Registration is now open! Both the Thermoformed Molded Fiber Symposium and PDC Forum are included in one registration fee.

Wednesday, August 27, 2025

1:15-1:20 PM Welcome

1:20-2:00 PM “Forest-based Biorefinery to Renewable Packaging Initiative at Forest Products Laboratory” – Dr. Nicole Stark, Supervisory Research Chemical Engineer, USDA Forest Products Laboratory

2:00-2:30 PM “An Update on the Safety and Regulatory Status of MFC” – Jo Anne Shatkin, Vireo Advisors

2:30-3:00 PM Rapid Fire Student Presentations – Part 2Graduate students give short presentations on their posters

3:00-3:30 PM Break

3:30-4:00 PM “Raising all ships:  Sustainable Economic and Social Benefits of Food Preservation” – Sean Ireland, CEO and Co-Founder, CapaTec

4:00-4:30 PM “Growable Coatings: Combining CNFs and Mycelium for a New Approach to Plastic Replacements” – Dr. Caitlin Howell, Professor, Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, University of Maine

4:30-6:00 PM Reception and Student Poster Session and Competition

Thursday, August 28, 2025

8:00-8:30 AM Breakfast

8:30-9:00 AM “Shrinkage Reduction and Internal Curing in Concrete using Cellulose Nanofibrils” – Dr. Eric Landis, Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Maine

9:00-9:30 AM “Aqueous modification of pulp and cellulose nanofibrils for functional materials”  – Dr. Will Gramlich, Associate Professor, Chemistry, University of Maine

9:30-10:00 AM “CNF in Firefighting Foams” – James Anderson, University of Maine

10:00-10:30 AM Break

10:30-11:30 AM “Cellulose Nanofibrils: Image Analysis Shenanigans” – Dr. Robert Moon, Materials Research Engineer, USDA Forest Products Laboratory

11:30-12:00 PM Title TBA, Dr. Xuefeng Zhang, Associate Professor of Sustainable Materials & Technology, Advanced Structures & Composites Center, School of Forest Resources, University of Maine

12:00-1:00 PM Lunch

1:00-2:00 PM Tours