand, and veneer-based composites, including wood-thermoplastic composites. Contemporary wood adhesions, binders, and matrices.

Fundamentals for food science and technology. Integration of basic principles of food safety, human nutrition, food spoilage, and sensory evaluation with the appropriate technology of food preservation and processing. II

Macroscopic and microscopic structure and basic chemical composition of biomaterials including wood, grasses, bamboo, and  bagasse.  Impact of structure on physical and mechanical properties. Identification of commercially important woods and other biomaterials.  Preparation and analysis of microscope slides and scanning electron micrographs.

Physical properties of plant-derived materials and biobased polymer composites. Measurement techniques. Structure and influence on transport properties, response to heat, moisture, electricity, and light.

Offered: Every Fall       Special Study

Introduction to synthetic and natural polymer science and engineering as applied to packaging science. Packaging polymer morphology, rheology, physical properties. Processing methods, and polymerization. Detailed study of relationships among processing, structure, and properties. Industrial scale production of packaging articles in the area of flexible and rigid packaging.

Offered: Every Spring     

Paper and paperboard properties and types. Types and performance of flexible paper packaging, sacks, and wraps. Folding carton design, properties of corrugated fiberboard. Corrugated fiberboard container design and performance. Packaging regulations and hazards of the distribution environment. Printing, labeling and automatic identification methods.

Offered: Every Spring           Special Study

Many types of food and health care packaging. Types, materials and properties, fabrication and functions for food and health care packaging systems. Sustainable food packaging, medical device packaging, aseptic packaging, package/product interactions, smart active packaging, handling of packages, and modified atmospheric packaging.

Basic principles, unit operations, and equipment involved in the commercially important food processing methods and unit operations; materials and containers used in food packaging; food laws, regulations, and standards. II

Microeconomics. Consumer behavior and demand, firm behavior and supply, price determination and market equilibrium under varying industry structure. Applications to labor and financial markets.

Expected offering: 2013 Spring           Special Study

Study of the legal and regulatory issues affecting primary, secondary, and tertiary packaging and packaging systems.  Labeling, food and drug, intellectual property, shipping, structural, and environmental laws and regulations affecting packaging design and use.

Offered: Every Spring       

Study of marketing systems and methods used by North American primary and secondary forest product industries. Emphasis on wood product industries. Marketing of hardwood lumber, softwood lumber, panels, composites, furniture, and paper products. Role of North American industries and markets in world trade of forest products.