Ecologue

OSU students at the Corvallis campus are eligible for up to $500 per academic year to participate in professional development opportunities. The Student Sustainability Initiative is seeking proposals that benefit OSU students and the SSI’s mission of “Advancing student efforts to create a culture of sustainability at OSU through opportunity, education, and action” are preferred.

At the end of winter term 2016, I had the opportunity to fly all the way to Curitiba, Brazil to present at the 59^th annual SWST conference. The presentation I gave was titled “Roadblocks, Hurdles, and Glass Ceilings: The Female Executive Perspective” and was based on the research I have been doing at OSU with Professor Dr. Eric Hansen since Winter term 2015 about the impacts of gender diversity on the forest sector.

My presentation was about 20 minutes long, including some plentiful Q&A. In addition to presenting my research, I also had the opportunity to listen to all types of other presentations about current topics within forest products covering subjects discussed in my major classes including wood chemistry, life cycle analysis, forest products business trends, and sustainable log sourcing practices, as well as attend a local Brazilian wood building products trade show (seen on the left).

Along with the academic experiences of this trip I was fortunate to get an amazing cultural learning experience as well. I was exposed to Brazilian foods, customs, and people. Having never been to South America,this was all very new and different to me.  I greatly appreciate the SSI for helping me attend this conference and be a part of all the researchers sharing their research to help grow the wood products industry and help promoting a more sustainable culture globally.