Research Proposal...I need help narrowing down my research to a specific point!

ARET 2220 Research Proposal

Beetlecrete

Summary Statement of Proposal

            Most of the public already knows the impact that the Mountain Pine Beetle has had on the province of British Columbia. Whether you have read articles, books, watched reports on the television or seen the severity for yourself just living or travelling throughout British Columbia, most people haven’t been introduced to the products that are being developed with the vast amounts of “dead” wood that is on the forest floors of our province. This paper is to introduce you to a new product that the students at UNBC developed called “Beetlecrete.” A mix of concrete and the blue stained chips of the dead pine beetle trees. It cuts the same as wood and weighs less than concrete but has the waterproof ability and durability of a concrete material.

Purpose

            Can Beetlecrete be an environmentally friendly and a new diverse material we can use more and more in the construction industry? Rather than chipping all of the affected trees and leaving them to dissolve into the forest floor I would like to investigate the strength, durability and attractiveness of beetlecrete in order to be able to promote it as a eco-friendly alternative to the normal wood flooring, granite countertops and concrete that we see everyday. I believe that knowing more and using this product locally can benefit certain establishments such as Thompson Rivers University by using new materials as a educational tool to teach the students and faculty on campus of the ways we can recycle a locally found so called “dead” forest product.

            There is so much research being done everyday to discover new ways to make products safer for the environment and cheaper in cost. Beetlecrete is using the wood shavings that are on the floor of the many mills around British Columbia, therefore using scraps and reducing the overall cost of a new product.

Goals and Objectives of the Project

            In the end of this report I would like to have educated people on this new product and hopefully have enticed a new crowd to bring this product into their train of thought and into more construction projects. The more people that know about it, the more popular it will become, therefore leading to a eco-friendly alternative to the other product on the market now.

Methodology and Analytical Approach

            I would like to make a effort to visit a few of the mills around BC to talk to them about the production and harvesting of the Beetle Kill Pine and how it differs from normal green trees. I have also discovered a few companies in Prince George, B.C. and Quesnel, B.C. that are producing this beetlecrete and using it in projects locally in their communities. If possible I would like to spend the time to go interview these companies and to get a hands on look at the product to see for myself the quality and durability of this product compared to other products that are on the market. I would like to give people the knowledge of this new project in order to make it more well known and possibly used more frequently.

Previous Studies

            The University of Northern British Columbia was the first to discover this new product and have continued to study and develop it. They have undertaken comprehensive market research that has explored the market development and product commercialization. UNBC has also recently seen a number of successes including the development of two new product lines. As previously stated there are also two companies that I have heard of in Prince George and in Quesnel that are developing this product and dispersing it throughout their communities.                                                                                                              

Contribution of the Project to my Academic Goals and Objectives

    Having the knowledge about this new product called Beetlecrete will add to my successes as a student by advancing my studies in eco-friendly products that are coming onto the market, as I will be starting my career. I plan on pursuing my degree with a minor in business in order to carry on forward into project management. Knowing about the advances that are taking place in the communities surrounding us will allow me to educate others about these products and have a upper hand when competing for jobs with others in the community. Doing my own research about this project gives me an opportunity to grow as an individual into a higher role in which a project manger needs to be. I need the confidence and dedication to pursue my chosen career path.