Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering

Dr. Sapna Sarupria receives National Science Foundation CAREER Award

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.

Sapna Sarupria, an assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, is leading the five-year project with a $503,773 CAREER award from the National Science Foundation.DSC01906 reduced

She and her team want to know more about how freezing occurs, so they are using advanced computational methods to zoom in and observe individual molecules as they transition from a liquid to solid form.  The focus will be on the “birth” of the solid phase, known as nucleation, Sarupria said.

“If you really cool liquid down, it doesn’t instantly turn into a solid,” she said. “It takes a while. A nucleus has to form, just the right amount of that little bit of solid that will make the whole thing turn solid. That process is what we’re interested in.”

Everyone has been taught that water freezes at 32 degrees Fahrenheit, but that’s not always the case.

Some materials and conditions can cause water to freeze at higher or lower temperatures because of a molecular process called heterogeneous nucleation. In fact, pure water can be cooled down to minus 36.4 degrees Fahrenheit if done carefully.

Sarupria expects her research will begin laying the groundwork for new materials that could be added to water so that ice will grow at a specified rate and temperature.    What makes her approach unique is that she will be using specialized software her team developed and Clemson’s world-class supercomputer (8th fastest academic supercomputer in the U.S.) to speed up sampling by more than a factor of 20.   Her approach narrows down the options to the most promising materials, which can then be tested in a lab. Physically testing each possible material would take much longer and cost more.

“This research is transformative because it provides a computationally inexpensive pathway to screen materials for ice nucleation propensity,” Sarupria said.

The research shows high promise for improving food preservation. As much as one-third of the food produced in the world is lost to spoilage due to improper transportation and storage, while 842 million people remain chronically undernourished, according to the United Nations.

Food loss could be reduced with improved freezing technologies, Sarupria said.

“One approach includes using ice nucleating proteins to induce ice formation at higher temperatures, thereby reducing operating costs,” she said.   Sarupria’s research involves collaboration with Clemson’s computer science experts, allowing her team to work more efficiently.   “That allows us to do more with less manpower and computer time,” she said.

David Bruce, Chair of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, said the CAREER award is one of the nation’s top honors for junior faculty members.

“This is well-deserved,” he said. “The award is a testament to Dr. Sarupria’s hard work, creativity and cutting-edge approach to a field of study that could have tremendous effects on the global economy.”

Sarupria said she got the idea for the research after talking with some atmospheric chemistry experts from Princeton University.

When she asked what kind of questions they were interested in, their answer was heterogeneous nucleation. The process occurs in the atmosphere when dust and other particles combine with water vapor to form clouds, but many questions remain about its effects on climate and weather.

Sarupria said she was fascinated at how little was known about an occurrence as common and basic as freezing.

“You would think that we know water, but we really, really don’t,” she said. “Water does whatever it wants to do and everything else rotates around it. That excites me about studying it, to figure out what it’s trying to do. It’s very, very cool to see it work.”

Also as part of the grant, Sarupria is developing new educational platforms aimed at teaching high school students, undergraduates and graduate students about materials engineering, computational materials science and working in multidisciplinary teams.

MuSiC Fest is a computational materials code fest mimicking popular hackathons. MolLego is a touchscreen game for high school and undergraduate students focused on molecular engineering.

Anand Gramopadhye, dean of the College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences, congratulated Sarupria on the award.

“Dr. Sarupria shows excellence in research and education, making her CAREER award a richly deserved honor,” he said. “She exemplifies the role of teacher-scholar and the integration of the two.”

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

ChBE Reaches Students to Showcase Chemical Engineering

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 25th, 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.

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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 18th, 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.

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CULSOC Biotechnology Camp:

Clemson’s Life Sciences Outreach Center hosted a Biotechnology Camp on February 17th. 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.

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ChBE Alumnus Suzanne Roat Spreads Clemson University’s Impact across the Globe

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

Few Clemson University alumni illustrate the global impact engineers have on the world as well as Suzanne Roat. She also happens to be a shining example of how a successful alumnus can make a positive impact on her alma mater and future engineers.

Her 26-year career as a chemical engineer working with oil refinery processes has taken her around the nation and world from Mississippi, California and Montana to Kuwait, Singapore and Greece. In her spare time, she has raced competitively in triathlons and ultramarathons, qualified to scuba dive with a rebreather to more than 300 feet down and coached swimming for the Special Olympics.

With such an active life, Roat could have forgotten Clemson, where she earned a bachelors of science in 1985. Instead, she is turning and giving back to her alma mater.

Roat joined the Dean’s Leadership Circle in 2014 and strategically used matching gifts to double the impact of her contributions. She co-hosted a dean’s reception that same year in Houston, where she currently lives, and has made arrangements in her estate to create an endowed scholarship for engineering students in the Calhoun Honors College.

“I feel like I’m paying it forward,” she said. “I was successful thanks to Clemson and the University of Tennessee, so I’m going to make sure other people are successful. I give my funds to use at the dean’s discretion, and he tells me once in a while what he’s doing with the funds.

“I’m pleased with the outcome. It’s helping students who need help. They’re good students but may not be financially well equipped.”

Anand Gramopadhye, dean of the College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences, thanked Roat for her generous support.

“Through her support and example, Dr. Roat is helping create a new generation of engineers and scientists who will be prepared to meet the grand challenges of the 21st century,” he said. “We are fortunate to have her on the team and grateful for all that she has done to support the college.”

Roat is now based in Houston as crude and refining strategy analyst for Chevron Downstream and Chemicals.

She said that her undergraduate experience at Clemson prepared her to continue her education at the University of Tennessee, where she earned a master’s degree and doctorate. All of her degrees are in chemical engineering.

Roat said that one of the valuable lessons she learned at Clemson is that nobody works alone. In Unit Operations Lab, the students had to work as a team with their grades dependent on each other.

“Having those experiences is vital,” she said. “Nothing happens in a large company like Chevron by one person. It’s always teams of people working on things together, bringing together their individual expertise to the project and making the project go forward. Being able to work in a team environment successfully is imperative.”

It’s also important for students to have verbal and written communication skills, Roat said.

“It’s the only way you’re going to get ahead,” she said. “You have to stand up in front of people and tell them your story as succinctly as possible and convince them. If you have a message and you’re asking for something, verbal articulation and written messaging are imperative as well.”

The place where the Blue Ridge yawns its greatness just may be calling Roat back as she plans her retirement.

She has returned to Clemson for visits and is planning a trip in March to Greenville.