Team Spotlight - Sandra Lupien
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EmailLearn more about Mass Timber @MSU Director, Sandra Lupien, in this new team spotlight segment. Stay tuned for more of our team members to be featured here, and on all Mass Timber @MSU social media platforms, weekly.
Tell us about the work you do related to mass timber:
"MassTimber@MSU seeks to advance mass timber construction and manufacture in Michigan. I have the amazing privilege of getting to know the people and organizations that are interested in building with, or manufacturing, mass timber in Michigan and finding out what barriers they face or what opportunities they see. Then I get to collaborate with them, and with my incredible colleagues at MSU, to figure out how we can mobilize research, education, communication, and policy to remove those barriers or harness opportunities."
What impact do you hope your work will have?
"If we are building more buildings in Michigan with mass timber, we will increase the sustainability and reduce the carbon footprints of our built environments - the places we live, work, shop, and play. Meanwhile, if we manufacture mass timber in Michigan, we'll see good new jobs in manufacturing and fabrication. If we're using wood from Michigan forests, we'll be supporting jobs and economic development in rural forested communities. And if those forests are sustainably managed and harvested, we're helping to optimize forest health and resilience."
How does your Mass Timber work fit into your broader research or teaching?
"I'm all mass timber, all the time! Most of my role focuses on outreach and stakeholder engagement to connect people with resources and foster collaboration. When it comes to research, I tend to function as a project manager."
What do you love most about your work?
"I often say that my job is so rewarding and fun that it feels like play. I love that through MassTimber@MSU we unite forests with our cities through outreach and stakeholder engagement. It is exciting to see the mass timber momentum building in Michigan and be be able to look forward to seeing new mass timber buildings here over the coming years and months, as well as a vibrant mass timber manufacturing scene."
