What motivated the creation of this site?

1. For the sake of my students, I want access to more case studies than I can produce on my own.

I am a young faculty member at the University of Minnesota, and I teach a bioproducts (mostly wood)

biodeterioration course. My best 'teachable moments' come when discussing case studies. The

students must try to diagnose the problem presented in a real-world situation and offer reasonable

suggestions for remedial action. Textbooks provide the fundamentals, but case studies demonstrate

application of the knowledge. It is like a crime scene investigation if your house were the victim and

termites were the likely perpetrator. What detective work should you do to determine the culprit and

how do you stop the problem? This skill is an important one to teach because with it, you can minimize

loss, reduce waste, and lower risk. Plus, pictures of failed materials ("wreckage")...well, it would be a

lie to say it was boring. Students get involved and realize the consequence of what they are studying.

2. As a young faculty member, I want to draw on others' experiences and have up-to-date information.

Something else I readily admit about case studies is that I also learn alot from them. I spend much of my

of time in the lab or on the computer. My hands-on diagnostic skills are improving, but slowly. On the

other hand, I am expected to be knowledgable in a broad range of biodeterioration problems (from blue

stain to shipworms...from mold to carpenter ants). The more real-world stories I see, the better

prepared I am to diagnose new problems. I assume this would be true regardless of how many problems

I've seen in the field, especially if problems evolve as fast as bio-based materials are these days.

There is, of course, no substitute for hands-on learning, but I believe there are complementary tools

(eg online 'social learning') that can save time and that could make me a better diagnostician faster.

3. A continually-updated site with real-world case studies can be helpful to users and inspectors, alike.

Finally, I realized that an online resource might help anyone interested in avoiding biodeterioration

problems. This includes homeowners and builders. Problems are often too low-value to warrant hiring

an expert, so many diagnostics are left to those with little experience. If you know what to look for, you

will notice biodeterioration problems everywhere. Most are avoidable. Comparing problems and learning

about potential avoidance strategies (eg improving ventilation) might be helpful to many.

-Jonathan Schilling