ENGLISH — Professor Susanna Ashton published “Capturing the Civil War” in JSTOR Daily in a collection review on archived stationery during the Civil War from Grand Valley State University’s Civil War and Slavery Collection. Her upcoming book, “A Plausible Man: The True Story of the Escaped Slave Who Inspired Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” is available for pre-order ahead of its release date on August 6.

HISTORY — Professor of History Vernon Burton moderated a session at Clemson University’s Upstate Symposium on April 4. That afternoon, he and Professor J. Brent Morris participated in a program on Clemson history and the politics of the South for the inaugural spring symposium of the student-published “The Aurantiaco,” Clemson’s journal for the humanities and social sciences. 

On April 7, Burton and writer Fergus Bordewich did a Zoom session on Reconstruction in South Carolina for the Modjeska Simkins School. That same day, Burton and Morris spoke about the latter’s book, “Dismal Freedom.” Burton and Harvard Law Professor Kenneth Mack were guests on NPR’s “Throughline” podcast that aired on April 11. On April 15, Burton was one of four historians who filed an amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court defending the existence of a private right of action. 

Burton participated in three panels throughout the state about voting on April 17 (Clemson), April 18 (Orangeburg) and April 25 (Aiken). On April 20, Burton spoke about Abraham Lincoln and the Emancipation Proclamation as the keynote speaker for the Institute for the Study of the Reconstruction Era’s conference titled, “Breathing Democracy into Spaces: First South Carolina Volunteers of African Descent,” at the University of South Carolina-Beaufort.

LANGUAGES — Assistant Professor of American Sign Language Jody Cripps and his Creative Inquiry students — Brie Moose, Cassie Fisher, Stacy Lawrence, Allsion Rambo and Tariq Copeland — were interviewed by MV Signs Then and Now producer Lynn Thorp. The video, “MV Signs Then and Now: What’s Happening on Martha’s Vineyard Now?” talks about what Cripps and his students have done to support the Martha’s Vineyard community on and off the island.

ENGLISH — In Spring 2024, Assistant Professor Maziyar Faridi received a National Endowment for the Humanities Faculty Fellowship (2024-2025). In January, he participated in the invited roundtable “Comparative Modernisms in West Asia” at the Modern Language Association annual meeting in Philadelphia. Faridi also presented an article titled “Crip Rhythms: Bodies in Pain and the Crises of Colonial Modernity in the Middle East” at the American Comparative Literature Association in Montréal in March. His research was awarded a Clemson Faculty SUCCEEDS grant in April. And in May, Faridi was a recipient of the Clemson University Research, Scholarship, and Artistic Achievement Award (URSAAA).

PERFORMING ARTS — Brooks Center Director Emerita Lillian Utsey Harder, artistic director of the Utsey Chamber Music Series,was awarded the Order of the Palmetto by South Carolina State House Rep. Jerry Carter (R-Pickens). This is the highest civilian honor in the state.

She also secured three broadcasts on American Public Media’s “Performance Today” broadcast on April 8 of Escher String Quartet’s performance of Haydn’s String Quarter in B-flat Major, Op. 76, No. 4, from their concert on September 14, 2021; a broadcast on April 16 of Brahms’ Clarinet in A-minor, Op. 114, by pianist Anna Polonsky, clarinetist David Shifrin and cellist Peter Wiley from their concert on November 4, 2019; and a broadcast on April 22 of Sphinx Virtuosi’s performance of Beethoven’s Sonata No. 9 in A-major, arranged by Ruben Rengel, from their concert on March 30, 2023.

ENGLISH — Disability Rhetorics Assistant Professor Clare Mullaney had two publications this month: “Cripistemologies of Memory: Dementia, Disappearance and Mourning” in the Journal of Literary and Cultural Disability Studies and; a short piece for a Post-45 clustered on contemporary literature from the classroom called “Bodies’ Return to Physical Books: Teaching through and alongside BookTok and Bookstagram.”

LANGUAGES — Professor of Spanish Salvador A. Oropesa read the paper, “Definición del género miniseries en España: ‘Antidisturbios (2020)’ de Rodrigo Sorogoyen,” at the XX Congreso de novela y cine negro: El largo adios.” Universidad de Salamanca, Spain, on May 14.

ENGLISH — Associate Professor Elizabeth Rivlin presented a paper titled “The Book-of-the-Month Club’s Shakespeare Editions: Readability, Prestige, and the Creation of Value” in the “Early Modern Book History: The State of the Field” seminar at the Shakespeare Association of America Annual Meeting, held April 10-13 in Portland, OR.

HISTORY — Professor of History Vernon Burton and Peter Eisenstadt coauthored “The Voting Rights in Georgia: A Short History” was published in “Southern Cultures.” On March 4, Burton was quoted on the 14th Amendment Colorado ballot initiative Supreme Court decision on NPR Morning Edition SCETV radio. Burton was one of four historians to appear on a news webinar entitled “Historians Weigh in on SCOTUS Trump v. Anderson Colorado ballot ruling.” He was mentioned in an article on “The Guardian” about the webinar. On March 6, Burton presented the Black History Month lecture on his book, “Penn Center: A History Preserved,” at Greenville Technical College. From March 14-16, Burton participated in the annual SHOES (Southern History of Education Society) meeting and chaired a session on Reconstruction. On March 29, Burton was one of three historians who participated in the first Southern Historical Association virtual history discussion on the significance of historian C. Vann Woodward. On April 11, Burton was a guest on NPR’s “Throughline” podcast.

ENGLISH — Sarah E.S. Carter, director of First-Year Composition, presented at the Veterans in Society Conference on March 15. Her presentation entitled, “Operation Nightingale: Digging Band of Brothers,” focused on veteran archaeological initiatives taking place in the United Kingdom.”

ENGLISH — Assistant Professor Jonathan Correa-Reyes reports that the third season of “The Multicultural Middle Ages Podcast” launched in March. The anthology-style podcast, sponsored by The Medieval Academy of America, seeks to reframe conversations about medieval history and culture by expanding our understanding about the multicultural reality of the medieval world and celebrating the plurality of voices that make up medieval studies. The podcast’s goal is to bridge the gap between the knowledge produced by scholars and the wider world in a free and accessible manner. This is available wherever you listen to podcasts.

PHILOSOPHY AND RELIGION — Assistant Professor Quinn Hiroshi Gibson published a paper entitled “Philosophy’s Role in Theorizing Psychopathology” in “Philosophy, Psychiatry and Psychology.” In the journal paper, Gibson argues philosophy is an indispensable tool for investigating mental disorder. The paper can be found by doi here. The journal also published invited commentaries on the feature article, as well as Gibson’s reply entitled “Understanding, the Manifest Image and ‘Postmodernism’ in Philosophy of Psychiatry.” The response can be found by doi here.

PERFORMING ARTS — Brooks Center Director Emerita Lillian Utsey Harder, artistic director of the Utsey Chamber Music Series, secured a broadcast on America Public Media’s “Performance Today” broadcast on March 4 of Sphinx Virtuoso’s performance on March 30, 2023, of Sisifo na Cidade Grande by Ricardo Herz.

ENGLISH — Associate Dean for Undergraduate and Graduate Studies Michael LeMahieu contributed a paper entitled, “Inherently Unequal: Race, Rhetoric and the Law” at a symposium on judicial rhetoric hosted by the University of Virginia Law School in early April.

ENGLISH — Principal Lecturer Amy Monaghan presented her paper entitled, “Mark Wahlberg, Stochastic Terrorist: Patriots Day’s Mean Images of the 2013 Boston Marathon Bombing,” on March 15 at the Society for Cinema and Media Studies’ annual convention in Boston.

ENGLISH — Disability Rhetorics Assistant Professor Clare Mullaney presented a paper titled, “‘Colored Editress’: Uplift, Anti-Black Violence and the Ends of Print,” at C19: The Society for 19th Century Americanists’ bi-annual conference on March 14-16 in Pasadena, California. She also participated in a seminar entitled, “Unfolding Editorship.”

ENGLISH — Senior Lecturer Kathleen Nalley participated in the “Visual and Verse” exhibit in coordination with Greenville Poet Laureate Glenis Redmond at the Metropolitan Arts Council (MAC) in March. The program asked 15 poets to respond to artworks created by 15 artists. Poets read their works at an opening reception. “Visual and Verse” is on exhibit at MAC through April. TOWN Magazine covered the opening reception.

LANGUAGES — Professor of Spanish Salvador A. Oropesa, alongside five other university professors, contributed to evaluating the diverse programs offered at Bentley University’s College of Arts and Sciences in Waltham, Massachusetts, on March 25-27. Tasked with overseeing the Department of Languages, Oropesa brought his knowledge and experience to the assessment process. The effort was a comprehensive review of the language department’s curriculum, faculty and overall effectiveness within the university’s academic framework.

HISTORY — Assistant Professor Amanda Regan gave a talk entitled, “Mapping the Margins: Gay Travel Guides and the Promise of Digital History,” as part of Villanova University’s Digital Seed Speaker series. The talk focused on her digital history project called “Mapping the Gay Guides” and how digital methods allow historians to ask new questions of historical travel guides.

PERFORMING ARTS — Assisting Visitor Professor of Music and Director of Orchestra Kimberly Souther has been appointed festival director for the Heifetz International Music Institute this summer. The Clemson University Symphony Orchestra presented a celebratory concert for the Brooks Center for the Performing Arts on April 16. The concert featured the winners of the Clemson University Concerto Competition, Elise Bloom (violin) and Ansley Hollingsworth (soprano). The orchestra’s current focus on enhanced engagement through real-time program notes, pre-concert talks, supertitles and interactions with musicians and composers resulted in a successful evening of shared music with the community.

ENGLISH — Calhoun Lemon Professor of Literature Rhondda Robinson Thomas accepted an invitation to visit the Reynolds’ Homestead (Rock Spring Plantation) and Virginia Tech on March 11-13. She was joined by several members of the Woodland Cemetery team including Marjorie Campbell, Sara Collini and Deborah Robinson to give two lectures and meet with faculty, staff, descendants of the enslaved community and local leaders for a series of discussions about documenting campus and community histories with a legacy of slavery based on public humanities strategies drawn from her Call My Name project and the cemetery project.

ARCHITECTURE – Anjali Joseph and David Allison, both with the Center for Health Facilities Design & Testing (CHFDT), presented “Patient Room Design: Engaging Clinical Teams Through Simulation-Based Evaluation and Design,” during a Center for Health Design webinar. The presentation reviewed the background of the project, timeline, methodology and various phases. The CHFDT team is working with Indiana University Health (IU Health) to design rooms that better meet the needs of and improve safety for both patients and staff. The project evaluated physical mock-ups at four different stages of design refinement, obtained extensive clinician input through simulated patient care scenarios and employed other testing and feedback methodologies, which enabled the team to identify design refinements that mock-ups alone might miss.  IU Health is the largest network of physicians in the state of Indiana, offering a unique partnership with Indiana University School of Medicine, one of the nation’s leading medical schools.

ARCHITECTURE – Anjali Joseph and David Allison, both with the Center for Health Facilities Design & Testing (CHFDT), presented “Operating Room Design: Using an Evidence-Based Design Approach,” during an American Institute of Architects, Academy of Architecture for Health webinar. The presentation reviewed the background of the project, timeline, findings, outcomes, design and post-occupancy evaluation. The CHFDT team engaged with health systems and architecture firms as part of a multi-year federally funded patient safety learning lab to design a safer and more ergonomic operating room. The webinar shared how the CHFDT team collaborated with health systems and design professionals to develop concepts for flexible and safe operating room layouts. Findings from this project were implemented in real-world settings at the Medical University of South Carolina and the Emory Musculoskeletal Institute.

ARCHITECTURE – Associate Professor Sallie Hambright-Belue’s and Assistant Professor Berrin Terim’s co-authored article, “Beginning Design Pedagogy: An Ars Oblivionalis,” is selected to be published in the journal for Design Communications Associations (DCA) entitled Representations. This journal is published biannually and acknowledges the papers from the previous DCA Conference that were selected by the DCA Journal Editorial Board to be elevated to include in the Journal.

ARCHITECTURE – Professor Anjali Joseph and doctoral student Devi Soman, both with the Center for Health Facilities Design and Testing (CHFDT), coauthored an article published in the Health Environments Research & Design Journal titled, Influence of the Physical Environment on Maternal Care for Culturally Diverse Women: A Narrative Review. The review found that most studies focus on maternal or culturally sensitive care settings outside the United States. Since the maternal care environment is an important aspect of their culturally sensitive care experience, further studies exploring the needs and perspectives of racially and ethnically diverse women within maternal care settings in the United States are necessary. Such research can help future healthcare designers contribute toward addressing the ongoing maternal health crisis within the country.

ARCHITECTURE – Professor Anjali Joseph, Director of the Center for Health Facilities Design and Testing (CHFDT), and colleagues presented “Pediatric Patient Care Pathways in the Emergency Department and Their Effect on Mental and Behavioral Health Patients” at the Healthcare Systems Process Improvement Conference in Atlanta, GA. The group reviewed recent work from the Realizing Improved Patient Care through Human-centered Design for Pediatric mental and behavioral health in the Emergency Department (RIPCHD.PED) project.

ARCHITECTURE – Professor Anjali Joseph, Director of the Center for Health Facilities Design and Testing (CHFDT), shared her healthcare design experience in an article published in a Special Edition of Construction & Design. In the article titled “To Optimize OR Design, Put People First,“ Joseph discussed lessons learned over decades of researching, testing and helping to implement healthcare design solutions. She also shared her healthcare design guiding principle that human-centered elements that focus on patients and staff lead to safer spaces and better outcomes.

ARCHITECTURE – Associate Professor Peter Laurence edited the new book Histories of Architecture Education in the United States, a collection of twenty essays by twenty-two contributors, published by Routledge in late 2023. The publication, which began as a conference at University of Pennsylvania’s Weitzman School of Design, was celebrated with a book launch and talks by Laurence and a number of contributors at Penn in March. The lecture highlighted chapters and themes from the book, as well as speculations about the future of architecture education. 

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE –  Professor Mary G. Padua presented her peer-reviewed work that falls within the realm of transdisciplinary and emancipatory research entitled, “Urban Landscapes of Trauma: the Filipino Diaspora and Collective Memory of the World War II Battle [for the liberation] of Manila”, at the Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture on March 21^st in St. Louis. In late March, Padua was appointed the Dean’s special advisor and member of a steering committee on the Resilient Urban Landscapes postgraduate curriculum initiative at the Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University’s Design School, Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, P.R.C.

CONSTRUCTION SCIENCE AND MANAGEMENT – Assistant Professor Jong Han Yoon has been named the winner of the 2024 Pennel Center Research Grant competition. Yoon’s research proposal aims to develop an IoT (Internet of Things) and BIM (Building Information Modeling) -enabled simulation of building evacuation plans against school shootings with the goal of creating a game-based evacuation training system for students using the simulation model. 

ENGLISH — Lecturer Peter Cullen Bryan has signed a contract with University Press of Mississippi for his second book entitled, “Sonja: The She-Devil with a Sword as Pulp Hero and Brand Icon.” The book is scheduled for an early 2025 publication. This is the first full-length scholarly examination of a classic barbarian hero, emphasizing her creation as a response to Second Wave Feminism in the 1970s and later adaptations under various authors, including Wendy Pini and Gail Simone, parallel to the development of Third Wave Feminism. This book will explore how the character influenced comics, pulp art and larger cultural movements over the past 50 years, with an emphasis on the role of fans as creators and how that allowed for more transgressive takes on femineity.

HISTORY — Professor of History Vernon Burton’s article “Edgefield, South Carolina: Home to Dave the Potter/Dave Drake” was published in “The Words and Wares of David Drake: Revisiting ‘I made This Jar’ and the Legacy of Edgefield Pottery.” Edited by Jill Beute Koverman and Jane Przybysz. On February 2, Burton appeared on a webcast with other historians who signed an amicus brief drafted by Professor Allan Lichtman and Burton on the 14th Amendment Supreme Court case Trump v. Colorado. On February 4, E.J. Dione Jr. cited the brief in explaining “Why I changed my mind and think Trump should be thrown off the ballot” in the Washington Post.

On February 12, he led a seminar for the Liberty Fund on Lincoln and the Emancipation Proclamation. On the same day, the New York Historical Society broadcast an episode of “For the Ages: A History Podcast” on Burton’s book titled “The Age of Lincoln” with David Rubenstein interviewing Burton. On February 13, Burton discussed “Justice Deferred” with the League of Women Voters and the Detroit Public Library.

On February 14, Sydney Blumenthal cited the brief in The Guardian. Burton held a series of class visits and lectures at Michigan State University over February 5-6, which included a discussion of “Justice Deferred: Race and the Supreme Court” at the Michigan State Law School.  Less than a week later, Burton had a conversation on the state of African American history in South Carolina with Walter Edgar for the keynote at the South Carolina African American Heritage Commission’s annual conference in Columbia.

PHILOSOPHY AND RELIGION — Assistant Professor of Philosophy Quinn Gibson published a paper titled “Interventionism and Intelligibility: Why depression is not (always) a brain disease” in the “Journal of Medicine and Philosophy.” Gibson argues against the prominent idea that clinical depression — as it is conceived in the most recent Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Disorders (DSM-5) as Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) — is always a disease of the brain.

PERFORMING ARTS — Brooks Center Director Emerita Lillian Utsey Harder, artistic director of the Utsey Chamber Music Series, secured three broadcasts in March by Sphinx Virtuosi’s concert on March 30 on America Public Media’s “Performance Today;” a broadcast on February 14 of Carlos Simons’ “Between Worlds” performed by violinist Hannah White; a broadcast on February 27 of Michael Dudley’s “Prayer for our Time;” and Valerie Coleman’s “Tracing Visions” on February 28.

WORLD CINEMA — Associate Professor of Film and Media Studies Aga Skrodzka’s article titled, “Dubai-gate and the libidinal operations of nation-making in ‘Girls from Dubai,’” was published in the Journal of Contemporary Iraq and the Arab World.

ENGLISH — Calhoun Lemon Professor of Literature Rhondda Robinson Thomas gave the presentation, “‘Slavery a Positive Good?’: Resistance within the Enslaved Community at John C. Calhoun’s Fort Hill Plantation,” on a panel for “Just Sharing: Building Community through Stories of Our Past” on February 11 at Drayton Hall in Charleston. This is a partnership project between South Carolina Humanities, Clemson University and the University of South Carolina.

LANGUAGES — Professor of French Eric Touya published an article entitled, “Women’s Leadership in Senegal: Pedagogical and Feminist Perspectives,” (Oxford Women’s Leadership Symposium) in the “Journal of Academic Perspectives” (Issue 2, 2024, p. 159-167). He also published a book review of “La totalité littéraire. Théorie et enjeux de la littérature mondiale,” in “French Review” (Paris: Presses Universitaires de France, 2023). He also gave a lecture entitled, “Emplaced Humanities, Beauvoir’s ‘Situatedness’ and Bourdieu’s ‘Habitus,’” at the Modern Language Association of America Conference in Philadelphia.

PHILOSOPHY AND RELIGION — Kathryn and Calhoun Lemon Professor of Philosophy Daniel Wueste presented “Integrity: Three Frames and the Architecture of Roles: at the 33rd Annual International Conference of the Association for the Practical and Professional Ethics in Cincinnati from February 22-25. He was also a judge in the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds of the National Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl that was held in conjunction with the conference on February 25.

HISTORY — Professor Vernon Burton was highlighted as one of the keynote speakers for the Feb. 22 conference of the South Carolina African American Heritage Commission. On January 9, Burton spoke with the World Community Magazine LIFE with Edward McQueen and April Garner on the “Supreme Court Decisions: Past, Present and Future” program. On January 24, Burton keynoted at the University of California Santa Barbara in “Picturing Justice: Race and the Supreme Court” and spoke at a fireside chat the following day. On Jan. 25 he spoke at the San Diego Supercomputing Center on “History of Computing in the Humanities and Social Sciences before the Digital Age.”

From January 29 through February 1, Burton and Joshua Catalano hosted two representatives from the Library of Congress (LOC) who work with the Veterans Project and worked with the Clemson Creative Inquiry Veterans Project. On January 31, he conducted an oral history workshop for the campus. On January 31, the “Lansing City Pulse” p. 14 featured an article on Burton and his coauthor’s “Justice Deferred: Race and the Supreme Court.”

In late January, attorneys filed an amicus brief drafted by Professor Allan Lichtman of American University and Burton, which was signed by 23 more historians on the Colorado Ballot Supreme Court case Trump v. Anderson. The historians explained the origins of Section 3 of the 14th Amendment and what the stakeholders and policymakers at that time intended for Section 3 to cover and whom. Their work was covered in media outlets including the Guardian, New York Times, MSNBC, The Daily Beast, Huffington Post and Law and Crime.

LANGUAGES — American Sign Language associate professor Stephen Fitzmaurice published an article with Meri Faulkner addressing ASL-English Interpreters and Anxiety in the Journal of Interpretation. The research investigates coping strategies used by ASL-English interpreters with Generalized Anxiety Disorder and issues including professional stigma.

PERFORMING ARTS — Brooks Center Director Emerita Lillian Utsey Harder, artistic director of the Utsey Chamber Music Series, secured two broadcasts on America Public Media’s “Performance Today” in January with a broadcast on January 12 of Brahms’ Clarinet Trio in A minor, Op. 114 by Anna Polonsky, piano; David Shifrin, clarinet; and Peter Wiley, cello, from their concert on February 9. The second broadcast happened January 24 and was of Capricci by Sergio Assad, commissioned for the 35th anniversary season of the Utsey series and performed by the Escher String Quarter and guitarist Jason Vieaux from their concert on September 14, 2021.

ENGLISH — Alumni Distinguished Professor Lee Morrissey’s essay, “From Ireland to Barbados: architecture of extraction in British colonies” was published in “Architecture and Extraction in the Atlantic World, 1500-1850,” edited by Luis Gordo Palaez and Paul O’Neill (Routledge, 2024), 91-105.

ENGLISH — Associate Professor Angela Naimou co-organized two linked sessions on dispossession for the 2024 Modern Language Association in Philadelphia, January 4-7, in her role as Postcolonial Studies Executive Committee chair. The journal she edits, “Humanity: An International Journal of Human Rights, Humanitarianism, and Development,” joined the Project MUSE Subscribe to Open (S20), among the largest humanities open-access initiative for scholarly journals, which is set to launch current content as open-access for 2025.

PERFORMING ARTS — Assistant Professor of Music Lisa Sain Odom presented a session, “When Worlds Collide: Faculty collaboration in musical theatre and agriculture” with Clemson Agriculture professor Kirby Player at the January 2024 Musical Theatre Educator’s Alliance conference in Atlanta, Georgia. On January 7, she performed two art songs, “Allerseelen” by Richard Strauss and “For You There Is No Song” by Leslie Adams with Clemson collaborative pianist Grace Berardo in New York City. This was part of the National Association of Teachers of Singing Winter Workshop. She was also selected to speak on a panel “Easy Does It…?” alongside world-renowned pianist and coach Warren Jones to speak about how to motivate students to deeply engage with their work when the research process has become so much easier. Her article was published on January 27 in the winter edition of the print magazine “ClassicalSinger”on “Trauma Informed Voice Care.”

LANGUAGES — Professor of German Johannes Schmidt published “Herder und die Oper: Pluralität der Sinne” in a volume entitled “Kunst kommt von Können oder von Kennen her” Künste und Ästhetik bei Johann Gottfried Herder. This wasedited by Stefan Greif.

ART – Lecturer John Cummings, Professor and Chair Valerie Zimany, and MFA students Ellen Griffin and Ethan McKellar had their respective ceramic tile artworks acquired by the Tile Council of North America for its collection at its headquarters in Clemson’s Innovation Campus and Technology Park in Anderson. The work was selected from the Tile Heritage Foundation’sTEXTiles exhibition, which Zimany recently juried, and was exhibited at No.3 Pottery in the historic mill community of Simpsonville, SC. The exhibition addressed the theme of South Carolina’s complex history of the textile industry.

ARCHITECTURE – Professor Anjali Joseph, Director of the Center for Health Facilities Design and Testing, participated via teleconference in the 6th International Advisory Board Meeting of the Swiss Center for Health and Design in Nidau, Switzerland. The International Advisory Board is made up of experts in design, architecture, health and politics from around the world. During the event the group worked to further develop content, review research projects, and exchange ideas. Also, Joseph coauthored an article published in the Quality Management Journal titled, Separate Rooms for Patient Induction, Case Set-up and Breakdown: Innovative Operating Room Turnover Through Quality Management. The study concluded that the use of a separate induction room may have a positive effect on patient and staff safety. The induction room can also increase experiential quality for the patient and their family. Additionally, moving instrument breakdown processes out of the operating to a separate room for parallel processing can free up personnel for other end-of-case and room turnover activities, streamlining the process.

ART – MFA Graduate Program Coordinator and Associate Professor of Art Kathleen Thum is showcasing her solo exhibition, “Considering Carbon,” at Turchin Center for Visual Arts, Appalachian State University from Dec. 1, 2023 to May 4, 2024, funded by the CAAC Faculty Research Development Grant and CU SUCCEEDS Program 3 Project Completion Award. Also, Thum and BFA student in drawing, Sydnay Greene, are featured in “Emergence: A Survey of Southeastern Studio Programs” at the Bunzl Gallery located at The Bascom Center for Visual Arts in Highlands, N.C., from Jan. 20 to Apr. 27, 2024, celebrating the crucial role of teaching and mentoring in the development of student artists. Thum’s “Coal Dust” drawing was included in the 15th Annual Exhibition of Contemporary Drawing, S. Tucker Cooke Gallery, University of North Carolina – Asheville, from Jan. 19 to Feb. 19, 2024, while her work entitled “Blowdown Stack” was showcased in the “Paperworks” exhibition at Manifest Gallery in Cincinnati, O.H., from Jan. 26 to Feb. 23, 2024. Thum’s art fosters dialogue on environmental issues, aligning with broader efforts for meaningful change.

ART – Associate Professor Anderson Wrangle’s photograph ‘Enter Christmas’ is on view at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston in the new Nancy and Rich Kinder modern and contemporary building, in the gallery of photography works from the collection.  ‘Enter Christmas’ is an 8×10 contact print (toned gelatin silver print) photographed in 2003.  The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston holds one of the most significant photography collections in the world.

ART – Professor and Chair Valerie Zimany’s ceramic work is included in The Practice is the Point, on view in the William and Anna Jane Schlossman Gallery at the Plains Art Museum, Fargo, ND through March 16, 2024. The exhibition highlights the union of artistic and social practice, by exploring the ways artists create, listen, and react to the needs of their communities. Zimany contributed to the collaborative installation developed by Steve Hilton, Professor of Art at Midwestern State University, TX and Fellow of the Council of NCECA (National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts).

ART – The Bascom Center for Visual Arts in Highlands, N.C. has chosen BFA student in Sculpture Zrai Aiken and Assistant Professor of Art in Sculpture Alex Schechter for the juried exhibition titled “Emergence: A Survey of Southeastern Studio Programs” at the Bunzl Gallery. This exhibition aims to celebrate the crucial role of teaching and mentoring in the development of artists by showcasing the collaborative works of faculty and student pairs. Running from January 20th to April 27th, 2024, “Emergence” features 35 pairs of artists representing 23 higher education institutions from the Southeast. This exhibition serves as a celebration of artistic collaboration and an exceptional experiential learning opportunity for students creating contemporary art. The diverse range of artworks reflects various approaches to subject matter, innovative use of materials, and a mastery of traditional mediums taught and practiced in contemporary studio programs.

ART – Lecturer in Ceramics and Foundations John Cummings attended a two-week Red Lodge Clay Center residency during Clemson University’s 2023 winter break. The Center, known for its national and international recognition, supports ceramic artists, fostering creativity and providing a platform for new work. The residency, partly funded by the South Carolina Arts Commission and the John and Susan Bennett Memorial Arts Fund, highlights the importance of art in everyday life.

ARCHITECTURE – Gunnin Architecture Library librarian Ann Holderfield and Assistant Professor Berrin Terim curated the exhibition “Between the II Mirrors” with student work from ARCH 8600: “The Emergence of Modern Architecture.” The project emphasizes the critical role of representation in the history of architecture.

ARCHITECTURE + HEALTH — Professor Anjali Joseph, Assistant Research Professor Sahar Mihandoust and doctoral candidate Swati Goel, all with the Center for Health Facilities Design & Testing (CHFDT), coauthored an article published in the Health Environments Research & Design Journal titled, “Design of Pediatric Outpatient Procedure Environments: A Pilot Study to Understand the Perceptions of Patients and Their Parents.” The study found that children undergoing surgery enjoyed murals, double chairs, patient beds, wall color, and access to a television. They disliked medical equipment and lack of child-friendly furniture. Most parents accompanying the children liked the murals, access to a television, and nature photos, while disliking the lack of privacy, lack of toys in waiting areas and lack of child-friendly furniture.

ARCHITECTURE – Associate Professors Andreea Mihalache and David Franco won a $40,000 grant from the LS3P Foundation for the project titled “Addressing Climate Change and Tourism on Southeastern Barrier Islands.” This is the inaugural grant cycle of the LS3P Foundation that will support “leading design thinkers in advancing research, strategies, and technologies which promote transformative change, improve human and planetary well-being, increase economic mobility, and advance issues of health and social equity across the Southeast.”

ARCHITECTURE — Lecturers Bryan Beerman and Kyle Kiser each received promotions at LS3P Architects. Beerman celebrated promotion to firmwide Design Leader, and Kiser celebrated promotion to Senior Associate with LS3P, where he also serves as Higher Education Sector Leader in Greenville.

CONSTRUCTION SCIENCE AND MANAGEMENT — Interim Associate Dean for Undergraduate and Graduate Studies Shima Clarke published two articles. The first, written with co-authors Ann B. Lyons and Vivek Sharma is titled “Taxonomy of Trust and Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs in the Construction Industry” and is published in the Journal of the American Institute of Constructors (Volume 49, Number 01, Spring 2024, pg. 6-17). The second, co-authored by Adam Hoots, Ann B. Lyons and Charlie Dunn is titled “Building Trust for a Stronger Construction Industry: Exploring the Role of Trust in Project Success” and was presented at the 60th Annual ASC International Conference Proceedings in Auburn, Alabama, April 3-5.

ARCHITECTURE — Associate Professor Lyndsey Deaton published a book chapter titled “Dispossession, Adolescence, and the Missing Public Spaces of Hyderabad, India” in The Routledge Handbook of Diverse Childhoods and the Environmental Experience. The chapter was selected for open access, and can be viewed here.

ART — Professor Andrea Feeser published “When Blue and White Obscure Black and Red: Conditions of Wedgwood’s 1787 Antislavery Medallion” in the Spring 2024 edition of Journal18, and she presented the article in the Converse University Art History Lecture Series on April 25 with support from the South Carolina Humanities Council. Also, she served as the humanities scholar advisor for the Black agriculturalists permanent exhibition at the Bart Garrison Agricultural Museum of South Carolina, funded by the South Carolina Humanities Council.

CONSTRUCTION SCIENCE AND MANAGEMENT —Construction science and management doctoral student Adam Hoots presented a poster on his dissertation topic, “Quantifying Trust in Construction: Using the Trust Circle to Manage Expectations on a Project Site” at at the 60th Annual ASC International Conference Proceedings in Auburn, Alabama, April 3-5.

ARCHITECTURE — Professor Anjali Joseph and doctoral student Monica Gripko, both with the Center for Health Facilities Design & Testing (CHFDT), coauthored an article published in the Health Environments Research & Design Journal titled,The Role of the Built Environment in Supporting Older Adults’ Engagement: A Narrative Literature Review. The review concluded that built environments influence older people’s physical and social engagement, significantly affecting their health, well-being, abilities, and longevity. Numerous design strategies can support older adults’ engagement, but more research is needed.

ARCHITECTURE — Professor Anjali Joseph and Assistant Research Professor Sahar Mihandoust, both with the Center for Health Facilities Design & Testing (CHFDT), coauthored an article published in Applied Ergonomics titled, Can Pre-Visit Exposure to Virtual Tours of Healthcare Facilities Help Reduce Child and Parent Anxiety During Outpatient Surgical Procedures? The study found that exposure to virtual facility tours days before the surgery was not helpful in positively impacting the psychological measures related to preoperative anxiety levels for the participants.

ART —Assistant Professor of Art in Sculpture Alex Schechter has been chosen for an Artist in Residence program at the Kimmel Harding Nelson (KHN) Center in Nebraska City, NE. He will be working there until mid-June, preparing for an upcoming show in October. The KHN Center grants up to seventy juried residencies annually to both established and emerging visual artists, writers, composers, and interdisciplinary artists from around the globe. Following his residency in Nebraska, Schechter will head to Wyoming to collaborate on a new body of work for a December exhibition.

ARCHITECTURE — Devi Soman, doctoral student working with Anjali Joseph at the Center for Health Facilities Design & Testing (CHFDT), received Global Alliance’s Vera Paster Award for 2024. The Paster Award is given annually to a student in the mental health disciplines who shows particular promise for enhancing the well-being of people who have been marginalized by racism.              

ART – Professor and Chair Valerie Zimany completed the invitational Pentaculum residency at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts in Gatlinburg, TN, May 6-13. ‘Pentaculum’ is a short-term residency providing invited artists unfettered time and space to work alongside peers and colleagues. Held twice annually, working artists in ceramics, fibers, metals, 2D, wood, sculpture and writing spend a week working on independent research. Pentaculum offers a stimulating atmosphere for collaboration, growth, and the opportunity to build meaningful relationships within the field of art. Zimany used the residency period to experiment further with surface patterning utilizing digitally printed and cut elements.

Higher Education’s Roots

Dear Faculty, Staff, Alumni and Friends,

October 1, we will be welcoming James Burns as the new Director of the Humanities Hub, so I wanted to use my column this month to reflect on the Humanities at Clemson, and more broadly.

We all know about the pressures and priorities in our society today; the cost of a college education and the pressure to get that first job and make sure the salary makes that investment in education justifiable. Even though the cost of education has skyrocketed in recent decades, the pressures are not all that new. If you read a lot of 19^th-century novels, you will see that young men (back then it was only young men) were under intense pressure from their fathers to do something “practical” with their lives. The usefulness of the arts and humanities was questioned then, just as it is today.

But something convinced the early leaders of this university to chisel the names of some core disciplines into the façade of Sikes Hall. Six of them in all: Religion, History, Art, Industry, Science and Languages. Four of those six disciplines are embedded in our College. The Humanities don’t just prepare you for one job or one career path, but for life and for leadership in any number of fields. They give you the tools and the perspective you will need to excel in anything you choose to do. It is never a mistake to major in History, or English, or Philosophy, or Languages. These fields give you an understanding of people, how they think, what they feel and why, how to read, how to read between the lines, and how to communicate successfully.

The failure to communicate what the Humanities are is not just a Clemson problem, but a national one. What makes it difficult is that it is hard to show an image that adequately portrays a Humanities education. It’s because, as opposed to many other areas of inquiry, what the Humanities deliver is hard to quantify. But just because something doesn’t translate easily to a spreadsheet does not mean it isn’t there.

So, how about this image of a tree on our beautiful campus? The tree is a central symbol in our culture: there in the very earliest texts we study, representing knowledge as well as refuge, safety and something lasting.

Perhaps a tree is a good metaphor. Its roots are deep, like much of what we teach that connects us with our deepest past. The tree cannot thrive without its roots, and yet you can’t see them. Like roots, the Humanities provide nourishment for a life worth living.

Its branches spread wide in all directions, like our disciplines which span time, place, and yet are all connected to the trunk, the student.

We live in an extremely hectic and noisy world that demands our constant and shifting attention. Social media have certainly not helped to calm and slow things down. How precious then is the possibility of simply sitting under a tree and quietly taking time to digest what has been learned and think about things. Some of the most important advances in human history have happened in moments of quiet contemplation. Let’s strive to preserve places, like our College, where those moments are treasured.

“Go Tigers!”

Nicholas Vazsonyi, Dean
College of Architecture, Arts and Humanities

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