11/21/2025
Last week, six interdisciplinary research teams competed for Stimulating Exploratory Research in Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences (SERCEEES) TIGER grant research funds awarded annually by the School of CEEES. The SERCEEES Transformative Initiative for Generating Extramural Research (TIGER) grant is funded by the College of Computing, Engineering, and Applied Sciences at Clemson University. A total of $50K has been allocated for these grants to promote collaborative research teams in CE and EEES. Funding of up to $25K is available per team and awarded to a maximum of two teams comprised of at least one PI or Co-PI from either the Glenn Department of Civil Engineering or the Department of Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences.
Teams gave oral presentations on Friday, November 21st at the L. G. Rich Lab auditorium to an audience of graduate students, faculty, and staff. The fifth round team participants and their research proposal titles are listed below. Good luck to all of the proposal teams!!! Awarded teams will be announced during the first week of December.
1. “Enhancing Organizational Decision-Making for Rural Infrastructure Restoration after Natural Disasters through AI-Driven Digital Twin”; Chao Fan (PI-CE), Kalyan Piratla (CE), Marissa Shuffler-Porter (Psychology)
2.“Prospecting Regolith for Water Extraction Assisted by Machine Learning and Magnetic Induction Heating”; Qiushi Chen (PI-CE), Laura Redmond (CE), Ming Yang (Chemical & Bimolecular Engineering)
3.“ReARM: Reducing Antimicrobial Resistance in Agroecosystems through Manure Management Innovation”; Ashish Manandhar (PI-EEES), Debora Rodrigues (EEES), Huan Chen (EEES), Chung-Yi Lin (CE)
4.“A Human-Centric Forward-Looking Planning Framework for Utility Levels of Service under Emerging Droughts in the Southeastern United States”; Chung-Yi Lin (PI-CE), C. Prakash Khedun, Dawoon Jeong, Chao Fan (CE)
5.“Establishing a Sampling Site in the Clemson Experimental Forest to Study Ecosystem Interactions to Enhance Department of Energy’s Focus on the Southeast U.S.”; Andrew Metcalf (PI-EEES), Thomas O’Halloran (FEC), Robert Baldwin (CEF), Wayne Phillips (CEF), Chongai Kuang (Brookhaven National Laboratory)
6.“Distributed Artificial Intelligence based Digital Twins for Wildfire Early Forecasting”; G. Kumar Venayagamoorthy (PI–ECE), M.Z. Naser (CE)
Previous teams awarded SERCEEES TIGER grant funds include the following:
1. “Making Buildings Safer by Improving Indoor Air Quality”; Andrew Metcalf (PI), Nigel Kaye, Mik Carbajales-Dale, Vincent Blouin, Ehsan Mousavi; 2021
2. “Understanding the non-linear hydromechanical effects of extreme events to improve performance and reduce costs of infrastructure foundations“; Ravi Ravichandran (PI) and Larry Murdoch; 2021
3. “Laying down roots: Mimicking root architecture to develop innovative cost-effective foundations for tall wind turbines”; Brady Flinchum (PI) and Ravi Ravichandran; 2021
4. “Decarbonization of cement production through process improvements and ecological carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) technologies”; Prasad Rangaraju (PI) and Caye Drapcho; 2022
5. “Improving Environmental Justice through A Collaborative and Trustworthy System for Hyperlocal Air Quality”; Chao Fan (PI), Andrew Metcalf, Kapil Madathil, Ashok Mishra; 2022
6. “Networking the Future of SCEEES: Understanding Professional Networks to Support Inclusion and Professional Development”; Kelly Lazar (PI), Jennifer Ogle, Andrew Metcalf, Alexander Pullen, Pam Murray-Tuite; 2023
7. “The Evolution of Waste and Byproduct Material as Reinforcement of Asphalt Mixtures”; Fabricio Leiva (PI) and Mik Carbajales-Dale; 2023
8. “Exploration of Mycelium as Sustainable Panelized Construction Material from Traditional Waste Materials”; Michael Stoner (PI), Jennifer Ogle, Mik Carbajales-Dale, M.Z. Naser, Julia Kerrigan, Kent Nilsson; 2024
