Runs Batted In

Will this be the year the Chicago Cubs repeat their World Series win? Perhaps a couple of no-hitters will be pitched, a new season home run record established, or possibly a runs batted in (RBI) record will be set?

In non-baseball terms, RBI stands for the Renewable Bioproducts Institute located at Georgia Tech in Atlanta, Ga., USA, which on March 7-8 held its Annual Executive Conference in Atlanta. The theme for this year's conference was Growing Resources Today for a Sustainable Tomorrow: People, Technologies, and Ideas. I and approximately 150-175 people had the privilege of attending this event.

Though they continue to get better every year, this was one of the best I have attended. The week was very special for me because I was in the presence of three former TAPPI Board Chairs: Kathleen Bennett, Norman Marsolan, and Chris Luettgen, all in the same room.

The conference began with John Williams, CEO of Domtar, giving an outstanding Keynote address on Building Blocks of Our Industry’s Future. The schedule continued with an RBI Endowment Portfolio Overview, two track sessions covering six very important topics for our industry, a special student section titled The Student Experience: Effective Means & Value of Industry Experience featuring student panels, a buffet lunch, and two poster sessions. The Day One schedule also included highlights of GT faculty research, Session 4’s RAPID Initiative: Opportunities for Bioproducts Advancement, and Flash Reports from Georgia Tech. Whew, and that was just the first day!

Dione Morton of GT (left) and TAPPI Student Chapter Treasurer Yoon Joo Na are seen in the photo on the left helping with Chris Luettgen’s class registration during Part 2 of the poster session. A total of 60 new Student Members of TAPPI were signed. (Please note how creative they are with a set of USB thumb drives.)

members of GT’s faculty who described their specific areas of expertise. The day concluded with the five leaders of Georgia Tech IRI’s (Interdisciplinary Research Institutes) commenting on the specific areas of each IRI.

In Norman Marsonlan’s own words: "The Renewable Bioproducts Institute is a place of extraordinary interactions. It’s a setting where people and ideas come together to create innovative technologies through groundbreaking research. As we examine how best to meet the needs of a growing population and reduce the use of non-renewable resources, we see the world of Bioproducts and bioprocessing as key to lasting solutions. RBI has the people, ideas, and technology to lead the way in this new revolution toward a more sustainable global environment."

In addition to these exemplary qualities and mission, RBI is proud to have 13 Member Companies whose engagement makes possible the advancement of RBI’s research, programs, and students.

If your company is not a member, I recommend that you contact RBI Executive Director Norman Marsolan at 404-894-2082 to see how your company can become involved.