POMONA, Calif. (BUSINESS WIRE) -- WoodWorks, an initiative of the Wood Products Council, has announced a partnership with California State Polytechnic University (Cal Poly) to develop a set of educational courses covering the use of wood in non-residential building design. The courses are intended for use in engineering programs nationwide and for the continuing education of industry professionals.

The project will involve California State University and faculty from other colleges throughout the country, including the University of California at Berkeley.
"The goal is to ensure that professionals have the skills to design non-residential structures in all major materials -- including wood," said Mikhail Gershfeld, professor of civil engineering at Cal Poly Pomona, who is leading the project. "When selecting structural materials, designers consider several factors. Inexperience with a particular material shouldn't be among them."

The agreement includes the development of 30 learning modules for design courses and is being developed by the Wood Education Institute, which consists of universities, design professionals and wood industry representatives.
"Wood offers a number of advantages, but most don't learn to work with wood during their education and there are misconceptions surrounding its use. This partnership will help fill a void in current curriculums while contributing to a broader skill set for professionals," said Bryan Schuyler, regional director of WoodWorks for California.

Participating universities include:
-- University of Wisconsin (Madison)
-- Washington State University
-- University of Buffalo
-- Oregon State University
-- University of California (Berkeley)
-- Colorado State University
-- University of Massachusetts (Amherst)
-- Cal Poly University (San Luis Obispo)
-- Cal Poly University (Pomona)
-- San Diego State University
-- California State University (Los Angeles)
-- Santa Clara University
"We want designers to consider wood based on its merits," said Schuyler. "As a major building material, wood is truly sustainable. It offers design flexibility, costs less, meets codes and performs well."

For more information, visit http://woodeducationinstitute.com.

WoodWorks

WoodWorks, an initiative of the Wood Products Council, is a cooperative venture of all the major wood associations in North America, as well as research organizations and government agencies. It provides information on the use of wood in non-residential structures. For information, call 1-866-966-3448 or visit www.woodworks.org.

SOURCE: Wood Products Council

Source: marketwatch.com