Building upon our successes
The end of the semester offers a great opportunity to reflect on the progress we’ve made in advancing scientific discovery and scholarship at Clemson University, while taking stock of opportunities that will help us maintain momentum into 2018 and beyond.
Several opportunities will be available to you this spring through the university’s R-Initiatives programs:
- Funding to help research teams compete for high-value external grants
- Funding for equipment purchases and upgrades
- Grants to hire research faculty and postdoctoral fellows
- And grants to fund the completion or initiation of research projects.
R-Initiatives foster cross-disciplinary, team-focused research and lay a foundation for future success with support for faculty and infrastructure investments to make that work possible. In the last fiscal year, a quarter of Clemson faculty participated in R-Initiative applications and nearly $1.5 million was invested in research on prenatal care, computational genomics, dietary therapy for gluten sensitivities, childhood education, emotional expressions, painting in the digital age, and much more. A list of last year’s recipients is posted within each grant program on the R-Initiatives webpage.
I greatly appreciate the participation in our R-Initiatives. I look forward to seeing more applications this spring and learning about the achievements supported by this funding. I encourage you take a moment to learn about the R-Initiatives and begin to plan your proposal.
The Division of Research is working to enhance the quality of scholarly endeavors and growth of research programs with direct input from faculty. The newly created Research Advisory Board (RAB) held its first meeting in November. The board will provide input on a range of matters affecting research and scholarship at Clemson. I value input from faculty and thank our advisory members for their involvement. I would like to introduce the RAB members and I ask that you engage with them on matters affecting research at Clemson. Share ideas and constructive and innovative suggestions for improvements. The board will meet monthly, with members serving three-year terms. Research Advisory Board members, selected by their colleges, are:
- Andy Wesolek, University Libraries
- Antonis Katsiyannis, College of Education
- Brian Powell, College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences
- Christopher Parkinson, College of Science
- Edmond Bowers, College of Behavioral, Social and Health Sciences
- Lawrence Fredendall, College of Business
- Lee Morrissey, College of Architecture, Arts and Humanities
- Sarah White, College of Agriculture, Forestry and Life Sciences
During the break, I hope you will spend some time catching up on some of the exciting research news happening across our campuses:
- Researchers in the College of Business have made new links to the role of politics in the workforce.
These are just a few of the great accomplishments and fascinating work done by our faculty at Clemson. You can read more online here.
Congratulations to all of you on another successful semester. Have a happy and safe holiday season.
Go Tigers!
Tanju
