At Clemson’s December graduation ceremonies, Ala Oattawi made history as the first woman in the country to earn a Ph.D. in automotive engineering. Her work involves concept cars and establishing a scientific approach for the design of structural origami in folded sheet metal in an effort to improve automobile efficiency and functionality.
Shattered Spaces
Aleda Roth, the distinguished Burlington Industries Professor of Supply Chain Management in Clemson’s College of Business and Behavioral Science, was named Texas A&M University Institute for Advanced Study Faculty Fellow at its inaugural class gathering in College Station. The only female scholar in the class, she joins eminent researchers who include a Nobel Laureate, members of the National Academies of Engineering and of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a Fellow of the Royal Society in England.
Public health sciences professor Rachel Mayo described Sherrill as “a vital research partner of the University, unafraid to take risks, and a visionary.”
Sherrill recently was asked to lead the health-research collaborative between Clemson University and the Institute for the Advancement of Healthcare of the Greenville Hospital System.
“The YLA is producing leaders,” says YLA principal Patsy Wood Smith. “Our school is small, and offers individualized learning. It’s a safe, nurturing environment where every child feels empowered and valued for their differences.”
As an alternative to attending other public schools, the 48 sixth- and seventh-graders at the YLA get a unique educational experience that is enriched by the involvement of Clemson students.
“Each week, as part of our cultural immersion program, international students from Clemson have represented their native countries through lectures, music, dance and dress. Our students have literally been ‘around the world’ through these presentations. What’s more, they are inspired by Clemson student leaders and are aspiring to follow their examples,” says Smith.
Eighth grade will be added and the sixth grade class will double for the 2013-14 school year, pushing enrollment to 96. A waiting list of students is a sure sign that parents in Pickens County are excited about the kind of creative learning environment the YLA offers. For more information, contact Patsy Smith, at 864-878-1103 or patsys@clemson.edu.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) honored professor Juan Gilbert and his team of students from Clemson’s Human-Centered Computing division with the FCC Chairman’s 2012 Award for Advancement in Accessibility.
Prime III, a universally designed voting system, was the winning entry in the Civic Participation Solutions category. Unlike voting systems where people with physical disabilities are relegated to a separate voting machine, Prime III enables people with learning, intellectual or physical disabilities to cast their votes privately and independently on one machine.
The accessible voting system gained national attention when the state of Oregon utilized it during the 2012 Presidential Primary. The Self Advocates Becoming Empowered (SABE) organization also used Prime III during its annual board election.
Gilbert, Presidential Endowed Chair in Computing, directs the Human-Centered Computing division in the School of Computing.
Over 500 teams from around the world initially entered Microsoft’s Kinect Fun Labs Challenge, one of eight competitions held as part of the 10th annual Microsoft Imagine Cup, by writing a project proposal. Of those, 100 were asked to submit working software, a user’s manual, written paper and video
The top three teams were awarded a free trip to the final competition in Sydney, Australia. Of the 24 teams awarded first-, second- or third-place in the eight competitions, only two were from the U.S. And one of those teams was from Clemson.
School of Computing graduate students Patrick Dukes (left) and Austen Hayes, known competitively as the “Whiteboard Pirates,” took second place for their stroke rehabilitation application “Duck Duck Punch,” which uses Microsoft’s Kinect tracking system. A motion-sensing input device, Kinect enables users to control and interact with an Xbox 360 or a desktop computer without having to touch a game controller. The interface is accomplished with gestures and spoken commands.
“Duck Duck Punch” interjects a little fun into what sometimes can be a challenging rehabilitation regimen. Dukes and Hayes saw shortcomings with current stroke therapy that they could address with the Kinect.
“Since we wanted the program to be one that could actually be used, we consulted with stroke therapist Dr. Michelle Woodbury of the Medical University of South Carolina,” said Hayes. The goal was a cost-effective system that could be used at home. The pair came up with a design that helps with upper arm therapy.
“Several patients at the Medical University of South Carolina’s stroke center have tested the game, and the response has been quite positive,” Dukes said.
In 10 years, the Imagine Cup has grown to be a global competition focused on finding solutions to real-world problems. More than 1.4 million students have participated, with 358,000 students representing 183 countries and regions registering for the Imagine Cup 2012 competition.
“This international test underscores our students’ talents and capabilities, and says a great deal about the quality of our graduate programs in computer science,” said R. Larry Dooley, interim dean of Clemson’s College of Engineering and Science. “Patrick and Austen made their presence felt on a world stage.”
Innovative chest tube anchoring device
Habitat House