< Previous NEW C OMER Q&A: K OBE HUDSON 71 Q: What made Auburn stand out? A: I was treated like family when I came and that really made a big difference. Q: What is your favorite Auburn tradition? A: I really like Tiger Walk, but it’s obviously not the same because of COVID this year. I hope that soon we will be able to have a normal game day and I can fully experience Tiger Walk. Q: If you could trade places with one of your coaches on a game day, who would it be and why? A: Coach Cadillac Williams. He is a cool guy and I think it would be fun to try his job on game day. Q: Do you have any hidden talents you would like to share? A: I played basketball in high school. Also, I can ride a dirt bike. My brothers rode dirt bikes when I was younger, so I learned how to ride from a young age. Q: Did you choose No. 5 and if so, why? A: I had No. 5 in middle school and I wanted it in high school as well but it had been retired. So when I had the opportunity to have it again here at Auburn, I took it. Q: Which teammate has been the biggest role model so far? A: Tank Bigsby. We are brothers. We do everything together and we keep each other motivated. Watching what he’s doing right now has been super motivating. Q: If we made a movie about your life, what would you title it and who would you want to play you? A: I would title it “Ups and Downs” because I have had a lot of ups and downs in my life and I would want Denzel Washington to play me. Q: How would your friends and family describe you in three words? A: Fun, Caring, Confident Q: What is the best part about playing wide receiver? A: Catching touchdowns is the best part, but we have a lot of other responsibilities too. We have to be good blockers and have a chance to play a big part in the result of the game. Q: What advice would you give your younger self? A: Stay humble and stay true to God. Q: Who is your biggest fan and why? A: My biggest fan is my mom. She is always there to support and motivate me. Q: What is your biggest goal athletically and academically while being at Auburn? A: To win the national championship and win the Biletnikoff Award and to maintain a 3.5 GPA. Q: If you could have dinner with any Auburn legend, who would you want it to be and why? A: I’d want to have dinner with Bo Jackson. He is a great guy with an incredible story and I’d like to hear what he has to say. He’s done a lot of great things at Auburn and away from Auburn. Q: What’s your favorite part about game day? A: To go out there and put it all on the line to win. You can’t go back and put in more effort so you have to give it everything to win. And game day at home is like no other. NEWCOMER Q&A BY ADAM POLLARD A UBURNTI G ERS.C O M KOBE HUDSON Alabama Contract Sales, Inc. Auburn, Alabama P: 334.821.4500 www.alabamacontractsales.com COMMERCIAL • INDUSTRIAL • INSTITUTIONAL SIDES DRYWALL, INC. 1937 WHATLEY ROAD, BLDG. C |AUBURN, AL 36830 | OFFICE: (334) 826-3264 Capt Shaun Chaplin Phone: 334-844-4355 Email: sdc0039@auburn.edu ROTC BUSINESS FRIENDS WORKING FOR THE FUTURE OF AUBURN Approximately 9 people die and 1,000 are injured every day in motor vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers. Sending or reading a text message takes your eyes off the roadway for 5 seconds. At 55 mph, that is the equivalent of driving the entire length of a football field with your eyes closed. No text is worth a life. LeeCountyDA.org Discipline Drives the Process Finding Value is the Art www.brightinvestmentsllc.com 570 Devall Drive Suite 303 | Auburn AL 334.321.2321 Auburn FB 20.indd 4Auburn FB 20.indd 48/17/20 11:39 AM8/17/20 11:39 AMUNIVERSITY NEW S 73 Researchers from to downed timber that has been decimated by hurricanes. The body of research, coined “The Downed Timber Initia- tive,” aims to develop new methods of retrieving these fallen trees and branches that would otherwise go to waste or be- come fuel for wildfires, and then develop innovative products from the salvaged wood. The research is funded by a $1.05 million federal appropri- ation to the U.S. Forest Service. These funds will be allocated to four Auburn research teams led by faculty members Sole Peresin, assistant professor of forest biomaterials; Tom Galla- gher, the Regions Professor of Forest Operations; Brian Via, the Regions Professor of Forest Products; and Yucheng Peng, assistant professor of sustainable packaging systems. Each researcher will work with a Forest Service representative. Graeme Lockaby, the Clinton-McClure Professor in the School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences, said the idea began as he spoke to landowners who were facing the ravages of Hurricane Michael, a Category 5 tropical cyclone that made landfall Oct. 10, 2018, and obliterated hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of timber in the Southeast. Landowners had just 30 days to extract downed timber because the region’s hot, wet climate leads to rapid decom- position. Lack of access to the wood for extraction exacerbat- ed the dilemma. In addition, the immense volume of flattened timber in hurricane-impacted areas quickly saturates the market, resulting in dropping and often disappearing wood prices as mill quotas overflow. When landowners asked for solutions, Lockaby had to tell them: “At this point, there’s not very much you can do.” That led to discussions with a group of faculty, who envi- sioned developing a harvesting machine component capable of extracting fallen timber and the potential for making com- mercially valuable products from partially decayed wood. Lockaby and the faculty then met with representatives from the office of Brian Keeter, the university’s then-executive director of public affairs, who responded positively. Lockaby said research often doesn’t translate well to the people it will benefit the most. This case was an exception. “Our work is technical, we’re passionate about it, but it’s difficult to understand if you’re not trained in a specific dis- cipline. Oftentimes people wonder, how relevant is that? Is it going to touch my life?” he said. “This will clearly touch people who live in those areas, especially forest landowners who depend on timber sales.” Hurricanes break off, tangle and lay down timber horizon- tally, Gallagher said, making harvesting difficult when using the equipment currently available. He is developing a new attachment that loggers could borrow—rather than buy—to make collecting the scattered timber easier. Via is developing methods to use acoustics to measure timber strength and degradation of downed timber as a resource for making cross-laminated timber, or CLT, which is lumber glued together at 90 degrees into three or more layers. “Stronger timber can be sent for use in structural appli- cations like lumber and CLT, while partially degraded timber might be salvaged into other product areas,” Via said. Timber rated as “weak” or “degraded” by acoustics will be sent to develop other product streams such as wood compos- ites, nanocellulose, and wood plastic composites. Peng will use good-quality wood fibers from downed timber to develop bio-based composites for value-added applications in automobiles, construction, and packaging. “The goals are to maximize the utilization of our renewable natural resources for sustainability and to get the maximum return for the landowners, lowering their loss during natural disasters,” Peng said. Peresin will work with the USDA Forest Products Lab to process partially decayed timber into micro/nanomaterials, or CNMs, which will form the basis of an array of products that will allow harvested downed timber to penetrate large markets. Her team will also upscale CNM production and de- sign bio-based carriers for pesticides and controlled-release nutrients for soil remediation. “The innovative research of our faculty has the potential to offer significant business and economic opportunities to the forest industry,” Dean Janaki Alavalapati said. A UBURNTI G ERS.C O M Sole Peresin, Yucheng Peng, Graeme Lockaby, Brian Via, and Tom Gallagher are exploring ways to give new life to downed timber decimated by hurricanes. UNIVERSITY NEWS Researchers aim to fuel new markets from hurricane-ravaged timber BY TERI GREENE B AND, CHEER & TIGER P A WS 75 BAND, CHEER & TIGER PAWS A UBURNTI G ERS.C O M Marching Band Marching Band Director — Dr. Corey Spurlin Assistant Director of Athletic Bands — Dr. Nikki Gross Percussion — Dr. Doug Rosener Director of Bands — Dr. Rick Good Graduate Assistants Josh Singleton Natalie Smith Daniel Rodriguez Hayden Upperman Tiger Eyes Instructors Beth Bowman (coordinator/flagline) Jessica Coleman (majorettes) Lydia Mitchell (danceline) Tricia Skelton (flagline) Percussion Instructors Andy Martin Aaron Locklear Drum Majors Peyton Flowers Trace Johnson Millie Livingston T.J. Tinnin Tiger Eyes Captains Kelly Reynolds (danceline) Madeline Whitmer (majorette captain) Sydney Turner (flagline captain) Erin Greer (flagline co-captain) 2020-2021 Auburn Cheerleaders Anthony Bostany Elli Bradley, Co-Head Charlotte Dayton Cody Diemont Casey Doerer Gary Gray, Mic-Man Kacie Griffith Tanner Hendrix Caleb Kennefick Kathryn Lusk Rachel Lusk Murphy McCammon Cooper Monistere, Co-Head Cameron Monistere Caleb Moses Emmalyne Phillips Miracle Scott Nic Smith Izzy Smoke Matthew Tuttolomondo Britt Ware Latisha Durroh, Spirit Coordinator 2020-2021 Tiger Paws Catelyn Alexander Rae Brown Olivia Couchot - Captain Abigail Coleman Darby Hines Mary Hanlon Hunton Skylar Johnson Abbey Jones Ellie Korotky Evie Ann Owen Virginia Macoy Mary Hinson Mims Kate Richardson Lucy Rogers Emma Sanders Abby Smith Megan Smith Jessie Stevens Brooke Tarrant Amy Vaporis Helen Baggett - Coach2020 AUBURN TIGERS A UBURNTI G ERS.C O M PAYTON ANDERSON 37RB5-11 n 225 n RFr. Fyffe, AL MALCOLM ASKEW 16DB5-11 n 185 n Sr. McCalla, AL DEVAN BARRETT 10DB6-0 n 200 n Sr. Tampa, FL KAMAAR BELL 79OL6-2 n 325 n RFr. Moultrie, GA TANK BIGSBY 4RB6-0 n 204 n Fr. LaGrange, GA JACKSON BILLINGS 27WR5-10 n 175 n Fr. Huntsville, AL CHRIS BOBO 39DB6-0 n 193 n Sr. Alpharetta, GA NICK BRAHMS 52OL6-3 n 299 n Jr. Navarre, FL GABE BRINSON 73DT6-5 n 305 n So. Lorton, VA HAYDEN BRICE 82TE6-3 n 220 n Jr. Jackson, MS K.J. BRITT 33LB6-0 n 243 n Sr. Oxford, AL O.C. BROTHERS 48LB6-1 n 236 n RFr. Titusville, FL KAMERON BROWN 43LB6-0 n 237 n RFr. Sugar Hill, GA BIG KAT BRYANT 1DE6-5 n 250 n Sr. Cordele, GA MARQUIS BURKS 92DT6-3 n 312 n Jr. Chicago, IL DRE BUTLER 49DT6-5 n 304 n So. Covington, GA ELIJAH CANION 17WR6-4 n 213 n Fr. Hollywood, FL ZE’VIAN CAPERS 80WR6-4 n 194 n Fr. Alpharetta, GA 2020 A UBURN TIGERS 77ARCHITECTS, ENGINEERS & BUSINESS FRIENDS WORKING FOR THE FUTURE OF AUBURN Substation Engineering & Design Corporation David R. 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