Audrey Zink-Sharp honored with emerita status
Audrey Zink-Sharp, professor of wood science in the College of Natural Resources and Environment at Virginia Tech, has been conferred the title of professor emerita by the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors.
The emerita title may be conferred on retired faculty members who are specially recommended to the board by Virginia Tech President Tim Sands in recognition of exemplary service to the university. Nominated individuals who are approved by the board receive a copy of the resolution and a certificate of appreciation.
A member of the Virginia Tech community for more than 32 years, Zink-Sharp made significant research contributions to the study of wood science, the impact of wood anatomy, and the quality of the creation of sustainable wood and forest products.
In addition, she has served as associate department head, interim department head, and graduate program director for the Department of Sustainable Biomaterials. Zink-Sharp has served as director of the Sustainable Engineered Materials Institute, a college-level, interdisciplinary research center. She has also served the Society of Wood Science and Technology, the Forest Products Society, the Society of Experimental Mechanics, and the European Society of Wood Mechanics as an elected official in several capacities.
Zink-Sharp was recognized for her commitment to the field of wood science, being named one of 16 international Women Ambassadors Creating the Future of Wood Science by the Society of Wood Science and Technology.
Zink-Sharp advised numerous students on master’s theses and doctoral dissertations, provided research and career mentoring to postdoctoral research associates, and guided them to successful careers in academia, government agencies, and the private sector. She was also elected fellow of the International Academy of Wood Science and fellow of the Society of Wood Science and Technology.
In the classroom, she has taught many undergraduate and graduate courses on the topics of material structure, wood chemistry and anatomy, quantitative wood anatomy, and wood material science.
Zink-Sharp received her bachelor’s degree in forest and wood science and a master’s degree in wood anatomy from Colorado State University and a doctoral degree in wood products engineering from the State University of New York.
Written by Emily Southern, a senior majoring in multimedia journalism and student writer for Virginia Tech Marketing and Communications
