News

As part of European Heritage Days, a discussion titled “Mushroom Hunting at the Lake Castle: Challenges and Solutions for Maintaining Wooden Heritage” took place on 13 September at the Āraiši Lake Castle Archaeological Park. The discussion was attended by Ilze Irbe, Leading Researcher and mycologist at the Latvian State Institute of Wood Chemistry (LSIWC). During the event, Ilze Irbe introduced visitors to fungal damage to wood and, together with other experts, took part in a discussion on the technical condition of Āraiši Lake Castle, the impact of prolonged moisture on wooden structures...

On 23 and 24 September, the Latvian State Institute of Wood Chemistry (LSIWC) in Riga hosted the General Assembly of the Horizon Europe project 4Sir2 , “ Building a Healthy Drink Ecosystem to Prevent Childhood Obesity ”. The meeting provided an opportunity for project partners to review the work completed during the first year, discuss progress and challenges, and outline priorities for the next implementation period. Exploring Healthier Drinks The aim of 4Sir2 is to build a healthier drink ecosystem to help prevent childhood obesity. The project explores the use of grape-processing by...

On September 25, the Latvian State Institute of Wood Chemistry (LSIWC) opened its doors to visitors of the European Researchers' Night, offering a chance to discover what happens behind the doors of its laboratories through demonstrations, experiments and conversations with researchers. This year, 405 people visited the Institute – the highest number of European Researchers' Night visitors LSIWC has welcomed to date. A Glimpse into Laboratory Work During European Researchers' Night, visitors had the opportunity to discover a range of processes taking place in LSIWC laboratories. They could see...

On 25 September from 17:00 to 22:00, the Latvian State Institute of Wood Chemistry will open its doors to visitors of Researchers’ Night, offering an opportunity to explore laboratories and the Pilot-Scale Hangar, meet researchers, and take part in a range of hands-on activities related to wood, biomass, biocomposites and other materials. This year’s unifying theme of Researchers’ Night is “Discover the Nature of Science!”, inviting visitors to not only observe science, but also explore, experience and try it for themselves. School groups will have an opportunity to take a guided tour of the...

Materials science laboratory equipment is often key to gaining a deeper understanding of how substances behave under extreme conditions or during different transformation processes. Just as a microscope provides insight into microstructure, the TA Instruments Discovery DSC 250 differential scanning calorimeter and DMA 850 dynamic mechanical analyser allow researchers to “see” the thermal and mechanical properties of materials that cannot be observed with the naked eye. Together, these two instruments form a powerful analytical toolkit that provides comprehensive information about material...

On 15 and 16 September, Riga hosted WSE 2026, the 22nd annual conference of the Wood Science and Engineering (WSE) Network, organised by the Latvian State Institute of Wood Chemistry (LSIWC) in cooperation with Riga Technical University (RTU). The conference brought together 144 participants from 19 countries, who took part in 58 oral presentations and 31 poster presentations, sharing the latest research, experiences and ideas on the future of wood in a changing world. During the opening session, participants were addressed by Tālis Juhna, Rector of Riga Technical University; Liene Levada...