Month: September 2019

The start of the fall semester is an exciting time. It has been a busy summer in SCIENCE — here’s some of what happened, along with some upcoming events that staff should find interesting. Also, be sure to review our latest College Profile magazine.

The fall 2019 staff meeting included a presentation by Chief of Strategy and Operations Lili Gehring on several campus-wide initiatives as well as SCIENCE’s transition to a shared financial services model.

“Shared financial services is our way of organizing to optimize the delivery of cost-effective, flexible, and reliable financial service to all units,” Gehring said.

This involves the creation of two overarching capability areas: Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A) and Business Operations. The FP&A area includes the budgeting, forecasting and analytical processes that support the overall financial health of all units in alignment with the strategic plans. This area will be led by Mikah Jones, director of finance, and oversee E&G (Educational & General) and revenue accounts.

Business Operations includes Accounts Payable & Receivable (AP&R) and financial support for research activities via our Post-Award team for all contracts and grants. This area will be led by Barbara Bass, director of business operations, and oversee all research accounts as well as endowment and gift accounts.

Also at the staff meeting, Dean Cynthia Y. Young presented an overview of the College’s strategic plan SciForward, shared news on exciting initiatives, encouraged staff to share ideas on how to do things better, and thanked them for their hard work each day.

As Young noted, staff are the face of the College as they interact with faculty and students on a daily basis. They are largely responsible for the positive experience these stakeholders have with SCIENCE.

More than 55 SCIENCE staff attended the event.

Here are other highlights:

• Congratulations to the SCIENCE faculty and staff who are part of the 2019 cohort of the President’s Leadership Institute, which is a nine-month leadership development program designed to support professional and personal leadership within a diverse and inclusive community of faculty and staff at Clemson.
  • Londan Means, director of academic advising, department of biological sciences
  • Hugo Sanabria, associate professor, department of physics and astronomy
  • Tania Houjeiry, senior lecturer, department of chemistry
• On July 29, the College hosted a staff appreciation day, where staff, the dean and the leadership team enjoyed lunch at the Fresh Food Company (Core Campus) and bowling at the Underground Recreation Center. Another such event is being planned for October — look for more information soon.

Welcome to the new SCIENCE support staff members:

BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
Bharti Bhanot, Research Specialist II
Nancy Brown, Office Manager (interim)
Ian Cummings, Lab Technologist I
Ashley Hubbard, Academic Advisor
Brad Jones, Academic Advisor
Anna Lee Masters, Academic Advisor
Megan Metcalf, Academic Advisor
Lindsey Richardson, Research Specialist II
Elizabeth Van Doorn, Research Specialist II
Taylor Whaley, Research Specialist II
Christine Woelfel-Monsivais, Lab Technician

CHEMISTRY
Scott Drayton, Facilities Manager, Hunter
Kim Painter, General Chemistry Stockroom Assistant
Mary Sales, Organic Chemistry Stockroom Assistant

DEAN’S OFFICE
Mikah Jones, Director of Finance
Mary Clare Mitchell, Administrative Assistant
Laura Schmitt, Senior Science Writer
Cheryl Summers, Post-award Accountant
Alex Villano, Accounts Payable and Receivable Associate
Eryka Wallace, Marketing Strategist

GENETICS AND BIOCHEMISTRY
Maria Adonay, Bioinformatician
Miller Barksdale, Drosophila Research Technician
Marion Campbell, Drosophila Research Technician
Matthew Fenton, Research Program Manager
Rachel Hannah, Drosophila Research Technician
Eli Harding, Lab Manager
Cole McKnight, Software Engineer
Rick Moseley, Facilities Manager, LSF

PHYSICS AND ASTRONOMY
Kathy Barnett, Administrative Specialist II

CU CENTER FOR HUMAN GENETICS 
Peter Brown, Lab Specialist I
Vijay Shankar, Biostatistician/Staff Scientist

CU GENOMICS AND BIOINFORMATICS FACILITY
Rooksie Noorai, Research Associate
Jaime Randise, Lab Technician III

SCIENCE GLOBAL ENGAGEMENT
Yuki Kihara, Program Manager

SCIENCE OUTREACH CENTER
Cathy Brooks, Lab Specialist II
Renee Lyons, Director of Science Education Outreach

Recognizing our recent staff promotions:

ASSISTANT DIRECTORS
Sharetta Bufford, Recruitment and Inclusion, Dean’s Office
Adam Hunter, Advising and Professional Development, Dean’s Office

PROJECT COORDINATORS
Ginger Foulk, Biological Sciences
Deborah Jensen, Dean’s Office

ONLINE MEDIA COORDINATOR
Pete Martin, Dean’s Office

DIRECTOR OF FINANCE
Mikah Jones, Dean’s Office

ENG/ASSOC ENG III
Russell Hubbard, Chemistry
Russell Reynolds, Physics and Astronomy

ACCOUNTING/FISCAL ANALYST I
Lori Rholetter, Physics and Astronomy

NOTABLE UPCOMING EVENTS

• Sept. 27  |   3:30 p.m.   |   Discover Science Seminar  |   Freeman Hall Auditorium
  • Internationally acclaimed paleoanthropologist John Hawks, who has appeared in documentary films on PBS and National Geographic, will speak on campus Sept. 27, about “Fossils, genomes, and our African origins.” Hawks has investigated the rapid evolution of modern humans within the past 40,000 years, and he has explored the contribution of ancient Neanderthals to the ancestry of people living today. Learn more…

• October date TBA |   Staff appreciation event |  Time + Location TBA

• Oct. 8  |   Diversity in SCIENCE seminar |  5–6 p.m. |  112 Kinard Laboratory of Physics
  • Astrophysics Today: In Living Color. Planetarium show and Presentations by graduate students Jordan Eagle and Ansh Sehgal

• Oct. 17–20 |   Graduate student diversity recruiting event
  • College of Science faculty and students will welcome underrepresented prospective graduate students as part of the STEM – ALL IN recruiting event. Designed to increase minority student graduate enrollment, the program is co-sponsored by SCIENCE; the College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences; Office of Inclusion and Equity; National Science Foundation; and SC EPSCoR.

• Nov. 1 | Tigers on Call  |  Noon– 5 p.m.  |  Hendrix Student Center
  • A student and health professionals networking event

• Dec. 5 |   Faculty business meeting and college-wide winter party
  • Mark your calendar. More details to come.

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The start of the fall semester is an exciting time as you catch up with colleagues, staff and students. It has been a busy summer in SCIENCE — here’s some of what happened, along with some upcoming events that faculty should find interesting. Also, be sure to review our latest College Profile magazine.

• The College’s fall semester faculty kickoff meeting was held Aug. 19 at the Barnes Center and focused on highlights and initiatives. “Our faculty continue to strengthen Clemson’s national research prominence and elevate the educational experience through their excellence in scientific discovery, learning and engagement,” Dean Cynthia Y. Young said. Learn more…
• Miguel Larsen of the department of physics and astronomy received NASA’s Distinguished Public Service Medal, the space agency’s highest honor for non-government personnel. Larsen’s pioneering research fundamentally changed the scientific community’s understanding of the Earth’s upper atmosphere. Learn more…
• Jeff Anker of the department of chemistry was named a Senior Member of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI). With four licensed patents, Anker has developed prototype sensors to measure bending in orthopedic plates, screws and intervertebral spacers. Learn more…
• Stephen Kaeppler of the department of physics and astronomy is the lead investigator on a $1.7 million NASA-funded project (Ion-Neutral Coupling during active aurora) to study how energy is transferred and dissipated during colorful active auroras. Colleague Gerald Lehmacher is the lead investigator on a nearly $1 million NASA-funded project (Vorticity Experiment) to study how turbulence and other dynamic activities occurring far above the Earth’s surface affect our planet’s atmosphere. Learn more…
• Vincent Richards of the department of biological sciences published results in Molecular Biology and Evolution showing the transmission of antibiotic resistance genes from humans into livestock, companion animals and wildlife. Learn more…
• Mike Sears of the department of biological sciences published results in Nature Communications indicating that salamanders actually harness their unique ability to regenerate limbs to rapidly minimize the impact of hot temperatures. Learn more…
• John Meriwether, physics and astronomy professor emeritus, was elected a fellow of the American Geophysical Union. Learn more…
• Sean Brittain and Chad Sosolik of the department of physics and astronomy were selected to the second cohort of Physics Teacher Education Coalition (PhysTEC) fellows to enhance the department’s high school physics teacher education programs. Learn more…
• Margaret Wiecek of the school of mathematical and statistical sciences received the Multiple Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) Gold Medal, the highest honor bestowed by the International Society on MCDM. Learn more…
• William Baldwin of the department of biological sciences published results in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry connecting an enzyme associated with detoxification to obesity and fatty liver disease, especially in males. Learn more…
• Rajan Sekhon of the department of genetics and biochemistry published breakthrough research in the genetics of senescence in cereal crops with the potential to dramatically impact the future of food security in the era of climate change. Learn more…
• Congratulations to the SCIENCE faculty and staff who are part of the 2019 cohort of the President’s Leadership Institute, which is a nine-month leadership development program designed to support professional and personal leadership within a diverse and inclusive community of faculty and staff at Clemson.
  • Hugo Sanabria, associate professor, department of physics and astronomy
  • Tania Houjeiry, senior lecturer, department of chemistry
  • Londan Means, director of academic advising, department of biological sciences

NEW TENURE-TRACK FACULTY

This fall, SCIENCE welcomed new tenure-track faculty who bring an array of expertise to our campus. They are:

Biological Sciences

• Sourabh Dhingra, Ph.D. Microbiology, Northern Illinois University
• Matthew Koski, Ph.D. Ecology and Evolution, University of Pittsburgh
• Emily Rosowski, Ph.D. Biology, MIT
• Anna Maria Seekatz, Ph.D. Molecular and Immunology, University of Maryland

Chemistry

• Byoungmoo Kim, Ph.D. Chemistry, University of Toronto
• Thao Tran, Ph.D. Chemistry, University of Houston

Mathematical and Statistical Sciences

• Whitney Huang, Ph.D. Statistics, Purdue University
• Sibusiso Mabuza, Ph.D. Mathematics, University of Houston

Center for Human Genetics

• Andrei Alexandrov, Ph.D., Yale

NEW TEACHING FACULTY

SCIENCE also welcomed new teaching faculty, who strengthen our instruction and curriculum. They are:

Biological Sciences

• Virginia Abernathy
• Kaustubha Qanungo
• Lisa Ruggiero-Wagner

Chemistry

• Rakesh Sachdeva

Genetics and Biochemistry

• Kimberly Metris
• Marco Oliveira

Physics and Astronomy

• David Connick

Mathematical and Statistical Sciences

• Angel Carreras-Jusino
• Zhiyun Gong
• Tony Long
• Chad Mangum
• Paran Norton

RECENT PROMOTIONS

Congratulations to SCIENCE faculty who have been promoted recently. They are:

Full professor

• Sean Sather-Wagstaff, mathematical and statistical sciences

Associate professor

• Marco Ajello, physics and astronomy
• Antonio Baeza, biological sciences
• Michael Burr, mathematical and statistical sciences
• Derek Andrew Brown, mathematical and statistical sciences
• Qingshan Chen, mathematical and statistical sciences
• David Feliciano, biological sciences
• Akshay Gupte, mathematical and statistical sciences
• Lukasz Kozubowski, genetics and biochemistry
• Shitao Liu, mathematical and statistical sciences
• Felice Manganiello, mathematical and statistical sciences
• Hugo Sanabria, physics and astronomy

Senior lecturer

• Laura Lanni, chemistry
• Modi Wetzler, chemistry

NOTABLE UPCOMING EVENTS

• Sept. 27 |   3:30 pm   |   Freeman Hall Auditorium
  • Internationally acclaimed paleoanthropologist John Hawks, who has appeared in documentary films on PBS and National Geographic, will speak on campus Sept. 27 about “Fossils, genomes, and our African origins.” Hawks has investigated the rapid evolution of modern humans within the past 40,000 years, and he has explored the contribution of ancient Neanderthals to the ancestry of people living today. Learn more…

• Oct. 8 |   Diversity in SCIENCE seminar |  5–6 pm |  112 Kinard Laboratory of Physics
  • Astrophysics Today: In Living Color. Planetarium show and presentations by graduate students Jordan Eagle and Ansh Sehgal

• Oct. 17–20  |   Graduate student diversity recruiting event
  • College of Science faculty and students will welcome underrepresented prospective graduate students as part of the STEM – ALL IN recruiting event. Designed to increase minority student graduate enrollment, the program is co-sponsored by SCIENCE; the College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences; Office of Inclusion and Equity; National Science Foundation; and SC EPSCoR. Learn more…

• Dec. 5  |   Faculty business meeting and college-wide winter party
  • Mark your calendar. More details to come.

Tired of getting text messages from colleagues on your personal cell phone?

Overwhelmed with emails?

Get WebEx Teams — Your one-stop solution for telecom needs

• Instant message/chat
• Video teleconference
• Whiteboard
• Fully supported by CCIT

DOWNLOAD the WebEx Teams app.

More information on WebEx Teams.

The start of the fall semester is an exciting time. It has been a busy summer in SCIENCE — here’s some of what happened, along with some upcoming events that students should find interesting. Also, be sure to review our latest College Profile magazine.

• Biological sciences junior Shaoni Dasgupta and biochemistry junior Nate Matzko are the first two Clemson undergraduates to be chosen as Beckman Scholars, a prestigious honor funded by the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation that provides mentored laboratory research experiences. Learn more…
• Genetics and biochemistry undergraduate Eugene Bishop was the first author on the paper “Genome-wide identification, expression profiling, and network analysis of AT-hook gene family in maize,” which was published in the journal Genomics. Learn more…

Students interested in health professions don’t miss

• Tigers on Call: A student and health professionals networking event
  • Nov. 1 | 12:00 – 5:00 pm  |  Hendrix Student Center
  • Roundtable and panel discussions, featuring Clemson alumni and friends from health-related fields
  • Mock interviews
  • Mock MCAT exam
  • To register: Watch for Tigers on Call announcement sent via Health Professions Advising Community in Canvas

NOTABLE UPCOMING EVENTS

• Sept. 27  |   3:30 p.m.   |   Discover Science Seminar |   Freeman Hall Auditorium
  • Internationally acclaimed paleoanthropologist John Hawks, who has appeared in documentary films on PBS and National Geographic, will speak on campus about “Fossils, genomes, and our African origins.” Hawks has investigated the rapid evolution of modern humans within the past 40,000 years, and he has explored the contribution of ancient Neanderthals to the ancestry of people living today. Learn more…

• Oct. 8 |   Diversity in SCIENCE seminar |  5–6 pm |  112 Kinard Laboratory of Physics
  • Astrophysics Today: In Living Color. Planetarium show and Presentations by graduate students Jordan Eagle and Ansh Sehgal

• Oct. 17 – 20  |   Graduate student diversity recruiting event
  • College of Science faculty and students will welcome underrepresented prospective graduate students as part of the STEM – ALL IN recruiting event. Designed to increase minority student graduate enrollment, the program is co-sponsored by SCIENCE; the College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences; Office of Inclusion and Equity; National Science Foundation; and SC EPSCoR. Learn more…

FELLOWSHIP RECIPIENTS

SCIENCE graduate students are among the best and brightest in their fields. Here’s a sampling of recent fellowship recipients.

SCIENCE fellows (increased stipend support for first-year graduate students)

• Kristin Bussey and Sabrina Suttton (Genetics Ph.D.)
• Andrew Weilson (Physics Ph.D.)
• Amy Murdaugh (Mathematical and Statistical Sciences Ph.D.)

Clemson Graduate School Fellowships (campus-wide fellowships)

• Cierra Sullivan and Daniel Malagon (Biological Sciences Ph.D.)
• Xiaontong Chen (Biochemistry Ph.D.)
• Jefferey Hatfield (Genetics Ph.D.)
• Michael Henderson (Physics and Astronomy Ph.D.)

ALUMNI/SUPPORTER FELLOWSHIPS

Biological Sciences

• Shayesteh Beladi-BehbahanI, Michael and Ellen Henson Fellowship
• Andrew Mason, Harry and Catherine Findley Student Assistance Endowment
• Sophie Millard, Catherine G Nettles Cutter, Ph.D. ’92 Graduate Student Assistance Endowment
• Heather Walters, Alex P. Anderson and Lydia Anderson Fellowship

Physics and Astronomy

• Benjamin Amen and Ansh Sehgal, Curry Fellowships in Astrophysics
• Sayani Ghosh and Gangtong Huang, Andrew F Sobczyk Fellowship
• Adam Hosier, Carol C Elbel Fellowship

Mathematical and Statistical Sciences

• Mary Lib Saine, Sobczyk Fellowship
• Trevor Camper and Thomas Rector, Claire and Clayton Aucoin Fellowship

As you may recall from your own student days, the start of the fall semester is an exciting time as you catch up with friends, classmates and colleagues. It has been a busy summer in SCIENCE — here’s some of what happened, along with some upcoming events that alumni and supporters should find interesting. Also, be sure to review our latest College Profile magazine.

NEWS AND NOTES

• Tigers on Call, a student and health professionals networking event, will be held noon-5 p.m. Nov. 1 in the Hendrix Student Center. Roundtable and panel discussions, featuring Clemson alumni and friends working in health-related fields. If you’d like to participate and share your career experiences with current Clemson students, please contact: cuhpa@clemson.edu or visit our web site. Sponsorship opportunities are also available.
• Genetics and biochemistry alumna Morgan Nichols (B.S. 2019) was named Miss South Carolina in July. Her platform focuses on encouraging young people’s interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education and careers. Learn more.
• Biological sciences alumna Michelle Ducworth (B.S. 2000), who runs a lavender farm, was featured in the Greenville News. Learn more.
• Three mathematical sciences alumni were instrumental in helping establish a new dual-degree program between Clemson and Erskine College, where the trio are faculty members. The Erksine faculty are Kokou Yano Abalo, Catherine White and Art Gorka. Learn more.
• Biophysics alumnus Austin Schwartz (B.S. 2011) was featured as an Entrepreneur of the Week by Clemson’s Spiro Institute for Entrepreneurial Leadership. Schwartz is a business development associate with Tellus Therapeutics in the North Carolina Research Triangle.

UPCOMING EVENTS

• Clemson alumnus Frank Matthews will be honored by his alma mater for 35 years of distinguished service as co-founder, CEO and publisher of “Diverse: Issues in Higher Education” at 2 p.m. on Sept. 23 in the Watt Innovation Center auditorium. Matthews’ magazine covers higher ed issues impacting minority education and students. Learn more.
• Internationally acclaimed paleoanthropologist John Hawks, who has appeared in documentary films on PBS and National Geographic, will speak about “Fossils, genomes, and our African origins” at 3:30 p.m. on Sept. 27 in Freeman Hall Auditorium. Hawks has investigated the rapid evolution of modern humans within the past 40,000 years, and he has explored the contribution of ancient Neanderthals to the ancestry of people living today. Learn more.
• College of Science faculty and students will welcome underrepresented prospective graduate students as part of the STEM – ALL IN recruiting event on Oct. 17-20 on the main campus. Designed to increase minority student graduate enrollment, the program is co-sponsored by SCIENCE; the College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences; Office of Inclusion and Equity; National Science Foundation; and SC EPSCoR. Learn more.