Posts

Clemson Alumni Association Board 2014-15

/ in , / 0 Comments / by:

Danny E. Gregg ’71, president Clemson, dgregg48@gmail.com
Sandy Edge ’72, president-elect Clemson, sedge@clemson.edu
Ann W. Hunter ’80, M ’82, past president Greenwood, ann.hunter@alumni.clemson.edu
Larry Sloan ’74, Foundation Clemson, larrysloan@alumni.clemson.edu
Josh Bell ’08 Charleston, josh.bell@teachforamerica.org
Michael Coakley ’91 Arlington, Va., mdcoakley67@gmail.com
Mary Kathryn Dempsey ’08 Charleston, dempsey.mk@gmail.com
Mark Derrick ’91 Gaithersburg, Md., mark.derrick@xerox.com
Mike Dowling ’93 Greer, mdowling@southernfirst.com
Patsy DuPre ’80 Hendersonville, N.C., patsydupre@aol.com
O. Alex “Bud” Hicklin III ’85 Clemson, ohicklin@alumni.clemson.edu
Joe Hood ’97 Atlanta, joe.hood@alumni.clemson.edu
Heather Jones ’97, M ’12 Columbia, hsjones1@gmail.com
Heather Mitsopoulos ’03 Fort Mill, heathermits@alumni.clemson.edu
Greg Morton ’78 Clemson, gm6467@att.com
Mary Ann “Ma” Prater ’78, M ’83 Clemson, annieoakleyknits@gmail.com
Mac Renfro ’87 Cincinnati, Ohio, mfrenfro@initiatorfirst.com
Ron Taylor ’65 Midland, Mich., retaylor1943@hotmail.com

Ex-Officio members

Wil Brasington ’00, Alumni Relations senior director, Clemson, wil@clemson.edu
Fred Faircloth III ’72, IPTAY Rock Hill, fred_rhcoke@comporium.net
Nicky McCarter ’80, Board of Trustees, Columbia
Brian J. O’Rourke ’83, M ’85 Clemson, orourke@clemson.edu

Technical colleges sign letters of intent with Clemson and USC

/ in / 0 Comments / by:

China partnership TongjiOfficials from the South Carolina Technical College System, the University of South Carolina and Clemson signed letters of intent this spring to streamline the transfer process for students graduating from in-state technical colleges.
The institutions are continuing to work through details associated with the agreement, but the move is a first step toward curriculum and program reviews, assessment of advising practices and the establishment of admission standards.
Once implemented, the program will help students transfer more seamlessly between institutions, help reduce lost time to graduation and relieve some of the added financial burden now associated with transferring. Participating students must graduate from a transfer-oriented associate degree program at a South Carolina technical college with an agreed-upon cumulative grade-point average.

Riley M. Csernica ’12, M ’13 and Chelsea L. Ex-Lubeskie ’12, M ’13

/ in / 0 Comments / by:

Csernica_ExLubeski

From senior design class to entrepreneurial success

When Riley Csernica and Chelsea Ex-Lubeskie were bioengineering seniors, they were assigned to a senior design group with the orthotics and prosthetics division at Greenville Health System. They worked with research scientist Chuck Thigpen to design a shoulder brace for shoulder dislocations.
At the end of the class, they knew the product concept was good and that there was a market for the product.
That product became the Tarian Pro Shoulder Stabilizer, the first product in the growing line for their company. The custom-fitted functional shoulder brace is designed for individuals with shoulder instability who want to return to athletic activity. It works by providing compressive support to the shoulder rather than strictly limiting abduction of the arm. The brace has earned praise from professional hockey players to college athletic trainers to high school coaches and athletes.
Both women prepared themselves for their venture into business by obtaining graduate degrees from Clemson. Csernica earned a master’s degree in business administration with emphasis in entrepreneurship and innovation. Coupled with her experience as a teacher’s assistant in a SolidWorks engineering class and her proficiency in the program, she has been key in the continued product development. While working on her master’s degree in bioengineering, Ex-Lubeskie worked part-time at the Clemson University Research Foundation where she learned about patents, licenses and contracts. Diplomas in hand, they moved home to Charleston to work on the product and grow the company.
While pursuing ongoing product development, such as a new fully customizable ankle brace that utilizes a heat-moldable material as the structure of the brace, Csernica and Ex-Lubeskie travel to trade shows, meeting collegiate and professional athletic trainers to market their products. They also believe in giving back to Clemson by speaking to classes about their experiences and their plans to keep Tarian Orthotics a growing business — showing how a design class can become an entrepreneur’s dream come true.
To learn more about Csernica and Ex-Lubeskie’s company go to www.tarianorthotics.com.

CLUB ACTIVITIES: Tigers in Detroit

/ in , / 0 Comments / by:

When Jen Volpe relocated from Atlanta to Detroit in 2014, she began looking for some fellow members of the Clemson Family. Although there was no active club, she worked with the Alumni Association and found that there were more than 300 local Clemson alums and friends in the area. These Detroit Tigers are now working through the process of becoming an official Clemson Club.
In December, area alumni gathered to volunteer for Forgotten Harvest, an organization dedicated to relieving hunger in metro Detroit and preventing food waste by “rescuing” surplus prepared and perishable food. Members of the group packaged more than 1,000 pounds of potatoes that were then distributed to those in need.
For more information about how to get involved with a local Clemson club, or to begin one in your area, contact Bubba Britton at bubba@clemson.edu or go to clemson.edu/alumni and click on “Join a Clemson Club.”

Clemson’s alumni network ranks first

/ in , / 0 Comments / by:

Clemson has the best alumni network among the nation’s Best Value colleges and universities, according to The Princeton Review. In its new book, Colleges That Pay You Back: The 200 Best Value Colleges and What It Takes to Get In — 2015 Edition, The Princeton Review ranks Clemson’s alumni network No. 1. Clemson ranked in three of the six categories which include public and private schools.
Clemson’s ranking was based on data and student surveys about the activities and visibility of alumni and the percentage of alumni who recommend Clemson to prospective students. Clemson also was ranked 19th in internship opportunities and 25th in Colleges That Pay You Back — Without Aid.
Widely known for its test prep and academic tutoring services as well as its dozens of categories of college rankings, The Princeton Review developed a unique “Return-on-Education” (ROE) rating to winnow its list of colleges for this book. ROE measures 40 weighted data points ranging from academics, cost, financial aid and student debt to statistics on graduation rates, alumni salaries and job satisfaction.

Clemson to exchange Ph.D. candidates with China’s top civil engineering program

/ in / 0 Comments / by:

Andrew Brownlow’s doctoral research in civil engineering is about maintaining subway tunnels. Because of a new exchange program between Clemson and China’s top engineering program, the Ph.D. student from Aiken was able to travel to Shanghai, home to the world’s longest subway system.
“They have great opportunities to do research,” Brownlow said. “I made some good partnerships and had an opportunity to do some networking in one of the fastest-growing countries in the world.”
Clemson and Tongji universities will exchange civil engineering doctoral students as part of a global partnership that underscores the importance of cooperation in solving some of the world’s toughest engineering challenges.
Students who participate will be eligible for dual degrees from both universities. The agreement marks the first dual Ph.D. program in civil engineering that Tongji has signed with a U.S. university. Tongji is ranked No. 1 in civil engineering by China’s Ministry of Education. Students who seek dual degrees will remain abroad for about two years.
But students needn’t seek a degree to participate in the exchange. As part of a previous memorandum of under-standing, they can also travel to do research for about two months at a time. “The partnership is an important part of increasing the college’s and the department’s global impact and visibility,” said James Martin, chair of Clemson’s Glenn Department of Civil Engineering. “This is what preeminent departments do. They partner with other preeminent departments.”
Clemson students who study at Tongji will be immersed in the culture and language of a rapidly growing nation that has enormous civil engineering needs, ranging from roads, tunnels and bridges to earthquake-resistant buildings.
“China is the second largest economy in the world and still growing at a fast pace,” said Hsein Juang, the Glenn Professor of Civil Engineering at Clemson. “There will be a lot of opportunities for engineering firms and private consultants to offer their services to the Chinese government and civil engineering industry in the coming decades.
“Having a second Ph.D. degree at Tongji will be a big plus for Clemson students working for companies that provide engineering and business services in China.”

Artist installs “Early Hatch” at CU-ICAR

/ in / 0 Comments / by:

Professor Joey Manson and visual arts major David Lamm installing Manson's sculpture.

Professor Joey Manson and visual arts major David Lamm installing Manson’s sculpture.


There’s a new sculpture installation on the grounds of CU-ICAR, thanks to art professor Joey Manson. At the invitation of CU-ICAR, Manson and visual arts major David Lamm installed Manson’s sculpture, “Early Hatch,” in February. Manson, who works with industrial material, found a complementary home for his work, which he describes as “an exploration of our built, social and environmental constructs.”
“Early Hatch,” created from concrete and steel, captures one point in a cycle, according to Manson. “Larva emerges from an egg in order to collect the resources necessary to close the circle by building a cocoon, emerging as a moth and finally laying new eggs. The form of the concrete base refers to the eggs and the circular curling form is the larva. The vertical figurative elements are disruptions in this cycle.”
Q&A with Joey Manson

Joey Manson talks about his life and work.


Manson spent many years working in New York City for museums, galleries and artists before teaching at Clemson. As part of his senior seminar class, Manson guides students through an intense four-day trip to NYC, exposing them to present and past visual artists.
Manson’s sculpture at CU-ICAR is only his latest campus collaboration. He co-teaches the Atelier InSite class focusing on public art on campus, including the installation at the Life Sciences building. His work can be seen outside of Sirrine Hall and inside the Strom Thurmond Institute.
 

Q&A: Catherine Mobley

/ in / 0 Comments / by:

CW: What do you enjoy most about your job? Or what’s the most satisfying thing about your job?
Mobley: There’s so much that I enjoy about my career, but perhaps my favorite part is that I am constantly learning something new. No day is ever the same as I am continually challenged to apply sociology in new ways in a diversity of contexts – in the classroom, in my research, both within the field and across other fields in my interdisciplinary research. I especially enjoy engaging in interdisciplinary research and teaching. While I have engaged in independent research, I have had the opportunity to engage in empirical research with colleagues from other discipline across campuss. According to Ernest Boyer’s definition of the “scholarship of integration,” interdisciplinary research consists of making connections across disciplines in order to advance understanding of complex scientific questions and social issues. Indeed, the “lone ranger” concept is rarely effective for investigating the issues that are central to my research efforts. Funding agencies are increasingly recognizing the value of interdisciplinary research and teaching. These efforts also support the recent call on the part of my college and university to increase interdisciplinary research. These research collaborations are beneficial and interesting to me both personally and professionally. I enjoy working with my colleagues to develop and implement creative approaches to challenges that would not otherwise emerge if I was working in isolation. Indeed, I am finding that the most innovative research often emerges at the interface of disciplines. Across campus, I think I am known to be a reliable collaborator who makes substantial contributions to projects and adds value to research teams through my expertise in sociological theory and methods. Together, we have applied for multiple research grants and co-authored research presentations and manuscripts. I have truly enjoyed these experiences!
CW: How do you balance teaching and research?
Mobley: I view both as inevitably intertwined with one another. For example, as I work on my research I am always seeking opportunities to enrich my teaching. And, students often raise questions in the classroom that inspire my research.
CW: Give me a brief description of your research. What piqued your interest in that area (s)?
Mobley: At the current time, my two main areas of research are in the area of environmental sustainability and engineering education. The two topics often overlap with one another, depending on the particular research effort. I have long been personally interested in environmental issues and feel lucky to be able to pursue my personal interests through the lens of the sociological perspective. I’ve been able to explore a vast variety of topics related to environmental sustainability, including human behavior as it pertains to water quality and water quantity, college student perceptions of environmental issues, the influence of formative experiences on the development of environmental concern, and public perception of a variety of sustainability related topics. For the past decade or so, I have been involved with an extensive research project related to engineering education, the MIDFIELD project. This project, headed up by Matt Ohland (formerly at Clemson University and now at Purdue University) involves a study of the academic experiences and pathways of engineering majors from 12 institutions. One part of the research team analyzes a longitudinal database of over a million student records from the 12 MIDFIELD institutions. I have been involved in the qualitative portion of the project, investigating a variety of research questions through focus groups and interviews with engineering transfer students. The most recent qualitative project focused on engineering transfer students and in Fall 2014, my colleagues and I received a NSF grant to investigate the experiences of student veterans at four institutions (University of San Diego, Clemson University, Purdue University, North Carolina State University). I also collaborate with colleagues from other disciplines, such as hydrogeology, to learn more about engineering education.
CW: What does this award mean to you…being chosen by your peers?
Mobley: I am so honored to be receiving this award, especially knowing it is coming from my peers. I’ve been walking by the Carillon Bell monument for nearly 20 years now, in awe of the people whose names are inscribed there. It means so much to me, especially knowing there were so many qualified candidates for the award. Recently, I was talking to a recipient of the Class of ’39 award and learned that one of the purposes of the award is to inspire faculty to do their bes,t and to go above and beyond expectations. This recognition has definitely inspired me! Little did I know when I was attending Clemson University in the early 1980’s that I’d be here 30 years later, pursuing the career of my dreams!