Author: Amber Padgett

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

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.”

On September 22, Clemson announced the 2017-2018 recipient of the Bosch Endowed Fellowship in Automotive Engineering at an event at CU-ICAR. Bosch established this fellowship endowment in 2014 with a gift of $560,000.

Caroline Louis, who received her undergraduate degree in Materials Science and Engineering from Clemson in May 2017, was announced as this year’s fellowship recipient. She was joined by the past three Bosch Fellows, Valerie Clements (2016), Lauren Mims (2015), and Vismita Sonagra (2014), along with Clemson leadership and several executives from Bosch, including Mike Mansuetti, President of Robert Bosch LLC and Kathleen Owsley, Executive Director of the Bosch Community Fund, and leadership from Bosch’s three South Carolina locations.

Guests at the fellowship event enjoyed hearing more about the accomplishments of all four Bosch Fellows to date, as well as Bosch’s passion for diversifying the STEM workforce, and particularly the automotive industry, which helped inspire the creation of this fellowship for underrepresented populations in automotive engineering.

Congratulations to Caroline and all of the Bosch Fellows, and thank you to Bosch for their investment in Clemson students and programs!

Clemson recently honored Michelin for their support of students, faculty, and programs, totaling close to $5M since 1977, at an engagement reception in the Hendrix Student Center.

Janet Krupka, Director of Recruiting, and Stacy Davis, Campus Recruiter at Michelin, joined students, faculty, and staff from several programs supported by Michelin, including:

– the Michelin Endowed Chair in Vehicle Electronic Systems Integration, held by Dr. Venkat Krovi;

– the Michelin Scholarships for International Programs, which support students in the College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences who are proficient in a foreign language;

– the Michelin Career Center in the Center for Career and Professional Development; and

– the “One SC 2 Sustain” collaborative sustainability Creative Inquiry course with the University of South Carolina.

Students attending the event enjoyed learning more about career, co-op, and internship opportunities at Michelin, as well as Michelin’s passion for supporting higher education and the next generation of talent in engineering.

Thank you, Michelin, for your 40 years of valued support of Clemson University!

In fiscal year 2018, Fluor supported the following Clemson programs and initiatives:

Michelin Career Center

Fluor’s contribution to the Michelin Career center support a variety of programs that provide students with career opportunities and advice, including interest inventory assessments for students uncertain about their future career field, online job and internship resources, and programs for student veterans and other under-represented student populations.

Construction Science Management Partners Program (CSM)

Fluor’s support created opportunities for student field trips to construction projects, regional and national student team competitions, and continuing education workshops and seminars for Clemson Construction Science faculty.

Programs for Educational Enrichment and Retention (PEER) and Women in Science and Engineering (WISE)

Fluor sponsored the Fluor Engineering and Science Study Hall managed by PEER and WISE. The Fluor Study Hall provides free drop-in tutoring services for a variety of subjects in the College of Engineering, Computing, and Applied Sciences, and is staffed by undergraduate and graduate tutors whose salaries are paid through Fluor’s generosity.

Clemson Engineers for Developing Countries (CEDC)

Support from Fluor will allow CEDC to expand student’s activities on campus and in the field through new projects geared toward helping local communities in the Central Plateau of Haiti develop sustainable solutions that will improve quality of life for its citizens.

National Society of Black Engineers

Fluor funds are used by the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) to help fund scholarships for freshmen, and cover expenses connected with attending NSBE National and Regional Conventions and transportation to NSBE engineering summer camps and industry tours.

American Society of Civil Engineering (ASCE)

Funds donated to ASCE help Clemson students participate in a variety of events and activities such as Adopt-A-Highway, Helping Hands, the National Concrete Canoe Competition, and the National Student Steel Bridge Competition.

Department of Mechanical Engineering Honors and Awards Banquet

The Mechanical Engineering Department serves approximately 1000 undergraduate students and 195 graduate students. Donations from Fluor are utilized to help sponsor the Department Banquet celebrating these student’s accomplishments throughout the year.

IEEE Southeastcon Design Competition Team

Funds from Fluor support the Holcombe Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, one of the largest and most active departments at Clemson, participate in the IEEE Design Competition Team.

First-year, transfer, and graduate students, and university faculty and staff gathered in Littlejohn Coliseum on Monday, August 21 to officially start the new academic year with the annual Victor Hurst Convocation. Attendees heard from speakers Jay Allison, who co-edited this year’s Common Reading Program book, “This I Believe,” President Jim Clements, who shared advice with the students on how to be successful during their time at Clemson, and Brian O’Rourke, Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations.

O’Rourke also recognized Clemson’s new Endowed Chair holders, including:

– Robert Fritz Baldwin, the Margaret H. Lloyd Endowed Chair in Urban Ecology and Restoration;

– Johan H. Enslin, the Duke Energy Endowed Chair in Smart Grid Technology, which was established by Duke Energy in 2013 to to lead the development and growth of research initiatives in emerging electric-grid technologies at the Duke Energy eGRID and SCE&G Energy Innovation; Center facilities located at the Clemson University Restoration Institute in North Charleston, SC;

– Venkat Narayan Krovi, the Michelin Endowed Chair in Vehicle Automation, which was established in 2004 to to establish and lead an internationally recognized research and education program at CU-ICAR in the areas of automotive electronics, autonomous vehicles, robotics, and connected vehicle systems;

– Laine Mears, the BMW Smart State Chair in Automotive Manufacturing, established in 2003 to advance CU-ICAR’s research capabilities in the manufacturing segment of the automotive market sector, as well as to improve the efficiency of manufacturing large, complex objects. The position also provides leadership to the Center for Manufacturing Innovation (CMI);

– and Zeki Simsek, the Lawrence M. Gressette Jr. Endowed Chair in Business Strategy and Planning, co-established by SCANA in 2000 to honor Lawrence M. Gressette, retired Chairman and CEO of SCANA, who passed away in 2013.

AFL, a global company that manufactures, engineers and installs the fiber optic products and equipment needed by communications providers, has recently invested in Clemson’s Charles H. Townes Scholars Program.

The Townes Scholars program is an undergraduate student research experience where students from diverse science and engineering focused programs come to Clemson for a 10-week summer program to work in state of the art laboratories in Clemson’s Center for Optical Materials Science and Engineering Technologies (COMSET). This program was named for the late Dr. Charles H. Townes, recipient of the 1964 Nobel Prize in Physics for the invention of the maser (the predecessor to the laser), who is an alumnus of Furman University (1935) and Clemson (honoris causa, 1963).

The 2017 Townes Scholars students recently enjoyed a tour of AFL’s cable manufacturing plant in Duncan, SC.