Over the past month I have had the privilege to speak to a faculty group and a Innovator's conference through Oregon State University's department of Wood Science and Engineering.  The first presentation was with a group of tenured research faculty interested in how Coyle uses wood and cork as helmet materials.  The second was to a mixed group of private wood products industry folks, students and graduate students interested in hearing how the commercialization process evolves for a product like Tree Piece.  Lots of great questions were asked and a few really valuable contacts were made.  Tomorrow I will be talking with someone about developing a new product that would be entirely unprecedented as a result of these contacts.  Going in with fingers crossed! 

There are products and improvements that come out of such interactions and I am so grateful to have such a top notch forestry and wood science university right here in Corvallis, Oregon.