AP-FECM Online Seminar

Picture source: UBC Forestry

To engage the AP-FECM Steering Committee in advancing innovation in forestry education in the AP-FECM region and keep our communication regular, the AP-FECM Executive Office (EO) has proposed and coordinated the AP-FECM Online Seminar with the confirmation from the AP-FECM Steering Committee.

This seminar will be organized by each AP-FECM Steering Committee on a rotational basis. The on-duty steering committee is responsible for contacting the speaker and promoting the event within their universities and regions. The invited steering committee can give the talk or recommend one expert to give the talk. EO can help promote the seminars to all AP-FECM members and post them on the AP-FECM website.  The seminar will be recorded and posted online.

Seminar time: The first Thursday of each month, can be adjusted to another day if necessary. 

Seminar frequency and duration: Once per month, 1 hour each time. 45 min presentation+15 min Q&A is recommended.

Seminar topics: In 2025, our webinar focuses on the theme of innovation and new trends in forestry and forestry education. As a result of rapid climate change, biodiversity loss and new technological advances, the continued importance of forests to humans, and the threats that forests face, the careers of forestry professionals are evolving rapidly, especially in the Asia Pacific region. Higher forestry education in the Asia Pacific region has been evolving rapidly over the past few years to keep up with the evolving trends in the forestry sector and to accommodate the needs of students and society.

Innovation and new trends in forestry or forestry education can be shared in the webinars, for example, new trends in technology in forestry, teaching pedagogy, conceptual developments, paradigm shifts and program and curriculum innovation are all suitable topics for webinars.

Our Next Webinar:

AP-FECM webinar

Title: Bioinnovation Accelerates Through a Cross-Disciplinary Framework

Time: Thursday, February 27, 2025, 06:00-07:00 PM Pacific Time  (Vancouver)

Zoom Link: https://ubc.zoom.us/j/66164346109?pwd=0VG9F4VZhd4WoK7nHdoadWpFg10nsb.1

Meeting ID: 661 6434 6109

Passcode: 260853

Abstract:

I will present recent activities at the Bioproducts Institute (UBC, Canada), focusing on strategies to organize cross-disciplinary research clusters that drive impactful innovations in the circular bioeconomy. The discussion will highlight several research lines on cellulose and lignin valorization, as well as liquid-in-liquid assembly for controlling material organization into hierarchical architectures. This approach enables independent control of morphology at both millimeter and meter scales.

Additionally, I will explore processing routes that transform low-value residual biomass into high-performance, all-green materials derived from cellulose fibers and chitin. These materials demonstrate recyclability and biodegradability in natural environments, addressing challenges related to circularity and the end-of-life of non-renewable products. Given the low cost of raw materials, their inherent microstructural design, and self-adhesion properties, this work presents fully sustainable alternatives to fossil-based products. The impact of these technologies hinges on our ability to precisely control interactions between material components, making them ideal platforms for synthesizing functional constructs across diverse applications.

Profile:

Professor Orlando Rojas is a Canada Excellence Research Chair at the University of British Columbia and the Director of the Bioproducts Institute. He is internationally renowned for his work in biobased and sustainable materials and soft matter. Among his many prestigious honors is the Anselme Payen Award, the highest recognition in cellulose and renewable materials research. He is also an elected Fellow of both the American Chemical Society (2013) and the Finnish Academy of Science and Letters (2017).

Earlier in his career, Dr. Rojas held the title of Finland Distinguished Professor and was named an inaugural North Carolina State University Faculty Scholar. He is also a recipient of the European Research Council Advanced Grant, one of the most prestigious research grants in Europe. He maintains collaborations with universities in Europe, South America, China and Malaysia.

Prof. Rojas serves on the Selection Committee of the Marcus Wallenberg Foundation and holds scientific advisory roles for several organizations, including the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, the VALUED project with Imperial College, Bristol and Cambridge and the Materials Institute of the University of Santiago de Compostela (iMATUS). He is an Emeritus Editor of the Journal of Dispersion Science and Technology and an Associate Editor of ACS Biomacromolecules.

With approximately 600 peer-reviewed publications, Prof. Rojas’ contributions to biobased colloids have garnered an h-index of 104 and over 48,000 citations. He ranks among the top 1% of researchers globally by citations (Clarivate, Web of Science).

2025 Tentative Schedule

Seminar time (Vancouver time)	On-duty Steering Committee (Host)	Invited Steering Committee	Speaker	Title
6 PM, February 27, 2025,	AP-FECM Executive Office	Dr. John Innes, Faculty of Forestry, University of British Columbia, Canada	Dr. Orlando Rojas	Bioinnovation Accelerates Through a Cross-Disciplinary Framework
6PM, March 06, 2025	Dr. John Innes	Dr. Antanas Spokevicius, School of Agriculture, Food and Ecosystem Sciences, University of Melbourne, Australia
7PM, April 03, 2025	Dr. Antanas Spokevicius	Dr. Mohammed Al-Amin, Institute of Forestry and Environmental Sciences, Chittagong University, Bangladesh
7PM, May 01, 2025	Dr. Mohammed Al-Amin	Dr. Cristián Bonacić, Department of Ecosystems & The Environment, Pontifical Catholic University of Chile
7PM, June 05, 2025	Dr. Cristián Bonacić	Dr. Xiong Li, Beijing Forestry University, China
7PM, July 03, 2025	Dr. Xiong Li	Dr. Hao Ren, College of International Education, Nanjing Forestry University, China
7PM, August 07, 2025	Dr. Hao Ren	Dr. Weibin Wang, Southwest Forestry University, China
7PM, September 04, 2025	Dr. Weibin Wang	Dr. Baatarbileg Nachin, National University of Mongolia
7PM, October 02, 2025	Dr. Baatarbileg Nachin	Dr. Jorge Mario Chavez, Faculty of Forestry Sciences, La Molina National Agrarian University, Peru
7PM, November 06, 2025	Dr. Jorge Mario Chavez	Dr. Juan M. Pulhin, Department of Social Forestry and Forest Governance, College of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Philippines Los Baños, Philippines
6PM, December 04, 2025	Dr. Juan M. Pulhin	Dr. DKNG Pushpakumara, Department of Crop Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka
6PM, January 01, 2026	Dr. DKNG Pushpakumara	Dr. Rachanee Pothitan, Faculty of Forestry, Kasetsart University, Thailand
6PM, February 05, 2026	Dr. Rachanee Pothitan	Dr. Hoang Van Sam, Director of International Cooperation Division, Vietnam National University of Forestry