Welcome

I am the Scientific Aide for the Forest Prodcuts Department at the University of Idaho. I serve several roles within the department including:

Research Assistant for Undergraduate/Graduate Research

 

Teaching Assistant
- Forest Products 101 - Introduction to Forest Products
- Forest Products 436 - Wood Composites
- Forest Products 491 - Product Development

Service Work for Clients
- Manufacturing and analysis of composite materials such as particle board, OSB, and WPC
- Testing and analysis of solid sawn lumber and logs
- Composite material development
- Tree Ring Density Profiling using X- rays

- Wood Ash Content, Chemical Composition (GC- MS, FTIR, HPLC), Calorific Value, Lignin Content, etc.
- Mechanical testing of wood and composites

 

Other Research

- WPC based packaging materials

- Wood Fundamentals - Juvenile Wood

- Food based packaging materials

 

If you have any questions or any inquiries about testing services please contact me via email or by phone.

 

CV

EDUCATION
Master of Science - Forest Products (Wood Chemistry and Composites)

University of Idaho 2006
Thesis topic: The Effect of Utilizing Micrometer Sized Wood Fibers in Wood Plastic Composites
Bachelor of Science - Wood Products (Processing/Manufacturing and Business/Marketing)
Pennsylvania State University 2003
RELATED EXPERIENCE
Department of Forest Products, University of Idaho
Moscow, ID July 2003 - Present
Scientific Aide - September 2005 - Present
- Manufacturing and analysis of composite materials such as particle board, OSB, and WPC
- Testing and analysis of solid sawn lumber and logs
- Data acquisition and analysis for faculty members and clients
- Act as an aide in graduate research as well as in undergraduate research
- Responsible for general state of lab: organization, equipment maintenance, cleanliness, research and equipment scheduling

Graduate Research Assistant - July 2003 - September 2005
- Experience with the plastic processing equipment including extrusion and injection molding
- Experience with DSC, rheological, and Instron test equipment
Teaching Assistant
- Wood Composites (Spring 2005) - Responsible for laboratory portion of class including plywood, LVL, WPC, and particle board production and testing
- Wood Anatomy and Identification (Fall 2004) - Responsible for review sessions and grading
Trex Company, LLC
Winchester, VA Summer 2002
Intern - Technical Development
Research on wood polyethylene composites
- Collaborated with a chemical company in the development of a deck wash including instructions, testing, and label
- Provided technical support and field assistance to sales representatives nation- wide
- Updated Trex Stain Removal Guide
- Investigated the effect of wood supply on final color
University of Maine, Advanced Engineered Wood Composites Center
Orono, ME Summer 2001
Research Experience for Undergraduates
Independent research on "Properties of Hardwood Plastic Composites Extruded from a Davis- Standard Woodtruder"
Coastal Lumber Company
Hopwood, PA Summer 2000 & December 2000
Intern/Laborer
Assistant log scaler, lumber stacker, and minor administrative duties
PUBLICATIONS/PRESENTATIONS/OTHER
- Gallagher, Lance W.; Shaler, Stephen M.; Gardner, Douglas J.; O'Neil, Shane; and Celeste Farrah. 2002. Properties of Hardwood Polymer Composites Extruded from a Davis- Standard Woodtruder. In the Conference Proceedings of Progress in Wood Fibre- Plastic Composites. Toronto, Canada. Poster
- Gallagher, Lance W.; McDonald, Armando G.; Sundar, Smith T.; and Michael P. Wolcott. 2004. Micro- Woodfiber Composites. In the Conference Proceedings of Progress in Wood Fibre- Plastic Composites. Toronto, Canada. Poster
- McDonald, Armando G.; Gallagher, Lance W.; Sundar, Smith T.; and Michael P. Wolcott. 2004. The Effect of Particle Size on Wood Plastic Composite Performance. In the Conference Proceedings of the North American Thermal Analysis Society Conference. Williamsburg, VA. Presentation
- Gallagher, Lance W.; Sundar, Smith T.; McDonald, Armando G.; and Michael P. Wolcott. 2005. The Effect of Particle Size and Wood Surface Modification on Wood Plastic Composite Performance. In the Proceedings of the 59th Appita Annual Conference and Exhibition Incorporating 13th ISWFPC Pre-Symposium. May 12-13. Rotorua, New Zealand.
- Gallagher, Lance W.; Sundar, Smith T.; McDonald, Armando G.; and Michael P. Wolcott. 2005. Effect of Woodfiber Modification and Particle Size on Wood- Plastic Composite Performance. In the Conference Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Woodfiber-Plastic Composites (and other natural fibers). Madison, WI. Presentation

OTHER EXPERINCE
National Property Inspections
Moscow, ID July 2003- May 2004
- Conducted home inspections in a team environment
ACTIVITIES
- Board Member, Palouse Roadrunners - 2008 - Present
- Webmaster and Board Member, Washington, Idaho, and Montana Railway Historical Preservation Group - 2007 - Present
- Lead and Webmaster, Palouse Empire Railroad Society - 2007 to Present
- Academic Advisor, Xi Sigma Pi - Epsilon Chapter 2008 - Present
- Member, North American Rail Car Operators - 2008 - Present
- President, PSU Forest Products Society Spring 2001 - Spring 2003
- Forester (President). Xi Sigma Pi - Eta Chapter Fall 2002 - Spring 2003
AWARDS
- Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi
- Coaly Society - Penn State
- Golden Key International Honour Society
- Gamma Sigma Delta, Honor Society of Agriculture
- 2000 - 2002 Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences Student Scholarship Recipient