Tech vs. Trees: Paper science graduates enter promising job market, architect proposes theater made of paper, British Airways to replace paper luggage tags

Sandy Yang

Sandy Yang

LOS ANGELES , July 2, 2013 () – A roundup of recent trends pitting technology against the printed word:

Trees: Paper science grads find promising job market

A 100% employment rate for graduates is a boon for any university major—and for Miami University of Ohio, the program claiming that glorified title is paper science, USA Today reported June 26. Miami is one of eight U.S. schools that offer such a concentration, and graduates are in high demand, as major players such as International Paper Co. and Georgia-Pacific LLC are hiring dozens of engineers every year, USA Today reported. While print-to-digital may be a looming threat to publication paper makers, tissue products and paperboard are stable or growing. In 2013, all 11 graduates at Miami’s program received job offers, with an average annual starting salary of US$66,000. The program also enjoys $3.5 million funding from the Paper Science and Engineering Foundation in addition to internship opportunities and few competitors.


Trees: Architect proposes to build theater made entirely of paper

A theater being proposed for the Royal Festival Hall in London may very well draw comparisons to the fairy tale about the three little pigs—for being built almost entirely out of recycled paper. Paris-based Studio Andrew Todd has proposed a circular theater for the 2013 World Stage Design event in Cardiff this September, Wired reported June 26. Dubbed the Paper Bale Theater, the venue would be temporary and cost US$30,000 to build. The appeal of recycled paper was its “vast quantities … for almost no cost,” according to Andrew Todd. He added, “We wanted to show in this project that building mass doesn’t have to be concrete or stone: it can be junk or waste.” The proposal was not the winning design, but the interior wall behind the stage would have been made of paperboard bales, while the rest of the building would use multivariate paper bales and the skeleton would be made of bamboo. And to address the flammable nature of the materials, the bales would be moistened to meet the fire code, Todd noted.


Tech: British Airways to introduce e-paper luggage tags

The luggage tag could represent one more switch from paper to digital, beginning with British Airways’ new electronic bag tag that will launch next year. The reusable tag uses the e-paper display now seen in the Kindle e-reader and allows passengers to use their smartphones to update the e-tag with a unique barcode, according to a British Airways press release. The airline touted the new tag as a way to “save precious time by having their electronic tag quickly scanned at the bag drop.” Airlines are making the print-to-digital shift in other areas, such as replacing pilots’ paper manuals that weigh up to 45 pounds with iPads that carry the digital version.


Tech + Trees: Academia sees value in print amid expanding digital options

The books lining the shelves of the university library are hardly relics of the past, even amid the rapid growth of digital publications and usage, according to a U.K. survey of academics. While only 2% of researchers begin a project at a physical library compared with 40% who begin with an Internet search, 45% say they are very dependent on the library for their work, according to the Jisc and RLUK survey of 3,500 respondents. The survey did acknowledge that digital has made a huge impact in some areas of research, such as academic journals. Nearly three-quarters of respondents said it was fine if the library eschewed the print version and made journals available only electronically. Meanwhile, 60% of respondents have used e-books in the last six months while 15% say they haven’t done so at all. Although digital seems to be overtaking print, almost 90% said that the library’s collections and subscriptions are the most important source material for teaching and research, according to the survey.


Tech: Airline pilots across US switching from paper manuals to tablets

JetBlue Airways is among the latest airlines to switch from paper manuals for pilots to the digital version on iPads and other tablets, The Wall Street Journal reported June 27. For airline pilots, those paper tomes of navigation charts and instructions can come in at 3,000 pages and weigh more than 35 lbs.—all of which had to be shuttled from one flight to the next. Among the airlines that have made the print-to-digital shift or are in the process of doing so include American Airlines, Alaska Air Group, United Continental Holdings and Southwest Airlines Co. Using an iPad instead of paper would also allow the devices to be “synced” so that pilots don’t have to pencil in changes to the manual—a task that can take hours, according to Alaska Airlines first officer Kiersten Morvant, WSJ reported.

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