WPE-Wood Products Engineering
Course Descriptions

WPE 132. Orientation Seminar: Construction Management and Wood Products Engineering (1)
One hour of lecture and discussion. Introduction to campus resources available to ensure academic success. Fall.

WPE 303. Construction Management and Wood Products Engineering Internship (1-3)
Full or part-time employment with an organization that involves the student in an educational experience in a professional establishment. A resident faculty member must serve as the student’s academic sponsor. A study plan that describes the internship’s educational goals must be submitted prior to its commencement. Fall and Spring.
Prerequisite: Upper-division status.

WPE 315. Production and Operation Management (3)
Three hours of lecture per week. Basic productivity issues and sim-ulation modeling. Students will learn basic productivity theories, construction productivity tools, and discrete-event simulation modeling. In addition to basic lectures, students are asked to select construction activities and develop computer simulation models to optimize construction operations by optimizing resource allocation. Spring.
Prerequisite: Junior of senior status.
Note: Credit will not be granted for both ERE 515 and WPE 315.

WPE 322. Mechanical Processing (3)
Two hours of lecture and three hours of laboratory. Primary log reduction methods and industry practices. Lumber grading. Wood cutting principles. Machining practice in secondary wood-using industries. Experience in the operation of certain primary and secondary machining equipment. Fall.

WPE 326. Fluid Treatment of Wood (3)
Two hours of lecture, three hours of laboratory. Basic wood-moisture relationships, wood shrinkage and swelling, permeability, thermal conductivity, wood drying and preservation treatments, and fire retardancy. Flow of fluids, heat and water vapor are treated as analogous phenomena related to the cellular structure of wood. Laboratory studies in relative humidity measurement, wood-moisture relations, relationships between wood permeability and drying and treatability, industrial wood drying, dry kiln operation and preservation treatments, and fire retardancy. Spring.
Prerequisite: WPE 387 or permission of instructor.
Note: Credit will not be granted for both WPE 326 and ERE 682.

WPE 330. Building Codes and Zoning Practices (3)
This course shall introduce the student to the New York State Building Code and local fire, zoning and administrative ordinances pertaining to the construction and maintenance of buildings. The student shall be introduced to building system classification; systems components including mechanical, electrical, fire and structural elements; and the need for safety regulations governing construction and occupancy of buildings. Emphasis shall be placed on construction plans review and code enforcement administration. Fall or Spring.

WPE 331. Construction Safety (3)
Three hours of lecture/discussion. Occupational Safety and Health Practices in the construction industry with coverage of the U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Regulations (CFR 1910 and 1926 Standards). Detailed study of Construction Safety and Hazardous Communications programs, personal protective equipment, tools, electrical power, ladders and scaffolding, floor and wall openings, cranes and power equipment. Special problems related to concrete work, erection and demolition. Fall.
Note: Credit will not be granted for both WPE 331 and ERE 531.

WPE 332. Mechanical and Electrical Equipment (3)
This course shall introduce the basic concepts of mechanical systems design and construction for residential and commercial buildings. Systems design and equipment selection are performed for heating, cooling, plumbing, sanitation, electrical, lighting, and acoustics. Emphasis is placed on the use of the New York State Building Code, the New York State Energy Conservation Code, the National Electrical Code and the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineering Manual. Spring.

WPE 335. Cost Engineering (3)
Three hours of lecture/discussion per week. Statistics, cost of money, rates of return, cash flow, budget development, cost tracking, productivity and progress, constructability and value engineering, change control and risk analysis. Fall.
Prerequisite: Upper division standing or permission of instructor.
Note: Credit will not be granted for both WPE 335 and ERE 535.

WPE 342. Light Construction (3)
Three hours of lecture. Elements of structural design, light-frame construction, blueprint reading and estimating. Fall or Spring.

WPE 343. Construction Estimating (3)
Three hours of lecture/discussion. Basic estimating/bidding theory and process. The processes for reviewing and interpreting contracts, specifications and blueprints and their role in the estimating or bidding process. How to perform a quantity takeoff, be able to create a final estimate/bid including the appropriate General Conditions and Markups. Several projects based upon the concepts are assigned on the material listed above as well as utilizing either a spreadsheet or Timberline Precision Computer Estimating. Spring.
Prerequisite: WPE 342 or permission of instructor.
Note: Credit will not be granted for both WPE 343 and ERE 543.

WPE 350. Construction Methods and Equipment (3)
Three hours of lecture/discussion. The study of production, methods of operation and costs of heavy construction equipment. Analysis of heavy construction operations. Economics of equipment use. Fundamentals of decision making involved in the selection of methods and equipment that will result in the most effective and efficient performance on a project. Fall.
Note: Credit will not be granted for both WPE 350 and ERE 525.

WPE 376. Decay of Wood Products (3)
Two hours of lecture and one hour of demonstration/discussion. Degradation of wood by fungi and other biological agents. Emphasis on the effects of decay on wood properties and methods of decay prevention. Spring. Pre- or co-requisite: WPE 386 or WPE 387.

WPE 386. Structure and Properties of Wood (2)
Two hours of lecture. Structure of wood in relation to defects, properties and uses. The variability of wood. Spring.

WPE 387. Wood Structure and Properties (3)
Three hours of lecture. Structure of wood and its relation to physical properties and uses. The normal variability of wood, abnormal growth, defects, deterioration of wood and their influence on properties and uses. Fall.

WPE 388. Wood and Fiber Identification Laboratory (2)
Six hours of laboratory. Wood and papermaking fiber identification using both gross and microscopic features. Fall.
Prerequisite: WPE 387 to be taken concurrently or previously.

WPE 389. Wood Identification Laboratory (1)
Three hours of laboratory. Identification of principal commercial timbers of United States on gross characteristics. Spring.
Prerequisite: WPE 387.

WPE 390. Fiber Identification Laboratory (1)
Three hours of laboratory. Identification of woody and nonwoody papermaking fibers. Spring.
Prerequisite: WPE 387.

WPE 400. Introduction to Forest Products (3)
Three hours of lecture. Characteristics of the products of the forest tree and manufacture of wood products. Spring.

WPE 404. Timber Design Project (3)
Lectures, discussion, and laboratory. Mechanical testing of wood, development of working stresses, design of a model structure, and construction and testing of the structure. Spring.
Prerequisites: ERE 362, CIE 325, or permission of instructor.

WPE 410. Computer-Aided Design and Drafting (3)
One-half hour lecture, two-and-one-half hours laboratory, and a minimum of six hours additional laboratory is required. This course introduces the student to the fundamentals of computer-aided design and drafting. It covers the commands needed to create a two-dimen-sional drawing, with particular emphasis on techniques used in the design profession applications. The requirements for the course include completing self-tutorials, creating drawings, and the completion of two major projects.
Prerequisite: General knowledge of manual drafting.
Note: Credit will not be granted for both WPE 410 and ERE 610.

WPE 413. Computer-Aided Senior Project (3)
Open-ended real-life design projects with microcomputer aids. Sys-tems approach is emphasized. Project requirements, system selection, approximate design, value engineering and final design are among design aspects considered. Analytical and model analysis. Spring.
Prerequisite: FEG 410.

WPE 414. Computer Applications in Engineering (3)
Microcomputer applications in a broad spectrum of selected topics in engineering sciences and practice. Hands-on experience is emphasized. Coursework is directed toward solving real-life engineering problems. Software is provided and used. No computer programming or skills are required. Spring.
Prerequisite: FEG 410.

WPE 415. Lean Project Management (3)
Three hours of lecture per week. Overview of Lean production theory and the Lean project management system and their relations to the AEC (Architect, Engineering, and Construction) industries. Topics include the Toyota production system, lean principles, the Last Planner System, and supply chain management. Fall
Prerequisite: Junior or senior status.
Note: Credit will not be granted for both ERE 615 and WPE 415.

WPE 422. Composite Materials (3)
Two hours of lecture, three hours of laboratory. Proper use of plywood, particleboard, oriented strandboard, waferboard, fiberboard, laminated veneer lumber, parallel strand lumber, laminated beams, wood polymer composites in building construction and/or furniture based upon physical and strength properties of these materials. Design consider-ations include: allowable design loads; applications such as beams, trusses and sheathing; screw, nail and bolt connections. Laboratory
exercises will be patterned after ASTM standard tests to evaluate the physical and mechanical properties of these materials with written reports to be submitted by each student. Spring.
Prerequisite: WPE 387.
Note: Concurrent or prior completion of ERE 362 is desirable.

WPE 430. Computer Applications in Construction
Management (1-3)
Guided individual study. Projects are estimated, scheduled and/or managed exclusively by industry standard construction-related software, including Timberline Precision Estimating, Quest Earthworks, Quest for Contractors, Primavera Project Planner, SureTrak Project Manager by Primavera and Expedition by Primavera. Final report covers entire project. Fall and Spring.
Prerequisite: Senior standing or permission of instructor.
Note: Credit will not be granted for both WPE 430 and ERE 630.

WPE 444. Materials Marketing (3)
Three hours of lecture and discussion per week. Fundamentals of marketing forest products, building and construction industry materials, including products, markets, distribution, segmentation, pricing, promotion and sales. Specific focus is on the unique nature and issues of forest products and building materials; vertical and horizontal integration, distribution channels, market segmentation and product positioning strategies. Fall.
Prerequisite: FOR 207 Introduction to Economics or equivalent.

WPE 453. Construction Planning and Scheduling (3)
Three hours of lecture/discussion. The use of common types of schedules: Gantt, Activity on Node, Precedence Diagram, PERT and Linear. Identification of activities and performance duration analyses of these activities. Updating of schedules, resource planning and assignment, cost planning and scheduling are all covered. Schedule development is performed both manually and with industry-accepted software. Fall.
Prerequisite(s): WPE 343 and/or estimating experience or equivalent scheduling experience.
Note: Credit will not be granted for both WPE 453 and ERE 653.

WPE 454. Construction Project Management (3)
Three hours of lecture/discussion. How to define and properly identify company organizational structures and project delivery systems. Integration of estimating, bidding, scheduling and cost control into the management process. Safety, quality control, value engineering, procurement, labor relations and insurance and bonding requirements as integral parts of a construction project. Projects based upon Expedition project management software. Spring.
Prerequisites: WPE 343, WPE 453, senior standing or permission of instructor.
Note: Credit will not be granted for both WPE 454 and ERE 654.

WPE 455. Construction Contracts and Specifications (3)
Three hours of lecture/discussion. The types of contracts used in the construction industry. Analysis of the contractor, designer and owner duties and obligations as determined by the construction contract documents. Study of concepts, language, formats and procedures for project manual organization practice and the general conditions of the contract for construction. Spring.
Note: Credit will not be granted for both WPE 455 and ERE 658.

WPE 487. Wood Chemistry and Physics (3)
Two hours of lecture and three hours of laboratory per week. Wood chemistry and physical properties described in relation to the practical function of wood products. The methodologies used to explore these relationships; including microscopy, mechanical testing, and chemical analysis and their interpretation. Fall.
Prerequisite: WPE 387.

WPE 497. Senior Seminar for Wood Products
Engineering Majors (3)
Discussions and oral presentations on professional issues of current interest in the construction and wood products industries. Prepar-ation for entrance into the job market. Guest speakers from, and visits to, industry sites of significance in the wood products and construction fields. Fall.

WPE 498. Research or Design Problem (1-3)
Conferences, library, laboratory and/or field research on a specific problem in wood products engineering. Written report required. Fall, Spring and Summer. Prerequisite: Permission of instructor and advisor.