Author: evlane

by Evelyn Lane

The end of the Spring semester means saying goodbye to five RHBSSI interns. These interns helped uphold and spread the RHBSSI mission in various ways, such as through our social media and student-oriented events. They have left a lasting impression on the Institute and shared their insight about their time here. 

Griffin Barfield, Writer/Editor

Griffin Barfield is a junior Communication major and Spanish minor. Alongside interning for the Institute, he is the sports editor of The Tiger, Clemson’s student newspaper. He utilized his skills from this position to highlight Clemson University faculty, staff, students and events that align with the Institute. He skillfully translated the work and stories of the Clemson community into captivating sports science pieces for all audiences to enjoy.

“I’m so happy with how my time with the Institute ended up this semester,” Barfield said. “From forming great connections to connecting with Clemson’s campus more, I’m proud of the work I accomplished here this spring.”

Barfield will be graduating from Clemson in December of 2025. This summer, he plans to go back home and continue improving his writing and editorial skills in New Jersey. 

“I hope to come back to the Institute next fall as a writing intern again, and as for this summer, I’ll be looking at freelance writing for my local publications in New Jersey.”

Evelyn Lane, Communications Lead

Evelyn Lane is a junior Marketing major and Spanish minor. Before interning at RHBSSI, she was a brand strategist and account manager for Cadency, Clemson’s student-led brand agency. She used her knowledge of social media strategies and analytics to aid the Institute in growing its social media presence and maintaining a cohesive brand image. 

“My time with RHBSSI has helped me grow in many different aspects of my life,” Lane said. “I was able to collaborate with people from all different majors and backgrounds; I learned how to be confident in my ideas, and incorporate the ideas of others into the social media plan, and allow everyone to feel heard.”

Lane will stay in Clemson and continue her internship with the Institute this summer.

“I am so excited to continue working with RHBSSI, watching our media presence grow, and figuring out how to utilize each platform to the best of our abilities.”

Natalie Bell, Graphic Designer

Natalie Bell is a graduating senior Graphic Communications major with a minor in Brand Communications. While interning with RHBSSI, she was also Cadency’s creative director. This semester marks the end of her two semesters with the Institute, where she has been able to showcase her creative talent. 

“I have loved my past two semesters with the Robert H. Brooks Sports Science Institute. Since I am a Graphic Communications major and Brand Communications minor, I am not in the sports realm. This internship allowed me to participate in the athletics and research side of Clemson University,” Bell said. “I have gotten to be a part of some fantastic opportunities, such as photographing Clemson’s first Paralympic soccer match and designing mini golf scorecards for our Research Symposium. RHBSSI has made me a more well-rounded graphic designer!”

Bell is graduating this May, and her future endeavors are bright. 

“Upon graduation on May 8, I will be starting my full-time position as a Graphic Designer for FerebeeLane in Greenville, SC.” 

Nicole Souza, Technical Communications Specialist 

Nicole Souza is a graduating senior Bioengineering major. During her time with RHBSSI, she conducted research surrounding Real Madrid NEXT technology partners and utilized her scientific skillset to write blog posts about Clemson’s STEM impacts and CHIP (Clemson Headgear Impact Performance) Lab outcomes. 

“It’s been amazing getting to see all the behind-the-scenes work that goes into not just sports science, but also supporting the University and its students,” Souza said. “My time at RHBSSI taught me a lot about the side of science I had not seen in my classes, like marketing, communication and outreach, and I’m really grateful for that.”

Although Souza is graduating this May, she plans to continue her path as a Tiger through Clemson’s Master’s program. 

“After graduation this May, I’ll be interning at Arthrex as a product management intern, working with orthopedic medical devices and instruments. Even better, I’ll be coming back to Clemson in the fall to start my Master’s of Engineering in Biomedical Engineering. Go Tigers!”

Keeleigh Bush, Events Lead

Keeleigh Bush is a graduating senior Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management major with an emphasis in Tourism and Event Management. She is also the public relations chair for the Clemson Events Planners Association. With this background, she has excelled in planning, coordinating and executing speaker events and campus activations. 

“I had such a great time serving as the Events Intern this semester,” Bush said. “It was incredibly fun and inspiring to work alongside such a talented group of fellow interns.” 

Bush is graduating alongside Souza and Bell this May, and it ecstatic about future opportunities. 

“I’m graduating this spring and currently exploring opportunities—excited for what’s ahead and staying open to new possibilities!”

---

Whether they are staying in Tiger Town or taking their talents elsewhere, we know our interns will thrive in the face of any challenge and we thank them for their hard work this semester! 

by Griffin Barfield

A former intern at the Robert H. Brooks Sports Science Institute, Katie Gerbasich, a junior Sports Communication major from Houston, TX, has been working closely with various teams and departments through sport, building off of what she learned from the Institute. 

Following her stint in the fall of 2024 with the Institute, Gerbasich is now working with the Baseball Analytics team through Clemson Olympic Sports Science. She works specifically with the hitting team, focusing on scouting and player development from the hitter’s perspective. 

“We have access to a database that stores tons of information from every single play in the game,” Gerbasich said. “It’s our responsibility to take that information, filter out what’s important, and communicate it to our coaching staff.”

Gerbasich and her team also focus on opponents for Clemson Baseball, picking out key information to highlight its opponents’ strengths and weaknesses. From there, she helps communicate this data to the coaching staff for game planning. 

“It’s been super cool to experience the behind-the-scenes of our team and see how our work makes an impact,” she said.

In addition, Gerbasich joined Tiger View Media as a sports writer, covering various Clemson Baseball, Softball and Women’s Lacrosse events over the course of the spring seasons. She also received an opportunity through the media group to cover the Clemson Football spring game, calling it a “highlight moment.”

From her previous experience as an event and writing assistant with the Institute, she feels that her writing skills have been elevated to another level, being able to write a lot more with Tiger View Media. 

“It feels like I’m seemingly able to pump out article after article,” Gerbasich said. “I’m so much more confident now in my abilities now, thanks to the support of the Institute.”

As for the future, Gerbasich will plan to stay with both programs, staying with baseball analytics until baseball season ends this summer. Furthermore, she will continue to work in sports media with Tiger View Media, covering football for the publication in the fall. 

She hopes to graduate early and begin pursuing her Master’s degree in Sports Analytics at Clemson, aspiring to work for a professional team in analytics or communication. 

By Griffin Barfield

On Saturday, April 19, the only University-level cerebral palsy soccer program of its kind in the country, Clemson Paralympic Soccer, made history.

The team played and defeated the CP Soccer All Stars 6-1 at Historic Riggs Field at their first real match in program history.

While the players lifted a trophy for the win, they weren’t just thrilled with the hardware: they were ecstatic that they even had the opportunity to play.

Shea Hammond is a graduate student in communication who has been with the team for several years, the first undergraduate player in the program’s history. Seeing the event come together was enough to inspire a win. 

“It’s the name of the field. It’s historic,” Hammond said after the game. “To finally play on this field, it’s historic. It’s indescribable.”

Head coach and assistant professor in the Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management, Felipe Tobar, watched his players’ dreams come true that afternoon. Many of them had dreamed of playing collegiate sports after high school, a period where many athletes with cerebral palsy (CP) stop playing.

“We’d like to say thank you to the community and the fanbase who supported us,” Tobar said. “They had a dream to play in a college stadium and they accomplished it.”

Four different Clemson players scored, while Hammond scored a hat-trick with all three of his goals coming in the second half. One player, Tyler Bennett, is a team alumnus and one of the first two players to join the program in 2017. Bennett brought practices featuring movements, passing and other workouts from the U.S. CP National Team.

It was a new Clemson experience for Bennett, coming back to campus and playing in a full game of soccer with CP rules. 

“I think it went well for the program,” Bennett said. “They showed that if you’re training here full-time, you’re going to do pretty well.”

Many faces from the Clemson Men’s and Women’s Soccer teams were present. Flags flew and celebrations commenced in the stands whenever a player scored. The entire women’s lacrosse team attended, surprising goalkeeper Max Alberici, the team’s manager.

That wasn’t the best moment of the game in Alberici’s opinion, however. His favorite experience came from watching substitute goalkeeper, Ethan Donahue, play. He joined the team several weeks before the match after Hammond recruited him on campus. Donahue and his disability were welcomed by the team in open arms.

“I was more happy to get him in the game,” Alberici said.

“There’s no relationship like an adaptive sport relationship,” Hammond said, “and like a CP soccer family.”

The match was the last that this team will play all together, as they say goodbye to Hammond following five seasons with the program. As he graduates from Clemson, Hammond looks forward to working with cerebral palsy and Paralympic athletes in the future. 

“That’s a lifetime of work that I’m going to commit to and making sure that we can grow this program in this sport as much as possible,” Hammond said.

For Tobar, the practices and cultivation of this match proved to be a great success. Earlier in the week, the team played Daniel High School in a scrimmage to prepare for the game. Now, Tobar and his team are “blessed and honored” to have the opportunity to represent Clemson.

“That’s the only official game that we will play as a team,” Tobar said. “I could not be more proud.”

Click here to check out more photos from the match. 

by Keeleigh Bush

The New Way Sport Fund (NWSF), directed by Ashlyn Hardie, Ph.D., faculty fellow of the Robert H. Brooks Sports Science Institute and assistant professor in the Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management, and funded by the Center of Sport Management Research and Education at Texas A&M and the GYS4D Initiative, continues to create waves in the sports development sector. After securing funding and supporting five innovative grassroots organizations worldwide this spring, the fund is already seeing tangible results in the communities it serves. These groups, from Brazil to Uganda, represent a diverse range of initiatives that use sport as a tool for positive social change, and NWSF’s support is helping them take their missions to the next level.

Proyecto Social Skate – Brazil: a safe space for cultural integration

Based in Brazil, Proyecto Social Skate uses skateboarding to create a safe space for diverse groups, particularly refugee families, child immigrants and indigenous populations. With the seed funding, they expanded their skate ramp to accommodate a 20% increase in participants and purchased essential equipment including skateboards, knee pads and helmets. This expansion allows Proyecto Social Skate to continue bringing together young people from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds, offering them a place for sport and an opportunity for cultural assimilation and integration

Comisión Mujer Joven – Nicaragua: empowering young women through sport

In Nicaragua, Comisión Mujer Joven is using the funding to invest in equipment, field space and curriculum development for young women. One of the most exciting outcomes so far is their new mental health support initiative. The group has provided a counselor for all 92 participants, helping athletes navigate concerns outside of performance—such as personal or mental health struggles. Additionally, Comisión Mujer Joven is hosting a tournament to raise funds and sustain their initiatives, demonstrating their forward-thinking approach to financial sustainability.

Girls in Football – Lebanon: overcoming barriers in sports for women

The Lebanese organization Girls in Football, is focused on breaking barriers for women in sports. With NWSF’s help, they have been able to pay for coaches and rent field space. This investment is key to their mission of providing girls with the opportunity to play football in an environment that supports and encourages their participation.

Rural Disabled Women Association (RUDIWA) – Uganda: education and inclusion for disabled women and girls

RUDIWA, based in Uganda, is using its funding to support disabled women and girls by offering access to education and sporting programs. The organization has provided books, menstrual hygiene products and other supplies to 25 participants who could not afford them. Beyond that, RUDIWA has created inclusive sports programs where women with disabilities can engage with their community, find fellowship and gain valuable life skills. By providing educational resources and sport opportunities, RUDIWA is fostering greater inclusion and empowerment.

Impact Academy – Egypt: a boxing academy for women and girls 

In Egypt, Impact Academy, a boxing initiative for women and girls, is saving its funding to secure a permanent practice space. This thoughtful, strategic move will allow them to create a safe, self-sustaining space for their athletes, free from the disruption they often face in rental facilities. Impact Academy is planning to use their space for training and to generate income, making this an example of sustainability in action.

A focus on capacity building and future plans

One of the key elements of the NWSF is its commitment to supporting both immediate needs and long-term sustainability. Each of the five groups has been allocated 10 capacity-building hours to help them with essential areas such as grant applications, financial management, curriculum development and more. These tailored consultations aim to empower the organizations to become self-sufficient and expand their impact.

“We’ve heard from many groups that this funding is life-changing,” said Hardie. “This is often the first time they’ve received unrestricted funding, which allows them to make their own decisions on how to spend the money. That level of trust and flexibility is incredibly empowering.”

The fund has also received positive feedback for its accessibility. 

“The application process was so easy, and we really appreciate the opportunity to learn how to do things on our own,” said one participant. Many organizations expressed gratitude for the opportunity to be guided in a way that respects their local expertise while also offering valuable resources for their growth.

Looking ahead: round two of funding and research initiatives

As the summer approaches, NWSF is gearing up for round two of funding. With funding support from the Center of Sport Management Research and Education at Texas A&M University already secured for the next funding cycle, the call for applications will open in July, allowing for new organizations to benefit from this funding mechanism and the embedded support resources. In the meantime, NWSF is conducting research on the outcomes of the funded groups, collaborating with Marlene A. Dixon (Texas A&M), Dr. Kat Raw (Swinburne Institute of Technology in Melbourne), and Dr. Per Svensson (Louisiana State University) to assess what strategies are most effective in creating sustainable change through sport.

As Hardie highlights, “I could not be leading this on my own. Essential collaborators and supporters include the funders — CSMRE at Texas A&M and the GYS4D Initiative — along with the Practitioner Advisory Committee, which consists of Nora Dooley, the director of Soccer Without Borders, Juliana Roman, member of La Nuestra Feminista, and Pappu Modak, secretary and head of Sports and Hope for Independence.”

With a focus on collaboration, trust and empowerment, the New Way Sport Fund is paving the way for a more inclusive, sustainable future for sports-based social change worldwide.

By Griffin Barfield

Lucas Mahlstedt, senior Physics major, has joined forces with Physics lecturer, Amy Pope, to analyze pitching data to examine how the mechanics of a baseball pitch relate to pitch velocity. . One of Clemson Baseball’s top relief pitchers, Mahlstedt is combining his love for the sport and physics to complete his senior thesis this semester. 

“Our main goal is to figure out what increases pitch velocity the most because there’s so many different ways,” said Mahlstedt. “So many different pitchers have different mechanics. You’ve got guys who throw from the side, up top, guys with different arm action.”

Mahlstedt’s throwing motion is a ‘submarine’ throw, which means his toss closely resembles an underhand throw by whipping his arm around his body, allowing the ball to come from different angles. The motion is untraditional compared to a pitcher that throws over their shoulder. Regardless of throwing motion, size and age, Mahlstedt is interested in establishing a consistent variable through physics that pitchers can use to improve their game.

“So, we’re trying to find something consistent that every pitcher could use at different levels,” he said.

The physics of sport

Pope teaches the physics of sport at Clemson. Her work intersects with different sports like football and, most recently, breakdancing which was introduced in the 2024 Paris Olympics. She has also worked closely with golf and ski jumping. This is her first time working with baseball student-athletes. 

From golf to baseball, Pope describes how ball material makes this study different from one she had conducted with Clemson Golf students.  

“I’ve worked with some of my students who have been in golf and we’ve looked at Trackman data for that,” Pope said. “Golf is difficult because the balls have dimples, which give a lot of additional air flow and make the ball stay in the air longer.”

Using a Newtforce Mound to collect data, Mahlstedt has narrowed down variables that could help detect a linear relationship for faster pitches. 

“The Newtforce Mound looks like a piece of plywood that’s at a little bit of an incline,” Pope explained, “and whenever you are stepping on the plate, it’s recording all of the forces that are acting on it in three dimensions at one time.”

A radar gun is also used to detect the speed of each pitch. 

With the help of these tools, Mahlstedt believes that the acceleration impulse of the pitch, or the ground force measured from the pitcher’s leg lift, could be the variable he’s been looking for.

The two compared Mahlstedt’s data with other pitchers and managers on the team, who participated in the research, and they saw a linear correlation. 

“For multiple pitchers, we have observed that the larger the impulse put into the ground during the pitch, and conversely, the harder the ground pushes up on the player, the faster the exit velocity of the ball,” Pope said. 

While there are various details that could be factors, such as stride length in the pitcher, their arm strength and effective kinetic chain of their arm movement, the two are putting their attention to how the ground forces affect the exit velocity of the ball. 

“I think we narrowed it on mainly focusing on the lower half of the body,” Mahlstedt said. 

With a full-body sport like baseball, there is high injury incidence at all levels. Baseball pitchers face risk of serious injury throughout their careers; therefore, performance cannot be fostered without a serious look at injury prevention.

“We can talk about injury prevention because if you can get that lower half of your body into it, you’re going to be able to throw the ball faster without risking your throwing arm as much,” Pope said. 

“If you can generate more velocity from [your lower body], it should be less from [your upper body], at least,” Mahlstedt agreed.

The results are in

For the Clemson pitcher, the results have been working. As of April 2, the pitcher has a 1.09 earned run average(ERA), striking out 34 in 24.2 innings pitched this season, and an opposing batting average of .180. Mahlstedt has also noticed that he has “been throwing harder” over the course of this season.

The senior has been using a larger acceleration impulse for his pitches, heightening the force that he puts in the ground from his leg lift. From this force, and according to Newton’s third law of motion, the opposite reaction that the ground gives him the force that he needs to throw faster.

If this variable is important, how, then, does an athlete train to increase their acceleration impulse?

“A lot of water bag drills,” said Mahlstedt. “It’s used for stability, but if you take a water bag and you move it and you kind of rock, you almost feel this impulse with the water sloshing back and forth. It just improves stability.”

Jumping exercises, such as one leg jumps, have helped Mahlstedt’s transfer of force, which would allow for a linear increase.

“That has led to that increase in acceleration impulse and then an increase in velocity,” he said. 

As for the future, Mahlstedt and Pope will be further researching how the upper and lower body interact during a pitcher’s career progression, hypothesizing that measuring the lower half of the body could lead to more findings that will help pitcher training. 

“The kinetics with the ground forces in the lower half is easier because we have to do the force itself,” Mahlstedt said.

“We’re looking at ways that we can quantitatively say that most players, if they do this, they should be throwing the ball faster,” Pope added. “Each athlete is very individualized with their body mechanics and in what they do, so we’re just trying to look at some overall metrics that a player might be able to look at to see if they can improve that metric and, thereby, improving their pitching speed.”

Injury prevention was another future topic mentioned, due to the amount of pitchers that suffer upper body injuries from body fatigue. Most of the research released about baseball pitchers is about injury prevention, and the two are interested in evaluating how their research on lower body forces can add to prevention.

“If you can focus on the lower half to increase the speed of the pitch,” Pope said, “that’s probably less damaging to the arm. Not a lot of pitchers go out because they injure the lower half.”

Whether the MLB Draft or a future in baseball is in the cards, Mahlstedt hopes that his research will be the continuation of something important, whether in pitcher development or injury prevention, on the baseball diamond. 

By Nicole Souza

March is Expanding Girls’ Horizons in Science and Engineering Month, a time to celebrate the achievements of women in STEM and highlight the importance of supportive communities in these fields. While science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) offer incredible opportunities, gender disparities remain, particularly in computer science. According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, girls make up 61% of advanced placement (AP) biology students, 52% in AP statistics and 50% in AP chemistry. However, that number drops to just 23% in AP computer science.¹ This gender gap persists beyond primary education, continuing into college and the workforce. Every day, women work to forge their own pathways to success.

Paige Wasiela, a senior computer science student at Clemson University, exemplifies a woman who has found academic and personal support in her field. Through extracurricular involvement and women’s intramural sports, she has thrived in a male-dominated field.

Paige was initially drawn to STEM by its limitless possibilities. “I was inspired to pursue STEM because I saw the opportunities post-grad to contribute to creating something that society, and myself, could benefit from,” she said. 

Her journey has not been without challenges. She found her courses rigorous and, like many women in STEM, initially struggled to build a support system in her male-dominated major.  “The rigor of courses in the STEM fields, computer science specifically, have proven to be very challenging, but by seeking help from TAs [teaching assistants] and professors, I have been able to pass my classes and learn.” 

However, academic support from professors and TAs can only go so far. Finding a community of like-minded individuals became a crucial part of her academic success.

When looking for such a community, Paige found Theta Tau, a co-ed professional engineering organization after receiving a recommendation from a friend. Joining Theta Tau would shape the next three years of her college experience. Through the organization, Paige built lasting friendships, received help in classes from people she would have never met otherwise, and even secured a full-time job that she is passionate about. Theta Tau offered mentorship and support, and as a group that is equally composed of men and women, it provided a close-knit network of like-minded women who shared her academic drive and social interests.

Outside the classroom, Paige excelled in athletics. Her love for basketball led her to join the Theta Tau women’s intramural basketball team. What started as a fun activity quickly became something more meaningful. “Playing together and having fun creates a bond between us that makes us want to get to know each other better outside of the sport and be better friends,” Paige explained. This camaraderie extended into academics. “Getting to know people on the basketball court opens the door to being more comfortable around each other, especially when asking for help on things like academics.”

Mentorship has played a significant role in Paige’s journey. Admiring her teammates on the court often translated to admiration in the classroom and beyond. “When you admire someone’s work on the court, you can easily admire their work in academia, or just in life,” she said. Seeing older members succeed in their coursework provided both inspiration and guidance. Now preparing to graduate, she hopes to pass on an important lesson to younger students: never be afraid to connect with older members of your organization or major. “We’re all students in STEM. We’re all in this together.”

For girls considering a career in STEM, Paige says to “go for it! You never know until you try, and it shouldn’t be something that scares anyone. There’s a community out there for girls in STEM.” 

While statistics show progress in closing the gender gap in many fields, there is still a significant disparity. Building relationships with other women in the field can help overcome challenges and foster success.

Paige’s story is a testament to the power of community, mentorship and support in helping women thrive in STEM. Whether through professional organizations like Theta Tau or the shared experience of sports, finding a network of supportive women can be life changing. As we celebrate Expanding Girls’ Horizons in Science and Engineering Month, let Paige’s journey inspire the next generation of women in STEM.

1. National Initiative for Cybersecurity Careers and Studies. (2025, February 12). March is Expanding Girls’ Horizons in Science and Engineering Month! National Initiative for Cybersecurity Careers and Studies. https://niccs.cisa.gov/cybersecurity-career-resources/featured-stories/march-expanding-girls-horizons-science-and  ↩︎

My Journey to Clemson Sports Car Club

By Natalie Bell

 I grew up surrounded by my dad’s love of cars, specifically BMWs. He even bought me my own BMW to push around the house, and I spent Sundays with him watching F1 races in my lucky checkered flag socks, cheering on Kimi Raikkonen. I spent hours in the garage while he worked on his autocross car, so much so that when I was three, I begged him for my mechanic’s creeper to see what he was doing.

My dad was constantly fixing up his car for autocross- a racing event where drivers race one at a time through a cone-lined course. The objective is speed and agility, as hitting a cone results in a time penalty. The event organizers calculate all the times, and drivers can see where their times compare to their peers. As I watched him draw out autocross courses for our local Baltimore autocross group, I told him that I couldn’t wait to turn thirteen so that I could ride in the car with him as he raced. 

That dream would end up on pause for a while. My dad sold his tan BMW to go back to school and didn’t race for a decade. Eventually, my dad stumbled upon 24 Hours of Lemons, which is probably the weirdest racing event you could ever partake in. 24 Hours of Lemons is a riff off of 24 Hours of Lemans, a prestigious professional racing event. However, Lemons is not prestigious and is not 24 hours long.

Lemons is a two-day endurance event with various locations across the country where drivers and mechanics give old “lemons” of cars new lives as race cars. Each team must buy a car for $500 and then outfit it with a roll cage and additional safety features. My dad gathered a team of his coworkers to form Team Race Team, fixed up a BMW 318ti that hadn’t run in 10 years, and turned it into Oscar the Grouch. Or Otto, because he’s German. 

Watching my dad race again renewed my interest in racing. Eventually, I want to race alongside my dad in 24 Hours of Lemons, and autocrossing is one of the first steps. I have autocrossed as a part of Clemson Sports Car Club for the past two semesters, and I plan to continue to autocross post-grad. I love the sport of constantly trying to beat my own time while simultaneously trying to stay near my dad’s time (which is much faster than mine.) 

It’s so rewarding to participate in autocross with my dad and finally fulfill my childhood dream of racing with him. He has taught me not to give up on my passions- sometimes, they take time. 

By Griffin Barfield

As the spring semester continues to pick up, so do the actions of the students of Clemson Formula SAE (CUFSAE), who are preparing for important events in April and May. 

CUFSAE is a student race team that focuses on design, fabrication and competition of an open-wheeled, formula style race car. The team competes in the Society of Automotive Engineers student design competition.

In addition to the formulation of a race car, students have to work in all other facets of the racing business, including team management, public relations and sponsor procurement. The Robert H. Brooks Sports Science Institute is proud to sponsor CUFSAE for another year. 

For Clemson’s team, their sights are on the Michigan FSAE Competition in May for the planning and the creation of the racecar, called Tiger 25, where they will race at the Michigan International Speedway. 

Student members of CUFSAE can join five different divisions: aerodynamics, business, chassis, electrical, powertrain and suspension. 

The team lead of the group is Grant Harley, who is studying Electrical and Computer Engineering in his first year of graduate school at Clemson. One of Harley’s main focuses is to keep the team focused on the design timeline for the car. In doing so, he sets weekly meetings with the leadership team and remains in contact with the Department of Mechanical Engineering faculty advisor. 

“The biggest thing I have to do before our car release is make sure the car is following the necessary production timeline and keeping the entire team on the same page about what needs to be done and when it needs to be done,” Harley said. 

A Charleston native, Harley is also a part of the electrical team, where he helps design the brake system plausibility device (BSPD) – a safety component that shuts the car off if the throttle position or brake pressure stop reading. 

“This helps protect the driver in the case of a malfunction in the car and protects the car from dangerous operating procedures,” Harley said. 

Harley works closely with Vehicle Operations Manager, Cameron Boerst, a Mechanical Engineering junior with an Electrical Engineering minor. Boerst’s job focuses on test-day operations, planning when the car will run, whether on or off campus.

“This requires communication and planning between divisions to make sure the rear and front wings are ready, the electronics are working, the powertrain is running, and the suspension is tuned for a day of running,” Boerst said. 

Another Charleston native, Boerst is also designing the drivetrain of the car, which is what he looks forward to the most out of this project.

“The drivetrain is responsible for delivering power from the engine to the hubs of the rear wheels,” Boerst explained. “This includes a lot of CAD modeling in SolidWorks paired with Finite Element Analysis (FEA) on the forces experienced by the drivetrain.”

No matter how strong the engine may be, suspension is incredibly important to the car’s success. This is led by fellow junior mechanical engineer and recent Brooks Scholar, Peter Gaspich, an inaugural member of the new class of automotive engineers at Clemson. Gaspich and his team focus on manufacturing and testing of the car’s suspension system ahead of the May event.

“In other words, my goal is to ensure that the driver can get optimal performance from the tires and maximize grip throughout each lap, as maintaining grip to the road is the most essential part of a fast lap time,” Gaspich said. “No matter how powerful the engine is, it won’t be going anywhere very fast if it’s just spinning tires.”

The Greenville native also has one of the most important tasks on race day: constantly studying the car’s responses and making needed changes to the car to help the driver with the ride. 

At this point in the semester, the suspension team is working on manufacturing all of the suspension parts, something that Gaspich heavily takes part in.

“This includes outlining manufacturing plans, training new members on shop equipment, coordinating with sponsors to outsource the manufacturing of more complex components and spending late nights at the shop with my closest friends!” he said. 

With a project as big as designing and building a formula race car, it’s the little steps that count. For Harley, he is most looking forward to seeing the car run on its own for the first time. 

“I am most looking forward to the first time the car runs under its own power,” he said. “It’s an extremely fulfilling moment watching this project that you’ve spent almost a year designing and building culminate into this one moment.”

Every week means the team is one step closer to the first race. With March beginning, it’s crunch time for CUFSAE. The team hopes to see successes similar to, or greater than, last year’s Tiger 24 design.

From Gaspich’s perspective, as well as many others on the team, the opportunity to work on an ongoing project to present it in front of 119 other schools is something that the classroom doesn’t provide. 

“I cannot express enough how important being involved in Formula SAE is to anyone interested in a career in motorsports, or even engineering in-general, as engineering is so much more than what you learn in the classroom,” Gaspich said. 

Whether participating as a passion project or looking for experience for a future job in the motorsports industry, all eyes look to May where Tiger 25 will be racing on asphalt that has hosted NASCAR and IndyCar events. 

By Griffin Barfield

Most sports fans own at least one t-shirt donning the brand of their favorite team or jersey representing their favorite athlete. When they are preparing to join the crowd at a field, rink or stadium, sports fans expect their regalia to look on-brand.

According to Drs. Erica Walker and Amanda Bridges, Clemson faculty in the Department of Graphic Communications, “Branded athletic apparel is a multi-billion dollar business expanding year over year. Sports teams and their fans expect brand accuracy and durability across all types of textile-based products from clothing to home decor. Color is a vital part of a brand’s identity and printing consistent, durable and accurate brand colors across different materials can be challenging for manufacturers.”

Walker shared some of the challenges their research aimed to address.

“Orange is an especially difficult color to match in any medium,” she said. “Our eyes are pretty sensitive to variations in this color range so branded content creators have to be especially vigilant to ensure a consistent visual match. 

Another challenge is the variety of materials and places that the color appears. We see Clemson Orange on the TV screen, on printed t-shirts, painted on the grass on the athletic fields, on the plastic seat backs, on metal decorative art outside, and so many other surfaces. Each backing material and process must be carefully chosen and controlled to ensure accurate brand color.”

During their investigation, the two provided opportunities for freshmen-level experiential learning with a direct-to-garment (DTG) printer and worked closely with Clemson Athletics to assess how the University’s brand colors are affected by commercial washing processes, looking at color degradation. 

Walker shared advice for printers and manufacturers to achieve color accuracy and durability. 

“You can never have too much quality control throughout the process. Everyone who touches the artwork or product from the beginning design to manufacturing to the sales floor has a role in ensuring brand accurate colors,” she said. “This even includes fans! How we launder brand-color products can help the colors stay accurate for longer. 

There are definitely some combinations of textiles and processes that will provide more accurate colors both initially and after multiple washes, so manufacturers take that into consideration when developing new products and deciding how to manufacture them.”

At the end of the day, one question remains above all in Walker’s and Bridges’ research: How can the University engage with textile manufacturers, printers and launderers to ensure the brand stays true on apparel and other products? 

Walker has been a faculty fellow at the Robert H. Brooks Sports Science Institute for many years. The proposals she submitted for ‘director’s funding’ were reviewed and approved by RHBSSI leadership, and the Institute was pleased to fund the purchase of the DTG printer and offer financial assistance to participate in the conferences. 

“It was a very [special] international conference and the first time either of us had attended it,” Walker said about CIC. “[It] would definitely be a valuable event to visit again and we really appreciate the support which allowed us to go to both CIC and TAGA this academic year.”

By: Griffin Barfield

It’s not only the varsity sports on Clemson’s campus that leave lasting impacts on students. Even before stepping foot on campus as a student, senior Psychology major, Sydney Lavin, wanted collegiate swimming to be a part of her Tiger tenure. 

While Clemson does not hold a varsity program for swimming, Lavin knew about Clemson Club Swim – a team that would come to have a lasting impact on her life.

As a freshman looking for things to do outside of class, swim club was the first thing on her mind. From a recreational standpoint, she would be able to continue a passion of hers while connecting with other students on campus.

“I always knew that I wanted to swim during college, but not varsity since it’s so

competitive, so Clemson Club Swim was perfect!” Lavin said. “I remember at Tiger Prowl freshman year, my only goal was to find the club swim table, and I’m so glad I did because it’s seriously been one of the best decisions I’ve made.”

Immediately, she was plugged in. Not even a year into swimming with the club, Lavin found the opportunity to do more: coaching a local club team in the area. 

Now, she serves as the assistant coach for the Foothills Area YMCA’s (FAY) club team, coaching young swimmers in Seneca, South Carolina, where she has been for the last three years. 

“I’ve always thought that coaching would be fun, so it’s been the best job for me!” Lavin said.  “There’s definitely been a learning curve because I had never coached before, but it’s taught me so many lessons and life skills.”

When she first began with FAY, Lavin taught the youngest group, ranging from 6-10 years old. Now, she teaches the level above, ranging from ages 9-13. She describes the job as a “learning experience.”

Her work off campus has translated to the pool at Clemson’s Fike Recreation Center, where she has coached various practices over the years for the club team. In addition to coaching, Lavin has served as Clemson Club Swim’s treasurer for the past two years, managing the club’s budget and finances. 

However, her biggest takeaway from her four years with the team has been the interpersonal skills that she has developed with these positions. 

“I have the best group of friends from this club,” Lavin said, “but I’ve also had to learn how to communicate with University staff and others outside of the University on things like space reservations, banking, and equipment rentals for our home meet.”

These skills are important to Lavin, who is graduating this spring but plans to continue her education. She intends on pursuing a graduate degree in psychology with an Industrial-Organizational (I/O) Psychology concentration. She would like to go into I/O psychology consulting with collegiate athletic programs or institutions. 

Lavin also hopes to continue to coach if her post-graduate studies allow. Nevertheless, this recreational sport has provided her with a skillset that will translate into the real world, and for Lavin, the field of psychology.

“I love club sports because it’s that perfect middle ground of recreation and competition, another reason why Clemson Club Swim has been so good!” Lavin said. “This position has also been helpful in pursuing a career in consulting because of the communication and analytical skills required for the job.”

As part of undergraduate studies in psychology, Lavin works on a Creative Inquiry team with RHBSSI fellow, Marissa Shuffler, Ph.D., on her Institute-funded grant work developing teams in the context of NCAA sports.