The EucXylo research group, led by holder of the Hans Merensky Chair in Advanced Modelling of Wood Formation, Prof Dave Drew, was delighted to host their funders and industry partners for a Research Day on the 7th of October 2021. The successful hybrid event accommodated both in-person and remote attendees. Dr Khotso Mokhele, president of the Hans Merensky Foundation, addressed the attendees remotely from a large screen in the elegant STIAS Manor House library. 

Postdoctoral researcher, Dr Letitia Schoeman, presented the ground-breaking results she is achieving in developing an X-ray CT-enabled method for monitoring changes in the cambial zone in living saplings. Postdoctoral researcher, Dr Kim Martin, presented her conceptual prototype of a framework for integrating data flows and concepts in eco-physiological and xylogenesis models. PhD and master’s students also gave presentations on their work, with scales ranging from the molecular and cellular level to whole trees and stands, including both experimental and computational work. 

The event concluded with a series of laboratory tours for the in-person attendees, and a networking event (quaintly titled ‘Canapes under the Canopy’) held under the highly-instrumented trees in the Department of Forestry and Wood Science experimental nursery. 

The number of questions and the depth of discussion during the presentation period and in the post-presentation networking event captured the excitement of the wide-ranging work that is being conducted within EucXylo, and the enthusiastic reception from funders and partners alike.