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Structurlam mass timber specialist wins US educator award

Structurlam Mass Timber Corporation, the leading mass timber manufacturer in North America, is proud to announce that Michelle Kam-Biron, a mass timber specialist for the company, was awarded the Susan M. Frey Educator Award from the National Council of Structural Engineers Associations (NCSEA).

The NCSEA was formed to constantly improve the standard level of practice of the structural engineering professions, with a vision that structural engineers are valued for their contributions to safe structures and resilient communities. The Susan M. Frey Educator Award is presented annually to an individual who has a genuine interest in, and extraordinary talent for, effective instruction of practicing structural engineers. The award was established to honor the memory of Sue Frey, one of NCSEA’s renowned educators.

Kam-Biron, along with NCSEA’s additional honourees, will be recognized at the NCSEA Summit Awards celebration on Wednesday, Feb. 16. With over 20 years of experience managing and designing a wide range of products, Kam-Biron is a California-licensed structural engineer and previously served as Vice President of Education for the American Wood Council. She is also a former president of Structural Engineers Association of Southern California (SEAOSC) and was recently inducted into the SEAOSC College of Fellows. Kam-Biron serves on multiple committees, including NCSEA Basic Education, International Code Council (ICC) Professional Development Council Education and is a past chair of the American Society of Civil Engineers and Structural Engineering Institute (ASCE-SEI) Wood Education, as well as SEAOSC Foundation and Women in Structural Engineering.

Structurlam manufactures mass timber, a sustainable category of building construction featuring structural laminated wood components for walls, roofs, floors, beams and columns. A key economic benefit of mass timber is the ability to design, model and prefabricate the structural elements of a project offsite, accelerating on-site production schedules by up to 25% compared to traditional on-site building with steel and concrete.