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.
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