Posted: April 6, 2009

Thought leader George Weyerhaeuser to be keynoter at nanotechnology conference

(Nanowerk News) George Weyerhaeuser Jr., partner at Houghton Cascade, will make a keynote presentation at the 2009 International Conference on Nanotechnology for the Forest Products Industry, presented by TAPPI and Alberta Ingenuity, June 23-26, 2009 in Edmonton, Alberta Canada. The theme of this year’s event is “Unlocking the Potential of Nano-Enabled Biomaterials.”
Weyerhaeuser will present “Technology in Forest Products – The Changing Global Context,” on Friday, June 26. He will provide one of five keynote presentations at the conference. Weyerhaeuser will address how ongoing global negotiations on climate and trade will influence future markets for forest products. He will also address potential impacts on the prospects of nanotechnology innovation, and how perceived risks of this new technology could color this dialog.
Before joining Houghton Cascade, Weyerhaeuser was a Senior Fellow at the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD). His work at WBCSD focused on intellectual property, technology policy, energy and mobility.
Prior to his term at WBCSD, Weyerhaeuser was a member of the senior management team at Weyerhaeuser Company. He was elected senior vice president, Technology, in 1998, and was responsible for purchasing, transportation and research and development.
He joined Weyerhaeuser Company in 1978. He held various positions in pulp and paper manufacturing, wood products, research, and timberlands. He served as president and chief executive officer of Weyerhaeuser Canada Ltd. from 1993 to 1998. His great-great grandfather Frederick Weyerhaeuser was one of the founders of Weyerhaeuser Company, which was incorporated in 1900.
Weyerhaeuser received his bachelor’s degree in philosophy/mathematics from Yale University in 1976, and a Master of Science degree from the Sloan School of Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in 1986.
Weyerhaeuser has served as an Oklahoma State Regent for Higher Education, as Chair of the Canada US Fulbright Foundation, as the Chair of the Institute of Paper & Science Technology (IPST) and as the Chair at Paprican. Weyerhaeuser currently serves as the Chair of Clearwater Investment Trust. He is also the chair of the University of British Columbia Forestry Advisory Council and of the Executive Board of the Sloan Center for Paper and Business Studies at Georgia Tech. He is a board member of the Museum of Glass and of the Thea Foss Waterway Public Development Authority.
In addition to Mr. Weyerhaeuser’s presentation and a technical program including more than 40 presentations, conference attendees will tour Canada’s National Institute for Nanotechnology (NINT) on Tuesday, June 23. Located on the University of Alberta campus in Edmonton, this 20,000 m2 research facility was founded in 2001. NINT is an integrated, multi-disciplinary institution with researchers in physics, chemistry, engineering, biology, informatics, pharmacy and medicine. Its objective is to discover design rules for nanotechnology and develop platforms for building nanosystems and materials that are constructed for specific applications. Attendees will hear brief presentations from NINT scientists and enjoy a reception with light refreshments.
This internationally known event brings together leading researchers, industry experts, government representatives and other stakeholders to share advances, perspectives and discuss new ideas and breakthrough concepts on nanotechnology-based advances. More details are available at www.tappi.org/09nano.
Registration information is available through TAPPI’s Member Connection Center, 1-800-332-8686 (US), 1-800-446-9431 (Canada), +1-770-446-1400, [email protected].
TAPPI is the leading association for the worldwide pulp, paper, packaging, and converting industries and co-publisher of Paper360°. Through information exchange, trusted content, and networking opportunities, TAPPI helps members elevate their performance by providing solutions that lead to better, faster, and more cost-effective ways of doing business.
Source: TAPPI