Data Mining Co-op Student – The University of British Columbia
As a Data Mining Intern, I have joined the Wood Sawmilling & Optimization Lab under the supervision of Professor Julie Cool. During my internship, I have assisted in wood machining project, process quality control project. I have been able to learn the basics of data analysis and also how to develop models for the analysis. As a Co-op student, I appreciate the chance to learn things that I would not learn in regular courses and also the opportunity to apply them into projects.
This summer, I’ve been working with Palandri Cabinets & Interior Finishing in Regina, Saskatchewan, as a cabinet designer/maker. Palandri specializes in designing and manufacturing high-quality cabinetry using advanced technology for efficient production. They offer a range of styles, from modern to traditional, and maintain top standards with premium materials and craftsmanship.
As both a designer and a maker, my daily work involves operating the CNC machine to cut panels in the workshop and designing complete cabinets for walls or rooms using computer-aided design (CAD) software. The design software our company uses is a flexible, powerful, and automated CNC software specialized for cabinetry that produces machine-ready G-code for our CNC machinery. With this advanced software, I am working to help bridge the gap between design and manufacturing from the front design desk to the back workshop, maintaining consistency and productivity throughout the process.
This is my first co-op term, and I really appreciate this job opportunity. I have experienced nearly every step of manufacturing whole-house customized cabinets. I even had the chance to go onsite to measure dimensions with the chief designer before starting the design plan, and to deliver and install the cabinets that I built, which gave me a comprehensive understanding of how things work!
Wood Products Manufacturing Analyst – Triforest Manufacturing Inc.
During my work, I held the position of quality inspector. My main work consisted of performing experiments and quality inspections. Every day I measured the length and width of the board, checked whether the color was correct, and whether there was a difference between the height of the board.
Over time, I took on more responsibilities in my role. In my second work term at Triforest, I conducted initial inspections and random checks in the laminating and molding workshops, as well as performing physical and chemical performance tests. The first thing I did each day was to inspect the surface, thickness, and decorative paper of the first batch of boards in the laminating workshop. In the panel division workshop, I checked for surface defects. In the molding workshop, I measured the length and width of the boards, ensured the colors were accurate, checked for height discrepancies, and assessed the tightness of the boards to ensure smooth slotting for the next board.
The company provided me with the opportunity to learn, so that I am more proficient in how to correctly do the physical and chemical performance test and the correct steps and precautions of inspection. To succeed in this role, I learned that time and effort are necessary conditions.
Project Management Co-op Student – Mercer International Inc.
This summer I have been working at Mercer Mass Timber as a Project Coordinator in Okanagan Falls, BC. I have been able to work closely with two project managers on a variety of projects, from small to large. A few tasks that I have helped with been involved with are scheduling, procurement, and compiling submittal information. One of the main projects that I have had the chance to work on is the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library which is currently under construction in North Dakota. Through previous detailing experience, I have been able to be involved in the design process of certain aspects of this project by modelling ideas from concepts and drawings. While in the office, I can visit the plant floor to observe the manufacturing process and monitor the progress of the projects that I am working on.
This work term is my fourth and final as I will be graduating this upcoming May. Throughout my experience in the co-op program, I have gained so much knowledge and skills that I wouldn’t have otherwise. The co-op program has allowed me to pave the pathway for my career upon graduation by creating connections and experiencing different jobs.
General Manager – Element Lifestyle Retirement Inc.
I handle the company’s daily marketing business, focusing primarily on promoting our soft and hard furnishings, renovations, and structural design. I also gather and document user feedback for analysis.
Currently, we are in discussions and collaboration with Dr. Hung, a professor specializing in healthcare robotics at UBC. We are exploring ways to advance business automation through research and in-depth conversations, aiming to achieve goals such as energy saving and service automation.
Sawmill Quality Control Assistant – West Fraser Mills Ltd.
For my second co-op term, I have been working for West Fraser at Williams Lake Sawmill as a Quality Control Assistant. It was an amazing journey where I was exposed to many aspects of safety, quality control, data analysis, and project management.
Furthermore, I took the lumber grading course and got an A ticket. I learned how the machine centers work, how to do simulations in the Canter system, and how to conduct basic quality control work like measuring boards and troubleshooting issues. In addition, I communicated between operators and supervisors on quality issues, as well as collected and analyzed data via Excel.
For me, joining co-op is a great chance to apply what I learned from courses to real production and experience different jobs in the wood industry.
Timber Engineering and Applied Mechanics (TEAM) Laboratory Assistant – The University of British Columbia
I have been working with my supervisors at the Faculty of Forestry & Environmental Stewardship’s Timber Engineering and Applied Mechanics (TEAM) Laboratory at the University of British Columbia on understanding the structural behavior and mechanical test procedures of structural wood products. I have gained extensive knowledge by reading books provided by my supervisor, which cover procedure for various mechanical tests and structural behavior of structural wood products. I have assisted the TEAM lab in completing a range of experiments, including the screw tensile test, monotonic loading test, reverse cyclic loading test, screw withdrawal test, lumber bending test, and hardness test.
During this time, I used the mechanical test system and the Instron machine. This hands-on experience has been invaluable, allowing me to understand the basic rules and mechanical properties of different wood products.
Through my co-op term, not only have I developed my technical skills and knowledge but also gained a deeper appreciation for the practical applications of my studies.
For my first term with the UBC Co-op program, I spent a summer working as a Junior Forest Technician for Strategic Natural Resource Consultants. During my time there I was given the opportunity to participate in many different roles within the field of forestry including boundary and road traverse, layout and stream assessments but the position I enjoyed taking on the most was Goshawk Surveys.
During my time at Strategic, I assessed and collected data for nests of endangered North American Goshawks. I surveyed second-growth forest territories for feathers, pellets and other bird sign. I also became familiar with basic visual and auditory Bird ID for species native to coastal BC and took notes on what birds I observed in a territory. Later in the summer season, I had the opportunity to count how many chicks were present within a territory and observe the fledgling hawks fly the nest.
I joined the co-op program to open doors for work experiences I would not have otherwise known about. Before entering this work term I had no wildlife biology experience, now through this co-op have gained data collection skills, species ID knowledge and a broader understanding of ecology within the field of forestry.
UBC Forestry & Environmental Stewardship congratulates PhD student Kimiya Rahmani (Taraneh Sowlati, supervisor) on being the only Faculty of Forestry & Environmental Stewardship participant to advance to the 2025 UBC 3MT finals, which took place on March 14, 2025.
Kimiya previously presented her research project, “Optimizing the Slash Supply Chain for Bioproduct Production,” on March 4, where she placed fourth in the Forestry 3MT heat. Watch her presentation from the Forestry heat here.
3MT, an academic competition developed by the University of Queensland, challenges participants to explain the breadth and significance of their research in just three minutes to a non-specialist audience. This year, more than 119 students across campus participated in heat events.
Interdisciplinary collaborations are transforming forestry resources into the next generation of sustainable bioproducts.
Single-use plastic shopping bags may have been banned in BC since 2023, but petrochemical-based products continue to accumulate in landfills and almost every part of the food chain. Materials made from renewable resources, such as those being investigated at UBC’s BioProducts Institute (BPI), form part of the vision for a circular bioeconomy that closes the loop in the product lifecycle.
Bio-based materials are made from compounds found in biological matter, such as wood fibres. All vascular plants naturally contain cellulose and lignin, the most abundant biopolymers in the biosphere. In the lab, these compounds can be isolated and fractionated to create products with some of the highest mechanical strength or impact-absorbing properties, including foams comparable to their polystyrene and polyurethane counterparts.
Established in 2016 as a UBC Global Research Centre, BPI brings together expertise in the natural sciences, engineering, forestry, economic analysis, policy and social sciences to find solutions to address the challenges of waste and greenhouse gas emissions, both of which are contributing to the climate and environmental emergencies.
“BPI’s collaborative research is discovering how to transform the by-products of forestry and agriculture – along with ocean residues and food waste – into market-ready materials, chemicals and fuels,” says BPI Scientific Director and UBC Forestry & Environmental Stewardship Prof. Orlando Rojas, who is also the Canada Excellence Research Chair in Bioproducts.
The research consortium streamlines the process of translating discoveries made in the lab into commercial opportunities to de-fossilize the supply chain.”
Reducing harms from plastic pollution
Petroleum-based foams and plastics are difficult to recycle and persist in the environment for anywhere from 20 to 500 years. Micro- and nano-plastics are now found throughout the environment, including in the food chain, where they can enter the bloodstream.
Unlike plastics, which break apart into smaller microplastics and nanoplastics, the particles generated by biobased foams can rapidly biodegrade back into the environment.
A BPI researcher showcases a novel ‘non-animal leather’ derived from wood. This material combines the flexibility of traditional leather, or synthetic alternatives, with exceptional strength, surpassing counterparts made from agricultural waste, mycellium or other sustainable biomaterials.
A solution spearheaded by BPI is designed to help remove microplastics from water using a combination of the natural plant compound, tannins and forestry by-products, such as sawdust and bark. Called the bioCap filter, testing of the system has shown that it can remove almost all micro- and nano-plastic particles from water. Researchers are now investigating possible applications in wastewater treatment or household water filtration.
Another product being explored is a collaboration between the BPI team and Apple Inc. The companies are in the ideation phase of a new line of bio-based foams to be used as cushioning packaging for Apple’s electronics. Orlando anticipates a steady growth in demand for sustainable product solutions such as this among other electronics companies and any other industry in need of product packaging.
“Society at large, policymakers and industry are becoming aware that non-renewable, non-recyclable and non-biodegradable products are creating pollution and waste accumulation in nature that cannot be allowed to persist,” says Orland.
“Together with the government and industry partners, BPI is working to expand the availability of marketable bio-based materials, including those from plant fibres.”
Dr. Ran Bi, BPI Senior Researcher, pours a liquid wood-derived foam onto a drainage unit. The foaming process suspends wood fibres by replacing about 70% of water with air bubbles. Applications of the foam are being explored towards the development of light-weight materials used in such things as biobased packaging and insulation materials.
Both Canada and the US are rich in fibre resources from forests, along with biomass waste from forestry and agricultural operation: all of which are prime sources of carbon, says Orland. When left to decompose or burned in fields or slash pies, this plant matter releases carbon dioxide – a greenhouse gas that is driving climate change – into the atmosphere.
Forestry presents an opportunity to sustainably utilize cellulose, lignin and other biomolecules extracted from slash and forest operations waste to make biodegradable renewable and less-carbon-intensive products. Agricultural feedstocks and built-up organic matter on forest floors can also be transformed into bio-based materials used for everyday purposes, including biofuels, such as the ones being developed through a collaboration between UBC and the BC-SMART Biofuels Consortium.
“Wood-fibre bio-based materials can open new markets within the forest sector and generate new value-added products.”
Among the many research and development projects underway at BPI are cellulose-based electrodes for batteries, textile filaments, carbon capture materials and smart and flexible packaging, notes Orlando.
“BPI is leveraging the capabilities of nature as a means to achieve our goal to reduce the production of waste and pollution,” Orlando says. “Using science and insights from biological processes, the knowledge base we are building is accelerating collaborations and spurring bio-innovation for a greener, more sustainable world.”
