Clemson University Corporate and Foundation Relations

Clemson University unveiled the new Clemson Vehicle Assembly Center on Thursday in Greenville. The Center will be a hub for automotive researchers, students, and manufacturers where they can collaborate to develop and learn advanced manufacturing techniques.

As part of the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR), the Vehicle Assembly Center is a collaboration between BMW Manufacturing, Siemens, Clemson, and Greenville Technical College. The 4,000-square-foot center will not only have a full vehicle assembly line, but also a joining lab, sub-assembly lab, embedded devices lab, collaborative robotics center, and autonomous factory vehicles.

Research will be conducted primarily by faculty and students in Clemson’s College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences. Greenville Tech students will be enrolled in manufacturing training programs.

“BMW Plant Spartanburg continues to grow. A highly-skilled, well-educated workforce is essential to meet the challenges of the next generation of vehicles,” Knudt Flor, president and CEO of BMW Manufacturing said. “The Vehicle Assembly Center and its project-based learning approach promise to prepare a workforce with the skills needed to be successful in the premium automotive industry.”

For more information, visit: http://newsstand.clemson.edu/mediarelations/clemson-launches-advanced-manufacturing-research-and-workforce-development-hub-in-greenville.

The CFR team is beginning a new series of faculty and staff feature stories to highlight partnerships with the academy that have increased corporate support of Clemson. Our first feature highlights Dr. Todd Marek, Executive Director of Clemson’s Watt Family Innovation Center.

Dr. Marek works closely with the Corporate and Foundation Relations team to establish strategic partnerships with corporations to support the needs of the Watt Center and the many students, faculty, and staff who engage with the Center each semester.

Throughout graduate school, Dr. Marek was very interested in medical instrumentation and imaging. His research at that time was in the area of highly parallel computer architectures and processing. After he graduated, he had the opportunity to work at MIT Lincoln Laboratory developing satellite communications systems for military requirements. He spent 6 years at Lincoln Laboratory and then transitioned into private industry for a company that provides engineering services for the US government. He spent 18 years with Scientific Research Corporation working in engineering, project leadership, and technical director roles. During much of this time, he led the Communications, Networks, and Electronics division and supported numerous projects for the US Air Force, the US Army, and several other clients.

As for his work with the Watt Center, Dr. Marek says, “The innovation cycle at the Watt Center depends on ideas and creativity originating from interactions between students, faculty, and industry partners. Industry input helps clarify the problem definition, and also helps establish boundary conditions that define acceptable or commercially meaningful solutions. Many of our industry partners have contributed their advanced products and tools to the Watt Center, giving students access to technology that would otherwise be unavailable to them.”

Currently, The Watt Center is actively engaged with about 30 companies. “Corporate and Foundation Relations team members have provided great support to our interactions with these companies. It is a true partnership with CFR where we each have elements of the company relationship that we lead and other elements where we provide support.”

As an alumnus of Clemson, Dr. Marek shares the same devotion to Clemson as current students. He notes, “There are so many amazing things happening at Clemson – it is a very exciting time to be a part of it all.” If Dr. Marek had to choose his favorite thing about working at Clemson it would be that he loves the energy, creativity, and optimism that he sees in Clemson students.

He is particularly excited about two major initiatives that are developing at the Watt Center: first, they are expanding their offerings that invite innovation at the intersection of art and technology; second, they are looking into ways the Watt Center can lead multidisciplinary activity at the convergence of analytics, visualization, cybersecurity, emergency management, and public administration.

The Watt Center is so much more than just a great place to study or have a class. There are always great opportunities for multidisciplinary interaction and involvement. You can get involved with the Watt Center by following them on Twitter @WattCenter.

First Citizens Bank has partnered with Clemson University with a three-year, $60,000 contribution to the College of Business. This donation will fund CU Business EDGE (Engage Students in Development and Global Experiences), a new program that pairs students’ educational experience with a variety of engaging activities that will sharpen their soft skills and help differentiate them in the job market. First Citizens also has announced it is contributing an additional $40,000 toward construction of the new business school, expected to be completed in January of 2020.

First Citizens’ contribution will fully fund CU Business EDGE, allowing the program to improve and expand initiatives such as etiquette dinners, workshops, and other career oriented events.  “First Citizens stepping up like this will help our students become more well-rounded and competitive,” Helen Diamond Steele, director of student enrichment for the business college, said. “This partnership is going to provide us the wherewithal to deliver these programs on a larger scale.”

Chuck Perry, an ’84 graduate of Clemson’s business college and the area executive for First Citizens Bank, believes that the partnership between First Citizens and Clemson will not only enrich development opportunities for students, but also open a talent pipeline for his employer.

“In supporting Clemson’s next generation of talent, First Citizens is hoping this partnership will make a difference in students’ lives and, of course, their careers,” said Perry, of Clemson. “We are well aware of the caliber of student the Clemson business college graduates, and we hope this connection will also make them more aware of the career opportunities First Citizens Bank has to offer.”

Recent gifts from corporate and foundation partners will strengthen several Clemson STEM education programs for K-12 students.

iMAGINE Upstate 2018

– AFL, a South Carolina-based manufacturer of fiber optic products and equipment, and Robert Bosch LLC, multinational engineering and electronics company, have supported the 2018 iMAGINE Upstate festival that will be held in Greenville, SC in April.

– An initiative of South Carolina’s Coalition of Math and Science (SCCMS), iMAGINE Upstate seeks to create meaningful experiences that promote a culture of lifelong learning and career readiness with an emphasis on science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM), innovation, and entrepreneurial activity in Upstate South Carolina.

Charleston STEM Festival

– The Charleston STEM Festival, another initiative of SCCMS, is a celebration of science, technology, engineering and math in the Lowcountry of South Carolina and will be held in February 2018.

– Robert Bosch LLC recently pledged to support the Charleston STEM Festival for the next three years as the festival’s presenting sponsor.

Clemson University Women in Numbers (CU-WIN)

– The Engineering Information Foundation, based in New York, NY, has awarded Clemson a $15,000 grant for a new summer program focused on strengthening middle school girls’ math skills. The CU-WIN program will be held in North Charleston, SC at the Clemson University Restoration Institute (CURI) and will allow participants to visit industry facilities and engage with female role models working in STEM fields while also building math skills through hands-on lessons.

Six Clemson marketing students presented the findings of their undergraduate research project to Siemens executives during the fall 2017 semester.

Through a Creative Inquiry sponsored by Siemens, students were asked to find solutions on how to best transfer knowledge between new and old employees as baby boomers start to retire. Their research resulted in a list of actionable items for Siemens to incorporate to help the company grow even as they lose their most senior employees.

Kevin Yates, leader of the energy management division for Siemens in the U.S. and Canada and a 1994 Clemson graduate, said, “They absolutely delivered and hit the mark. The value they created, given their limited experience, was outstanding. The research they have provided has been very insightful. There were several ‘a-ha’ moments from our staff during the presentation.”

This Creative Inquiry project will continue over the next two years with students elaborating on the prior work each semester.

For more information, visit: http://newsstand.clemson.edu/mediarelations/siemens-taps-clemson-students-to-mitigate-baby-boomer-exodus-from-its-work-force.

Wells Fargo has donated $350,000 to two different diversity programs at Clemson University. Students in the Call Me MISTER and Emerging Scholars programs will benefit from these $200,000 and $150,000 scholarship donations respectively. This funding will support initiatives focused on improving educational outcomes for diverse student populations across South Carolina.

Call Me MISTER was established to increase the number of diverse teachers in South Carolina. The program provides tuition assistance for its participants in teacher education. It also provides a support system to ensure graduates’ success.

The Emerging Scholars program gives South Carolina high school students in low-income areas with opportunities such as mentoring, college tours, educational workshops, and summer residential experiences at Clemson.

“The continued support Wells Fargo provides Emerging Scholars has allowed us to increase the number of students we serve,” said Amber Lange, executive director of the Office of College Preparation and Outreach. “This summer we will expand into two new high schools and that would not be possible without Wells Fargo.”

Wells Fargo has given over $1.5 million to Call Me MISTER and $750,000 to Emerging Scholars. The longtime support of these programs allows Clemson to bring educational and career opportunities to many young people of color and first-generation college students.

For more information, visit: http://newsstand.clemson.edu/mediarelations/wells-fargo-donates-350000-to-clemson-diversity-programs-2. 

Honda R&D Americas is the primary sponsor of the new Deep Orange 9 (DO9) concept vehicle project, which tasks graduate automotive engineering students with building a next generation rallycross vehicle. The car will be the first of its kind: a high-performance, ultra-tough motorsports vehicle with a clean, fuel-efficient hybrid powertrain, advanced technical features, and highly dynamic handling and acceleration.

Deep Orange 9 is also supported by Aisin Group and JTEKT Corporation as Leadership Sponsors, BFGoodrich as Track Sponsor, and Red Bull and the Specialty Equipment Market Association as Marketing Sponsors. Students are also incorporating unique concussion research into DO9 in collaboration with the Spartanburg Regional Healthcare system.

The DO9 project will also present new ways to market vehicles to motorsports fans. In a collaboration with the Robert H. Brooks Sports Science Institute, undergraduate students studying consumer behavior, sports marketing, and marketing research will leverage consumer research to segment and target customers for DO9.

Deep Orange 9 is an extremely unique innovative, project-based learning program that produces highly capable automotive engineers by immersing them in the world of vehicle manufacturers and suppliers.

“The extreme engineering behind motorsports has often been used as a test bed that pushes the boundaries of consumer vehicle technology,” said Robert Prucka, Kulwicki Endowed Professor in Motor Sports Engineering at CU-ICAR, who leads the program. “Deep Orange 9 students are tasked not only with developing an innovative vehicle with the power and handling requirements of an emerging motorsport, but with finding new ways to improve driver safety, fuel efficiency and vehicle emissions in these highly dynamic driving situations.”

For more information, visit: http://newsstand.clemson.edu/mediarelations/clemson-university-prototype-program-announces-next-generation-rallycross-vehicle.

Through a Bosch Community Fund great, Clemson’s graduate students and faculty in Automotive Engineering were given the opportunity to study the challenges In developing small scale autonomous boats with an eye toward removing micro-plastics from the ocean.

The 71 students divided into groups and created 18 different boats that were capable of cruise control, boundary tracking, and collision avoidance using the sensing signal processing, filtering techniques, and advanced control methods they learned in class.

After the competition, students were tasked to develop a report describing how they would design a boat for ocean conservation (inspired by Bosch) and to identify and address current challenges and gaps for creating future autonomous boats.

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!