Dear Colleagues,
A May to remember!
May was a very busy month in many respects. First, it was my pleasure to be among the stage members during commencements and the Ph.D. hooding ceremony. I enjoyed every minute of them. Congratulations to all our new graduates and to you as their mentors and educators!
Then, we held our second annual Research Symposium.
As vice president for Research, my most significant role is supporting the great works by our faculty, students and staff. The symposium offers the Clemson Research Family the opportunity to showcase important work, to celebrate each other and to tend the fertile fields of innovation with fresh ideas and perspectives.
Judging by the number of submissions, the event was more than twice as popular as last year’s. The committee, led by Associate Dean for Research in the College of Agriculture, Forestry and Life Sciences Joe Culin, received 125 submissions, compared to 60 in 2016. We heard from this year’s Three Minute Thesis winners, Shakira Hobbs, Lauren Garcia and Guneet Bedi. They are impressive students, and they are an encouraging indication for the future of research. Pictures from the event are available on the research symposium webpage.
We are fortunate to have the Watt Family Innovation Center where we can host events, especially when we host representatives from the National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy. We were also very pleased that representatives from our legislators’ offices attended. Congressional support, at the state and federal level, is vital to the success of our research enterprise. It is heartening to see our elected officials engaged in what we’re doing to build the economy and improve society.
The symposium also provided the opportunity to highlight the Research component of the 
ClemsonForward strategic plan. Presentations were divided into our priority areas – advanced materials; cyberinfrastructure and big-data science; energy, transportation and advanced materials; health innovations; human resilience; and the sustainable environment.
At the beginning of the symposium I had the pleasure of showing videos that highlight two groups of researchers. The video highlights recent winners of large grant awards. You can view that video here.
K.C. Chang in the College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences (CECAS), received a $2.3 million grant from the NSF. K.C. and Ron Gimble, in the College of Behavioral, Social and Health Sciences, are developing voice-recognition software for use during initial medical care on the battlefield. Alex Feltus in the College of Science received a $3 million grant from the NSF. Alex and Melissa Smith in CECAS are leading efforts to test scalable analysis of big data. Feng Luo, also in CECAS, received a $4.3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to breed orange trees resistant to a bacteria that has wiped out 70 percent of the U.S. orange industry in recent years.
The second video highlighted this year’s CAREER Award winners. Their research span the gamut, from virtual reality communications to materials that promote or inhibit ice formation. You can view the CAREER Awards video here.
The new additions bring all the CAREER award winners in the University to about 60. We highlight all the winners at the following link: http://www.clemson.edu/research/awards/
Please join me in congratulating all these researchers.
After the symposium, I headed to DC to join a group of the presidents of AAU, APLU, and representatives from the Association of American Medical Colleges, the Council on Governmental Relations, the Medical University of South Carolina, and the University of South Carolina. We met with the staff of the Office of Management and Budget at the White House, and as a unified group, we presented the importance of federal funding and F&A for research and development at the higher education institutions. My office and the offices of VP for External Affairs and Governmental Affairs will continue to work together throughout the year to provide important information and facts about the research funding to key administration officials and members of Congress.
I wish you all a productive and enjoyable summer!
Go Tigers!
Tanju
