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Jake Gines: Sabbatical Report

During the summer/fall of 2022, Associate Professor Jacob Gines was granted a sabbatical from Mississippi State University to focus directly on his research interests, creative endeavors and professional development.

To kick things off, Gines was admitted into the Ph.D. program in the Department of Sustainable Bioproducts at MSU wherein his dissertation is focusing on “Mass Timber Utilization in 91����: Carbon Sequestration, Building Systems and Construction Practices.” He successfully defended his work plan, completed courses and is currently gathering data for his research projects. It is anticipated that he will complete his Doctoral degree in the summer of 2024.

In September, Gines traveled to the Forest Products Laboratory in Madison, Wisconsin as part of the MSU delegation to attend the Mass Timber Research Workshop. The week was spent working with representatives from the USDA, U.S. Forest Service and other institutions to help identify wood innovation and research funding opportunities for the upcoming grant cycle. The following month, Gines and Casey Anderson, Executive Director of the Mississippi Forestry Association, presented their collaborative work at the AIA Mississippi annual convention – “Building Mississippi’s Forest Economy.” Gines will present his research in 2023 at the Southern Pressure Treaters Association annual meeting and the Forest Products Society International Conference in Morgantown, West Virginia.

Gines’ professional endeavors took him to Italy multiple times during his sabbatical, including attending the Designing with Stone International Conference, which consisted of a series of professional workshops, manufacturer tours and quarry visits. The knowledge gained from this experience is directly impacting the ongoing development of the Materials course Gines teaches each spring semester. Other visits to Italy have been in conjunction with Gines’ role with his firm, Method Studio, in the design, selection and acquisition of stone for the Ephraim Utah Temple, which is currently under construction.

Professor Gines moved back into full-time teaching this spring.