Apr 13 2009
Pierre Lapointe, president and C.E.O. of FPInnovations, will make a keynote presentation at the 2009 International Conference on Nanotechnology for the Forest Products Industry, presented by TAPPI and Alberta Ingenuity, June 23-26, 2009 in Edmonton, Alberta Canada. The theme of this year's event is "Unlocking the Potential of Nano-Enabled Biomaterials."
Lapointe will present "NCC: The Revolution," on Wednesday, June 24. Derived from wood, nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC) has generated interest from the scientific community because of its biodegradability, strength and other characteristics. Lapointe will provide one of five keynote presentations at the conference.
Lapointe has served as President and C.E.O. of FPInnovations since December 1st, 2008. FPInnovations emerged from the efficient amalgamation of the three main Canadian forest sector research institutes (Paprican, Feric and Forintek Canada Corp.) and the Canadian Wood Fibre Centre, a component of Natural Resources Canada (NRCan). FPInnovations employs a combined staff of over 650 and manages an annual budget of approximately $100 million, making it the world's largest private forestry and forest products research institute.
During recent years, Mr. Lapointe headed l'Institut national de la recherché scientifique (INRS) and managed the integration of l'Institut Armand-Frappier. He also initiated numerous agreements and partnerships with the global scientific community while taking an integrated development approach to international research and training.
Early on in his career, he worked in research and management with various research teams at NRCan. He was subsequently appointed Director General of the Geological Survey of Canada (GSC) Information and Services Branch, where he created the Quebec Geoscience Center (QGC) as part of a unique partnership between a university institute (INRS) and a government agency (GSC), a component of NRCan with offices across Canada.
He has also played a major role in the successful completion of many important projects such as the creation of the Centre de développement des biotechnologies de Laval, the Centre des biosciences, the Centre national de biologie expérimentale, the Laboratoire de micro et de nanofabrication, and the Laboratoire international de source de rayonnement laser ultrarapide. As well, he has partnered with Montréal International, the government of Canada, and the government of Quebec to obtain the World Anti-Doping Agency which moved its headquarters from Lausanne to Montreal.
In addition to Mr. Lapointe's presentation and a technical program including more than 40 presentations, conference attendees will tour Canada's National Institute for Nanotechnology (NINT) on Tuesday, June 23. Located on the University of Alberta campus in Edmonton, this 20,000 m2 research facility was founded in 2001. NINT is an integrated, multi-disciplinary institution with researchers in physics, chemistry, engineering, biology, informatics, pharmacy and medicine. Its objective is to discover design rules for nanotechnology and develop platforms for building nanosystems and materials that are constructed for specific applications. Attendees will hear brief presentations from NINT scientists and enjoy a reception with light refreshments.
This internationally known event brings together leading researchers, industry experts, government representatives and other stakeholders to share advances, perspectives and discuss new ideas and breakthrough concepts on nanotechnology-based advances. More details are available at www.tappi.org/09nano.
Registration information is available through TAPPI's Member Connection Center, 1-800-332-8686 (US), 1-800-446-9431 (Canada), +1-770-446-1400, [email protected] .