HISTORY & GEOGRAPHY – Assistant Professor Camden Burd published his article “Playing Gaia: Simulation, Science, and the Significance of Video Games for Environmental History,” in Environmental History. The article explores the history behind, and meaning of, the popular game SimEarth, released by Maxis in 1990. Designed by Will Wright, the game tasked users to consider atmospheric, geologic, and biological variables to simulate a global system. Wright based the game on James Lovelock’s Gaia hypothesis—a theory of Earth that posited that the planet was a singular cybernetic system. Throughout gameplay, players are introduced to Lovelock’s ideas both through explicit text and implicit visual design. Exploring SimEarth and Wright’s interpretation of Lovelock’s work, Burd’s essay encourages environmental historians to examine video games for their unique visual form and style of argumentation.
PERFORMING ARTS – Lillian Utsey Harder, Brooks Center director emerita and artistic director of the Utsey Chamber Music Series, secured four broadcasts on American Public Media’s Performance Today: Sphinx Virtuosi’s performances of Heitor Villa-Lobos’ Bachianas Brasileiras No. 9 on January 13 and Michael Dudley’s “Prayer for Our Times” on January 19 from their concert on March 30, 2024; Evren Ozel’s performance of Beethoven’s Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp minor, Op. 27, No.2 (“Moonlight Sonata”) on January 21 from his concert on January 30, 2025; and WindSync’s performance of Nadia Boulanger’s 3 Pieces for Organ and Mozart’s Andante from Serenade C minor, K. 388 on January 27 from their concert on October 29, 2024.
PHILOSOPHY & RELIGION – Associate Professor Elizabeth Jemison’s book, Christian Citizens: Reading the Bible in Black and White in the Postemancipation South (UNC Press, 2020), was cited in a recent article in New York Magazine. The article, “Two Paths for American Christianity” by Sarah Jones covers a confrontation at a Minnesota church at which one of the ministers works for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Jones cites Jemison’s research into the history of Christian religious disagreement over issues of race, citizenship and slavery.
LANGUAGES – Associate Professor Arelis Moore has received the 2026 Outstanding Faculty Contributions to Service-Learning in Higher Education – Instruction Award from the Gulf South Summit, recognizing her exemplary and sustained integration of service-learning into the curriculum. Selected from a highly competitive nomination pool, the award honors her commitment to engaged, community-centered teaching. Moore’s scholarly and pedagogical work is grounded in reciprocal partnerships with Latinx communities in Upstate South Carolina. Through intentionally designed service-learning experiences, she engages students in addressing social determinants of health while centering culturally responsive, community-defined priorities. Students develop cultural competence, bilingual and professional skills, and civic responsibility, while community partners gain sustained collaboration, research support, and capacity-building resources. Her long-standing community-academic partnerships ensure that service-learning activities are co-designed with Latinx-serving community-based health organizations, ethically implemented, and sustained across academic terms, reflecting a deep and consistent commitment to advancing both student learning and community well-being. Moore will accept the award at the 2026 Gulf South Summit in Houston, Texas, in March 2026.
ENGLISH – Professor Lee Morrissey’s book, Milton’s Ireland: Royalism, Republicanism, and the Question of Pluralism (Cambridge UP, 2024), won the James Holly Hanford Award from the Milton Society of America.
INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES – Spencer Roberts, Research Assistant Professor on the Cemetery Hill Project, is representing Clemson University on the board of the Southeastern Cemetery Consortium, a newly-launched initiative to provide resources, networking, and support for communities seeking to restore and preserve historic cemeteries across the southeast. Dr. Roberts is one of the founding board members for the Consortium, alongside other representatives from Georgia and North Carolina. Cemetery projects in need of assistance can browse resources, explore in-depth guides, and request support. Organizations that support historic preservation can join as Consortium Partners to help with projects in their regions. Finally, private companies involved in cultural resource management and preservation can request to be listed in the company directory for projects that have funds to hire support.
