Year: 2017

CU-ICAR held its annual Automotive Engineering Fellowship Awards Ceremony on November 17 to honor the graduate students who received fellowship awards for the 2017-2018 academic year, as well as the generous corporate donors who created these awards.

Bill Post, PhD, Division Director, Integrated Controls at Honda R&D Americas, Inc. was the keynote speaker at this year’s ceremony. Dr. Post is a three-time graduate of Clemson and shared about the importance of his Clemson education in his career path with the awards ceremony honorees and attendees.

Burzis Taraporevala, Secretary and Chief Financial Officer for the Sir Ratan Tata Trust and Allied Trusts, also shared remarks at the ceremony, remarking on the legacy of philanthropy that inspired the founding of Clemson University and the importance of continuing to pay that generosity forward.

Twenty-nine automotive engineering graduate students received fellowship awards this year from companies and other funders including Tata Trust, BMW, Bosch, Bridgestone, Cooper Standard, Draexlmaier, Firestone Fibers & Textiles, JTEKT, National Science Foundation, Plastic Omnium, Sage Automotive Interiors, Sonoco, and Staubli.

Deep Orange 9 industry partners gathered at CU-ICAR on November 17 to learn about the progress of the DO9 concept vehicle project, meet the graduate student and faculty project leadership, and discuss next steps for the vehicle’s design and production.

Industry partners represented at Deep Orange 9 Day included: Aisin Technical Center of America, BF Goodrich, Honda R&D Americas, Inc., JTEKT, and Red Bull.

The Deep Orange 9 project will develop and demonstrate a “next-generation rallycross” motorsports vehicle, with the goal of creating a safe, clean, and fuel efficient vehicle that provides highly dynamic handling and acceleration. The Deep Orange program is Clemson’s unique framework that immerses graduate students into the world of a future OEM and/or supplier, allows automotive engineering students, multi-disciplinary faculty, and participating industry partners to produce a new vehicle prototype each year.

Thank you, Deep Orange 9 partners, for your commitment to our students’ success!

Clemson welcomed Oregon-based forest product company, Roseburg to Clemson this month to tour the campus and attend the Clemson vs. Citadel football game. Roseburg Forest Products is expanding its operations with construction of a new engineered wood products plant in South Carolina. Executives from Roseburg, a leader in the forestry industry, spent their visit learning about how programs at Clemson help bridge the gap among education, workforce development and industry trends. These programs included the Wood Utilization + Design Institute, the Community Research + Design Center, and the Construction Science and Management program.

Roseburg spent time learning more about the capabilities of the Structural Engineering Research Lab, the Ag Mechanization Labs, and the Clemson Experimental Forest. On Saturday, Roseburg attendees participated in the CAFLS Tailgate, and watched Clemson beat the Citadel.

The Duke Energy Foundation has awarded a $50,000 grant to Clemson University to help expand a course on environmental education focused on the interrelationships of energy production and environmental stewardship at the Duke Energy Bad Creek Hydroelectric Station in Salem, SC. This program provides unique environmental education for 32 K-12 teachers, and in turn, 3,200 K-12 students per year. Courses at Bad Creek are taught by Clemson University faculty members, local scientists, and Duke Energy staff. Participants are recruited from Duke Energy service areas in South Carolina, including Title 1 schools and low-income communities.

Teachers and students who attend this course participate in lessons and discussions on the interrelationships of power generation, the environment, and the society.  Alumni of the program state that the benefits of attending include professional knowledge gain, professional advancement, as well as personal enjoyment.

Funds from the Duke Energy Foundation will be used to provide two Clemson University graduate courses for K-12 teachers. One course will focus on middle and high school teachers, and the second on elementary school teachers. Participants will spend a week in residence at Clemson University with daily trips to the Bad Creek Outdoor Classroom site. Prior to the course, participants will complete a series of online lessons that introduce them to the basic principles of aquatic ecology, power generation, and the Keowee-Toxaway ecosystem. It is predicted that this grant will impact over 3,000 people in the Clemson community.

On November 14, Mr. Millard Choate, President of Choate Construction Company, and Mr. Goz Segars, President of Segars Development, Segars Farms, and Segars Realty, gathered at Sole on the Green restaurant for a dinner honoring the 2017-2018 recipients of the Choate Family Scholarship and the Segars Family and Choate Family Scholarship. These scholarships recognize exceptional undergraduate students pursuing a degree in construction science and management at Clemson.

Dean Rick Goodstein of the College of Architecture, Arts and Humanities, Hack Trammell, President and CEO of the Clemson University Foundation, Dr. Mike Jackson, Chair of the Department of Construction Science and Management, and Anne Barr, Sr. Director of Corporate Relations joined Mr. Choate and Mr. Segars in celebrating the following 2017-2018 recipients:

Ross Bennett, Kernersville, NC
Victoria Marquez, Fort Mill, SC
Trequan Bellamy, Longs, SC
Michael Boylan, Clover, SC
Pride Collins, Saint Matthews, SC
Garrett Corder, Irmo, SC
Noah Fuller, Laurens, SC
Christopher Gallo, Staten Island, NY
Morgan Guarneri, Lincoln University, PA
Kyle Hahn, North Caldwell, NJ
Jacob Holm, Green Pond, SC
William Hosenfeld, Goose Creek, SC
Mason Kingery, Goodview, VA
Bradley Kirkman, Rockhill, SC
Kenneth Krestan, Fort Mill, SC
David Monroe, Islandton, SC
Alexander Osteen, Seneca, SC
Stephen Parham, Piedmont, SC
David Rhoden, Columbia, SC
Kenneth Swindle, Central, SC
Joseph Voss, Manchester, CT
Jonathan Walters, Easley, SC

Wells Fargo executives joined leaders from Clemson and the College of Business on Tuesday, November 7 for the third annual Wells Fargo Scholars Luncheon, which celebrates Wells Fargo’s support of the Wells Fargo Student Endowment Scholarship Program, the Wells Fargo Professorship of Banking, Dr. Lucy Chernykh, Associate Professor of Finance, and the Wells Fargo Faculty Scholar, Dr. Brandon Lockhart, Assistant Professor of Finance.

The Wells Fargo Scholars Program was established in 1998 and provides scholarships to rising juniors and seniors studying finance-related disciplines. Students must have a 3.0 GPA, exhibit strong leadership and communication skills, and be involved in university organizations and clubs. The first scholarships from this endowment were awarded in 2007, and 88 scholarships have been awarded since.

The 2017-2018 Wells Fargo Scholars are:

Michael Akin, Financial Management, Atlanta, GA

Joseph Baynard, Financial Management, Charlotte, NC

Mitchell Brockmann, Financial Management, Hilton Head, SC

Taylor Brown, Financial Management, Greer, SC

Kyle Carrier, Financial Management, Hopkinton, MA

Paul Currey, Financial Management, Winnsboro, SC

Guerry Green, Financial Management, Pawleys Island, SC

Scot Mackenzie, Financial Management, Smithfield VA

Noah Mackey, Financial Management, Richmond VA

Eugene Mcelheny, Financial Management, Carbondale, IL

Alexandra Becker, Financial Management, Oceanport, NJ

James Hooks, Financial Management, Nashville, TN

Tabitha Davis, Financial Management, West Linn, OR

Emma Dilworth, Accounting, Greenville, SC

Mia Jones, Financial Management, Homer Glen, IL

The luncheon allowed students the opportunity to network with Wells Fargo executives and talk about their future careers in the financial world. At the event, Dean Bobby McCormick highlighted this by saying, “As we prepare for this next generation of excellent undergraduate education in business, we will look to partners like Wells Fargo to determine the experiences that will shape students into competitive employees once they enter the financial sector workforce.”

On November 1^st Clemson University welcomed State Farm representatives from across South Carolina to campus for a reception in the State Farm Sales Lab. The Sales Lab has become an integral part of the marketing department. Students utilize the lab as part of course curriculum to practice and fine-tune their sales abilities. Having the opportunity to watch themselves and other students make mock transactions in high-tech sales suites allows students to become more proficient in current selling techniques. Business School Dean Bobby McCormick spoke to State Farm’s generosity and the importance of their donation to Clemson marketing students at the event.

“We are delighted to have this opportunity – to celebrate State Farm’s longstanding support of Clemson University – and to provide a networking opportunity for our students. I would like to thank the State Farm representatives that are with us this evening for their continued commitment to Clemson.”

Brandt Ruszkiewicz has been awarded the 2017-2018 Hitachi High Technologies Electron Microscopy Annual Fellowship. As part of this fellowship, Ruszkiewicz, who is pursuing a Ph.D. in automotive engineering, received a $20,000 award from Hitachi High Technologies America. Ruszkiewicz is researching how an extremely strong type of aluminum reacts to electricity. This research could lead to new ways of forming and joining together automotive parts and help make cars lighter and more efficient. As part of his research, Ruszkiewicz uses Hitachi Electron microscopes to analyze the 7000-series aluminum and its reactions to electricity. Ruszkiewicz says this award gives him more financial freedom, and allows him to focus more on his research.

“I’ve got a lot more time to spend with these [Hitachi] microscopes now. I’m really excited to get through this work and see what we find. It’s an interesting opportunity because there aren’t a lot of people who can use a microscope that zooms in 2 million times.”

The Hitachi microscopes at Clemson’s Electron Microscopy Lab allow Ruszkiewicz to compare heated aluminum samples with those augmented with electricity. One of the microscopes he uses in his research, the Hitachi H-9500 Transmission Electron Microscope, is so powerful it can can allow the user to see individual atoms.

Craig Kerkove, president and CEO of Hitachi High Technologies America presented Brandt Ruszkiewicz with his fellowship during a ceremony on October 27^th.

“This fellowship is an extension of our ongoing collaboration with the University,” Kerkove said. “It is made possible by a series of contributions from Hitachi High Technologies America and is now helping its fourth student perform cutting-edge research. Clemson’s world-class Electron Microscopy Lab, with its eight Hitachi microscopes, continues to serve as an example for other institutions to follow.”

It was a professor at Penn State Behrend, where Ruszkiewicz graduated with a BS in mechanical engineering, that first got him interested in the research. Ruszkiewicz is now based at CU-ICAR, and expects to graduate from his PhD program in May. Previously, Ruszkiewicz received the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, the E. Wayne Kay Graduate Scholarship, and the R.C. Edwards Fellowship.

Phil Bryson, vice president and general manager of the Nanotechnology Systems Division at Hitachi High Technologies America praised the partnership that Hitachi and Clemson have. “We are pleased to see Hitachi microscopes play an integral role in Brandt’s research. The fellowship he is receiving is part of Hitachi’s long, mutually beneficial collaboration with Clemson.”

On Friday, October 20, Mercedes-Benz Vans representatives visited CUICAR to celebrate this year’s Mercedes-Benz Vans Scholarship Program. Representatives joined scholarship recipients for a tour of the CUICAR campus and a presentation on Mercedes-Benz Vans’ rapid growth in South Carolina. This year’s recipients were also given the opportunity to be mentored by early career Mercedes-Benz Vans engineers.

The 2017-2018 Mercedes-Benz Vans Scholarship recipients include:

Eric Joiner
Class of 2019
Mechanical Engineering

Jacob Thompson
Class of 2019
Electrical Engineering

Myranda Thomas
Class of 2018
Mechanical Engineering

Michael Redmond
Class of 2018
Electrical Engineering

The Southeast U.S./Japan Association, and their Japanese counterpart, the Japan-U.S. Southeast Association, hosted the 40^th Annual Joint Meeting of Southeast U.S. and Japanese business leaders in Greenville, South Carolina on October 21-24.  The Japanese Association’s membership includes Japan’s top business leaders and government officials. Membership in the Southeast U.S./Japan Association is open to the states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. The Association is currently chaired by Mrs. Minor Mickel Shaw, President of Micco LLC and Mr. Teruo Asada, Chairman of the Board, Marubeni Corporation.

South Carolina last hosted the joint meeting in 2002 in Charleston, and locations rotate between the seven membership states biyearly. This year, participants stayed at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Greenville. Between 375 and 475 regularly attend the annual joint meeting where key business leaders from the Southeast U.S. and Japan meet to network, participate in panel discussions, and attend keynote speakers. Attendees also had the option of participating in various tours and a golf tournament at The Cliffs at Glassy. Other activities include a tour of Clemson University led by students who had recently been to Japan with the Kakehashi Project and the Chairman’s Dinner at Poinsett Club.

President Clements also remarked on the importance of the conference:  “I am excited to be able to host this reception in the Clemson One Building which is home to Clemson’s M.B.A. programs, putting our students and faculty in the heart of downtown Greenville, where they can collaborate and interact with the Greenville business community. I am proud that we already have a number of strong partnerships with Japanese companies, including AFL, FujiFilm, JTEKT, Honda, Toyota, and Bridgestone. I am thankful for the relationships we have with numerous Japanese companies and universities, and I look forward to seeing them grow in the future.”