Inside Clemson University’s Workshop: Equipping Faculty to Teach Timber Engineering

That focus shaped the workshop agenda. Across nine sessions, three lead instructors—John Lawson, of Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo; Shiling Pei of the Colorado School of Mines; and Arijit Sinha of Oregon State University—walked participants through syllabus development, design standards, and code references, with both light-frame and mass timber examples, and the classroom activities that help students engage with wood design.

The faculty didn’t just observe; they left with course-ready examples, project prompts, and assignment ideas that they can adapt to their own programs. A session from Clemson’s Dustin Albright on architect-engineer collaboration added a cross-disciplinary lens, showing how timber projects come together when structural and architectural teams work in concert. 

And the learning extended well beyond the seminar room: At the Forestry and Environmental Conservation Building—Clemson’s latest mass timber building, constructed with southern pine CLT and hybrid glulam-and-steel systems—faculty saw those design principles at full scale, while a visit to the Clemson University Forest traced the material back to its source. 

A tour of Timberlab’s glulam fabrication facility near Greenville, SC allowed faculty to follow mass timber from the engineering model to the finished component and hear from an industry panel—Graham Montgomery, of Timberlab; David Impson of Britt, Peters and Associates; and Esmaeel Rahmani, of MiTek—on fabrication, construction, and workforce needs. 

For many, the value was as much about the people as the content. “Preparing to teach a Wood Design course, this workshop was incredibly valuable. I came away with practical teaching resources, a better understanding of timber engineering, and ideas I can bring directly into the classroom,” said Joyce Feng of San Francisco State University. “I would encourage anyone interested in timber engineering education to attend, not only for what you’ll learn, but also for the opportunity to connect with a community passionate about advancing both the profession and engineering education.” 

Each of the 30 faculty who attended returns to a department where they may be the first, or the only, educator teaching wood design. By sending them home with extensive resources, a clearer roadmap, and a national network of peers to lean on, Clemson University’s workshop helps ensure those educators are supported in their desire to teach wood design—and that far more students will encounter wood design before they graduate and enter the workforce.