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On 4 February, the Latvian State Institute of Wood Chemistry hosted clinical psychologist and cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy specialist Ph. Marija Ābeltiņa who gave a lecture "How to keep the zeal, but not to burn out". Marija is an experienced trainer and supervisor, active in both science and practice. Her dissertation is on the topic of professional burnout and she has published several scientific articles on the subject. Marija Ābeltiņa revealed the signs of professional burnout, risk factors, help options and prevention methods. During the seminar, each individual employee and the...

The Latvian State Institute of Wood Chemistry (LSIWC) and Riga Technical University (RTU) have signed a cooperation agreement aimed at fostering the preparation of highly qualified scientists and strengthening scientific research capacity in Latvia. This collaboration will provide RTU doctoral students with the opportunity to conduct their dissertation research in LSIWC laboratories, gaining access to state-of-the-art research infrastructure, experimental materials, and support from leading scientists. What does this collaboration offer to doctoral students? Hands-on research experience –...

On 24 January 2025, Miķelis Kirpļuks, Leading Researcher at the Polymer Laboratory of LSIWC, gave an online guest lecture for the Advanced Treatment and Management of Solid and Municipal Waste course at the School of Energy and Environment, City University of Hong Kong (CityU). Miķelis presented the topic "Polyurethane foam properties", which covered polyurethane foam materials, their applications and synthesis technology. For several years now, scientists from the LSIWC Polymer Laboratory have been collaborating with the group of Professor Carol Lin from City University of Hong Kong on...

On 25 January, the radio Naba programme about mushrooms "Mycelium" hosted Ilze Irbe, a leading researcher and mushroom expert at the LSIWC Cellulose Laboratory. The theme of the programme "Mushrooms start and win" reflects Ilze's recent success in winning the main prize in the international competition "WorldStar for Packaging". The prize was awarded to the entry "Mycelium composite pellets for packaging material protection" - an environmentally friendly, compostable material composed of mushroom mycelium and wood or hemp residual fibres. Ilze talked about the role of fungi in her research...

The Latvian State Forest Research Institute “Silava,” the Latvian State Institute of Wood Chemistry (LSIWC), and the Latvian University of Life Sciences and Technologies (LBTU) have joined forces to implement the National Research Program (Nr. VPP-ZM-VRIIILA-2024/2- 0002) “Forest4LV – Innovation in Forest Management and Value Chain for Latvia's Growth: New Forest Services, Products and Technologies (Forest4LV). The goal of this program is to develop sustainable approaches to forest management in Latvia and create innovative solutions for wood processing technologies. During a project progress...

LTV1 "Rīta Panorama" published a story about one of the 2024 Most Significant Achievements in Latvian Science "First flight of the European Ariane-6 launcher with a cryogenic insulation material developed in Latvia", which is based on the research of the Polymer Laboratory of the LSIWC and conducted in cooperation with the German company Ariane Group. The story is about last summer's test flight of the European Space Agency's Ariane-6 launcher. Ariane-6 is a new type of launch vehicle and the thermal insulation of its hull was developed by LSIWC scientists, who have developed an efficient...