Influence of Cross Plies on Veneer-Based Mass Timber Moisture Durability

Graduate Student Name: 
Tanya Laird
Email Address: 
Faculty mentor/Supervisor: 
Ari Sinha
Email Address (Faculty mentor/Supervisor): 
Department Affiliation: 
Wood Science & Engineering
Job Location: 
Richardson Hall, OSU Campus
Description of project or research opportunity: 
This project consists of investigating the influence of cross ply density on moisture durability of veneer-based mass timber elements and connections. The experimental work consists of subjecting samples with varying cross-lamination densities to different moisture exposure regimens and investigating their hygroscopic performance and performance in a variety of structural tests.
Tasks student will perform: 
Tasks will include massing, measuring sample dimensions, sample testing, and data entry/recording. The student will not be working with hazardous chemicals, power tools, etc. The samples I'm using are all prepared on power tools, but I am the only one who will produce them. The student would only work with samples post-manufacture. If an undergraduate student is already approved to work in the shop environment and has all the necessary training and certifications, some production could be assigned to them if they wish. But my current plan would be to do all of the potentially dangerous tasks myself and only have the student perform extremely low-risk activities such as massing, dimensioning, data entry, etc.
Special skills required: 
None. Knowledge of Excel is a plus, but no skills are required that cannot be rapidly instructed.
Proposed dates of employment (must be between June 19 and September 4): 
Monday, July 1, 2024 to Sunday, September 1, 2024
Anticipated hours worked per week: 
20