Year: 2017

The Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering will be celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the Chemical Engineering degree at Clemson University on November 9, 2017.  The celebration will include a campus tour, a tour of Earle Hall, a luncheon in the President’s Box at Memorial Stadium, a research seminar by Dr. Tony McHugh, and an alumni dinner at the Madren Center that evening with presentations and music.

A copy of the schedule of events, the invitation, and RSVP can be found at the link below. All Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering alumni are invited.

For more information, contact Terri McAllister at mcalli3@clemson.edu or 864-656-3056 with any questions.

100th Anniversary Documents

The ChBE Department welcomes Assistant Professor Dr. Jessica Kelly. Dr. Kelly’s research interests include Drug Materials, Biomaterials, and Nanotechnology.

She received her PhD in Chemical Engineering from Auburn University, after receiving her BS from the University of Virginia.

Professor Kelly’s research is centered on biomimetic and polymeric materials for drug delivery applications in neurodegenerative disease and other brain disorders. Her current research focuses on the development of advanced material amphiphiles to enhance enzyme delivery in neurodegenerative disease. In these efforts, Professor Kelly utilizes a variety of nanoparticle characterization techniques, as well as in vitro and in vivo therapeutic analysis, working at the interface of biology and engineering. Through careful development of biologically- relevant nanocarriers, Dr. Kelly hopes to bring next- generation nanomedicine with both disease-specificity and patient-personalization to the clinic.

Dr. Jessica M. Kelly Selected Publications

Kelly, J.M.; Martin, D.R.; Byrne, M.E. Polyethylene glycol-b-Poly(lactic acid) Polymersomes as Vehicles for Enzyme Replacement Therapy. Nanomedicine. Accepted.
Kelly, J.M.; Kelly, J.M., Bradbury, A. M., Martin, D.R., Byrne, M.E. (2017). Emerging Therapies for Neuropathic Lysosomal Storage Disorders. Progress in Neurobiology. 152, 166-180. PMCID: 27725193
Kelly, J.M.; Pearce, E. E.; Martin, D.R.; Byrne, M.E. Lyoprotectants Modify and Stabilize Self-Assembly of Polymersomes. Polymer. 2016, 316-322.
Larsen, J. M.; Martin, D. R.; Byrne, M. E. Recent Advances in Delivery through the Blood-Brain Barrier. Curr. Top. Med. Chem. 2014, 1148–1160.
Larsen, J.M.; Pearce, E. E.; Martin, D.R.; Byrne M.E. Polymersomes: Towards Treatment of Neurodegenerative Disorders through Enzyme Replacement Therapy. Trans. Soc. Biomater., 39, 2015.
Larsen, J.M.; Martin, D.R.; Byrne, M.E. Synthesis and Engineering of Polymersomes for Treatment of Lysosomal Storage Disease. Trans. Soc. Biomater., 38, 2014.

We are pleased to announce that Dr. Marc Birtwistle has joined the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering this Fall as an Associate Professor.

Dr. Birtwistle received his B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology, and his Ph.D. from the University of Delaware. Prior to accepting his position at Clemson, Dr. Birtwistle was a professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

Throughout his research and teaching at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Dr. Birtwistle developed strong expertise in cancer systems biology and pharmacology.

His research interest is in exploring how variability between individual cells influences both signaling in cancer cells and the response of cancers to therapies. He addresses these issues by combining experiments with mathematical modeling.
Dr. Birtwistle is the PI on three NIH grants. One is an R01 funded by NIGMS focused on understanding why seemingly identical human cells respond completely differently to the same treatments, having potential applications, for example, in partial drug responses in cancer. Another is an R21 from the Innovative Molecular Analysis Technologies program of NCI focused on a new method for increased multiplexing of measurements from tumor biopsy sections. The third is with two other co-PIs at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai for a Data Generation Center in the LINCS consortium funded by the Common Fund—only six centers are awarded across the nation.

In the Spring, Dr. Birtwistle will be teaching a new Biomolecular course called Bioprocess Engineering.
We welcome Dr. Birtwistle to the ChBE Team! His background and expertise will be a great asset to our department and to the College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences.

Dr. Marc R. Birtwistle Selected Publications

M Bouhaddou, AM Barrette, RJ Koch, MS DiStefano, EA Riesel, AD Stern, LC Santos, A Tan, A Mertz, and MR Birtwistle An Integrated Mechansitic Model of Pan-Cancer Driver Pathways Predicts Stochastic Proliferation and Death bioRxiv preprint (April 2017)

M Bouhaddou, MS DiStefano, EA Riesel, E Carrasco, HY Holzapfel, DC Jones, GR Smith, AD Stern, SS Somani, TV Thompson, MR Birtwistle. Drug Response Consistency in CCLE and CGP. Nature (2016)

GR Smith and MR Birtwistle. A Mechanistic Beta-Binomial Probability Model for mRNA Sequencing Data. PLoS One (2016)

AS Stern, A Rahman and MR Birtwistle. Cell Size Assays for Mass Cytometry. Cytometry A, (2016).

Gallo JM and Birtwistle MR. Network pharmacodynamic models for customized cancer therapy. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Systems Biology and Medicine (2015).

Victor A Levin, Peter J Tonge, James M Gallo, Birtwistle, MR, Arvin C Dar, Antonio Iavarone, Patrick J Paddison, Timothy P Heffron, William F Elmquist, Jean E Lachowicz, Ted W Johnson, Forest M White, Joohee Sul, Quentin R Smith, Wang Shen, Jann N Sarkaria, Ramakrishna Samala, Patrick Y Wen, Donald A Berry, Russell C Petter. CNS Anticancer Drug Discovery and Development Conference White Paper. Neuro-Oncology (2015).

Birtwistle MR*. Analytical reduction of combinatorial complexity arising from multiple protein modification sites, Interface (2015).

Bouhaddou M and Birtwistle MR. Dimerization-based control of cooperativity. Mol Biosystems (2014).

X‐Y Zhang*, MR Birtwistle*, JM Gallo. A General Network Pharmacodynamic Model–Based Design Pipeline for Customized Cancer Therapy Applied to the VEGFR Pathway, CPT: PSP (2014).

MR Birtwistle^, DE Mager, JM Gallo. Mechanistic vs. Empirical Network Models of Drug Action. CPT: PSP (2013).

Birtwistle MR, Rauch J, Kiyatkin A, Aksamitiene E, Dobrzynski M, Hoek JB, Kolch W, Ogunnaike BA, and Kholodenko BN. Emergence of bimodal cell population responses from the interplay between analog single-cell signaling and protein expression noise. BMC Syst Biol 109(6) (2012).

Nakakuki, T*, Birtwistle, MR*, Saeki, Y, Yumoto, N, Nagashima, T, Brusch, L, Ogunnaike, BA, Hatakeyama, M, Kholodenko, BN. Ligand specificity of c-Fos expression emerges from spatiotemporal control of ErbB network dynamics. Cell 141(5), 884 (2010)

Sturm, O*, Orton, R*, Grindlay, J*, Birtwistle, MR, Vyshemirsky, V, Gilbert, D, Calder, M, Pitt, A, Kholodenko, B and Kolch, W. The mammalian MAPK/ERK pathway exhibits properties of a negative feedback amplifier. Sci Signal 3(153), (2010)

Kriegsheim, AV, Baiocchi, D*, Birtwistle, MR*, Sumpton, D, Bienvenut, W, Morrice, N, Yamada, K, Lamond, A, Kalna, G, Orton, R, Gilbert, D and Kolch, W. Cell fate decisions are specified by the dynamic ERK interactome. Nat. Cell Biol. 11, 1458 (2009)

Birtwistle, MR*, Hatakeyama, M*, Yumoto, N, Ogunnaike, BA, Hoek, JB, Kholodenko, BN. Ligand-dependent responses of the ErbB signaling network: experimental and modeling analyses. Mol Syst Biol 3, 144 (2007).

Four of our ChBE undergraduate students participated in a summer study abroad program in Copenhagen, Denmark with Professor Eric Davis. The students, Jed Gist, Chris Brown, Marie Joy Amurao, and Jessica Zahn, are rising seniors. They chose to take the Unit Operations course in Denmark rather than taking it at Clemson in the fall. The course itself is demanding both at Clemson and in Denmark, but these four students recommend the study abroad program as it has allowed for them to experience the course in a different setting while also getting the chance to explore parts of Europe.

The lab facility at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) is quite advanced and much larger than Clemson’s, making the course a rewarding learning experience for these students. “The facilities that they house are large-scale industrial standard operations which lends to real-world experience with the equipment,” says Jessica Zahn. Learning at this facility allowed for our students to apply what they have learned thus far to a different setting, preparing them for the job experiences they will soon encounter after graduation in the spring of 2018.

These four students were not the only ones who took part in the DTU program. “There were students from all over the US, Europe, and Asia, and professors from Europe and even South America,” says Jed Gist. Gist and Zahn both recognized the benefit of working with different students outside of regular Clemson classes, as Zahn claimed it was “a lot of fun meeting other ChBE students.”

The students concentrated on six different experiments in teams of two, running two experiments per week. The unit ops course was demanding due to time constraints, but the students had overall positive remarks about the experience.

Despite the work load, these undergraduates found free time to travel during the program. “I explored the streets of Copenhagen and its food locations such as Copenhagen Street Food and Torvehallerne. I also visited the many royal palaces and castles in the area,” says Marie Joy Amurao. The four students were all able to visit several nearby countries during their time abroad, including Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands.

Although each student had the ability to travel during their time in Europe, they enjoyed spending time in Denmark. They were able to take three plant tours in Denmark on behalf of the program, including a catalysis plant, a power plant, and a local brewery.

Several ChBE undergraduate students participated in the Summer Undergraduate Research Symposium in the Watt Family Innovation Center on July 27^th, showcasing the research they have done this summer. The symposium included two poster sessions for undergraduate researchers within the College of Engineering, Computing, and Applied Sciences.

Eleven students from our department took part in the event. The following is a list of these students and the titles of their posters:

Adam Beitz: Determining the Effects of Site Specific Linker Attachment on Activity for Enzyme Immobilization

Sara Edgecomb: Understanding the Mechanism for Fatty Acid Regulation in the Lipid Loving Yeast, Yarrowia Lipolytica

Calvin Martin: Characterization of Promoters in Yarrowia Lipolytica

Jenna Schoenfield: Increasing Enzyme Solubility by Gene Shuffling ATF Homologs

Sarah Smith: Growth Characterization of Cutaneotrichosporon Oleaginosus in Non-Conventional Feedstocks

Camilo Suescum: Laccase Expression in Yarrowia Lipolytica

Jack Tabb: Dynamic Regulation of the Production of Biodiesel

Meredith Bailey: Engineering Plasmid Performance in Yarrowia Lipolytica

Cheyenne Brady: Characterizing Growth of Oleaginous Yeast in Ionic Liquid Media

Andrew Bingham and Alexis Cocolas: Aqueous Phase Catalysis; Synthesis, Characterization and Troubleshooting

Congratulations to these students on the impressive research they have done this summer!

ChBE graduate student Robert Emmett was awarded a scholarship by the Science, Mathematics, and Research for Transformation (SMART) Scholarship-for-Service Program. This prestigious award pays him a generous annual stipend along with his tuition and fees.

Bobby was assigned to the U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Research Center in Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, and will have the opportunity to complete a summer internship there along with employment following completion of the program.

The SMART Scholarship for Service Program allows undergraduates and graduates pursuing a degree in Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics a full scholarship and employment opportunity. The goal of the SMART Program is to increase the amount of scientists and engineers in the United States Department of Defense. Candidates must demonstrate hard work and dedication to both theoretical and applied research, and the award is very selective. Last year, only twelve percent of applicants were awarded, the final number of awardees being 239. The average GPA among these 239 scholars was a 3.7.

Bobby’s career at Clemson has been one of great success and recognition. Last year, he received the Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant Award within both the College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences and the ChBE department. This is awarded to two graduate assistants who are recognized by faculty, students, and fellow graduate teaching assistants as outstanding teachers. Bobby has also been a member of Dr. Mark Roberts’ research group at Clemson for several years. His current research focuses on redox flow batteries, large batteries that aim to power communities when wind and solar energy are not available. A main goal driving his research is to improve the power and energy capabilities of these batteries.

Dr. Rachel Getman was recently promoted to Associate Professor with tenure at Clemson. This is an important milestone for the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, as she is the first female faculty member to receive tenure in the department, and we expect many more to follow in her footsteps.

Women are generally underrepresented in the science, technology, engineering, and math fields at universities across the nation, and Clemson is no exception. To address this issue, Clemson sought and received a $3.4 million grant from the National Science Foundation titled “ADVANCE: Increasing Participation and Advancement of Women in Academic Science and Engineering Careers. With help from this grant and other initiatives, Clemson hopes to retain and increase the number of women and minority faculty members in science and technology fields.

Professor Getman has been a wonderful testament to the value and impact that women and minorities can have in the STEM fields. Since joining the Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Department, Professor Getman has been awarded over a million dollars in research grants from the Department of Energy (EFRC) and the National Science Foundation (DMREF). In 2016, she received the prestigious National Science Foundation Early CAREER Faculty Award and the College of Engineering and Science Dean’s Faculty Fellow Award. Getman is also the Area Chair of the Catalysis Division of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, and was responsible for organizing 43 oral presentation sessions at the annual meeting in San Francisco. She has been and currently acts as a great mentor to her graduate, undergraduate, and high school students, which has resulted in several of these students either authoring or being acknowledged in peer-reviewed journal articles.

Dr. Getman’s research group specializes in using quantum and classical chemical modeling to understand chemical reaction pathways on solid catalysts. Specific areas of interest include understanding catalyst function, deriving reaction mechanisms, and optimizing catalyst composition using high throughput screening. The group is especially interested in catalysts that employ transition metal active sites, such as extended metal surfaces, metal nanoparticles, and biomimetic metal containing systems. They use molecular modeling to understand how these materials catalyze specific reactions and then derive catalyst-property relationships in order to predict optimal catalyst designs.

The Getman Research Group currently focuses on understanding both gas and aqueous phase catalysis, with an interest in developing catalysts for biomass reforming, water purification, exhaust gas treatment, and other applications.

Everyone knows what happens when you put water in the freezer, but when it comes to understanding how the molecules behave as the liquid becomes solid, many of the cold facts remain undiscovered.   Researchers at Clemson University are hoping to learn more by using state-of-the-art molecular modeling and computer science techniques. Their efforts could help develop new ways of preserving food, studying climate, cryopreserving organs and protecting crops.

written by Paul Alongi, College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences

The Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering was involved in several community outreach programs throughout the last few weeks. Some of those events are highlighted below:

Girl Scouts Day:

On February 25^th, Girl Scouts Day was sponsored by Lockheed Martin and hosted in collaboration with WISE and the Girl Scouts of the Midlands. This event is held annually during Engineers Week as a way to expose young middle school aged Scouts to the STEM fields. 100 Scouts came to Clemson to learn about STEM through the Chemistry, Computer Engineering, Civil Engineering, and Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Departments. Our department showcased polymers through activities making Gluep and bouncy balls.

STEM Day:

STEM day is a program hosted through Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) targeting middle school boys and girls in the Upstate. On February 18^th, three workshop facilitators in Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, and Computer Science introduced the STEM fields to local underrepresented students. The Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Department showcased polymers through activities making Gluep and bouncy balls. This event exposed approximately 60 students to STEM.

CULSOC Biotechnology Camp:

Clemson’s Life Sciences Outreach Center hosted a Biotechnology Camp on February 17^th. During the camp, our department taught high school students from a magnet school in Charleston, SC about filtration. The students learned about physical and enzymatic treatment of water and compared the two techniques in an activity “treating” unfiltered, organic apple juice. They also built physical filters using water bottles, rocks, sand, cotton balls, and coffee filters. They enzymatically treated the apple juice with pectinase, and then compared the resulting clarity of the solutions with a turbidometer.