I n q u i r y, D i s c o v e r y i n E n g i n e e r i n g a n d S c i e n c e C o l l e g e o f E n g i n e e r i n g a n d S c i e n c e f a l l 2 0 0 9

in this issue:

2 Going Nuclear South Carolina’s unique position as a center of nuclear-based industries makes Clemson the perfect place to educate future leaders of the field.

6 Doing the Math for Smart Power Clemson researchers and students are doing one-of-a-kind research to improve electric power grids.

10 Save the Concrete Civil engineering professor is searching for ways to build concrete infrastructure that stands up to several decades of wear and tear.

12 Following the Deans Brian and Delphine Dean share more than a last name. They’re two of CoES’s most distinguished assistant professors with a strong passion for research.

15 News Around the College of Engineering and Science

Ph.D. candidates Jeremy Mercuri (Dan Simionescu, adviser) and Chartrisa L. Simpson (Naren Vyavahare, adviser) conduct Hitomorphometric analysis of tissue response to implanted materials.

On the cover: Professor Rhett Smith is a recipent of an NSF CAREER award. Smith’s research is directed to developing polymer materials that can conduct electricity. From the Dean

In the lobby of the Engineering Innovation Building on the Clemson campus, there is an 1895 Model 16B Graham Escapement Seth Thomas Clock. The timepiece marked the rhythms of the campus for almost a century. In the 1980s, the clock tower was modernized, and the old timepiece was discarded and left to gather dust in the tower belfry. Several years ago a restoration effort brought the clock back to life. The story of the Clemson clock offers lessons as we address infrastructure concerns here in the U.S. Without attention, bridges, roads and energy systems become outdated, fall into disrepair and ultimately become unusable. The current administration has recognized these needs in formulating policies to deal with the economic downturn. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) provides for domestic spending in education, health care and infrastructure, including the energy sector. In this edition of IDEaS we take a look at some of the research projects that deal with important infrastructure concerns. While these ongoing projects predate the ARRA, I think it is important to note that In a related story, our Asphalt Rubber Technology here at Clemson, we anticipated the need for, and the vitality of, these Service is finding ways to promote, design and test focus areas. the use of recycled scrap tires in rubberized asphalt The nation is facing serious staffing shortages in nuclear science and and other civil infrastructure applications. Rubberized engineering disciplines. Clemson’s nuclear environmental engineering asphalt that uses scrap tires is cost effective and has and science graduate program is helping a long-term life cycle. But perhaps best of all, it’s Here at Clemson, we to meet critical work force needs, environmentally friendly. and we are accomplishing that with Academic “infrastructure” is about more than bricks anticipated the need of the environmental awareness and emphasis. and mortar. To be successful, you have to have quality focus areas of the ARRA: This is particularly important now as people with creative ideas and the excitement and drive utilities are seeking licensing extensions to turn knowledge to products. In this issue of IDEaS, education, health care and for maturing nuclear facilities. we premier a new feature that will run periodically on On the consumer side of power “Clemson Couples,” highlighting College of Engineering infrastructure, including generation, two of our mathematical and Science professors who successfully share dual the energy sector. sciences professors are leading a team academic careers. As these young professors develop that’s seeking to make smarter electric their careers, we look forward to seeing how their work power networks to boost the nation’s impacts the University, state, region and world. economy and ecology. The goal is providing utilities with the tools to ensure uninterrupted service, improve distribution efficiency, save Sincerely, energy and reduce operating costs. Clemson’s research on the durability of concrete infrastructure could mean potential savings of millions, perhaps billions, of dollars. Imagine Esin Gulari, Dean in this climate of preservation and restoration, roads and bridges — even College of Engineering and Science airfields — that hold up for several decades with little damage. Clemson University South Carolina’s unique position as a center of nuclear-based industries makes Clemson the perfect place to educate future leaders of the field.

“What makes our program unique is that we’re Clemson. Fjeld was recruited from Texas A&M to begin a nuclear program imbedded in an environmental Clemson’s NEES graduate program. department, and we think that’s a great place to be,” “Traditional academic nuclear engineering programs “Our focus is observes DeVol. “A lot of the issues facing the industry dealt with the physics of what transpires inside reactors,” today have to do with radioactive contaminants in the says Fjeld. “Our focus is providing students with the providing students environment, and what better place to explore those skills they would need to address the environmental phenomena and their impacts than where researchers issues associated with power production.” with the skills understand the environment and the movement of Although the early emphasis of Clemson’s academic By Ron Grant contaminants therein?” program was established to support the power industry, they would need there are research needs waiting in the wings in other areas. How it all began to address the This exceptional program came about because of South Thinking outside the nucleus Carolina’s unique position as a home to a variety of In the late 1980s, concern about indoor radon arose, environmental nuclear-based industries. In the 1950s, the federal and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) had government established the Savannah River Site (SRS), funds for universities to study indoor radon problems. issues associated Thus, Clemson expanded its nuclear environmental engineering and science faculty and their research with power capabilities. Early in the life of Clemson’s nuclear production,” says environmental engineering and science program, an internship program had been established with SRS. As Fjeld. the Department of Energy’s (DOE) mission at SRS

Nuclear Engineering moved from production to environmental remediation, Clemson was in a position to strengthen its relationship Going Nuclear with the site. He graduated from high school three years after a defense facility that initially housed five operating “Basically, the DOE had this huge, complex site Three Mile Island and entered graduate school in reactors and highly advanced separation facilities. By that required remediation, and they realized a need nuclear engineering one year after Chernobyl. With the early 1970s, South Carolina-based utilities turned to for instrumentation for measuring radioactivity in what, in hindsight, appeared to be ominous road signs nuclear power generation. environmental settings,” says Fjeld. “So we wrote against pursuing such a career path, Timothy DeVol, a Currently, there are seven licensed commercial a proposal that was funded by the DOE’s Office of professor in Clemson’s Department of Environmental reactors in the state generating 65 percent of the Technology and Development. What came out of Engineering and Earth Sciences (EEES), decided that electrical power. Westinghouse established a nuclear that was a really neat system for measuring multiple those momentous events signaled a need for good fuel assembly plant in Columbia and has plans for an radionuclides that undergo different types of decay of a people in the industry, so he persevered. As a researcher advanced fuel fabrication operation in the Upstate. single analysis of an environmental sample. That five- in Clemson’s nuclear environmental engineering and Barnwell County is home to a commercial low-level year project was another big boost because it was major science (NEES) graduate program, DeVol is preparing nuclear waste storage facility — one of only three in the funding — it covered a lot of students as well as some others to enter the nuclear field. country. postdocs.” Traditional nuclear engineering programs exist “Clearly South Carolina established what could Another innovation that came out of Clemson’s in stand-alone departments or under the auspices of a be called a nurturing environment for nuclear-based growing relationship with the DOE and SRS had mechanical engineering department, but at Clemson, industry, and Clemson saw that there would be a need nothing to do with hardware or instrumentation. It was this work is being carried out in an unusual and highly for research support for these entities,” says Robert Fjeld, the establishment of the South Carolina Universities effective way. the Dempsey Chair of Environmental Engineering at Research and Education Foundation (SCUREF). Clemson University’s College of Engineering and Science Clemson University’s H

2 Nuclear In-depth “SCUREF was established to provide a single entity Clemson’s NEES program through which the site could work with universities in encompasses the environmental the state,” says Fjeld. “It made the transfer of research aspects of nuclear technologies. funds much, much easier, and helped us strengthen our NEES students have two relationship with the site.” focus areas in which to Initially, Clemson’s NEES program focused on work – environmental health health physics, radiation detection and measurements, physics and environmental risk assessment and radioactive waste management. radiochemistry. Clemson expanded the program to include a The environmental radiochemistry emphasis in 2000, in reaction to a 30- health physics program (ABET/ year decline in the number of trained nuclear scientists ASAC accredited) emphasizes and radiochemists able to support the nation’s current radiation protection, radiation needs in the discipline. detection and measurements, One of the first recruits to the expanded program risk assessment and radioactive was Brian Powell. Three years after completing his waste management. Ph.D., Powell returned to Clemson to head the The environmental environmental radiochemistry emphasis area. radiochemistry program emphasizes actinide chemistry, radionuclide geochemical “I had actually intended to work at one of the The Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education Left to right: Ph.D. student Amy Hixon observes behavior chemical separation national laboratories for most of my career,” offers indicates that the yearly number of graduates in health plasma during analysis of a sample by in the nuclear fuel cycle and Powell. “However, I found that I missed interacting with physics averages about 200 people per year. The Nuclear inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. Nuclear Engineering analytical radiochemistry. students. The program provides a unique environmental Regulatory Commission (NRC) has stated that it Graduate student Todd Miller and Professor The NEES focus area is focus that more traditional programs do not — a focus requires about 300 health physicists a year over the Brian Powell discuss experiment results that fully integrated within the that’s meeting critical manpower needs. The nation next several years — and that doesn’t include workers examine radionuclide sorption to sediments

environmental engineering and is facing serious staffing shortages in environmental required by the nuclear power industry. from the Savannah River National Laboratory. earth sciences department. This radiochemistry, advanced nuclear fuel cycles, nuclear Both the NRC and the DOE have recognized the Professor Robert Fjeld studies radionuclide arrangement provides course medicine, isotope production, waste treatment, health critical need for workers and have established funding uptake and translocation in vegetation. work and expertise in important physics and homeland security applications.” programs to support academic programs like Clemson’s. Ph.D. student Kelly Grogan and Professor complementary areas such as Over the past three years Clemson has received funding Timothy DeVol prepares extractive scintillating contaminant transport in the What’s next? from the NRC and the DOE Office of Nuclear Energy resins for online detection of radionuclides. environment, environmental Today, South Carolina finds itself again in the midst to broaden the pool of candidates needed in the nuclear chemistry, process engineering, With the abundance of of a burgeoning nuclear industry. The DOE is building industry. hydrogeology and geochemistry. commercial nuclear power a $4 billion mixed-oxide fuel facility at SRS. This “These funds will provide for graduate students Alumni of this program plants in the eastern facility will be a major component in the U.S. program who’ll become the next-generation nuclear work force, are employed by environmental United States, Clemson to dispose of surplus weapons-grade plutonium, by specifically in radioactive waste disposal, radiochemistry consulting firms, the DOE and is strategically located converting it into fuel for reactors. On the commercial and the environmental aspects of nuclear power its contractors, the NRC, nuclear to provide educational side, many reactors that began operation in the late generation,” says DeVol. “Expertise in these areas is utilities and regulatory agencies. opportunities for the 1960s and 1970s are applying for 20-year license a critical issue because of attrition as well as possible industry’s work force. extensions. When combined with a current work force expansion of the nuclear power industry.” r nearing retirement, these extensions make job prospects for NEES graduates excellent. Clemson University’s College of Engineering and Science Clemson University’s 4 5 Clemson researchers and students are doing one-of-a-kind research to improve electric power grids. Doing the math for

by Liz Newall smart power

There should be a way to reduce critical source of knowledge to the global energy and power usage (and power bills!), water industries. Itron’s OpenWay platform combines

Mathematical Sciences the best available solutions from the smart metering and help the environment and become advanced metering infrastructure technologies. more energy independent — “With the ability to monitor the entire power grid without giving up comfort and in real time,” says Viktorova, “the utility can ensure U uninterrupted service, improve distribution efficiency, convenience. save energy and reduce operating costs.” Clemson researchers believe The method of operation? Fundamental math — there is. through mathematical models. Mathematical sciences professors Taufiquar Khan and Irina Viktorova have gathered a team of Clemson Natural Oscillations students for a project to make smarter electric power Millions of light bulbs, computers, televisions, networks for the nation’s need to boost the economy appliances, heaters and electrical motors are constantly and ecology. going on and off. They contribute to the disorderly They’re working with the support of industry pattern of variations of voltage, current and impedance partner Itron Inc., a leading technology provider and of the alternating current network. Clemson University’s College of Engineering and Science Clemson University’s

6 The expected outcome of the Far left: Professors Taufiquar Khan and Irina Viktorova. research is smart meters that Right: Mechanical engineering undergraduate can efficiently record usage over student Austin Bray (left) meets with research assistants on the Creative Inquiry 15-minute intervals resulting in project “Evolution of Integral Transforms and Their Applications.” Research assistants consumer savings on electricity bills. on the CU-Itron project include (from left to right): mathematical sciences graduate student Chendi Chen, electrical engineering undergraduate student Antonio Baylock and electrical engineering graduate student Vinati Kodukula.

By creating mathematical models of complex Electrical and computer engineering graduate The modeling will help optimize the efficiency of power-distribution networks, the Clemson team is student Zhenhua Wang is building a physical model of Best job in America today — mathematician! the power grid as well as prevent system failure such as searching for new information that may help to improve the power systems waveforms. Xiaoxiao Huang, another In the recent “The 10 Best Jobs in America Today,” JobsRated.com picks blackouts. the electrical distribution system. electrical and computer engineering graduate student, mathematician as No. 1. In fact, five of the top 10 are mathematically The short-term research is one year. The expected provides engineering feedback on vector signal analyzer related. (See www.careercast.com/jobs/content/JobsRated_10BestJobs.) outcome is smart meters that can efficiently record usage Solving problems — a team effort measurements. over 15-minute intervals resulting in consumer savings The team includes graduate students and postdoctoral Computer science graduate student Dhruba Doing the math at Clemson on electricity bills. Mathematical Sciences researchers, as well as faculty. In addition, it involves a Kulkarni is working with large data sets that need to Clemson’s mathematical sciences department is doing its part to prepare The long-term research of modeling the entire Creative Inquiry team of undergraduates. be analyzed and classified. He also provides IT help to students for these top jobs. In the process, it provides major contributions power grid and developing information theory for Itron is providing $285,000 of financial backing, other team members. to the overall instructional and research mission of the University. the complete network will require a number of years. advanced measurement tools, access to cutting-edge Undergraduate student Josh McGinnis is the Enrollments average 5,000 to 6,000 students per semester in more The possible outcome is a computationally efficient technology and general technical support. Creative Inquiry project leader. The Creative Inquiry than 300 sections of math sciences courses, ranging from beginning mathematical model of a smart electrical distribution Mathematical sciences graduate student Jack work has three teams of undergraduate students in a freshman courses to cutting-edge advanced courses at the graduate level. network that can lead to new sensing and control Cooper is performing sparse signal representation in variety of majors. One team measures data from the Prominent research activities include more than 100 publications technologies for the smart grid. electrical power system signals. His mission is twofold: vector signal analyzer. Another team analyzes the data. a year, national and international professional involvement, and funded “Mathematical modeling has proven its feasibility to use the latest mathematical techniques to model the A third team provides in-depth information to solve the research of more than $1 million. as an efficient tool of optimization,” says Vladimir power system waveforms, and to do so with the smallest formulated problem (provided by professors Khan and Clemson has 250 smart classrooms interspersed around Borisov, Clemson’s technical liaison and senior principal amount of stored information. Viktorova). campus that enable the sharing of work to solve problems and foster engineer with Itron. “The Clemson project promises Statistics graduate student Chendi Jiang is collaboration. They also facilitate online quizzes — either in or out of to be instrumental to our continual effort to improve performing noise modeling in electric power system Greater $avings — fewer blackouts class — and accommodate mathematical simulation environments. performance and reliability of Itron’s products.” r signals. Physics graduate student Jason Puls is working “Our overall research goal is to model the smart electric Degree programs are organized by discipline into five areas in the with fast real-time measurements of electric voltage and power grid network on a micro scale, starting with a mathematical sciences: algebra and discrete mathematics, applied current. single node, to the macro scale of the entire grid,” analysis, computational mathematics, operations research, and probability says Khan. and statistics. Clemson University’s College of Engineering and Science Clemson University’s

8 Civil Engineering professor is searching for ways to build concrete infrastructure that stands up to several decades of wear and tear.

concrete can result in excessive expansion and/or extensive cracking in the structure. He adds that once ASR affects a concrete structure, it is difficult to repair. “So you’re left with options of either replacing the structure Save the or conducting expensive repair and rehabilitation operations,” says Rangaraju. Rangaraju and Clemson University have a long history of studying concrete deterioration. In previous studies, he and his group concluded that the deterioration of concrete pavements in airfields in the form of cracks, expansion and popouts can be accelerated when acetate and ARTS formate salts of potassium and sodium are used in deicing and anti-icing The Asphalt Rubber Technology Service (ARTS) at Clemson Concrete operations. It is the combination of these chemicals interacting with University was created to promote, design and test the use By Susan Polowczuk the ingredients of the concrete that can cause deterioration. of recycled scrap tires in rubberized asphalt and other civil Based on technology invented by Rangaraju, South Dakota infrastructure applications. Such applications can include use in Transportation research scientist Daniel Johnston and a team of FMC playground and roadway surfaces among other things. Recycling tires is important because approximately 300 million scrap tires are produced annually in the United States. A savings of millions, even billions of dollars, that’s When concrete mixtures with incompatible When buried in landfills, they tend to work or “float” their way what Clemson University research on the durability of up to the top of the landfill and become exposed again. Exposed concrete infrastructure could potentially do. Imagine in materials are prepared, the alkali-silica reaction tires are breeding grounds for mosquitoes, and they are fire this climate of preservation and restoration, roads and hazards. A typical passenger tire weighs 20 pounds, and with

Civil Engineering bridges, even airfields that hold up for several decades in concrete can result in excessive expansion 230 million scrap passenger tires generated per year, 2.2 million with little damage. tons of waste are produced. Associate professor of civil engineering Prasad and/or extensive cracking in the structure. ARTS is a partnership between South Carolina’s Department Rangaraju, in collaboration with Purdue University of Health and Environmental Control and Clemson University. and Professional Service Industries Inc., has received a It provides funding to South Carolina cities and counties for four-year, $1.1 million grant from the Federal Highway several test projects, performs research to discover new uses Lithium researchers, FMC Lithium recently developed a lithium- Administration to better understand the durability and improve upon existing uses of scrap tires, conducts training modified potassium acetate deicer called LithMelt™. The Clemson Achallenges facing concrete infrastructure and to develop classes and seminars, and promotes technology transfer. University Research Foundation licensed the technology to the FMC new test methods to address them. ARTS Director Serji Amirkhanian promotes the use of old Corp., Lithium Division. Laboratory studies and field trials have shown “At Clemson, we will be studying alkali-silica tires in polymerized or rubberized asphalt, which is mechanically that LithMelt™ deicer is as effective as other deicers, without any reaction (ASR) in concrete,” says Rangaraju. “This is or chemically enhanced for better performance. damaging impact on concrete pavements and the environment. a durability problem that arises due to incompatibility “It has a longer life cycle,” says Amirkhanian. “It’s costly at “We’ve looked at problems of crumbling airfield pavements for between ingredients that make up concrete. How the first but is a better product that can withstand heat and cold and years now, and the FAA is determined to slow or halt the deterioration ingredients in concrete interact with each other — as doesn’t crack or flex as much. Best of all, it’s environmentally — which can cost millions,” said Rangaraju. “In addition, accidents well as with the environment in which they serve — friendly.” due to icing on roads, bridges, airport runways and other surfaces determines a lot about how long materials will last in Amirkhanian lectures in places such as China, Europe, cause serious injury and fatalities. We believe this technology will the elements.” Honduras and Canada, promoting polymerized asphalt and go a long way toward alleviating needless suffering. There are also Rangaraju says improper selection of raw materials research opportunities at ARTS. He says in the United States, savings associated with reduced maintenance costs and the increased used in concrete can result in ASR distress. For Florida, Arizona, California, Texas and now New Jersey are all service life of the infrastructure. Ultimately, the impact of this deicer instance, when concrete mixtures with incompatible on board with the product, and South Carolina’s Department of in improving the safety of operations on airfield pavements is most Transportation has the specification for the material.

Clemson University’s College of Engineering and Science Clemson University’s materials are prepared, the alkali-silica reaction in exciting to our team.” r

10 Brian and Delphine Dean share more than a last name. they’re two of CoES’s most distinguished assistant professors with a strong passion for research.

Brian and Delphine Dean The couple believes own niches to explore. Brian focuses between departments within CoES. It’s have more in common than just a last primarily on the development of a very supportive academic and social name. They are two of the College of there are many approximation algorithms for a variety community.” Engineering and Science’s (CoES) most of hard computational problems, while Brian currently serves as an assistant distinguished assistant professors who benefits to having Delphine focuses on measuring and professor of computer science, which also happen to share a dual academic modeling nano- to micro-scale biological is housed in the School of Computing. career, an extensive list of awards and dual academic mechanical phenomena. For example, His research interests are quite broad, accolades, and a passion for research. she has done work characterizing the covering both theoretical and applied It is usually difficult for assistant careers at the same molecular interactions responsible for aspects of algorithmic computer science professors who are married to one mechanical properties of cartilage tissue. and combinational optimization. In another to find positions at the same university. The Brian received his Ph.D. in addition, he is interested in developing academic campus. Not only is it rare, but computer science in 2005 and began a enhanced multimedia content for also extremely tough for the professors Deans are currently postdoctoral associate position at MIT. computer science education and to find positions within the same college After receiving her Ph.D. in electrical advancing computer science education or school. Luckily for the Deans, they collaborating on engineering and computer science, at the high school level. were both able to find homes at Clemson Delphine began working at MIT as a Delphine accompanied Brian to University within CoES. a project using postdoctoral associate in bioengineering. Clemson where she began a postdoctoral The couple met more than 10 “Once I received my Ph.D., I fellowship in the bioengineering years ago during their undergraduate machine vision began looking for assistant professor department. She soon won the studies at the Massachusetts Institute positions that were available all over Biomedical Engineering Society Poster of Technology (MIT) through mutual technology to the country,” says Brian. “Clemson Award and became an assistant professor friends while residing in the same seemed like the best fit due to the within the department. Her main Clemson Community dorm. The couple married in 2000 and analyze the amount of collaboration taking place research interests include biological continued to pursue their careers in academia. They both applaud Clemson’s cytoskeletal Delphine Dean, with students support for couples. Matt Cupelli and Laura Wiles, “Clemson University is one of structure of cells makes measurements on the the most accommodating institutions thermal conductivity of teeth Following the for dual academic careers,” says Brian. and using that to for a project to model heat “Many of our friends who were searching conduction in teeth during for dual appointments weren’t as lucky build computational drilling. as we were, and they’re currently located hundreds of miles (if not thousands) models of cell away from their spouses.” Brian and Delphine received mechanics. their master’s and doctoral degrees at MIT in electrical engineering and computer science (EECS), both winning prestigious awards during By Stephanie Williams their course work. While they started their research careers at the same

Clemson University’s College of Engineering and Science Clemson University’s place, they eventually found their

12 News and notes

Brian Dean works with Ph.D. CoES researchers receive of pressing global issues of energy security and Geoscientists Without Borders student Adam Whitley and NSF CAREER awards environmental sustainability. The complexity tackle water project in India of chemical reactions in turbulent flows is undergraduate Ben Cousins The Faculty Early Career Development India and Thailand are sites for the first found in an incredibly wide spectrum of real- on simplex embeddings for (CAREER) Program offers the National two projects sponsored by the Geoscientists world devices — from the simple (such as Science Foundation’s (NSF) most prestigious Without Borders program, and Clemson multiway cut problems. barbecue grills), to the complicated (such awards in support of the early career- University researchers will lead the way in as industry boilers power plants and aircraft development activities of teacher-scholars. India, addressing a severe water crisis in rural engines). Four College of Engineering and Science areas. Assistant professor of chemistry Rhett (CoES) faculty were honored with CAREER “The lack of fresh water is a chronic Smith received his NSF CAREER award to awards this spring. problem in central India that has impacted advance the construction of plastic electronics. Brian Dean, a professor in the School the health, productivity and quality of His focus is a new class of materials that have of Computing, received his NSF CAREER life for millions of people living there,” well-defined and tunable molecular-level grant to research and develop more efficient says Stephen Moysey, from the Department organization of organic and hybrid organic/ algorithms for a wide range of computational of Environmental Engineering and Earth organometallic materials. Such compounds are problems. His research will focus on a class of Sciences. used to create photovoltaics, light-emitting computational challenges known as matching Moysey expects to go to the area in the devices and lightweight solar cells. This project problems, such as assigning students to classes, spring with Dan Matz, an environmental will also increase awareness in physical science directing traffic to Web servers or matching engineering and science graduate student. nanomechanics, cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions, through the development of two polymer the undergraduate and/or graduate level with emphasis donor kidneys between families participating The pair will spend six months working “Clemson science courses and an outreach program for computational modeling and bioinformatics. Delphine on the most recent three years. Delphine is the recipient in an organ-exchange network. His goal is to with villagers and Foundation for Ecological Clemson undergraduates and underrepresented was named the Bioengineering Class of 2009 Favorite of an NIH K25 grant. Her main research goal involves develop simpler and more efficient algorithms Security staff in the watershed. University is high school students in South Carolina. Clemson University Undergraduate Research Advisor. studying cardiac cell mechanics. to solve these problems in which most of The program sponsors efforts to apply the participants are assigned to one of their geophysical technology to address the needs The couple believes there are many benefits to When the Deans aren’t in the lab, advising DOE funds Clemson, Savannah River one of the most highest-preferred alternatives. of people in developing countries around the having dual academic careers at the same university. undergraduates or teaching courses, they enjoy a variety National Laboratory hydrogen research Shelie Miller, an assistant professor in the globe, specifically targeting projects that have The Deans are currently collaborating on a project using of other activities. Brian is a pianist who tries to find Clemson Community accommodating Department of Environmental Engineering The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has a humanitarian impact on communities. machine vision technology to analyze the cytoskeletal time to perfect his skills, and Delphine takes figure and Earth Sciences, received her NSF awarded Clemson University researchers — in institutions for structure of cells and using that to build computational skating lessons twice a week. Together, they enjoy CAREER award to further her research in life- collaboration with DOE’s Savannah River Physicist named Fellow of the models of cell mechanics. hiking, attending local festivals and cooking — they’re cycle assessments. In her work, she identifies National Laboratory — funding to develop American Physical Society “Being in separate departments allows us to self-proclaimed “foodies.” The couple also has two tabby an item’s life-cycle steps, ranging from raw a new polymer membrane that may enable Professor of physics and astronomy Apparao dual academic materials through disposing or recycling. She the production of hydrogen using high- collaborate, but not step on each other’s toes,” says cats, Nano and Newton, whose names should come as Rao has been named a Fellow of the American then evaluates a product’s cumulative impact temperature heat, such as that from a nuclear Delphine. “We are able to read over grant proposals, no surprise. Physical Society. Fellows are elected by their careers,” says on the environment. Life-cycle assessments reactor. peers for outstanding contributions to physics. provide honest feedback, and most importantly, we both “We try to find time to do some of the things we provide industry and public leaders with Clemson chemist Dennis Smith will lead Fellowship is limited to no more than one-half Brian Dean. understand the workload and demand that academia love outside of academia,” says Delphine. “Clemson’s “cradle to grave” analyses of how products the program to develop a new fluoropolymer of 1 percent of the membership. requires.” geographic location allows us to do a lot of things we and processes affect the environment. Miller material that can withstand the harsh Rao was recognized for developing Both of the Deans have received many awards and enjoy such as hiking and many other activities the area is currently analyzing switchgrass, a hardy conditions in the electrolyzer, which is used methods of synthesizing carbon nanotubes perennial grass that shows a lot of promise as to react sulfur dioxide and water to produce accolades during their academic careers. Recently, Brian has to offer.” and for elucidating the properties of carbon a biofuel. To be a viable option to fossil fuel, a hydrogen and sulfuric acid. Membranes will received an NSF CAREER award, which is one of the The couple is looking forward to continuing on nanotubes through Raman spectroscopy, a biofuel needs to be economically competitive be supplied to Savannah River National technique used in condensed-matter physics most prestigious awards given by the NSF to young their tenure tracks at Clemson as well as the new and producible in large quantities without Laboratory scientist David Hobbs and his and chemistry to study vibrational, rotational faculty members. This five-year award will help support research opportunities they will encounter. reducing food supply. group for evaluation. and other low-frequency modes in a system. Brian’s algorithmic research as well as launch a new “Our disciplines are always evolving, and there is Assistant professor of mechanical “Hydrogen could be a major source of Rao and his team have gained initiative to promote computing education at the early new research that comes as a result,” says Delphine. engineering Lin Ma has been awarded an energy in the future, and the DOE is exploring international recognition for advancing nano- NSF CAREER award to study turbulent infrastructure now for that possibility,” says high school level. He was also recently honored with “We’re looking forward to what the future holds for us scale electromechanical sensors that have the combustion, the mode of combustion in many Smith. “Advanced materials like polymers the College’s Award of Excellence for Teaching in the and finding new ways to combine our separate interests potential to read and issue alerts about levels of practical energy-generating devices. The will help enable this and other membrane different toxic chemicals or gases in the air. Sciences, which recognizes excellence in teaching at to collaborate on more projects.” r project aims to understand its complicated technology in fuel cells, water purification and simple batteries.” Clemson University’s College of Engineering and Science Clemson University’s physics, which will contribute to the solution 14 15 BMW Endowed Chair named AAAS Fellow architectural planning and services needed to science and education. ORAU manages the Thomas R. Kurfess, the BMW Endowed Chair complete the project all are part of the cycle. Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education in Manufacturing, has been named a Fellow of The program represents and explores the for the U.S. Department of Energy. the American Association for Advancement various roles and interests in the execution of “I am extremely pleased to serve ORAU of Science (AAAS). Election as a Fellow is capital projects, including owners, contractors, and Clemson University in this leadership an honor bestowed upon AAAS members by suppliers and subcontractors. position,” says Dooley. “ORAU is a model their peers. The program was developed in for university-national lab collaborative In the area of engineering, Kurfess was collaboration with the civil engineering and partnerships which, at this critical time, are elected for distinguished contributions to the management departments at Clemson, as well vitally important for strengthening science field of manufacturing systems and precision as with owners, contractors and suppliers such and education programs in the United States. engineering, particularly advanced process as Fluor Corp., Chevron and Mobil. I welcome the opportunity to work with my development and quality control for global colleagues on the board.” production systems. Chemists present revolutionary Dooley joined Clemson in 1985 as Kurfess’ research at the Clemson teaching concepts professor of bioengineering and as the research University International Center for Clemson University researchers want to director for the Bioengineering Alliance Automotive Research focuses on advanced strengthen chemistry skills starting at of South Carolina. He has organized a pre- production systems, process control and the molecular level and are introducing award processing division that supports process diagnostics, and prognostics to ensure revolutionary ways for educators to do that for 250 researchers in engineering and science. vehicle performance. His work also extends to students at the high school and college levels. Editorial support and grant planning to provide an integrated approach to proposal advanced vehicle stability and control. Clemson chemistry professors Melanie development and increased funding are also Cooper and Gautam Bhattacharyya, along with Industrial engineering introduces Michael W. Klymkowsky, a professor in part of his mission. first-of-its-kind online graduate program the Department of Molecular, Cellular and Tough economic times are not keeping Developmental Biology at the University Engineering and science students named an unusual group of Clemson graduate of Colorado-Boulder, introduced their Goldwater Scholars research at the American Association for the

College News and Notes students out of the classroom. In fact, they Three Clemson University students have are benefiting from the convenience and Advancement of Science annual meeting in earned the prestigious 2009 Barry M. camaraderie of a global classroom experience. Chicago. Goldwater Scholarship for Excellence in The master of engineering with a Cooper and Klymkowsky were awarded an Science, Mathematics and Engineering. Only concentration in capital projects supply NSF grant for a three-year project to develop 278 students were selected for the scholarships chain and logistics offered in the industrial Chemistry, Life, the Universe and Everything from a nationwide pool of more than 1,000. engineering department is a first-of-its-kind (CLUE), a new general chemistry curriculum The scholarship program honoring online graduate program that allows working that will use the emergence and evolution of Sen. Barry M. Goldwater was designed to professionals from around the world and across life as the scaffold and context for introduction foster and encourage outstanding students to the spectrum of disciplines to sit in a virtual of chemistry concepts. pursue careers in the fields of mathematics, classroom any time of the day or night that engineering and the natural sciences. best fits their schedule. Associate dean joins ORAU The Clemson awardees are James “The degree is unique in that it focuses on Board of Directors Hodges, a junior from Sumter, working on the logistics of capital projects engineering and R. Larry Dooley, associate dean for research and a double degree in chemistry and polymer construction, combining theory with practice graduate studies in CoES, has been elected and fiber chemistry; Michael Juang, a to broaden student understanding of the entire to the Oak Ridge Associated Universities junior from Clemson, studying electrical project supply chain and life cycle,” says Bill (ORAU) Board of Directors. In joining the engineering; and Jennifer Moffitt, a sophomore Ferrell, professor of industrial engineering and board, Dooley brings 35 years of academic and from Spartanburg, studying chemical and associate dean of the graduate school. industrial expertise. biomolecular engineering. Capital projects are generally defined ORAU is a university consortium of 100 Approximately one-third of the as new construction, expansion, renovation major research institutions that works with Goldwater Scholarships are awarded to or replacement of an existing facility or national laboratories, government agencies and sophomores with the remaining two-thirds facilities and infrastructure. Land, engineering, private industry to leverage strength to advance going to juniors. Clemson University’s College of Engineering and Science Clemson University’s

16 Inquiry, Discovery in Nonprofit Engineering and Science Organization U.S. Postage PAID FALL 2009 Office of the Dean 109 Riggs Hall Clemson, SC Permit No. 10 IDEaS is produced biannually for the Box 340901 College of Engineering and Science College Contacts Clemson, SC 29634-0901 at Clemson University by the Office of Creative Services. College of Engineering and Science Administration On the cover: Graduate student Shannon Thompson Dr. Esin Gulari examines corn roots from a study of plutonium uptake Dean and translocation in vegetation. College of Engineering and Science

Right: Prasad Rangaraju places a concrete sample into an electron microscope. More on page 10. Dr. R. Larry Dooley Associate Dean Research and Graduate Studies I n q u i r y, D i s c o v e r y i n E n g i n e e r i n g a n d S c i e n c e Contributors C o l l e g e o f E n g i n e e r i n g a n d S c i e n c e f a l l 2 0 0 9 Left to right: Dr. R. Larry Dooley, Dr. Esin Gulari, Dr. E.R. (Randy) Collins Dr. E.R. (Randy) Collins Executive Editors Esin Gulari Professor and Associate Dean Ron Grant Undergraduate and International Rebecca Shepherd Studies

DesignerS Dave Dryden College of Engineering and Science Christine U. Prado 109 Riggs Hall Box 340901 Photographers Craig Mahaffey Clemson, SC 29634-0901 Patrick Wright www.ces.clemson.edu

Writers Ron Grant Liz Newall Susan Polowczuk Rebecca Shepherd Stephanie Williams

Highlights from our departments College Structure Is Key to Collaboration

The College of Engineering and Science is made up of 14 separate schools and departments, but the unique structure of combining engineering and science programs within one college has led to an uncommon ability to provide a team-based, integrated approach to teaching and research. Scientists and engineers working together to find more efficient solutions is the structure of Clemson University’s College of Engineering and Science. Bioengineering

Martine LaBerge, Ph.D. Department Overview Student Achievement Department Chair Clemson’s Department of Bioengineering has a rich tradi- Laura Datko (inaugural bioengineering bachelor’s class) (864) 656-5556 • [email protected] tion of globalization and international outreach.­ In 1969, was awarded an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship to con- www.ces.clemson.edu/bio Clemson hosted the first in a series of annual symposia duct doctoral studies in bioengineering under the supervi- (later known as the annual International Biomaterials­ sion of Delphine Dean. Datko’s graduate work will focus on Fast Facts Tenured/tenure-track faculty: 22 Symposium) that led to the founding of the Society For biomaterials and biomechanics for dental applications. Enrollment: Undergraduate 131 Biomaterials (SFB) in 1974. Now the world’s premier Michael Lemus (inaugural bioengineering bachelor’s Master’s 16 professional society in promotion of advances in all phases class) was selected for a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Doctoral 73 of materials research and development, the SFB encourages Exceptional Research Opportunity. He worked in the Degrees awarded (August and December 2008 and cooperative educational programs, clinical applications and laboratory of Eva Nogales at the University of California, May 2009): Undergraduate 24 Master’s 10 professional standards in the biomaterials field. Berkeley, investigating cytoskeleton assembly using elec- Doctoral 12 Our academic mission is to provide high-quality under­ tron microscopy and biochemical assays. Research expenditures: $4,924,428 graduate and graduate bioengineering education programs Carmen Gacchina (a doctoral student) received a Research thrusts: biomaterials, tissue regeneration, that prepare students to 1) apply science and engineering summer internship at the National Institute on Aging emerging technologies for health care, bioimaging principles to solve problems in biol­ogy and medicine, 2) (NIA) in the National Institutes of Health. Gacchina is generate and disseminate knowledge to benefit humankind completing her third year in the CU-MUSC bioengineer- and 3) apply that knowledge toward improving health care ing program in Charleston where she is a member of Anand and scientific and technological development. Ramamurthi’s laboratory team working on tissue engineer- ing approaches to cardiac diseases. At the NIA, she worked Faculty Highlights with Mark Talan, a lead researcher in the cardiovascular The NSF named professor Xuejun Wen a recipient of its science laboratory, for 10 to 12 weeks this past summer. CAREER award for his research in stem cell viability. His Erin Pardue (doctoral student) has been selected as novel strategy is based on the idea of manipulation of the a Presidential Scholar for the 2009-10 term at MUSC. brain’s microenvironment be­fore stem cell transplantation Pardue is completing her third year in the CU-MUSC and again afterward to create a niche suitable­ for the long- bioengineering program in Charleston, and her research term survival and function of the transplanted cells. Wen is focused on cardiovascular tissue engineering in Scott Bioengineering works at the Charleston branch of Clemson’s Depart- Argraves’ laboratory. The Presidential Scholars Program ment of Bioengi­neering in conjunction with the Clemson is a yearlong experience aimed at enriching the academic University-Medical University of South Carolina (CU- environment by facilitating interdisciplinary interaction on MUSC) bioengineering program. His previous research led a broad range of issues that transcend scientific disciplines to international recognition and funding from a number of and professional boundaries. organiza­tions, including the Michael J. Fox Foundation. Martine LaBerge, professor and chair of bioengi- neering, has been named the recipient of the 2009 South Carolina Governor’s Award for Scientific Awareness. The award was established in 1985 by the Drug Science Founda- Professor Xuejun Wen is a recipient of an NSF tion to honor individuals or teams in South Carolina whose CAREER award for his research in stem cell viability. achievements and contributions to science merit special recognition and promote wider awareness of the quality and extent of scientific activity around the state. LaBerge has initiated many S.C. programs that have served as platforms to increase awareness among the scientific community as well as the public. Clemson University’s College of Engineering and Science Clemson University’s

2 Biosystems Engineering

Young Jo Han, Ph.D. Research Interests Facilities Interim Department Chair Clemson’s biosystems engineering program is focused Biosystems engineering has several research facilities, (864) 656-4046 • [email protected] primarily on three areas of research that when combined: including a fiber-quality lab, an agricultural/chemical/ www.clemson.edu/agbioeng/bio/home.htm • create alternative bioproducts and energies (biofuels), biological lab, aquaculture facilities and a biotechnology Fast Facts • protect our water and environment, and analytical lab. Facilities are located on campus in McAdams Tenured/tenure-track faculty: 16 • increase the productivity and profitability of agriculture Hall, the Biosystems Research Complex and the Clemson Enrollment: Undergraduate 47 without harming the environment. Aquaculture Facility. Off-campus facilities include Edisto Master’s 13 Research and Education Center (REC) near Blackville, Doctoral 7 Degrees awarded (August and December 2008 and Bioprocessing/Applied Biotechnology Pee Dee REC near Florence and the Belle Baruch Institute May 2009): Undergraduate 21 Clemson researchers are developing ways to improve the of Coastal Ecology and Forest Science near Georgetown. Master’s 3 biological production of nutraceuticals and pharmaceutical Doctoral 2 compounds in addition to creating biomaterials and bio- New Faculty Research expenditures: $460,041 fuels using natural and modified microorganisms. Biofuels, The biosystems engineering department has 15 faculty Research thrusts: water quality, bioprocessing, non-point-source pollution, instrumentation and particularly biodiesel, made from biomass and aquatic or- members. Anand Jayakaran, from The Ohio State Uni- control, bioseparations, aquaculture, machine ganisms is currently a topic of significant research. Ongoing versity, recently joined the team. His research includes design for biosystems engineering investigation also includes the study of hydrogen from bio- watershed modeling, low-impact storm-water management mass via fermentation pathways and electrical energy from and developing broad-based research initiatives that microbial fuel cells. A recent $800,000 grant will purchase examine the impacts of development on the hydrology of research equipment to study the derivation of ethanol from coastal plains watersheds. His research focuses on how cellulosics (switchgrass, sorghum and wood residues). A $14 hydrologic and sedimentologic regimes are impacted million pilot plant is being planned in Charleston. by land development in coastal plain watersheds. With increased demands on the South Carolina coast, the need Natural Resources/Environment for low-impact strategies in the development of land is Water management and water quality are major thrusts. significant. Jayakaran conducted doctoral and postdoctoral Clemson researchers are focused on nearly every aspect of research on low gradient modified stream systems in the keeping water (surface runoff as well as ground water) safe agricultural Midwest. His graduate research contributed from chemical or biological pollutants, wastewater treatment, in part to the adoption of alternative stream management Biosystems Engineering land use and low-impact development, best management techniques in Ohio. Jayakaran has a strong interest in practices for erosion and storm-water control, watershed understanding the fluvial geomorphology of coastal streams modeling to provide predictive models, bacteria modeling and incorporating natural channel design in managing (the single most important cause of water impairment in storm-water channels. South Carolina) and population dynamics in waterways The latest faculty addition is Hamid J. Farahani, and aquatic environments. who comes from Colorado and Aleppo, Syria, where he was employed by the International Center for Agricultural Agriculture Research in the Dry Areas. Farahani will conduct research Growing healthier, hardier crops and maintaining livestock at the Edisto REC where he will bring irrigation expertise herds with low environmental impact have become complex to the sensor-based agriculture program that is develop- science. Research in this department includes: ing there. One of the leading programs of its type in the Justin Montanti conducts research in Professor Caye • precision agriculture technology to increase world, Edisto REC seeks to develop and utilize cutting-edge Drapcho’s lab on algae to produce high-value oils for use in pharmaceuticals or as biodiesel for fuel. productivity and profitability of crops while engineering technologies to optimize agricultural produc- minimizing environmental impacts, tion and sustainability by maximizing profitability while • site-specific control of crop insects and diseases, minimizing negative environmental impacts. • irrigation design and control, especially as implement- ed for sensor-based agricultural methods, and Clemson University’s College of Engineering and Science Clemson University’s • livestock waste management and alternate uses of wastes, such as energy production.

3 Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

Douglas E. Hirt, Ph.D. Departmental Overview ship) who have been selected for this prestigious honor. Interim Department Chair The Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineer- Hirt was recognized for his work on additive technologies (864) 656-6614 • [email protected] ing allows students to specialize in many different research that modify surfaces of polymeric fibers and films, and more www.ces.clemson.edu/chemeng areas such as advanced materials ­— including polymers, recently, on the development of functional biomaterials. energy, biotechnology and chemical processing. Strong de- David Bruce, associate professor of chemical and Fast Facts Tenured/tenure-track faculty: 10 partmental research programs exist in biosensors, polymer biomolecular engineering, has been named the modeling Enrollment: Undergraduate 131 processing, rheology, fiber and film formation, supercriti- coordinator for the International Center on Catalysis for Master’s 1 cal fluids, separation processes, kinetics and catalysis, and Energy Applications that is funded by the Department of Doctoral 34 membrane applications. The research activities of these Energy (DOE). This center is one of 46 new Energy Fron- Degrees awarded (August and December 2008 and groups cover most of the traditional branches of chemical tier Research Centers funded by DOE, and it has a total May 2009): Undergraduate 35 Master’s 1 engineering as well as several of the newer areas, includ- budget of $12.5 million over five years. Bruce’s portion of Doctoral 3 ing advanced materials, bioseparations, biofuels, hydrogen the grant is $829,000, which will enable his modeling group Research expenditures: $5,015,083 from water, fuel cells and molecular simulation. Research to conduct quantum simulations of reactions. James G. Research thrusts: chemical and biosensor devices, interests of the faculty range from purely theoretical topics Goodwin Jr. will also perform research for the center along separation methods to recover products produced bi- to the analysis and improvement of full-scale industrial with scientists and engineers from many other universities. ologically by fermentation, thermochemical hydrogen processes. cycles for fuel cells, molecular design of advanced carbon materials, synthesis of alternative fuels Student Achievement Faculty Highlights Senior Alaina Floyd has been awarded an NSF Graduate Anthony Guiseppi-Elie, director of the Clemson Univer- Research Fellowship to be used toward her graduate stud- sity Center for Bioelectronics, Biosensors and Biochips, and ies in chemical engineering. NSF awards approximately Guigen Zhang, deputy director of the Clemson University 900-1,600 graduate fellowships each year, depending on Institute for Biological Interfaces of Engineering, were in- availability of funds. The fellowship provides three years vited presenters at the Institute for Biological Engineering of support for graduate study leading to a research-based (IBE) conference. Along with their students and postdocs, master’s or doctoral degree. the Clemson delegation presented a total of 10 scientific Jennifer Moffit, a sophomore from Spartanburg, S.C., papers on topics ranging from nanostructure-enhanced has been awarded the prestigious Barry M. Goldwater biosensors to implantable biomedical devices through Scholarship for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and polymeric hydrogels. Zhang has recently been elected a Engineering. The scholarship program honoring Sen.

Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Biomolecular and Chemical counselor-at-large of the IBE society. Barry M. Goldwater was designed to foster and encour- Douglas Hirt, professor of chemical and biomolecu- Professor Douglas Hirt works with EUREKA! student age outstanding students to pursue careers in the fields of Courtney Taylor. Hirt has been elected as a Fellow of lar engineering and director of the Center for Advanced mathematics, the natural sciences and engineering. The the Society of Plastic Engineers. Engineering Fibers and Films, was elected as a Fellow of Goldwater Scholarship is the premier undergraduate award the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE). He joins a group of its type in these fields. of only 268 members (about 1 percent of SPE member- Clemson University’s College of Engineering and Science Clemson University’s

4 Chemistry

Stephen Creager, Ph.D. Department Overview a technique used to probe the structure of matter at the Department Chair The chemistry department is one of the largest and most atomic level. His research is important in areas such as (864) 656-4995 • [email protected] active academic programs on the Clemson campus. More pharmaceuticals. chemistry.clemson.edu than 20 faculty members direct the research of approxi- Rhett C. Smith has won a CAREER award, the NSF’s mately 100 graduate students with the assistance of about most prestigious research support program for the early Fast Facts Tenured/tenure-track faculty: 23 15 postdoctoral and visiting scientists. In addition, several career-development activities of teacher-scholars. Smith’s Enrollment: Undergraduate 118 faculty members are primarily engaged in undergraduate research is directed to developing polymer materials that Master’s 4 instruction, including direction of undergraduate research. can conduct electricity. Traditionally, plastics are found Doctoral 90 Faculty also manage the department’s Nuclear Magnetic more in structural contexts rather than as the active com- Degrees awarded (August and December 2008 and Resonance Resource Center, Molecular Structure Center ponent of electronic devices. However, this relatively new May 2009): Undergraduate 19 and additional computing resources. Master’s 2 class of electricity-conducting polymers can be used in thin, Doctoral 19 The research activities of the faculty include projects lightweight, flexible plastic electronic devices. Some of Research expenditures: $4,860,136 in the traditional areas of analytical, inorganic, organic and the most exciting applications are ultrathin materials that Research thrusts: analytical, inorganic, organic and physical chemistry as well as a broad range of interdisci- could be used to create flexible displays like television and physical chemistry; interdisciplinary and nontra- plinary and nontraditional areas — polymer and materials computer screens or handheld electronic devices. Another ditional areas including polymer and materials, chemistry, solid-state chemistry, bioanalytical chemistry, exciting application that could have a bigger impact on solid-state, bioanalytical, bioorganic and medicinal, and computational chemistry; chemical physics and bioorganic and medicinal chemistry, computational chemis- society is thin-film solar cells to harvest energy from the chemical education try, chemical physics, chemical education and other areas. sun as a renewable, potentially cheaper alternative to petro- leum and coal-based energy sources. Faculty Highlights Dennis Smith has received the 2009 Governor’s Award Student Achievement for Excellence in Scientific Research. The award was The Norris Medal was awarded to Christopher Pollock established in 1985 by the S.C. Drug Science Foundation of Allentown, Pa., who recently received his degree in to honor individuals or teams whose achievements and chemistry. The medal is given each year to the graduat- contributions to science merit special recognition and pro- ing student who is judged to be the best all-around by the

mote wider awareness of the quality and extent of scientific University Scholarships and Awards Committee. Pollock Chemistry activity in South Carolina. is a Goldwater Scholar and a member of Dixon Fellows. Bill Pennington has been recognized by his peers and He is attending Cornell University to pursue his Ph.D. in the Class of 1939 as one of Clemson University’s best facul- inorganic chemistry. ty. The Class of 1939 Award for Excellence was established to recognize faculty members who contribute the highest Facilities levels of service to the student body, the University and A major renovation is planned for Hunter Hall, the current Professor Bill Pennington and recent graduate the community. The recipient also becomes an honorary home of the chemistry department. The renovation will Chris Pollock work together in the lab. Chris started member of the class. provide space to house high-end instrumentation facilities, working in Pennington’s lab as a freshman and is the winner of the Norris Medal. Pennington’s research is focused on solid-state including NMR spectroscopy, X-ray crystallography, optical chemistry and depends heavily on X-ray crystallography, spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. Clemson University’s College of Engineering and Science Clemson University’s

5 Civil Engineering

Nadim M. Aziz, Ph.D. Faculty Highlights Brad Putman has been conducting research on Department Chair Nadim Aziz and Abdul Khan, in collaboration with Maria sustainable materials. Of particular interest is his study of (864) 656-3002 • [email protected] Mayorga in the industrial engineering department, are the sound absorption capacity of porous asphalt mixtures www.clemson.edu/ce conducting research to evaluate relevant water resource to reduce the noise generated from traffic passing over a planning, management (including operation) and legal pavement. This could have great implications in urban Fast Facts Tenured/tenure-track faculty: 19 issues related to the Savannah River Basin. environments where residential communities are situated Enrollment: Undergraduate 429 Leidy Klotz has received research funding for the near highways. Master’s 48 Retrofit Techniques portion of the Resilient Homes Program. Nigel Kaye is working on urban fluid mechanics, Doctoral 23 Klotz is also exploring behavioral influences on engineers’ specifically air quality, pollution dispersion modeling and Degrees awarded (August and December 2008 and energy decisions, sustainability in engineering education damage to structures during severe weather events. May 2009): Undergraduate 108 Master’s 30 and sustainable restoration of the built environment. Jennifer Ogle has conducted several research projects Doctoral 6 Prasad Rangaraju’s research into the durability of dealing with transportation infrastructure safety and man- Research expenditures: $2,143,199 concrete materials is gaining resurgence not only because agement. She has recently completed an analysis of new Research thrusts: applied fluid mechanics, con- of new issues that have surfaced in recent years, but the safety assessment methodologies for ranking priority safety struction engineering and management, construction need to prolong and extend the serviceable life of concrete sites for the Georgia Department of Transportation. Most materials, geotechnical engineering, structural structures. of her research involves high-tech vehicle instrumentation, engineering and transportation systems Graduate student Hossein Hayati and associate driving simulation, 3-D virtual world development, and professor Ronald Andrus recently completed a liquefaction extensive data collection and mining. potential map of the peninsula of Charleston. Funding to Steve Sanders is collaborating with colleagues in develop the map was provided by the U.S. Geological Sur- industrial engineering to discover how to improve the cost, vey. The map appeared in the June 2008 issue of ASCE’s quality, scheduling and safety performance of the construc- Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering. tion industry by applying selected industrial engineering Jim Burati is continuing his research into specifica- fundamentals to construction projects. tion development for highway construction and materials. Russell Brown received the Gilbert C. Robinson This includes methods to evaluate the performance of both Award from the American Society for Testing and Materials. existing and proposed specifications. He recently completed Civil Engineering a project for the Federal Highway Administration that Student Achievement resulted in new software for use in various data tracking and Graduate students Priyanka Alluri, Lee Tupper and analysis functions for highway agencies and contractors. Katrina Bartman received the prestigious Dwight D. Wayne Sarasu and researchers from the electrical and Eisenhower Fellowship, funded by the U.S. Department of Professor Leidy Klotz’s research is in sustainable construction engineering. He works with the Resilient civil engineering departments are collaborating to develop Transportation. Homes Program, part of the Southeastern Region computer vision algorithms for automatically monitor- Alumna Suzanne Aultman was named the 2009 Research Initiative, a Department of Homeland ing traffic parameters from video input. These parameters National Society of Professional Engineers Young Engineer Security Program managed by the Savannah River include traffic counts, speed and vehicle classification data of the Year. Suzanne is a chief engineer with Metromont in National Laboratory. — which are fundamental to a variety of transportation Atlanta, Ga. projects ranging from transportation planning to modern intelligent transportation systems. Clemson University’s College of Engineering and Science Clemson University’s

6 School of Computing

Larry F. Hodges, Ph.D. Department Overview Faculty Highlights Director Clemson’s School of Computing was formed from the Brian Dean has been awarded an NSF CAREER grant (864) 656-3444 • [email protected] Department of Computer Science in 2007 with a vision to to research and develop more efficient algorithms for a www.cs.clemson.edu be a national leader in the definition and advancement of wide range of computational problems. The grant — to- emerging academic fields in computing through the develop- taling $400,000 — will fund Dean’s project, “CAREER: Fast Facts Tenured/tenure-track faculty: 29 ment of successful divisions that integrate computation with Algorithmic Aspects of Ordinal Matching Problems.” Enrollment: Undergraduate 284 the arts, sciences and engineering. The School of Computing Dean’s research will focus on a class of computational Master’s 89 is key to the College of Engineering and Science’s mission of problems known as matching problems, such as assign- Doctoral 42 preparing students for all aspects of computing and as part of ing students to classes, directing traffic to Web servers or Degrees awarded (August and December 2008 and a University-wide emphasis on information technology and matching donor kidneys between families participating in May 2009): Undergraduate 34 Master’s 26 high performance computing. Providing a diverse and rich an organ-exchange network. His goal is to develop simpler Doctoral 2 educational environment in many areas of computing, it also and more efficient algorithms for computing solutions Research expenditures: $710,684 maintains nationally prominent research programs in selected to these problems in which most of the participants are Research thrusts: Division of Computer Science: focus areas. The school was reorganized in fall 2008 into assigned to one of their highest-preferred alternatives. algorithmic foundations, software engineering, three primary academic divisions: computer science, visual Juan E. Gilbert has been named the new chair of cyberinfrastructure, high-performance computing; computing and human-centered computing. human-centered computing in the School of Comput- Division of Visual Computing: graphics, visualiza- tion, vision, animation; Division of Human-Centered ing. He has research projects in spoken language systems, Computing: human-computer interaction, computing • Computer science offers students the opportunity for advanced learning technologies, usability and accessibil- education, user-interface design classroom study and research in the underlying theory ity, ethnocomputing (culturally relevant computing) and of computation, algorithms, software engineering, databases/data mining. His research in electronic voting cyberinfrastructure, computer systems and other core has resulted in the most accessible voting system interface areas of traditional computer science. ever created, while his data mining and user interface • Visual computing offers students the opportunity for research has created Applications Quest, an analysis tool classroom study and research in computer graphics, vi- that allows admissions officers to address diversity in ad- sualization, computer vision and image processing, and missions while adhering to all judicial decisions on in various electronic arts such as game design, special the matter.

effects and animation. Larry Hodges and Andrew Duchowski received School of Computing • Human-centered computing (HCC) is the newest divi- a three-year Research Experiences for Undergraduates sion. HCC is an emerging field focused on understanding site grant from the NSF. The Undergraduate Research Professor Juan Gilbert is the new chair of human- centered computing. His research includes the most how to make computational technologies more useable in Human-Centered Computing Summer program will accessible electronic voting interface ever created. and how computational technologies affect society. provide research experience to undergraduate students from populations that are underrepresented in computing The school currently has 275 undergraduate students and 135 by immersing each student into the activities and culture graduate students enrolled in programs leading to the B.A., of a research lab. B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. in computer science; B.S. in computer information systems; and M.F.A. in digital production arts. Student Achievement Zachary Jones, a third-year doctoral student, has been Facilities awarded an IBM Ph.D. Fellowship for the 2009-2010 The School of Computing is housed in McAdams Hall, academic year. The award, which covers tuition and which recently underwent a $3.9 million renovation and mandatory fees, also comes with a $17,500 stipend. expansion. The project renovated 20,000 square feet of space Jones’ research is in the areas of systems and vir- and added another 24,000 square feet of space. Students tualization and focuses on creating a virtual PCI device have 24-hour access to a diverse set of school facilities that framework for the development and design of device driv- range from workstations, graphics systems, virtual reality sys- ers. This framework allows for a virtual device to be used Clemson University’s College of Engineering and Science Clemson University’s tems, networking labs, video production equipment, motion in lieu of a physical device for designing and implementing capture and computer clusters. device drivers. His adviser is Robert Geist.

7 Electrical and Computer Engineering

Darren Dawson, Ph.D. Department Overview Faculty Highlights Department Chair Clemson University has maintained a traditionally rich ECE welcomes three new faculty who have come to the (864) 656-5924 • [email protected] background in fundamental and applied engineering as department through joint academic appointments with www.ece.clemson.edu research areas have focused onto increasingly narrower top- their home departments. Jill Gemmill, Barr von Oehsen Fast Facts ics within the subject disciplines. This heritage provides the and David White are part of Clemson’s Cyberinfrastructure Tenured/tenure-track faculty: 31 Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Technology Integration (CITI) group, which provides Enrollment: Undergraduate 360 with the breadth to offer a sound undergraduate education. cyberinfrastructure resources and high-performance Master’s 84 At the same time, the specialization of faculty provides the computing capabilities to the campus. Doctoral 53 stimulating environment for research. Michael Pursley, holder of the Milton and Betty Hol- Degrees awarded (August and December 2008 and May 2009): Undergraduate 83 ECE offers two separate degree program areas: electri- combe Endowed Chair in Electrical and Computer Engi- Master’s 34 cal engineering and computer engineering. As one of the neering, has been awarded basic research grants totaling ap- Doctoral 3 larger departments on campus, ECE plays a major role in proximately $620,000 from the Army Research Office and Research expenditures: $2,385,915 degree production, sponsored research activity and service the Office of Naval Research to support long-term basic Research thrusts: wireless communications, com- to the community. study of cognitive radio and dynamic spectrum access com- puter networks, nanoelectronic materials processing, bio chips, semiconductor lasers, integrated circuit The graduate programs offer a variety of opportunities munications. Additional support for the research is being design, high-performance computing, computer secu- for development through research, specialized formal course provided by the Lincoln Laboratory at MIT. Assisting in rity, robotics, image processing, biological modeling, work and teaching experience. The department offers the research are Clemson graduate students Steven Boyd, situation and threat assessment, power systems the M.Engr., M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in both electrical Jason Ellis, Michael Frye and Michael Masse. Thomas engineering and computer engineering. Royster of the Lincoln Laboratory is also collaborating with the Clemson team. Faculty More than 40 ECE faculty members teach and perform Student Achievement research in a broad range of topics, and many are known Junior Michael Juang was one of three Clemson students nationally and internationally. Among them are IEEE who earned the prestigious Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship Fellows, two endowed chairs and seven named professors. for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Additionally, several young faculty members have won this year. The scholarship program was designed to foster prestigious national and international awards and grants. and encourage outstanding students to pursue careers in the fields of mathematics, engineering and the natural sciences.

Electrical and Computer Engineering Facilities Computer engineering junior Bradley Collins was The department occupies more than 20,000 square feet of awarded a Tau Beta Pi scholarship. Recipients are com- research space with approximately 9,000 square feet located petitively selected on the basis of high scholarship, campus Professor Xiao-Bang Xu has been awarded an NSF in the state-of-the-art Fluor Daniel Engineering Innovation leadership and service, and promise of future contributions grant to study the electromagnetic scattering of 3-D Building. to the engineering profession. objects buried in stratified earth. The grant resulted CoES is well-equipped with networked workstations and from a proposal to the Electrical, Communications personal computers that serve as the foundation for course and Cyber Systems division of the NSF. computing needs as well as the backbone of computing sup- port for the research programs. In addition, a variety of work- stations and dedicated computers are maintained in various research laboratories throughout the ECE department. Clemson University’s College of Engineering and Science Clemson University’s

8 Engineering and Science Education

Melanie Cooper, Ph.D. Department Overview Melanie Cooper – Interested in the development and as- Interim Department Chair The Department of Engineering and Science Education sessment of curriculum materials; interventions designed (864) 656-2541• [email protected] (ESE), instituted in 2006, is unique in that there is no to improve conceptual understanding, problem solving and www.clemson.edu/ese other department like it in the United States. It offers metacognition; and use of technology to improve learning Fast Facts CoES graduate students the opportunity to earn a certifi- outcomes. Tenured/tenure-track faculty: 7 cate in engineering and science education and is designed Enrollment: Undergraduate 1,130 to offer experience in preparation for an academic career. Faculty Highlights Master’s 33 seeking The program is also ideal for those who wish to further Zahra Hazari won Best Paper (with Marisa Orr, Philip certificates their understanding of the education process in engineer- Doctoral n/a Sadler and Gerhard Sonnert) in the Education Research Degrees awarded (August and December 2008 and ing and science, or who are interested in engineering and and Methods Division at the American Society for May 2009): Undergraduate n/a science education research. This certificate program speci- Engineering Education Conference in 2009. Master’s n/a fies a range of courses (minimum of 11 credits) that may be Lisa Benson has four papers accepted for presentation Doctoral n/a selected to address specific research questions or interests. at the 2009 ASEE conference in addition to a paper and Research expenditures: $234,005 workshop accepted for presentation at the 2009 Frontiers Research thrusts: epistemologies, learning mechanisms and systems, diversity and inclusiveness, ESE faculty include: in Education conference. She was the recipient of the 2008 assessment Helen Plants Award for the Best Nontraditional Session at Julie Trenor – Research focuses include academic and the 2008 Frontiers in Education Conference for her work- career choice processes of underrepresented students in shop, “Enhancing Student Learning Using the SCALE-UP engineering (including women, minorities and first- Format.” generation college students), students’ use of social capital Melanie Cooper organized and presented a sympo- in making academic and career decisions about engineer- sium at the 2009 AAAS meeting. She also organized the ing, and family roles in students’ engineering academic and award symposium for Chemical Education Research at the career decisions. 2009 ACS meeting and was an invited speaker at the 2009 Gordon Research conference. Lisa Benson – Research interests include student-centered Julie Trenor is currently the president of the Women active learning in undergraduate engineering, assessment in Engineering ProActive Network. of motivation and how motivation affects student learning. Benson is also involved in projects that utilize Tablet PCs Student Achievement to enhance student learning. Lisa Benson is currently advising a Creative Inquiry team Engineering and Science Education that designed an entry for the Walt Disney ImagiNations Professor Julie Trenor will serve Women in Engineer- ing ProActive Network (WEPAN) in a three-year term Zahra Hazari – Interests include curriculum choices that Competition, sponsored by Walt Disney Imagineering. The as president-elect, president and past president. stimulate physical science identity development in a cul- team’s submission was selected as a semifinalist in this year’s WEPAN is the nation’s leading organization and ture of testing and gender bias in students’ ratings of their competition (top 40 percent of all entries). catalyst for transforming culture in engineering science teachers. Charity Watson, working with Zahara Hazari, education to promote the success of all women. It won a Predoctoral Research Fellowship from Harvard includes more than 600 members from nearly 200 engineering schools, small businesses to Fortune 500 Geoffrey Potvin – Working on female representation Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. corporations, and nonprofit organizations. in STEM disciplines and the recruitment and retention Sonia Underwood and Alma Gonzales, working of physical scientists. This is connected to the relative with Melanie Cooper, were accepted to the first graduate decline in interest and completion of bachelor’s degrees in student conference on chemical education research. physics and chemistry. Clemson University’s College of Engineering and Science Clemson University’s

9 Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences

Tanju Karanfil, Ph.D, P.E., BCEE Department Overview Jim Castle and John Rodgers, a professor in Clemson’s Department Chair The Department of Environmental Engineering and Earth forestry and natural resources department, were recently (864) 656-3276 • [email protected] Science (EEES) has a synergistic blend of environmental awarded more than $800,000 to find economical and envi- www.ces.clemson.edu/eees engineering and science, geology and earth science, and ronmentally sensible ways to treat water that comes out of Fast Facts nuclear environmental engineering and science. We offer the ground during oil and natural gas production. Funding is Tenured/tenure-track faculty: 18 several academic options to our students. from the U.S. Department of Energy and Chevron of Hous- Enrollment: Undergraduate 34 At the undergraduate level, the department is com- ton, Texas. Castle and Rodgers are developing constructed Master’s 48 mitted to providing the next generation of earth scientists wetland systems to treat the contaminated water for reuse. Doctoral 24 a comprehensive understanding of earth processes through David Freedman was awarded the 2008 Association Degrees awarded (August and December 2008 and May 2009): Undergraduate 9 our B.A. and B.S. degrees in geology. Specialization tracks of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors Master’s 12 in traditional geology, environmental science and hydro- (AEESP) Outstanding Publication Award for his paper en- Doctoral 4 geology allow students to focus their course work in areas titled “Biological reductive dechlorination of tetrachloro- Research expenditures: $1,867,823 of their particular interest. Unique to Clemson, all of our ethylene to ethylene under methanogenic conditions.” This Research thrusts: environmental chemistry, envi- undergraduate geology students participate in research with very prestigious recognition by AEESP is given annually ronmental fate and transport, hydrogeology, nuclear environmental engineering and science, process a faculty member from sophomore through senior years. to recognize the author(s) of a “landmark environmental engineering, sustainable systems and environmental At the graduate level, the department has two distinct engineering and science paper that has withstood the test assessment programs: environmental engineering and science (EE&S) of time and significantly influenced the practice of environ- and hydrogeology. The EE&S program offers M.S., M.Engr. mental engineering and science.” and Ph.D. degrees, while the hydrogeology program offers an M.S. degree. Both programs are nationally recognized Student Achievement and have been continuously ranked in the top 25 programs Jesse Addison’s master’s thesis, “The formation of by U.S.News & World Report. halonitomethanes in wastewater treatment plant effluents,” Overall, the diverse, dynamic and talented faculty was selected to receive the American Water Works Asso- and rich curriculum of EEES provide a rich, scholarly and ciation’s (AWWA) second place 2009 Academic Achieve- challenging educational experience to our students. ment Award for the Best Master Thesis. Each year AWWA recognizes two M.S. and two Ph.D. theses in its nationwide Faculty Highlights competition. Tanju Karanfil served as Jesse’s adviser. Shelie Miller received an NSF CAREER award for her Dave Hisz won the Outstanding Student Paper Award project entitled “Creation of Predictive and Dynamic Life (Hydrology Section) for his presentation entitled “Hydro- Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences Earth and Engineering Environmental Cycle Assessment Tool.” This is the most prestigious NSF mechanical responses in dipping fractured mudstones at the award that supports junior faculty who exemplify the role NAWC site, West Trenton, N.J.” at the 2008 Fall Meeting of teacher-scholars through outstanding research, excellent of the American Geophysical Union in San Francisco. education, and the integration of education and research Larry Murdoch serves as Dave’s adviser. within the context of the mission of their organizations. Darryl B. Jones was selected by AWWA as its 2009 Larry Murdoch was voted onto the executive commit- LARS Ph.D. Fellowship recipient. Every year, AWWA tee of the board of directors of CUAHSI (Consortium of gives one award to a candidate for M.Sc. ($5,000 one-time Universities for the Advancement of Hydrologic Sciences funding) and one for Ph.D. ($7,500 one-time funding) Professor Cindy Lee received an NSF award to study Inc.). CUAHSI has more than 100 member universities after its nationwide competition. Tanju Karanfil serves as the use of chiral tracers to determine cycling of POP’s and is an important voice in the hydrologic community. Darryl’s adviser. in stream ecosystems. Lee has also been selected as an editor of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry for environmental chemistry. The publication is one of the official journals of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. Clemson University’s College of Engineering and Science Clemson University’s

10 Industrial Engineering

Anand K. Gramopadhye, Ph.D. Department Overview Creative Inquiry paradigm to enrich student experience at Department Chair The Department of Industrial Engineering offers three sepa- Clemson University. (864) 656-5540 • [email protected] rate degrees: B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. In addition, in the begin- Sandra Garrett is working with Barrett Caldwell of www.ces.clemson.edu/ie ning of 2009, the industrial engineering program unveiled Purdue University to propose a new system that warns of an Fast Facts an online M. Engr. in industrial engineering focused on impending pandemic by monitoring signals in human be- Tenured/tenure-track faculty: 11 capital projects supply chain. havior. The system could result in using a simple icon on a Enrollment: Undergraduate 140 television screen to warn of future phases of an outbreak of Master’s 100 Faculty Highlights an illness such as the flu. Researchers agree it is extremely Doctoral 32 The department takes great pride in the work faculty have difficult to identify a pandemic event before it is under way Degrees awarded (August and December 2008 and May 2009): Undergraduate 42 done to promote excellence in scholarship, research and and spreading from person to person, yet the timeliness Master’s 16 industrial engineering education. In the last four years, the of this early detection is critical for an effective response Doctoral 4 department has recruited faculty from top industrial engi- and disaster-mitigation strategy. History and computer- Research expenditures: $777,605 neering programs, bringing a wealth of new ideas and talent generated simulations show that the speed in which a Research thrusts: supply chain, optimization and to the department. This synergy is exemplified by several response strategy is initiated — even more than the specific logistics; human factors and safety in complex systems; education and learning systems initiatives currently under way. strategy itself — will have the largest influence in reducing Byung Rae Cho is leading a department-wide six- the overall impact of a pandemic. Given the importance of sigma and quality research and educational effort. rapid response, identifying the specific event phases and the The department has been selected as an NSF site for triggers that indicate a need for action is essential. the Center for Engineering Logistics and Distribution. As part of this center, William G. Ferrell, Mary Elizabeth Student Achievement Kurz, Scott A. Shappell and Kevin M. Taaffe are pursuing At the Summit on the NAE Grand Challenges held at systems integration-, hurricane evacuation-, logistics- Duke University last spring, Thashika D. Rupasinghe and and optimization-related research with federal and state Deepak Vembar (Advanced Technology Systems Labora- agencies and several regional and upstate companies. tory) won first place in the Learning/Computation Poster In the human factors area, Joel S. Greenstein, Sandra competition. They received this award for their research K. Garrett, Scott A. Shappell and Paris F. Stringfellow are poster entitled “Virtual reality in aircraft maintenance actively pursuing funded research in systems safety, human technology.” The Grand Challenges are a critical group- Industrial Engineering error, human computer interaction, learning technologies ing of problems that must be addressed and solved in and job aiding. order to maintain our national security, quality of life and To engage undergraduate students in research, Maria sustainable future. E. Mayorga and Brian J. Melloy have proposed a new

Professor Sandra Garrett and her students work with a local hospital to improve workflow. Clemson University’s College of Engineering and Science Clemson University’s

11 School of Materials Science and Engineering

Kathleen Richardson, Ph.D. Department Overview Facilities Director Research in the School of Materials Science and Engi- The school and its faculty participate in the following (864) 656-0549 • [email protected] neering (MSE) is as diverse as its faculty interests. Faculty Clemson research centers: www.clemson.edu/mse in MSE conduct research on ceramics, glasses, polymers, • The Center for Optical Materials Science and Fast Facts photonics, medical textiles, biomaterials, fiber science, thin Engineering Technologies (COMSET) is headquartered Tenured/tenure-track faculty: 17 films and metallurgy. at the Advanced Materials Research Laboratory, a $21 Enrollment: Undergraduate 115 The department is comprised of expert collaborators million complex in the Clemson University Advanced Master’s 11 who work with nearly every department in CES and across Materials Center. The 111,000-square-foot research Doctoral 52 colleges as their support of numerous University centers facility houses laser and chemical labs and the Uni- Degrees awarded (August and December 2008 and May 2009): Undergraduate 32 and institutes demonstrates. Their ability to create stronger, versity’s Electron Microscope (EM) facility. COMSET Master’s 3 lighter and more efficient materials makes MSE research- is recognized as a global leader for innovation and Doctoral 6 ers attractive research partners with broad design, process, education in the science and technology of optical Research expenditures: $6,500,590 characterization and manufacturing experience. materials. Since it began in 2000, it has garnered more Research thrusts: processing and applications of Clemson’s School of Materials Science and Engineer- than $40 million in research funding. novel inorganic, organic and natural fibers; process- ing and characterization of interfaces: chemistry, ing is one of a small group of MSE programs in the country • The director of the University’s EM facility, JoAn microstructure and failure and fatigue attributes; where faculty and students not only work with, but actually Hudson, holds a research faculty appointment in MSE. high-performance metal alloys and metal-, glass- make, many of the materials they design and test — from One of the most outstanding EM facilities in the coun- and polymer-based composites; structural and optical glass and fibers to bricks, bio-polymer fiber scaffolds, try, this is a critical resource to MSE team members and optical ceramics and glasses space fabrics and nanograined metallic materials. While other researchers. computational materials science is also employed in the • Clemson Apparel Research (CAR) was established to

design and evaluation of materials in systems, the school revitalize the domestic sewn-products industry through also provides a sound foundation in the study of chemistry, the application of advanced technology and manage- structure and property relationships. Hands-on experience ment practices. It is now a premier national resource of realizing fundamental principles of science and engineer- for high-performance textiles and related materials ing is taught through laboratory training. Such balance research and applications. CAR’s fast-turn manufac- of class and lab focus is a key part of the Clemson MSE turing and supply chain optimization solutions are curriculum. being applied to other industries. • The Clemson Conservation Center focuses on the Student Achievement science of conserving and preserving archeological School of Materials Science and Engineering and Science Materials of School Alexandra (Ali) Foguth was selected for a 2008 NSF finds and other historic treasures. One of their current Graduate Research Fellowship. This prestigious and highly projects is the conservation of the H.L. Hunley, a competitive award provides three years of support for mas- Civil War submarine that sat at the ocean floor for ter’s or doctoral students who excel in disciplines relevant 130 years before it was found and brought up. to the NSF mission. This award grants funding of $44,550 • The National Brick Research Center is an industry- per year for the selected student. Ali is the second student funded organization providing research, education and The Advanced Materials Research Laboratory is from the School of Materials Science and Engineering to service to producers and users of clay bricks and other home to both COMSET and the University’s Electron receive this award. ceramic materials (tile, mortar and ceramics). Microscope facility. Clemson University’s College of Engineering and Science Clemson University’s

12 Mathematical Sciences

R.L. Taylor, Ph.D. Department Overview knowledge to the global energy and water industries. The Department Chair The Department of Mathematical Sciences provides major team will be developing information theory and noise (864) 656-6187 • [email protected] contributions to the instructional and research mission of models for complex power system networks using math- www.math.clemson.edu the University. Enrollments average 5,000 to 6,000 students ematical techniques to increase efficiency and cut costs for Fast Facts per semester in more than 300 sections of math sciences an optimal “smart grid” network. Tenured/tenure-track faculty: 43 courses, ranging from beginning freshman to cutting-edge, For the fifth consecutive year, the Department of Enrollment: Undergraduate 107 graduate-level research courses. Mathematical instruction Mathematical Sciences hosted the Clemson Calculus Master’s 27 and research are led by more than 80 faculty members and Challenge, a competition based on the advanced place- Doctoral 76 100 graduate students. ment calculus AB syllabus. Recognized with $30,000 in Degrees awarded (August and December 2008 and May 2009): Undergraduate 17 Prominent research activities include publications NSF funding, the 2009 competition involved 227 of the Master’s 30 (more than 100 per year), invited presentations (30 or region’s brightest high school math students, covering areas Doctoral 10 more national and international talks each of the past three of the Southeast with most students coming from Georgia, Research expenditures: $1,202,724 years), national and international professional involvement North Carolina and South Carolina. The Department of Research thrusts: algebra/discrete mathematics, of the faculty, and funded research worth approximately $1 Mathematical Sciences is eager to encourage the study of applied analysis, computing, operations research, probability/statistics million per year. Computational modeling, biomathematics calculus in high school; prizes of this annual competition and stochastic modeling have garnered recognition for the include partial Clemson University scholarships. department. Degree programs are organized by discipline into five Student Achievement areas in the mathematical sciences: algebra and discrete Steven Goodson, Mira Narayan and Josh McGinnis — mathematics, applied analysis, computational mathematics, students from mathematical sciences’ Creative Inquiry operations research, and probability and statistics. courses — presented research talks at the Undergradu- ate Research Conference at Francis Marion University Faculty Highlights in March 2009 and exhibited research posters during the The INFORMS Lanchester Prize for 2008 was awarded research days at Clemson University in April 2009. to Warren P. Adams for a series of papers, including “A hierarchy of relaxations leading to the convex hull representation for general discrete optimization problems,” Mathematical Sciences which was jointly published with Hanif D. Sherali. Taufiquar Khan and Irina Viktorova lead an inter- disciplinary research team in a joint effort with ITRON Inc., a leading technology provider and critical source of Mathematical science classes are held in 60 of Clemson’s 250 smart classrooms interspersed around campus. These smart spaces enable the sharing of work to solve problems and foster collabo- ration. They also facilitate online quizzes — either in or out of class — and accommodate mathematical modeling. Clemson University’s College of Engineering and Science Clemson University’s

13 Mechanical Engineering

Don Beasley, Ph.D. Department Overview the research group is now collaborating with leading pediatric Interim Department Chair The Department of Mechanical Engineering has one of the specialists in London and Milan to apply these specialized mod- (864) 656-5622 • [email protected] largest academic programs in the state of South Carolina with eling techniques to other congenital heart defect problems. www.ces.clemson.edu/me 520 undergraduate students and 199 graduate students. The de- Joshua D. Summers was selected for the Society of Au- Fast Facts partment has seen unprecedented growth in the last three years tomotive Engineers 2009 Ralph R. Teetor Educational Award Tenured/tenure-track faculty: 33 with 13 new faculty joining its ranks, the creation of a graduate program. This program recognizes outstanding educators and Enrollment: Undergraduate 521 program in automotive engineering that focuses on systems gives them the opportunity to complement their students’ Master’s 135 integration to meet the challenges of the global automotive classroom and laboratory training with the perspective of Doctoral 71 marketplace, and the construction of a 90,000-square-foot, current industry philosophy and trends. Summers’ research Degrees awarded (August and December 2008 and May 2009): Undergraduate 124 unique facility to house the new program. interests focus on studying the mechanical engineering design Master’s 46 Funded research activities put this department at the cutting process in order to develop enabling tools for designers. The Doctoral 7 edge in various fields. The research is distributed across nine research includes efforts in modeling the collaborative design Research expenditures: $2,993,414 major disciplines: automotive engineering, bioengineering and process, developing geometric tools for archiving and retriev- Research thrusts: automotive engineering; bioen- biomaterials, design, dynamics and controls, fluid mechanics, ma- ing 3-D knowledge, and developing CAD tools that may be gineering and biomaterials design; dynamics and controls; fluid mechanics; materials and materials terials and materials processing, manufacturing, solid mechanics migrated to virtual reality applications for designer benefit. processing; manufacturing; solid mechanics; ther- and thermodynamics, heat transfer and combustion. Thomas R. Kurfess, the BMW Endowed Chair in modynamics, heat transfer and combustion Newly developed focus areas include lightweight engi- Manufacturing, has been named a Fellow of the American neering design for reduced energy consumption in automo- Association for Advancement of Science (AAAS). Election biles, development of novel computational and experimental as a Fellow is an honor bestowed upon AAAS members by techniques to address fluid flow and combustion problems at their peers. Kurfess was elected for distinguished contributions different scales, development of new biomaterials and bioman- to the field of manufacturing systems and precision engineer- ufacturing processes, energy management using control and ing, particularly advanced process development and quality thermal management techniques, and dynamics, control and control for global production systems. measurements in MEMS and NEMS. Computational research Kurfess’ research at the Clemson University Interna- makes use of a supercomputing cluster to study microscale phe- tional Center for Automotive Research focuses on advanced nomena using atomic-level molecular dynamics simulations. production systems, process control, and process diagnostics These simulations have recently identified novel pathways by and prognostics to ensure vehicle performance. His work also Mechancial Engineering which buckyballs and other man-made nanoparticles may be extends to advanced vehicle stability and control. able to enter human cells. The department is also the birth- place of materials formed by chaotic advection. Student Achievement Matthew Torok won a research award from the South Carolina Faculty Highlights Space Grant Consortium. This award will support the develop- A multiple-year grant from the National Institutes of Health is ment and construction of high-altitude balloon measurements Professor Joshua Summers works with Samantha allowing Clemson and Medical University of South Carolina and experimentation to support ongoing NASA research. Thoe on the Tweel. He is part of the SAE 2009 Ralph (MUSC) researchers to explore the feasibility of using a motion- Luke Berglind traveled to Seoul, South Korea, to repre- R. Teetor Educational Award program. less valve — known as a fluid diode — as a pulmonary heart valve sent his team in a capstone design fair competition. He brought replacement. Richard Figliola, Clemson professor of mechanical home a medal and international accolades. His team’s screw- engineering and bioengineering, heads the study. Tim McQuinn, feeding system project, sponsored by BMW, earned third place a pediatric cardiologist, and T-Y Hsia, a pediatric heart surgeon, and was recognized as the best applicable project at the fair to lead the MUSC team. Don Beasley from Clemson’s mechanical have immediate impact in industry. Team members include engineering department and Naren Vyavahare from bioengi- Christopher Martin, Nick Pillman and Ross Vickers, and neering are co-investigators. Nearly a dozen undergraduate and faculty advisers Joshua D. Summers and Todd Schweisinger. graduate students have been involved in the research. Beshoy Morkos has been selected for the prestigious Fluid diodes allow flow to travel in a preferred direction ASME Graduate Teaching Fellow Award. At any one time, Clemson University’s College of Engineering and Science Clemson University’s based on their novel design. The valve design is such that it can only three of these fellowships are in place nationally. This be made from man-made or biological materials. To date, the marks the third Teaching Fellow in Clemson’s mechanical

experimental data has agreed with limited clinical results, and engineering department since the inception of the program. 14 Physics and Astronomy

Peter Barnes, Ph.D. Department Overview “We’re not surprised to see this emission from the Milky Department Chair Classical physics encompasses the fields of mechanics, Way’s disk,” says Leising. “What is surprising is how bright (864) 656-3419 • [email protected] heat and thermodynamics, electricity and magnetism, this emission is from the center of the galaxy. It’s not coming physicsnt.clemson.edu acoustics and optics. Modern physics is concerned with the just from the very center — where a black hole lurks that is Fast Facts study of atoms and molecules, atomic nuclei, elementary two million times the Sun’s mass — but from a region a few Tenured/tenure-track faculty: 23 particles and the properties of liquids, crystalline solids and thousand light-years across surrounding the center.” Enrollment: Undergraduate 85 other materials in addition to the nature of planets, stars, One explanation involves black holes — collapsed Master’s 6 galaxies and the large-scale structure of the universe. stars of five to 10 solar masses — pulling matter from close Doctoral 38 The undergraduate physics curricula are designed to companion stars. Another involves the decay of exotic Degrees awarded (August and December 2008 and May 2009): Undergraduate 12 provide students with a strong background in the classical “dark matter” particles. Dark matter is the name given to Master’s 6 areas of physics as well as introduce the more important something out there that is detected so far only by its gravi- Doctoral 4 aspects of modern physics. The B.S. in physics provides tational pull on normal matter. Research expenditures: $2,904,970 a good basis for graduate study or industrial work in areas Leising and his students are working in collabora- Research thrusts: astrophysics, atmospheric such as engineering physics and applied science. tion with colleagues from Germany, France and NASA’s and space, biophysics, materials, nanomaterials, surface and interface, nanoscience, single-molecule Graduate study in physics and astronomy for either Goddard Space Flight Center. They hope to unravel this biophysics, solid state the Ph.D. or M.S. degrees is a great opportunity for mystery by combining information from a number of students who want NASA and European Space Agency satellites. • to pursue a research career in physics, astronomy Clemson space physicists led by Gerald Lehmacher or closely related fields; have traveled around the world to launch rockets to test • to be expert teachers of these subjects; or atmospheric conditions. Most recently, the scientists • to gain broad-based technical expertise for other launched a salvo of four rockets over Alaska to study turbu- careers. lence in the upper atmosphere. The launches took place at Graduate students spend a good deal of their time Poker Flat Research Range north of Fairbanks as part of a engaged in forefront research, conducted under the men- NASA sounding rocket campaign. torship of our world-class faculty. Most graduate students Lehmacher was assisted by graduate students Shelton also teach physics and/or astronomy classes. Simmons and Liyu Guo. After graduation, our M.S. and Ph.D. recipients take The rockets were 35-foot, two-stage Terrier Orions, Physics and Astronomy diverse career paths. Some join faculty in research universi- and they released trimethyl aluminum that created a glow- ties and teaching colleges. Others work in research positions ing vapor trail nearly 87 miles up. Sensitive cameras on the at places such as national research laboratories, NASA, ground tracked the trails. From that data, Lehmacher and the Department of Energy, national observatories, and the his team were able to analyze upper-atmospheric winds by U.S. Navy or Air Force. Graduates also work for numerous tracking how the vapor trails formed, billowed, dispersed private companies in research and development or in man- and diffused. Two of the rockets had additional deployable agement. Also, many of our international students return to payload with instrumentation to measure electron density positions such as these in their home countries. and neutral temperature and turbulence. In January, Miguel Larsen was assisted by three under- Professor Gerald Lehmacher makes final prepara- tions before payload assembly at Poker Flat Research Faculty Highlights graduate students, Lucas Hurd, Matt Jenkins and Matt Range, north of Fairbanks, Alaska. NASA has awarded funding to Clemson astronomers led Henderson, in Norway to carry out a joint experiment with by Mark Leising to study a mysterious emission coming Japanese scientists to study atmospheric winds and circula- from the central regions of the Milky Way galaxy. tion from heating created by electrical currents associated Gamma rays, the light of energy a thousand times more with the Northern Lights. The measurements were made with powerful than X-rays created by the convergence of anti­ instruments flown on a Japanese S-310 rocket launched from matter and normal matter, are seen coming from the disk the Andoya Rocket Range in northern Norway and a suite of of our galaxy — roughly from where we see the glow of the sensitive radar and camera instruments on the ground. Clemson University’s College of Engineering and Science Clemson University’s Milky Way under a dark sky — but mostly from the direction Larsen was responsible for the wind measurement of the center of the galaxy in the Southern Hemisphere. aboard the instrumented rocket.

15 Department Contacts

Bioengineering Holcombe Department of Electrical Mathematical Sciences 401 Rhodes Research Center and Computer Engineering O-110 Martin Hall Clemson University 105 Riggs Hall Clemson University Clemson, SC 29634 Clemson University Clemson, SC 29634 Phone: (864) 656-5557 Clemson, SC 29634 Phone: (864) 656-3434 Fax: (864) 656-4466 Phone: (864) 656-5650 Fax: (864) 656-5230 URL: http://www.ces.clemson.edu/bio/ Fax: (864) 656- 5917 URL: http://www.math.clemson.edu/ Dr. Martine LaBerge, Chair URL: http://www.ece.clemson.edu/ Dr. Darren Dawson, Chair Dr. Robert Taylor, Chair Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering 127 Earle Hall Engineering and Science Education Mechanical Engineering Clemson University 105 Holtzendorff Hall 100 Fluor Daniel EIB Clemson, SC 29634 Clemson University Clemson University Phone: (864) 656-3055 Clemson, SC 29634 Clemson, SC 29634 Fax: (864) 656-0784 Phone: (864) 656-2541 Phone: (864)656-2482/3471 URL: http://www.ces.clemson.edu/chemeng/ Fax: (864) 656-1327 Fax: (864)656-4435 Dr. Douglas E. Hirt, Interim Chair URL: http://www.clemson.edu/ese/ URL: http://www.ces.clemson.edu/me/ Dr. Melanie Cooper, Interim Chair Dr. Donald Beasley, Interim Chair Chemistry 219 Hunter Laboratories Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences Clemson University L. G. Rich Environmental Laboratory Physics and Astronomy Clemson, SC 29634 342 Computer Court 118 Kinard Laboratory Phone: (864) 656-3065 Anderson, SC 29625 Clemson University Toll Free: (888) 539-9954 Phone: (864) 656-3276 Clemson, SC 29634 Fax: (864) 656-6613 Fax: (864) 656-0672 Phone: (864) 656-3416 URL: http://chemistry.clemson.edu/ URL: http://www.ces.clemson.edu/eees/ Fax: (864) 656-0805 Department Contacts Dr. Stephen Creager, Chair Dr. Tanju Karanfil, Chair URL: http://physicsnt.clemson.edu/ Dr. Peter Barnes, Chair Civil Engineering Industrial Engineering Lowry Hall 110 Freeman Hall Biosystems Engineering* Clemson University Clemson University Clemson, SC 29634 Clemson, SC 29634 221A McAdams Hall Phone: (864) 656-3000 Phone: (864) 656-4716 Clemson University Fax: (864) 656-2670 Fax: (864) 656-0795 Clemson, SC 29634 URL: http://www.clemson.edu/ce/ URL: http://www.ces.clemson.edu/ie/ Phone: (864) 656-3250 Dr. Nadim Aziz, Chair Dr. Anand Gramopadhye, Chair Fax: (864) 656-0338 URL: http://www.clemson.edu/agbioeng/bio/home.htm School of Computing School of Materials Science and Engineering Dr. Young Jo Han, Interim Chair 100 McAdams Hall 161 Sirrine Hall Clemson University Clemson University *This degree program is jointly administered by the Clemson, SC 29634 Clemson, SC 29634 College of Agriculture, Forestry and Life Sciences Phone: (864) 656-3444 Phone: (864) 656-3176 and the College of Engineering and Science. Fax: (864) 656-0145 Fax: (864) 656-5973 URL: http://www.cs.clemson.edu/ Dr. Larry F. Hodges, Director URL: http://mse.clemson.edu/ Dr. Kathleen Richardson, Director Clemson University’s College of Engineering and Science Clemson University’s

16