The College of Engineering, Computing, and Applied Sciences is well represented by faculty and staff whose passion extends beyond their disciplines and careers to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), and Rodrigo Martinez-Duarte is one example. After earning his Bachelor of Science at Tecnologico de Monterrey, Campus Monterrey, Mexico, and his Ph.D. and Master of Science at the University of California, Irvine, he was hired as an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering in 2013. A true example of diversity, Martinez-Duarte has also lived and worked in Switzerland, India, Spain and South Korea in addition to Mexico, California, and now the small town of Clemson, South Carolina.
Since his arrival, Martinez-Duarte has seen both the University and the college as full of potential for people like him to create a professional space for them and their culture to flourish, finding both a need as well as support for DEI efforts. While he describes his efforts in DEI as “not seeing as much inclusion as we should have,” he wants “to help change that within the University.” For starters, he has served in multiple roles, including chair of the Commission on Latino Affairs and currently as the faculty advisor for the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SPHE) as well as the chair for the Day of the Dead event hosted on the main campus.
The celebration of the Day of the Dead, a traditional Mexican holiday remembering deceased loved ones, began in 2018 with a desire to share the LatinX culture with the Clemson University community. This event grew from 600 in attendance its first year to 1,500 in 2019 and plans to have as many in 2022. Since its inception, it has provided a space for people to express their culture and allow them to share their heritage with others. This year, Clemson University will host the Day of the Dead on Friday, Nov. 4, from 6-9 p.m. in the Carillon Gardens. It will feature an exhibition of altars/ofrendas, a live mariachi band, and the Disney movie Coco as well as food trucks and other activities. Clemson students, faculty, and staff as well as the general public are welcome. More information is available at www.clemsondayofthedead.org or en español at www.clemsondiadelosmuertos.org
Martinez-Duarte’s Research Interests
Advanced Manufacturing, Microfluidics, Carbon, Electrokinetics, Dielectrophoresis, Bioparticle Sorting, Pathogens and Infectious Diseases, Biomedical Systems, Technology Development, and Entrepreneurship. More details at www.multiscalemanufacturing.net
