About the Instructors

Joe Loferski, Ph. D., is professor of Wood Science and Forest Products (www.woodscience.vt.edu) at Virginia Tech. Joe has international reputation and experience in the areas of performance of wood and wood composites in buildings and preservation of historic wood buildings. He has consulted on the restoration and preservation of many historic buildings in the U.S. including the Library of Congress and Washington's Mount Vernon, and recently the preservation an Erie Canal Aqueduct. He also has experience in diagnosing problems with wood building components including flooring, siding, and problems stemming from insects, moisture, and improper flashing details. He has published test results of deck components to include deck ledger connections, guardrail post connects, and durability studies of the most common deck lumber species treated with preservative chemicals. He has taught courses on the performance of wood in buildings for more than 22 years at Virginia Tech.

Frank Woeste, P.E., Ph.D., is a Professor Emeritus at Virginia Tech and a wood construction and engineering consultant. Frank conducted wood engineering research and taught wood design courses throughout his 26-year tenure at Virginia Tech. His most recent research focused on design procedures for permanent wood truss bracing, practical design rules to prevent annoying residential floor vibrations, design of joists and sheathing supporting ceramic tile, and design and inspection of residential wood decks and balconies. Frank is responsible for Wood Bits, a column on practical design information for wood construction that appears in the ICC magazine (Building Safety). A list of his publications can be viewed at: www.woodscience.vt.edu/resumes/woeste1101.pdf