{"id":24943,"date":"2022-06-20T14:05:03","date_gmt":"2022-06-20T18:05:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/clemson.world\/?p=24943"},"modified":"2022-06-20T14:05:03","modified_gmt":"2022-06-20T18:05:03","slug":"alumni-profile-josiah-hester","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/clemson.world\/archive\/alumni-profile-josiah-hester\/","title":{"rendered":"Alumni Profile: Josiah Hester \u201911, Ph.D. \u201917"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><div id='fullscreen_slider_1'  class='avia-fullscreen-slider main_color   avia-builder-el-0  el_before_av_one_full  avia-builder-el-first   container_wrap sidebar_right' style=' '  ><a href='#next-section' title='' class='scroll-down-link av-control-minimal' aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue877' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'><\/a><div   data-size='no scaling'  data-lightbox_size='large'  data-animation='slide'  data-conditional_play=''  data-ids='24945'  data-video_counter='0'  data-autoplay='true'  data-bg_slider='true'  data-slide_height='100'  data-handle='av_fullscreen'  data-interval='5'  data-class=' '  data-el_id=''  data-css_id='fullscreen_slider_1'  data-scroll_down='aviaTBscroll_down'  data-control_layout='av-control-minimal'  data-custom_markup=''  data-perma_caption=''  data-autoplay_stopper=''  data-image_attachment='scroll'  data-min_height='0px'  data-stretch=''  class='avia-slideshow avia-slideshow-1 av-slider-scroll-down-active av-control-minimal av-default-height-applied avia-slideshow-no scaling av_fullscreen   avia-slide-slider '  itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\" ><ul class='avia-slideshow-inner ' style='padding-bottom: 66.6666666667%;' ><li style='background-position:center center;' data-img-url='https:\/\/clemson.world\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2022\/06\/Josiah-Hester.jpg' class=' av-single-slide slide-1 ' ><div data-rel='slideshow-1' class='avia-slide-wrap '   ><\/div><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div><div id='after_full_slider_1'  class='main_color av_default_container_wrap container_wrap sidebar_right' style=' '  ><div class='container' ><div class='template-page content  av-content-small alpha units'><div class='post-entry post-entry-type-page post-entry-24943'><div class='entry-content-wrapper clearfix'><br \/>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_full  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-1  el_after_av_fullscreen  el_before_av_hr  avia-builder-el-first  \" style='border-radius:0px; '><section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock  av_inherit_color '  style='font-size:33px; color:#000000; '  itemprop=\"text\" ><p style=\"color: #f26834;font-size: 16px;text-align: center\"><b>ALUMNI PROFILE<\/b><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size: 84px;text-align: center;line-height: 120%;margin-top: -10px\"><b>Josiah Hester \u201911, Ph.D. \u201917<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div><br \/>\n<div  style='height:25px' class='hr hr-invisible   avia-builder-el-3  el_after_av_one_full  el_before_av_one_fifth '><span class='hr-inner ' ><span class='hr-inner-style'><\/span><\/span><\/div><br \/>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-4  el_after_av_hr  el_before_av_three_fifth  \" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div><br \/>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_three_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-5  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  \" style='border-radius:0px; '><div   class='hr hr-default   avia-builder-el-6  avia-builder-el-no-sibling '><span class='hr-inner ' ><span class='hr-inner-style'><\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div><br \/>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-7  el_after_av_three_fifth  el_before_av_one_full  \" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div><br \/>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_full  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-8  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock  av_inherit_color '  style='font-size:16px; color:#000000; '  itemprop=\"text\" ><p style=\"text-align: center\">By\u00a0<strong>David Silverberg<\/strong><br \/>\nPhoto by <strong>Shane Collins\/Northwestern University<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div><\/p>\n<p><div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-10  el_after_av_one_full  el_before_av_three_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div><br \/>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_three_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-11  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><div   class='hr hr-default   avia-builder-el-12  avia-builder-el-no-sibling '><span class='hr-inner ' ><span class='hr-inner-style'><\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div><br \/>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-13  el_after_av_three_fifth  el_before_av_one_full  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div><br \/>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_full  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-14  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_one_full  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock  av_inherit_color '  style='font-size:33px; color:#85817f; '  itemprop=\"text\" ><p style=\"text-align: center\">Hester turns his passion for sustainable energy into tomorrow\u2019s technology<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div><br \/>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_full  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-16  el_after_av_one_full  el_before_av_hr  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock  av_inherit_color '  style='font-size:19px; color:#000000; '  itemprop=\"text\" ><p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">In the ideal world <\/span><span class=\"s2\">of Josiah Hester, electronics wouldn\u2019t rely on battery power but would instead gather energy from more sustainable models, such as solar panels. What\u2019s more, he would like to see the now-ubiquitous face mask made \u201csmarter\u201d with powerful sensors. As an assistant professor of computer engineering at Northwestern University, Hester is making these dreams a reality.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s2\">Two of his key projects have made headlines recently: a battery-free Game Boy, the handheld gaming device Nintendo launched in 1989, and a face mask insert laden with sensors that determine the wearer\u2019s heart rate, respiration rate and if the mask has been fitted properly.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s2\">\u201cI want to see how we can better harness our resources and become more ecologically intelligent in how we develop products,\u201d says Hester, who earned his undergraduate degree and Ph.D. in computer science at Clemson.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s2\">The smart face mask, dubbed FaceBit, is his most timely project. It\u2019s a direct response to Hester and his team at the Ka Moamoa Ubiquitous and Mobile Computing Lab witnessing health care workers struggle with wearing PPE for long hours. As stressful moments can elicit physiological responses, including a spiked heart rate, FaceBit can leverage that data to alert the mask-wearer to take a break or go for a walk. Hospitals also could use this data to optimize shift and break schedules for their workers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s2\">Hester harnessed his passion for sustainable computing \u2014 where energy sources are often renewable and infinite \u2014 to create the smart insert. He says that despite FaceBit sporting a small battery, it can harvest energy from the force, heat and motion of the wearer\u2019s breathing, as well as from the sun.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s2\">For now, FaceBit must be tested in more situations, such as on the subway, before it can be made available to the public, but the mask insert is another step Hester has taken to design products that run on energy from unusual sources. His battery-free Game Boy, for example, is outfitted with solar panels that can play the games he grew up loving, from Tetris to Pok\u00e9mon.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s2\">\u201cBut if you press down on the A and B buttons or the directional pad, it will also produce energy,\u201d Hester beams. \u201cI can\u2019t believe I get paid to play with toys.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s2\">This toy isn\u2019t a frivolous project, though. Hester says its implications could inspire other researchers to develop battery-free devices and show the gaming industry how much energy their products soak up regularly. \u201cSustainable gaming may be niche, but I think this industry will realize how energy is becoming a more and more precious resource,\u201d he adds.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s2\">Hester, a Hawaii native and recipient of Clemson\u2019s 2021 Outstanding Young Alumni Award, cherishes his Clemson years and remembers the mentors who made a mark on his career, including Jacob Sorber, associate professor of computer science, who introduced him to the emerging area of battery-free devices.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s2\">And the icing on the Clemson cake? \u201cI met my wife, Emily, at Clemson during a tailgate party,\u201d Hester says. \u201cThat was definitely a special part of Clemson for me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div><br \/>\n<div  style='height:100px' class='hr hr-invisible   avia-builder-el-18  el_after_av_one_full  avia-builder-el-last '><span class='hr-inner ' ><span class='hr-inner-style'><\/span><\/span><\/div><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Josiah Hester \u201911, Ph.D. \u201917 is turning his passion for sustainable energy into tomorrow\u2019s technology \u2014 including a battery-free Gameboy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":24945,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[21,8],"tags":[159,804,1071,2174,2827,2828,2829],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-24943","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumniprofiles","category-my-clemson","tag-alumni","tag-computer-science","tag-electronics","tag-outstanding-young-alumni-award","tag-summer-2022","tag-summer-2022-alumni-profile","tag-summer-2022-alumni-profiles"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/clemson.world\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2022\/06\/Josiah-Hester.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/clemson.world\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24943","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/clemson.world\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/clemson.world\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clemson.world\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clemson.world\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24943"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/clemson.world\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24943\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clemson.world\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24945"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/clemson.world\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24943"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clemson.world\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24943"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clemson.world\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24943"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clemson.world\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=24943"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}