D. Earl Kline, professor of wood process control in the Department of Sustainable Biomaterials, has been named the Charles Blakeslee Nettleton Faculty Fellow in Forest Products by the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors. The fellowship recognizes teaching and research excellence; recipients hold the honor for a period of three years.

The Nettleton Faculty Fellowship in Forest Products was established by a gift of Blakeslee Chase. Her father, Charles Blakeslee Nettleton, was a successful entrepreneur and land manager who bought and managed a 10,000-acre parcel of forestland in Alleghany County, Virginia, and built a lumberyard that became Lumber and Building Supplies. His wife, Carrie, was the first Virginia woman to hold the title of president of the National Council of State Garden Clubs.

A member of the Virginia Tech community since 1988, Kline leads the Wood Enterprise Institute, a business start-up learning environment in which students take a product from concept to market. This two-semester course sequence focuses on the higher order learning skills of inquiry, problem solving, innovation, entrepreneurship, and teamwork. Since its inception, the institute has grown in recognition as a premier learning venue for creativity, innovation, entrepreneurship, and business leadership.

Kline is a dedicated teacher who brings his industry and real-world connections to the classroom, emphasizing the skills of inquiry and entrepreneurship to address applied problems and arriving at solutions. He fosters a hands-on environment, leveraging practitioners from industry to augment classroom experiences.

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