April is Research and Innovation Month at Clemson!
Join in the month-long celebration with events showcasing the academic excellence and scholarship of our students and faculty.
We kicked off Monday with a thesis competition that challenged students to explain their research to a non-specialist audience — in just three minutes!
Thursday (April 3) brings the 2014 Focus on Creative Inquiry Poster Forum (FoCI), presented by top undergraduate researchers. A Graduate Research and Discovery Symposium, showcasing the work of graduate students, is on Friday (April 4).
One undergraduate team presenting at FoCI is researching concussions. The students designed a dummy simulator equipped with brain sensors to provide concussion data. They then built a track system and measured the impact of various objects striking the head of the dummy, including weights, footballs, baseballs and helmets. They will share their findings with athletes, coaches and parents.
Other teams are developing low-cost medical devices to improve health care in Third World nations. These include blood sugar test kits, infant warmers and grass-woven neck braces. The work is part of the bioengineering department’s broader effort to improve lives in Tanzania. It may also translate into lower costs for health care here at home.
A couple of Clemson alumni invented a new and improved shoulder-stabilization brace as part of a senior design project. They are now working with the Clemson University Research Foundation to develop and market their product.
These are just a sampling of the innovative, exciting projects our students, grad students and faculty are working on, some with the support of outside funders in government and industry. Their potential economic impact is huge. Tetramar Technologies is a successful spin-off company in our state that grew out of research begun by Clemson faculty 12 years ago.
Other events this month include a research forum; award ceremonies in several colleges; lectures on such topics as entrepreneurship, nanotechnology, healthcare, social engineering and manufacturing. Review the complete listing of events, lectures and other activities in April.
Pick an event or two and plan to join us in April to celebrate Research and Innovation at Clemson.
