Current Projects

Stress, Behavior and Health

The teams have been studying subtle changes in brain function that are associated with increased risk for hypertension in young adults. These changes in brain function produce emotional dampening; the reduced perception of emotionally meaningful environmental cues such as facial expressions. Emotional dampening could lead to increased psychosocial stress and further elevations in blood pressure and risk for cardiovascular disease.

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Mirrors and Windows: A Children's Literature Newsletter

The purpose of this CI project is to create a newsletter that focuses on children's literature intended for youth in grades K-6. The books will be diverse in terms of genres (e.g., poetry, fantasy, nonfiction, etc.) as well as the race of the authors and illustrators. Students will read 6-8 titles and select their favorite book to review.

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Design and Synthesis of Advanced Nanomaterials to Address the Global Challenges of the 21st Century

As we look into our future, we see many daunting challenges that face our global society. Einstein once said, “We cannot solve the problems we face using the same kind of thinking that was used when we created them.” Creative Inquiry offers a new kind of research where we approach research as an interdisciplinary, collaborative approach. This is particularly true when we look into the global challenges for the 21st century. Some of these challenges include: Providing renewable energy and clean water to satisfy the global demand, Developing new diagnostics and therapeutics for the next generation of diseases that we face, and creating sustainable technologies that benefit society without being detrimental to the environment. The goal of this creative inquiry research is to look into these challenges and determine what problems can be solved by designing advanced nanomaterials with specific functionalities.

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Conservation of Marine Resources

The Conservation of Marine Resources creative inquiry team participates in marine ecology research to benefit the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Current projects include studying (1) the direct and indirect impact of parrotfish grazing on the survival of coral transplants, and (2) the impact of mass sponge mortality on the survival of juvenile Caribbean spiny lobsters.

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Courage Research

This CI project has students examine the psychological processes involved in courageous behavior.

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EMAG!NE: K-12 STEM/STEAM Outreach Network

EMAG!NE is a coordinated network of Clemson University faculty, students, and staff with the mission to: Inspire K-12 students to see the value in their education and the impact they can make on society in STEM careers.Support K-12 teachers in overcoming the challenges associated with effectively integrating engineering and technology within the current curricular standards.Grow networks within communities that support and embrace STEM/STEAM education in formal and informal settings.The student, faculty, and staff members of the EMAG!NE network are dedicated to inspiring South Carolina K-12 students to see the value of their education and to consider careers in STEM fields.  The EMAG!NE network supports engineering integration in formal and informal learning settings by developing activity plans and context to enhance traditional learning objectives and to promote critical thinking, teamwork, communication, and leadership skills while helping students see the application of the science and math concepts they are learning in school.  To accomplish this goal, EMAG!NE travels across the state to help organize STEM/STEAM related events, lead design challenges, assist in developing engineering related curriculum content, and discuss STEM opportunities and experiences with students, teachers, parents, and community members.  During the 2015-16 academic year, EMAG!NE engaged more than 10,000 students, teachers, parents, and community members in active outreach activities.  By creating more educational activities based on the topics and products of research conducted at Clemson University, K-12 students and teachers will have a better understanding of how to apply their current knowledge (formal and informal) to challenges facing our society (locally and globally).

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Physical Activity & Health

This research program uses FitDesks (stationary bikes with a desk top) or similar activity workstations in college study areas, K-12 classrooms, and in office spaces to examine how being physically active can positively affect performance, health, and well-being. We are placing FitDesks around the Clemson campus and in 6-12 educational settings. The goal of this research is to document the effects of placing activity stations in areas that typically encourage sedentary behavior. 

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Sleep and Sleep Loss

This CI team includes two main research paradigms. (1) Examining the effects of sleep loss and sleep deprivation on performance, health, and well-being. (2) Examining the effects of sleep habits (including sleep timing, sleep quantity, sleep quality, and day-time sleepiness) on daily functioning, performance, health, and well-being. The broad goal of this research project is to develop intervention strategies to improve performance and well-being in the work place and to help college students make better decisions regarding sleep habits.

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Human Stress and Motion Science Laboratory

Our research projects are related to understanding eating and weight loss behaviors and perceptual problems in virtual environments.

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Lifestyle Medicine

In this CI project, lifestyle Medicine projects are developed, refined, evaluated, and prepared in association with an interdisciplinary academic nursing center.

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How can we document and communicate our skills and capabilities to others?

Evaluation of the values of ePortfolios in education

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The Hispanic World through Film, Literature, and Media

This CI project will analyze social, philosophical, political, and economic issues in the Hispanic world and other areas of the world through videos and pertinent materials. Students will explore the impact of systems on individuals to analyze strategies, values, and consequences. Topics will focus on multicultural environments related to the following: culture, society, economics, politics, psychology, philosophy, ethics, technology, health, business, gender, and dictatorships among other relevant topics.  

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Bundling Food, Nutrition, and Packaging Sciences

Teams design and test new healthy food products and services for children.

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Culinary Nutrition

Nutrition science applied to creative recipe modification, and culinary sciences project applications. Research with children programs and camps in the upstate.

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International Design Projects With Engineers Without Borders (EWB) In Central America

Students participating in this project will lead drinking water treatment and production designs for the CU-EWB official project in Nicaragua.

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Cyber Bullying

Students on this team examine the experiences with cyberbullying of both youth and adults.

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Investigations into Primate Personality

Individuals often vary in their behavior. When inter-individual differences in behavior are consistent over time and across contexts, animals are said to have distinct personalities. Such consistent behavioral tendencies are often heritable and entail consequences for survival and reproduction. Given that these traits appear to satisfy the requisites of natural selection (i.e., phenotypic variation exists, said variation is heritable, and there may be differential survival and reproductive success based on phenotypic variation), personalities may have important implications for species’ evolutionary trajectories. Primates exhibit rich behavioral repertoires and are therefore interesting models for studying the causes and consequences of variation in personality traits. For this CI project, we examine inter-individual variation in the behavioral and physiological repertoires of captive callitrichine monkeys. Our study species is the golden lion tamarin (Leontopithecus rosalia). Callitrichine monkeys offer interesting opportunities to investigate personalities for several reasons. One of which is that these monkeys typically give birth to twins or triplets. Thus, we can compare how variation in the sex ratios of the litter (i.e., how many males and females) impacts physiological and behavioral outcomes of individuals.Over the past four years, we have conducted experiments with the goal of uncovering the possible behavioral and physiological effects of differing birth sex ratios on female monkeys. Our CI students gain a better understanding of this phenomenon via analysis and interpretation of these data. To do this, students actively participate in transcribing behavioral trials. Students also have the opportunity to learn analytical techniques to measure hormonal correlates of behavior. 

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Testing Variables of Foods, Films, Antimicrobials and Surfaces Affecting Transfer and/or Survival of Bacteria

This team studies the transfer and survival of bacteria on various surfaces related to food. This past semester the group tested the bacteria found and transferred to can lids.

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Using Creative Inquiry to Investigate Food Advertising Claims

This CI team evaluates various Food Advertising Claims including those claiming to taste "better", last longer and meet a specific specification. Last semester the team tested the Alkaline water claim, which included sampling different types of alkaline water and also temperature effects on the pH of the water. 

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Changing Dynamics of China's Development

The objective of this Creative Inquiry project is to instruct Clemson University undergraduate students to systematically examine some of the most important issues facing the world, by involving the students in on-going discussions and debates and engaging them in direct dialogues with government officials and business leaders, both Chinese and American.

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Robotic Systems Research

The goal of this CI project is to design and build a robot to compete in the IEEE Southeastcon hardware competition.

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Nutraceutical and Functional Foods Research and Product Development

This project helps students learn analytical techniques of food components, such as vitamins, flavors, lipids, artificial sweeteners, nutraceuticals, colorants, etc, via modern analytical instruments such as spectrometer, gas chromatography and high performance liquid chromatography. We also encourage students to make nutraceutical formulations for human health.                      

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Green Energy and Biodiesel Project

From Fields to Fuel, team members will be researching all aspects of sustainable biofuels production and engineering while facilitating biodiesel and ethanol production to be utilized by University Facilities. Project team 1 is focused on facility optimization through relief of production bottlenecks. Project team 2 will research increasing biodiesel feedstock acquisition through cultivation of energy crops and harvest of waste lipid streams.

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Microbial ecology and bioinformatics

In this Creative Inquiry project, students will use bioinformatics as well as PCR, qPCR and next generation sequencing technology to identify, characterize and track the activity of microbes in the environment.          

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Machine Learning Applications

Undergraduate students in the Future Computing Technology Facial Recognition Team are investigating distributed algorithms for biometrics and the use of accelerator architectures such as FPGAs, GPUs, and MIC processors to accelerate and improve the performance of these algorithms. The field of biometrics, specifically facial recognition, relies heavily on repetitive image processing but has yet to fully take advantage of the efficiency and parallelism offered by accelerator architectures. Facial recognition is desirable over other available biometric techniques due to its ease of collectability and acceptability, and thus has the potential for use in a wide range of applications. However, due to the lower uniqueness of facial features and typical variations in image samples obtained because of environmental changes like illumination, temporal changes, and occlusion, the robustness of the facial recognition process suffers severely. Several facial recognition algorithms, including principal component analysis (PCA), independent component analysis (ICA), and linear discriminant analysis (LDA), have been researched extensively in comparative and independent studies. Such studies have revealed that while each algorithm has advantages, none are accurate for all variations of input data, making robust identification difficult. Real-time recognition has also been hindered by the complex calculations and large memory requirements involved in this process. Our research exploits the inherent parallelism available in accelerators by implementing multiple algorithms concurrently to increase accuracy via fusion of results while improving decision time by exploiting the available parallelism. The successful development of robust biometric identification algorithms capable of high performance in uncontrolled environments is especially of interest to the intelligence community (e.g. CIA, FBI, Department of Homeland Security) and would represent a major contribution to the field of biometrics.

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Clemson University Retrieval of Explants Program and Registry in Orthopaedics: CU- REPRO

Medical implant devices (MID) have been used widely for more than 40 years, and it is estimated that 8 percent 10 percent of Americans (20-25 million people) currently have such a device. Although implant devices have produced great benefits, it must be recognized that sometimes MID must be removed or replaced. Bioengineers contribute to their continual state of development to increase their performance and extend their useful lifespan. Long-term data on the behavior of implanted devices and host response are essential inputs to the development process, yet there are few systematic programs for the retrieval and analysis of implants in the USA. Independent and international data banks do exist however. The contributions to implant design provided by retrieval and analysis will benefit patients through improvements in implant performance. We can consider implants to be defined as having a minimum lifespan of 3 months, as penetrating living tissue, as having a physiologic interaction and as being retrievable. A number of barriers exist to the establishment of an implant retrieval program. Major impediments are the costs associated with such a program and fear of litigation affecting manufacturers, hospitals, physicians, and investigators. The long term goal of this creative inquiry group is to discuss, investigate, develop, establish, promote and grow a viable Clemson University Implant Retrieval Program. The aim of such a program is to provide a working repository for retrieved implants, and to develop the tools and techniques for the systematic evaluation of implant designs, materials, surfaces and function.

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Perception & Action: Studies in Virtual Reality, Haptic Surgical Simulator, Robotics and Affordances

Students will assist in conducting experimental research in one of a number of ongoing projects involving visual perception in virtual reality, touch and muscle perception in a laparoscopic surgery simulator, tele-operated robotics and/or the perception of “affordances.” "Affordances" are the things that can be done with the surfaces of the environment, such as whether an area on the floor is "step-over-able" or whether the width of a doorway is "pass-through-able." In a series of experiments we will investigate the accuracy of perceptual judgments pertaining to a variety of affordance behaviors, such stepping over, jumping over, passing through, whether or not an object is reachable, whether or not a short incline is stand-on-able, etc. Students are expected to participate in the CI project for 2-4 semesters.

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Microfluidics and Lab-on-a-Chip

In this Creative Inquiry project, we explore the use of electric and magnetic fields for the transport and control of biological and synthetic particles in engineered microchannels with lab-on-a-chip applications to chemistry and biomedicine.

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Social Media Listening Center Digital Analytics

SMLC Digital Analytics CI: This CI will use the software associated with the Social Media Listening Center to monitor, listen and engage with social media for CU clients/partners, as well as complete weekly projects using social media analytics. Members of the CI, will have the opportunity to work collaboratively on assignments for companies, individually on personal assignments and gain a deeper understanding of leveraging analytics in the digital sphere. Members of the CI will refine their digital presence, contribute to collaborative projects, participate in webinars, and contribute to weekly analysis reports. 

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Identification and Functional Evaluation of Anti-cancer and Anti-inflammatory Immunomodulators from natural products

Samples isolated from many natural products have anti-cancer and/or anti-inflammatory activities through the activation of the immune system, such as  natural killer (NK) cells, macrophages, etc. We are in a process of identifying these potential anti-cancer or anti-inflammatory compounds from various natural products. The CI project is a part of this effort and responsible for the biological screening and characterization of these samples. CI students will use in vitro screening systems to exam cell proliferation, cytotoxicity, inflammatory mediator production, etc. to identify potential anti-cancer/inflammatory drugs. A minimum of two semesters are required for a student to register this course (BIOL 4940).

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Geologic Mapping in the Upstate of SC

This group explores and analyzes the geologic structures and mineralogy of the bedrock formations that comprise the upstate of South Carolina.

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Bamboo Reinforced Concrete

This Creative Inquiry (CI) project aims to address the sub-standard and dangerous construction of buildings with unreinforced concrete due to the high cost of rebar. In many developing countries, such as Haiti, single-story family homes are constructed with severely under-reinforced concrete beams and columns and in many cases unreinforced concrete masonry units (CMU). When the 7.0 earthquake hit Port-au-Prince in January 2010, thousands of people died from the collapsing of these under-designed homes. The high cost of rebar is the major cause for the construction of under-reinforced buildings. In many developing countries, the cost of rebar for a home could be more than several months’ wages and because of this, many chose to build their houses with little to no rebar reinforcement. This CI project will explore the possibility of using bamboo to replace steel to provide tensile reinforcement for concrete. Some past studies have shown that the maximum tensile capacity of bamboo is comparable to that of steel and the tensile strength to weight ratio of bamboo is six times that of steel. In addition, bamboo is a sustainable and renewable construction material. Bamboo grows naturally in many regions of the world including Haiti. It can reach full growth in just a few months and its full strength in just a few years.

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Exploring microbial community in students' exercising environment

Microorganisms are everywhere in the environment. Although most of them are harmless or beneficial microorganisms, human pathogens or antibiotic resistant microorganisms can pose the threat to human health.  In this project, we are interested in understanding the microbial community in student exercising environment. The goal is to evaluate the risks of students acquiring those harmful microorganisms during exercising, and develop practical methods for controlling those risks.Food fermentation practices can be traced back many centuries ago. Worldwide, there are numerous food products created by beneficial microorganisms such as lactic acid producing bacteria, mold and yeast. These fermented food products, such as cheeses, yogurt, miso, soysauce, kimchi, rice wine and so on, not only add the flavor, nutritional value but also enhance food safety of food products. We'll explore the microbiological aspects of these products using both traditional and molecular biological tools, and hopefully develop some unique products or improve the safety of existing fermented food products.

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Social and Organizational Psychology

Our research team uses multiple methodologies with diverse samples to better understand how characteristics of the individual interact with the demands and opportunities in the environment to influence motivation, health, and performance. Our research findings have led to recommendations for improving the well-being and performance of military personnel and foreign language analysts working for the US government, and have shed light on the structural and attitudinal barriers that affect individuals considering treatment for psychological problems.

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Design, Development and Creative Uses of a Combined Optical Tweezer and Fluorescent Microscope

Optical tweezers is an instrument used to apply and measure loads to single molecules, particularly in the study of the physical properties of biological molecules. The tweezers primarily consist of a laser that is focused to a diffraction-limited point at which a 0.5 – 2 um bead can be trapped and an optical microscopy light path to observe the sample. The laser can be moved by deflecting the laser beam. Based on the location of the bead in the beam, the force that the laser exerts on the bead can be determined. Students work together in interdisciplinary teams to design and implement subsystems into an optical tweezer instrument. While the function of the subsystem will be determined based on the interests of the students who participate, it could have significant optical, mechanical, and electrical components. Additionally, there are opportunities for primarily software enhancements potentially adding functionality or improving the user experience. Possible design projects include implementing time-sharing for trapping multiple beads simultaneously with one laser, enhancement of feedback control algorithms, introduction of real-time particle tracking, adding imaging modalities to the optical path (darkfield, DIC, phase contrast), etc.The final outcome, after 2 (or more) semesters, of this project will be the presentation or publishing of the results of the research, design and demonstration effort at an appropriate scientific conference or journal. This project will give students practical, hands on experience building precision scientific instruments. Successful completion, the experience gained as part of this project will be invaluable to students either planning on finding an industry job or entering a graduate program in science or engineering.

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Exploring Nutrient sensing in an ancient pathogen

The sugar glucose is essential to the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma brucei, the causative agent of African sleeping sickness. Heretofore, we have known very little about the regulation of a key enzyme in glucose metabolism, hexokinase (TbHK1). Recently, our group has identified a second HK (TbHK2) that regulates the first. This observation, along with our finding that products from other cellular processes can alter HK activity, suggest that HK serves as a central mediator of metabolism in the cell. Here, we propose to explore how TbHK2 regulates TbHK1, including studies aimed at understanding the impact of multimerization on enzyme activity. Further, we will consider how the enzyme is regulated by other mechanisms, including phosphorylation and inhibition by other cellular metabolites. Our long-term goal is to carefully characterize the roles of the two HKs in the biology of T. brucei, with a particular emphasis on understanding the role of these proteins in regulation of metabolism. We hypothesize that the proteins may regulate the cells’ response to environmental changes in nutrient availability that occurs as the parasites move from one host to another.

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Advanced Membrane Separations

Team members in the Advanced Membrane Separations CI group will design and perform membrane separation experiments to test hypotheses that could lead to improved processes using membranes.  The CI will span up to 3 semesters. In the first semester, students will learn about membrane technologies and basic principles of membrane design, testing and operation. In the second semester, team members will design and perform membrane performance experiments to test an initial hypothesis. In the final semester, students will build learn and use membrane characterization techniques to support the hypothesis and the performance results.

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Biochemical and genetic approaches to understanding acetate metabolism in pathogenic fungi

Cryptococcus neoformans is an invasive opportunistic pathogen of the central nervous system and the most frequent cause of fungal meningitis resulting in more than 625,000 deaths per year worldwide. Exposure to C. neoformans is common, as it is an environmental fungus found in the soil and can enter the lungs through inhalation, leading to pulmonary infection. An increased rate of infection occurs in individuals with impaired cell-mediated immunity, particularly those with AIDS and recipients of immunosuppressive therapy. Acetate has been shown to be a major fermentation product during cryptococcal infection, but the significance of this is not yet known. Little is known about what enzymes are responsible for acetate production and how it is transported. We have identified three putative acetate-producing pathways in C. neoformans. The genes encoding enzymes from these acetate-producing pathways and two putative acetate transporters have been shown to be unregulated during infection, suggesting that acetate production and transport may be a necessary and required part of the pathogenic process. The objective of this study is to use biochemical and genetics approaches to investigate the role of acetate fermentation in C. neoformans in metabolism and infection. 

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Google Education for Preservice Teachers

In support of the College of Education mission to “engage our students in high quality applied research, professional learning, and immersive experiences,” this Creative Inquiry project aims to provide a cohort of undergraduate education majors with an opportunity to participate in a unique educational experience focused on digital media in support of learning.During this experience, students will enroll in the EDHD3110 course in two consecutive semesters in order to: 1) learn fundamental and advanced concepts of Google Apps for Education; 2) lead informal learning activities developed to teach their preservice peers; 3) develop the (Google Apps) expertise necessary to provide professional development to classroom teachers; and 4) participate in research activities designed to address how preservice educators can develop a professional mindset by engaging in professional development, providing professional development, and by presenting at conferences. 

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Healthcare Logistics: Day-of-Surgery OR Improvements, Implementation Barriers, and Beyond

The CI team will be working with faculty and graduate students on two multi-institution, multi-hospital grants to study how to improve: (1) communication and coordination of patient activities on the day of surgery, and (2) traffic flow within the operating room. Work could involve any of the following:User testing our mobile application for day of surgery coordinationCreation of user testing scenariosManaging our social media presence in promoting our research to others across the U.S.Working with discrete-event and agent-based simulation models for both projectsStudying traffic patterns and flows within the operating room

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Production of Recombinant Spider Dragline Proteins for Novel Materials Development

This Creative Inquiry group is studying the mechanism by which soluble spider silk proteins are assembled into a fiber. Understanding this process may provide insights that lead to the development of new biologically-inspired materials.

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PackExpo

Students in this CI course will prepare an agenda and attend a trade show. An exhibit booth will be designed, built, and setup at the exposition venue. Each student will participate in managing an exhibit , collect data across a specific subject matter at the trade show, construct a professional trip report, and produce a <10 minute lecture on trade show findings.

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Clemson ASCE Steel Bridge Team

Team designs, fabricates and competes in a regional steel bridge competition at the Carolinas Conference with the goal to attend the National Student steel Bridge Competition.

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Product Innovation

In this project, micro teams of undergraduates will work on multiple design/build/test projects to create new, innovative products. The project will likely result in invention disclosures and patents.  This project is housed in a dedicated prototyping and testing lab that is supported by a local consumer product design group. Students should expect to get their hands dirty.

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International Design Projects with Engineers without Borders (EWB) in Uganda, Africa

The Engineers Without Borders (EWB) project in The Gambia, Africa offers students the opportunity to solve engineering problems for a community in need. This project is particularly focused on 1) irrigation 2) sustainable farming practices 3) fishery development 4) landfill development 5) community health. It offers students a unique chance to apply their engineering knowledge to real world problems.

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Projects for Sustainable Development in Recovering and Developing Communities

The goal of this CI project is to develop sustainable designs for ecological restoration. The students will focus on the ecosystem of the Louisiana Gulf Coast and the South Carolina coast, and designs for oyster reef restoration.  A work trip to travel to coastal SC to help with oyster reef construction using structures constructed by CI team members to attract oyster shell attachment is planned.

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Physical Activity Promotion and Research

The purpose of this project is to 1) engage Clemson University students in the implementation and evaluation of an ongoing afterschool  program that promotes physical activity, nutrition, healthy lifestyles and positive youth development among young children from a predominantly Hispanic community; and 2) develop pilot study projects evaluating the afterschool program using resources from the Department of Public Health Sciences Instruction and Research Lab. This Creative Inquiry project will allow students to participate in a tested, theory-based physical activity and nutrition intervention and design and implement a physiology-based physical activity assessment. Both parts of this class involve knowledge and skill development in programmatic implementation, evaluation and research.

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Finding Your Voice (Spring 2018 camp)

This Creative Inquiry group will be responsible for planning and evaluating an all-girls weekend camp at the Clemson University Outdoor Lab. The purpose of the camp is to introduce 11 and 12 year old girls to nontraditional physical activities as well as to offer educational sessions on topics such as self-esteem, body image, and college life. 

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ClemsonLIFE: Nutrition and Healthy Cooking

ClemsonLIFE Postsecondary program currently has 15 students with disabilities on the Clemson campus. The ClemsonLIFE Nutrition and Healthy Eating Creative Inquiry group will assist the program by providing instruction, support, and accountability in the areas of Nutrition and Healthy Eating. People with disabilities typically have a high occurrence of obesity and diabetes due to a sedentary lifestyle and poor food choices. This group will help the students explore healthy eating and cooking options along with educating them on nutrition principles to support them in achieving their ultimate goal of successful independent living.

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The Clemson Concrete Canoe Team (3CT)

3CT is a student lead team (under the direction of a faculty advisor) that designs, builds, markets, and races a concrete canoe each year. This is a year long project where the students learn and apply classroom knowledge and concepts to a real-world project. This knowledge includes: Project management (organization, scheduling, finances, etc.); concrete mix design and materials; structural analysis and design; naval architecture; public relations; product performance and evaluation; sustainability;, mentoring and education; communication skills (oral and written) .

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Product Development in Solidworks

Want to build a new product for the market? Learn how to design in 3D to go to rapid prototyping and prep for market launch?If so, this is the CI for you! Learn Solidworks and go through a series of lectures and a collaborative forum to develop a new product of your choice! Prep all the files to run a 3D prototype! Have fun, experience a practical application of course content, and develop that thing you have always wanted!

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Global Research Challenge

The Global Research Challenge is a competition overseen by the CFA Institute. At Local competitions, student teams are introduced to a publicly traded company and have to prepare an "Initiation of Coverage" report similar to what Wall Street financial analysts produce. Students have to research the firm, its industry, competitors, market conditions and use several different techniques to value the firm. In addition to a written report, the team will also deliver an oral presentation to a panel of judges made up of investment professionals and fund managers. The winner of the Local competition (SC, GA and AL) moves on the Regional competition and the Regional winner goes to the Global finals. For 2018-19, the Americas Regional competition will be in New York City as will be the Global Finals. The CFA Institute covers all transportation and lodging costs at all levels.

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Certified Financial Analyst Seminar

The Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation is one of the most prestigious certifications in Finance and is recognized globally. This seminar is intended for students that will sit for the Level I exam in June. The readings are allocated among the students who prepare outlines and deliver presentations to the rest of the group so that all will be better prepared to take the exam. Students also take practice tests to get a better feel for which topical areas may require more study.

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Experimental Cardiovascular System

In this project students will design and prototype a benchtop flow system which mimics realistic human cardiovascular physiology and anatomy. Such a system can be used for direct medical device testing and clinical training. The current phase of the project is designing a pressure-generating device for producing realistic blood pressure waveforms in an experimental system.

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Service Learning Mission Trip to Tanzania: Exploring The Needs of Children and Village Life

Students from majors across campus have been meeting regularly (Jan 2012 - Present)to learn about and understand cultural, social, recreation, Health, water and building issues in Tanzania, Africa. With the recent MOU with several agencies and a University in Tanzania, we now want to continue with our research and development of a project plan culminating in a trip to Tanzania (May 2019). This trip will involve working with the local population of educators and various orphanages to improve understanding and to provide volunteer services. Upon returning to the US, students will continue to work with the local contacts in hopes of being able to bring some of the participants here to the US to work, study and research our health, recreation and social issues (Jan 2019). Finally, As our many trips to Tanzania have lead to the building of an orphanage, and the beginning of a cultural heritage center, we are continuing to work with both agencies to grow their programs and work on marketing, needs assessment and customer service. Examples of activities that have come out of this CI have been: over $20,000 in donations or supplies, clean water initiatives, teaching of English and Structural Engineering at schools, donations of chickens to help pay school fees, using recreation as a tool for communication and understanding in the slums, deep discussions about race differences in the US and Tanzania ..and many many more. Ideally, students bring their strengths to the group and we figure out ways to put those skills to their best use in Tanzania. The trip then ends with a 3 day safari through Serengeti National Park to see Elephant, Lion, Zebra etc.

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Genetics and Autism

Autism project: We are working on Creatine Deficiency Syndrome - an X-linked intellectual disability and Autism spectrum disorder.  Zebrafish are being used to model CDS, a neurological disorder caused by a mutation in the SLC6A8 gene that results in abnormal energy metabolism in the brain. 

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Applications of Geographic and Soil Information Systems

Students work on soil inventory of private lands to create soil management plans using Web Soil Survey, GIS, Clemson Agricultural Service Laboratory analysis, and statistical software. Individual projects are developed by the students and faculty interaction and are not completed in group settings. Anticipated student learning outcomes include the ability to use cutting edge spatial research tools, including Web Soil Survey, GIS and statistical software, as well as the ability to synthesize information to develop soil management recommendations. Electronic posters, typically presented at the Clemson Creative Inquiry forum (as well as at the national meetings) are used as artifacts for ePortfolio. Students are encouraged to sign up for 3 credits in the Spring of 2014.

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Tackling Social Issues: Advanced Multidisciplinary Undergraduate Research in Applied Ethics And Ethical Debate

This research project involves examining various issues in applied ethics from a multidisciplinary perspective. The project will begin with a study of fundamental philosophical concepts that are commonly used in examining such issues. Following this will be a consideration of topics which may include the definition of death, genetically modified foods, automobile engineering ethics, and biometrics and privacy. The examination of these issues will incorporate relevant information drawn from areas such as biology, law, medicine, and psychology. The project will be student-centered and largely discussion-based: the bulk of the latter part of the course will be composed of presentations and related discussions and debates designed by the students. Students in the project must commit for a minimum of two semesters and will register for sections of PHIL 4920 to receive credit. There are two teams and they will be working on different aspects of the project. One group will be focusing on constructing and presenting arguments that address critical ethical issues (making the case for a position respecting an issue that must be presented and defended) the other will be focusing on critical responses to those arguments assuming an adversarial posture in both oral and written exchanges on the issue(s).

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German-English Translations�Strategies, Techniques, and Technologies

This CI projects introduces students to translating documents from English to German and vice versa. Students will draft translations and discuss them in facilitated, German conversation; teams peer-review and improve translations; and various approaches and techniques for translating documents will be tested. Possible research questions include cost and speed of external translation services, current industry need, in-house versus outsourcing of translation services, size of translation teams, investigation of translation tools, and the effectiveness and feasibility of technology in German translation.

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Cultural Dimensions of GHS Academic Health Center

GHS has invited us to co-investigate the student culture of their Academic Health Center during spring semester 2019. Students will have an incredible opportunity to conduct ethnographic interviews and observations with students from several programs at GHS, analyze the resulting qualitative data, and contribute to a publishable report for Academic Medicine. (Note: the IRB number is from GHS IRB).

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Ion Beam Physics

The students apart of this CI team will be involved in the development and running of experiments in ion beam physics. These range from radiation studies related to common electrical engineering device platforms (diodes, capacitors, transistors) to surface and bulk studies of material response to impacting and implanted ions. Training will lead to hands-on experience with vacuum technology, high voltage electronics, particle detectors, and computer interfacing.

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Ice Cream Innovation

This CI project involves 1. Development of innovative frozen desserts and applications, 2. Manage an Ice Cream Innovation laboratory that engages the student community, 3. Compete in Collegiate Dairy Products Evaluation competition against peer institutions

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Human Factors Safety Research

Evaluation of hazard detection

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Sexuality Education

It is not known how many of the nation's colleges and universities offer sexuality education courses.  The CI team will examine all Level II-VI colleges and universities listed by the nation's six accrediting agencies.  For those colleges that do offer a course, a record of the department offering the course as well as a course description will be saved.  The work done by students will be entirely on-line.

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Host-Microbe Interactions in the Gastrointestinal Tract

This research project will focus on various aspects of interactions between the normal (non-pathogenic) bacterial members of the human gastrointestinal tract and their human hosts. Initial work is focused on two projects: 1) understanding the involvement of Lactobacillus reuteri, a commonly marketed probiotic, in the recycling of bile acids in the small intestine and 2) investigating the possible involvement of Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron in the development and/or exacerbation of diabetes and obesity. This project uses a variety of biological and chemical techniques.

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Microbes All Around Us

Microbes are all around us. They are in the air we breathe, the water we drink, the soil we walk on, the food we eat; they are even in and on us. Although this fact is generally acknowledged, we don’t always have a great appreciation for the types of microbes found on various surfaces, nor do we always have a sufficient understanding of how the microbes ended up on the surface, how long they are able to remain on the surface, or their impact in that particular environment. This Creative Inquiry project will focus on investigating a variety of microbial environments to try to answer some of these questions. We will use hypotheses generated by the student investigators’ natural curiosity or recent news stories as the driving force behind our experiments. This CI has investigated topics such as microbial contamination of lab coats during General Microbiology teaching labs and the potential for magazines in physician's waiting rooms to serve as sources of infection.  We have also investigated the antimicrobial activity of various novel compounds with collaborators in the Department of Chemistry.  During the 2018-2019 academic year, this CI will continue our antimicrobial testing of various compounds, and we will also continue the identification and investigation of and control measures for over 50 microbial isolates from industrial contamination.  

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Bacterial Biotechnology: Microbial Sensors & Enzyme Engineering

Our mantra is “Inspired, but not limited by biology”. Microbial biosynthesis of chemicals and fuels offers a renewable way to create the molecules our society needs in a sustainable manner. The major barriers to more broad adoption of biochemicals in the chemical process industry are starting to be overcome by advances in biotechnology and engineering. Taking advantage of natural biodiversity, and engineering new biological components will enable an expanded set of biochemical reactions to be better controlled and therefore more efficiently produced. Team members in the Bacterial Biotechnology: Microbial Sensors & Enzyme Engineering Creative Inquiry will actively engage in using and creating better biosensors - both enzyme-based and microbial biosensors. CI students work with Dr. Blenner, graduate student mentors, and fellow CI team members in a highly active interdisciplinary research environment. Students learn how to identify a problem, design and conduct experiments using state-of-art laboratory equipment, analyze data, and communicate findings. The projects available in this Creative Inquiry involve: 1. Engineering enzymes for operability across a wide range of temperatures.2. Understanding the interaction of enzymes immobilized to polymer surfaces.3. Developing microorganisms as biosensors of radiological weapons development.To learn more about the projects available through this Creative Inquiry, or summer research opportunities, please contact Dr. Mark Blenner (blenner@clemson.edu) to schedule an appointment. Open to students in: Chemical Engineering, Biomolecular Engineering, Biosystems Engineering, Bioengineering, Microbiology, Biochemistry, Chemistry, others. http://www.clemson.edu/ces/proteinengineering

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Engineering Biopharmaceutical Production from Mammalian Cell Culture

Over 70% of all biopharmaceuticals are made with Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cells. Cell lines that are stable, productive, and produce consistent quality products require significant time and investments. This CI aims to develops tools and technologies to better understand the molecular basis for cell line stability and alterations in product quality. This work is done in close partnership with a consortium of industrial mentors from the biopharma industry. 

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Butterfly proboscis structure and engineering inspiration

Proboscis structure.  The CI team will use traditional histological activities, optical microscopy (possibly including confocal and multi-photon), and engineering analyses not traditionally applied in biology to elucidate some of the poorly understood important functions of the butterfly proboscis. During its adult life, the butterfly coils and uncoils the proboscis without noticeable deformities or loss of flexibility, unlike metal springs. The proboscis is a complex biological structure of rigid and flexible components, hydrophilic and hydrophobic components, and control structures. There also are questions about how the curvature, shape, and size relate to the function of the proboscis. For example, is the cross-sectional shape of a proboscis mechanically critical to function? Some investigators have hypothesized that the shape acts like a snap spring to stabilize the coiled or straightened position. Initially the emphasis will be on the butterfly. The CI team will then work in pairs to apply the microscopic methods to other proboscis insects (e.g. house fly) to compare the structures and engineering principles shared by fluid feeding insects. Image analysis will enable engineering analyses and modeling of function. Once techniques for studying adult specimens have been developed we will attempt to analyze pupal development of the structures and some of the specific components important to fluid feeding. 

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A non viral episomal vector system for induced pluripotent stem cell (IPS) production

A non viral episomal vector system for induced pluripotent stem cell (IPS) production Embryonic stem cells hold great promise for the cures of a variety of human diseases, such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's etc.. However, ES cell research has been hampered due to the ethical concerns of the use of human embryos. Recently, scientists have developed a novel way to convert somatic cells into ES-like cells through forced expression of four transcription factors key to the ES cell pluripotency maintenance. These cells are called induced pluripotent stem cells (IPS). The initial method used for IPS induction is based on retrovirus due to its high transfection efficiency. However, the potential dangers of retrovirus induced insertional mutagenesis and transformation pose great concerns for the applications of theses IPS cells in human. Therefore a great deal of research efforts have been put in the search of alternative delivery systems to create safer IPS cells, such as protein, mRNA, plasmid, and non integrating viral system. My laboratory has working with a non viral episomal vector based on the sequence of mammalian scaffold/matrix attachment region (S/mar), which are sequences in the DNA of eukaryotic chromosomes where the nuclear matrix attaches. S/mar sequences function as architectural DNA components that organize the genome of eukaryotes into functional units within the cell nucleus. Plasmids incorporated with S/mar sequence can be maintained as replicative episomal units within mammalian nuclei. We plan to clone the four transcription factors into this vector for IPS induction. This episomal vector system will not only reduce or eliminate the potentials of insertional mutagenesis, but also solve the problems of gradual loss from transfected cells encountered by regular plasmids due to the episomal replicative capacity of this plasmid.

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Geologic Properties

This group explores and analyzes the relationship between surficial processes and subsurface conditions.

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Creative Inquiry in Graphic Communications with Variable Data

This project provides the students an opportunity to develop research projects dealing with current technology in the print and marketing arena where they compare and measure the success campaign or technology options related to variable data and interfacing data base analytics.

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Landscape Ecology and Conservation in the Appalachians

Students in this CI Project explore the influence of human land use on biodiversity. Specifically, they focus on amphibian response to a range of land uses, including urbanization and forest management. Students gain experience in experimental design, data collection and analysis, and project interpretation and communication.

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Multicultural Competencies in Peer Dialogue Facilitation: Building Capacity and Efficacy

Peer Dialogue Facilitators [PDFs] are a team of undergraduate students whose primary role is to enhance campus climate through programs which improve understanding, tolerance and communication among students at Clemson University. PDFs facilitate dialogue for the Clemson student body in an effort to develop essential communication and leadership skills, which are critical for living and working in diverse and inclusive communities. Peer Dialogue Facilitator's foster mutual understanding, compassion, awareness, and meaningful relationships among students from different social identities.

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ENGAGE Dominica 4: Transportation Infrastructure

After Tropical Storm Erika made landfall in August of 2015, the transportation infrastructure of Dominica was devastated. Prime Minister Skerrit stated that the storm set Dominica’s development progress back more than 20 years, leaving hundreds of homes destroyed with over half of the roads and bridges partially or completely damaged. Following Erika, Dominica’s government has placed a major focus on documentation and preparation for future natural disasters.The goal of the transportation infrastructure team is to research and gather a complete understanding of issues with the transportation network in Dominica to improve safety and security for its citizens.

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"Gangsterism" as a Film Genre: The Italian Experience

From the street hustler to the corporate embezzler, Hollywood has long been fascinated with crime of all types. Irrespective of ethnicity, the greatest interest has been reserved for criminal gangs and organized crime syndicates. Even those productions marked by poor direction, casting, or cinematography have proven all but irresistible to the American public. In contrast to other genres of American cinema (e.g. Westerns, historical epics, etc.), gangsterism as a cinematic concept has remained timely in the face of cultural, economic, and historical upheavals. While the notion of good versus evil has continued to be a bankable thematic foundation, contemporary audiences continue to demonstrate a preference for the presentation of the same in a colorful urban environment. While such requisites are necessarily found in the contextual landscape in which criminal syndicates flourish, depictions of both individual actors and organizations are not necessarily consistent with reality. As such, it is necessary to evaluate the development of gangsterism as a cinematic genre in both an empirical and historical context. The 2018-2019 Creative Inquiry will explore the American mafia genre specifically. Students enrolled in the Creative Inquiry will spend the Fall and Spring semesters of AY 2018-2019 evaluating films on the American mafia. Regularly scheduled group discussions will be held on the films to ascertain level of student participation, development of theoretical framework, and subsequent areas of focus. Particular attention will be given to the role of women, corruption of authority, community involvement, good vs. evil, role conflict, and duality of role, During the Spring Semester of the same year, students will compare and contrast depictions of the various criminal syndicates, assessing accuracy and identifying stereotypes. Students will present the findings of their inquiry in the form of brief reading summaries and a final paper. In the Summer of 2019, qualifying students will visit New York City. At this time, they will interact with various law enforcement agencies and visit geographical locales with significant importance to the applicable topics. At the conclusion of the visit, students will submit a term paper and poster which summarizes their experience and examines contradictions.

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Biochromic Sensors for Food Safety Applications

Polydiacetylenes (PDA) are polymers which when exposed to environmental stress, such as heat, solvent, mechanical impact, etc., change color from dark blue to bright red. In this project PDAs will be modified so that they respond to the presence of food pathogens (or to their metabolites), such as E. Coli, Salmonella, or Listeria. These sensors will be developed as swabs, wipes, aerosols, and gels for use in processing plants and to test storage and shipping containers.

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Popular Science Journalism

Students will survey the primary science literature and produce articles on timely topics in research for the Tigra Scientifica column in The Tiger. Students will also assemble the articles into a magazine with the same name.

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Medical Textiles

This project is aimed at developing new smart materials for biomedical applications: with antibacterial and/or anti-inflammatory properties for tissue regeneration and healthcare products. The use of textile materials for medical and healthcare products ranges from simple gauze or bandage materials to scaffolds for tissue culturing and a large variety of prostheses for permanent body implants.  

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Designing Medical Technology for the Developing World

Developing countries face healthcare challenges every day, whether it is lack of supplies or a shortage of healthcare professionals. Medical devices and equipment that are considered standard in hospitals in the United States can be hard to find and very expensive in developing countries, such as Tanzania. Tanzania has recently made significant advances with the quality of their healthcare; however, the infant mortality rate is still ten times greater than that of the United States. This is due to the lack of technology available and untrained healthcare professionals to use these medical devices. The goal of this Creative Inquiry team is to design and develop medical instrumentation and monitors that are robust, user-friendly, and low-cost for developing countries. The students on this team will be expected to work on electronics and instrument design. The first project will focus on developing a neonatal temperature sensing and control system for the prevention of hyperthermia in premature babies for Tanzanian health centers. The next projects will focus on development and design of cheap pulse oximeter and electrocardiography systems to monitor the blood oxygen levels and heart rates in these babies. These types of projects not only have the ability to improve the lives of young infants and families, but they can also impact the medical field in developing nations worldwide. Applications for the team are typically due at the end of the semester. Please see the department of Bioengineering website for details: http://www.clemson.edu/ces/bioe/creative-inquiry.html

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Digital History and Introduction to Cyberinfrastructure in Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences

This project will appeal to students with an interest in the Civil War and Southern History who want to explore how digital technologies can help historians uncover dimensions of the past. Students will cull primary source materials for relevant characteristics of Confederate soldiers that will be integrated with an existing demographic database that includes socioeconomic data on the same soldiers. Students will use a relational database to study how the experiences of soldiers during the war affected the well-being of themselves (and their families) in the fifteen years following the war. The effect of the war on the families of soldiers will be compared to the experiences of families that did not have a male member who served in the army.  We use this  database to analyze who actually fought from a South Carolina county in the civil war and what their experiences were.  In other words, what difference did it make if you served in the Confederate army, were wounded, were imprisoned, etc. to your life.The creative partnership between computer science, the humanities, and the social sciences—the core of what we now call “humanities technology”—is the cornerstone of the digital revolution. Knowledge is useless without meaning, and meaning is the essence of the humanities and social sciences. This CI project introduces students to advanced applications computing, primarily Digital History, but also to other Digital Humanities, Arts and Social Science techniques. Students are encouraged to develop their own projects, but the class together works on Southern Identity and our changing understanding of the Civil War, using newspapers, the HathiTrust (largest collection of digitized documents, as well as the Social Medial Listening Center. Several students are also interested in tracing the “DNA” of the writings of Abraham Lincoln, that is who he read and influenced Lincoln, and who read and was influenced by Lincoln. Skills and knowledge acquired will be an advantage for graduates to be marketable in today’s workforce and enhance student’s applications for advanced study and graduate school. Students can work on a digital history project of their own choosing and creation with approval from instructor, or they can work as a group on various projects.  The standard project is the Civil War Database, but we have other opportunities, including text mining and datelining the oral histories conducted in the Veterans Project Creative Inquiry class,  Students might also be interested in a social science approach to the Social Media Lab mining of issues about medicine, in this case, dermatological issues,   In this project they would work with medical students in analyzing social media as well as developing and analyzing an on-lin diary survey.  There will be about 4 meetings together to discuss one book on digital history and several articles,  Most of the time and grade is determined by the actual digital history project. 

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Campus Suicide Prevention

This project will involve students in prevention and research activities associated with Clemson's Tigers Together to Stop Suicide initiative. Student research activities will include program evaluation, designing studies related to suicide and mental health, conducting literature reviews, data collection and analysis, creating written products from scientific and research findings, and presenting findings at conferences, meetings, and publications. Programmatic activities will include generating student organization involvement, providing educational seminars on suicide prevention to students, developing website content, recruiting students for a crisis hotline, implementing social marketing, organizing speakers panels, hosting the Out of the Darkness Walk, implementing activities for National Suicide Prevention Month, co-facilitating advocacy trainings for the campus community, and campaigns related to suicide prevention.  

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Aspire: Developing Peer Delivered Initiatives to Foster the Promotion of a Healthy Campus

Students will collaborate on the development, implementation and evaluation of peer-delivered prevention and wellness focused programs for first-year students. Students will research multiple aspects of health and well-being as they relate to the college population. Possible focus areas for CI participants include: alcohol and other drug abuse prevention, addiction, alcohol and drug interactions, mental health and suicide prevention, interpersonal violence prevention, bystander intervention, and nutrition. Students may make videos, interview campus and community members, tour campus facilities, create new online content, and promote wellness through social media.

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Multi-disciplinary Exploration of Materials Friction, Lubrication and Wear

Industry, academic and national laboratories are all interested in understanding how to control the friction between sliding surfaces. Work has shown that materials selection (surface materials and lubricant), surface topography (micro patterning), system parameters (velocity and force), etc. can all influence the coefficient of friction for a system. Since all these factors play a role (and their roles are not always completely understood), the direct measurement of the coefficient of friction and surface wear is often desired. Students in this group will look at surface deformation mechanisms, sliding contact and common test techniques used in this field. You will all contribute to this field by working on a research project in pairs. Don’t worry, we will help you select a partner and project. Focus for 2014- Tribocorrosion is understanding the synergistic effect between the friction between sliding surfaces (wear) and an electrochemical response resulting into material deterioration (corrosion). There has been a push to determine if one aspect dominates the other or if wear and corrosion equally contributes in the deterioration of the tribo-system (which are unique based on materials, loads, environment, velocity, etc.). Initially, wear tests and corrosion tests for each tribo-system are needed to be performed independently to determine the coefficient of friction, wear rate, and critical corrosion density of the system. Once the system is understood independently, the students in this group can follow ASTM standard G119-09 to determine the tribocorrosional aspects of the tribo-system.

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Computational Design Group

The Clemson School of Architecture Computational Design Group engages in a critical exploration of emergent technologies and material science in architectural design. The aim of this group is to house several, more specific, research agendas concerning applications of computing methods in architecture under one, more general, classification of ‘computational design’.

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TAGA Journal

Students will design, edit and produce a technical journal showcasing student research in Graphic Communications and compete with schools internationally for recognition for the quality of their work. Students will utilize state-of-the-art technologies for the printing industry to produce their project, and travel to the international Technical Association for the Graphic Arts (TAGA) conference for the competition and to meet and learn from top researchers in the Graphic Communications industry.

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Creative Inquiry in Marketing: Advertising Campaign Development and Execution

A Creative Inquiry in Marketing (offered as MKT 3980 - 001) is an annual two-semester project in which students form as a simulated advertising agency. In the project, students must research and develop fully integrated marketing communication campaign proposals for actual national sponsors. Competitions for the current CI team will include proposals for a national sponsor of the American Advertising Federations' National Student Advertsing Competition and potential other competitions yet to be announced. Students will conduct secondary and primary research as they prepare a campaign that incorporates their findings across multiple platforms. They will consider the industry, competitors, the product categories, and the brand. More information will be provided when the case is announced and presented by the AAF. Their strategic efforts will likely incorporate social media, targeted advertising, and sales promotions. They will be required to use media planning across a designated budget.The team effort culminates their CI work in the second semester by competing against teams from other Universities in regional AAF competitions, with winners competing on a national level. This project requires weekly meetings to plan, execute, and present the final submission. This competition is part of the American Advertising Federation's National Student Advertising Competition (see under Education at www.aaf.org). Students participate in this Creative Inquiry project as part of the American Advertising Federation's annual National Student Advertsing Competition. For details, see under Education at the website: www.aaf.org.

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Exploration into Soft Tissue Sports Injuries: Diagnosis and Prevention

The goal of our project is to understand the forces and stresses incurred at the elbow during baseball pitching and eventually develop new tools to assess ligament and tendon issues for baseball players. We completed a small pilot study to investigate the forces and stresses incurred to the elbow during a baseball pitch. However, we were left with questions about maximum stress capacity before failure of the ligament, and if there were identifiable indicators of impending failure. This semester, our CI aims to investigate the microstructure of ligaments and tendons, as well as their ability to withstand mechanical stresses. We will then apply our findings to a sports medicine setting to look for early warning signs of ligament failure, to prevent injury. This research is still in the initial phase of research. We are looking at the biomechanical properties of porcine tissues obtained from the a local abatoire. Following this, we will be submitting an IRB protocol to use Ultrasound technology to take images of the joints of Clemson athletes, as well as Clemson students. We plan to compare the density the density data we found in ligaments with and without microtearing. 

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The Ben Robertson Society

Students will work with mentors to develop a Ben Robertson Society that will help spearhead research and publicity about this international World War II correspondent who was an alumni of Clemson and the writer of the southern classic Red Hills and Cotton: An Upcountry Memory (1942). Projects and activities will include developing a digital online museum about Ben Robertson as well as curricular and instructional materials. Other opportunities include assisting with an academic biography on Ben Robertson, re-issue-ing his Travelers' Rest and I Saw England, spearheading an annual consciousness-raising campaign via a SWING dance event that features Clemson's Jungaleers, a group that Ben Robertson founded in 1920, contributing to a traveling trunk museum related to the Battle of Britain, and offering assistance for the statewide South Carolinians for the Common Good Multimedia History Project that helps sustain Robertson's legacy within South Carolina.The Fall (2017) Ben Robertson CI will focus on completing plans to reissue Ben Robertson's I Saw England, his highly regarded first-hand account of the Battle of Britain or Blitz in the Second World War.  The book first appeared in 1941, during the Battle of Britain, and is considered one of the best accounts of the event.  Students will be looking at Robertson's articles for PM magazine, which became the basis of the book, and his relationship with other famous wartime correspondents like Edward R. Morrow.           

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ClemsonLIFE Mentoring Program

Through individual and group reflection, mentors will learn about students with disabilities and how to help them overcome challenges associated with integration in a campus community. The Mentoring Creative Inquiry students will be required to meet once per week with a ClemsonLIFE student. The Creative Inquiry group will assist the ClemsonLIFE program by providing hour long weekly mentoring meetings for ClemsonLIFE students to assist ClemsonLIFE students with personal goals such as becoming a friend, providing advice, and helping the student become acclimated to college life.

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Fire ecology of southern Pines and management of invasive plants in forest ecosystems

Most graduates in the natural resource field will manage or be responsible for lands that are impacted by invasive species. This CI project offers an interactive, hands-on learning environment to teach natural resource students the common invasive plants in southern forests as well as the their impacts of forest ecology and management. Students will be engaged to think about how invasive plant species change forest ecosystem composition, structure and function, especially how invasive plant species will impact silviculture and wildlife management actions. In addition, students will also be exposed to the ethical implications associated with invasive species. This CI project will take students to several sites that have been impacted by invasive plant species. Students will investigate several impacted forest sites, select a site for management, create management plans, prescribe management treatments and monitor vegetation change.

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Synthesis and Modification of Metal and Metal Oxide Nanoparticles

Our team is developing novel synthetic routes for the production of metal and metal oxide nanoparticles for biomedical applications. Students will work on applications ranging from MRI contrast agents, drug delivery, and magnetic hyperthermia. Specifically we will be focusing on novel metal ferrites with controlled magnetic anisotropy.

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Improving Quality of Life for Those with Dementia and Their Family Caregivers

CI students will implement strategies to promote quality of life of those with dementia and their caregivers in community-based settings.  They will also provide education to healthy older adults about strategies to improve brain fitness. Students will become certified in Human Subjects Protection and will collect data to measure level of engagement of those with dementia in the socially and cognitively stimulating activities provided by fellow students.  Students will also assist the CI instructors in measuring changes in dementia family caregivers knowledge and attitudes regarding their care giving role.

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Student Directors of the Annual Clemson Literary Festival

Students in the project will thoroughly research, plan, organize, promote, and put on the 12th Annual Clemson Literary Festival. The events in the festival take place over a three-day period at locations on campus and in the Clemson community, with multiple readings by nationally-acclaimed authors free and open to the public. It is the only student run, student directed festival of it kind nationally. Other events include a Young Writers Workshop for area high-school students, a "Family Day" for children and young adults interested in learning more about literature, and an open mic for all who are interested in participating. The festival is sponsored by the City of Clemson and the CU English Department, among others.

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Humanitarian Aid to Support Ethnic Reconciliation

This is a unique project initiated by the students who participated in PO SC 305-010 (spring & fall 2012) and Summer Study Abroad May/June 2012 in the Balkans. It is sort of branching out from "Democracy Building in Post-Conflict Societies". Students collect aid for young students (K 1-9) in Srebrenica and deliver it in May during the Study Abroad Balkans program. Their work during academic year 2016/2017 was very successful.

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AIChE ChemE Car Team

Each year, an inter-university competition is held by the American Institute of Chemical Engineers challenging students to power a small vehicle using a chemical reaction. While Clemson University is known for its outstanding chemical engineering program, it has unfortunately not been represented in this competition in the past few years. This creative inquiry would be committed to the crafting and submission of a car into this competition in March at the regional AICHE meeting.

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Reconstructing Historic Mitchelville:Using the Basic Tools Genealogy and Oral Histories to Gain a Better Knowledge of Life in Historic Black Community

Mitchelville, SC was the first community of freed slaves. Located on Hilton Head Island and established before the end of the Civil War. This town was an “experiment” by Union Army General Ormsby M. Mitchel as a solution to the growing number of abandoned and escaped slaves resulting from won battles of Confederate territory in SC. Students are still engaged in Daufuskie Island research.  During fall break 2017 we will hopefully tour the island as well as gain some perspective from the few native islanders still living on the island.  Students will complete IRB training during September and will arrange interview times for oral histories to be conducted during Spring 2018.Students will also participate in an archeological dig at the request of Joyce Wright, director of the Mitchelville Preservation Project.  This will take place in November.

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Upstate Black Communities Then and Now: Their People and Their Places

The students researching Upstate Black Communities utilize Rose’s book to find the correlations between operations established by those who established Mitchelville and established operations of communities in Anderson, Oconee, Pickens and Greenville Counties. They will also conduct oral histories given by persons native to these communities to have recorded documentation of these disappearing communities. They will utilize the Heritage Library in Hilton Head, Ancestry.com and all forms of local, state and federal documentation to trace the migrations from these communities as well as look at how and why these communities thrived or ceased in existence.Students, at the Spring 2015 request of the curator of the Strickland Cultural Museum of Seneca, will research the Black churches of Oconee County. Students will construct a family tree; if you will, listing the lineage of each of the church’s pastors, will research the history of church that will include the founders, land purchase and activities of the churches they research. Students will utilize the Heritage Foundation Library to research the genealogy of the church founders. There will be a meeting of those interested parties of the chosen churches to record oral histories.  Research will be displayed at the Strickland Cultural Museum as well as documented in the archives of the Heritage Foundation Library as they see fit.  For Fall 2017 the student will complete IRB training.  Students will focus their research on New Harmony United Methodist Church.  During October and November oral histories will be conducted as well as the collection of personal artifacts.  Students will also trace family geneology of the congregants to see if there are connections to those churches and/or inhabitants of Mitchelville.  This will be done by the students from the other PAS Creative Inquiry sections.Students will travel to Hilton Head during fall break to participate in an archeological dig at the request of Joyce Wright, director of the Mitchelville Preservation Project as well as assist students from the other PAS CI sections in the preparations for their Spring 2018 research.

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Food Ingredient Applications

This CI team is focused on 1. Developing novel applications for traditional food ingredients, 2. Developing small scale manufacturing processes for the commercial production of ice cream inclusions, 3. Travel to food ingredient manufacturers to expand their understanding of companies that are focused on innovation of food ingredient applications.

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User Experience in Virtual Reality Games

In this project, students will work together to develop and evaluate user experience in virtual reality games. In the upcoming semesters, we will be recreating portions of Grand Theft Auto V to VR using the Unity 3D game engine and evaluating how people play the game in VR, as compared to the desktop.

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The Domestic Politics of US Treaties

In this Creative Inquiry project, we are investigating President Obama's behavior when completing international agreements and what happens to those agreements when the president submits them to the Senate as Article II treaties. Obama has completed far fewer Article II treaties than his predecessors, despite his efforts at international collaboration and multilateralism. What explains this puzzle? That will be our focus this year, as we collect original data on treaties, analyze the data and present our findings at national political science conferences.

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Camera traps in animal ecology

This project is designed to train undergraduate students to design, carryout and report on investigations into animal ecology through the use of remote camera trapping technology.  Specifically, students will utilize camera traps to collect scientific data on the location of animal species, then work with the instructor to analyze the data and report findings.  Students will be expected to be involved with the entire scientific process from building hypotheses to writing and presenting findings at professional meetings.  

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Controlled Environment Agriculture: Innovation of distributing food to urban environments and food deserts

The project will provide an atmosphere for the design and evaluation of a moderate sized controlled environment container to yield animal protein, vegetables to supplement fresh food in an urban environment.  Urban areas, also called food deserts, have limitations to fresh food and previous research has proven that, if available, people would welcome the choice of fresh food to prepare in their household. People are also reassured that the products being produced are fresh and free from harmful chemicals. Transportation is limited for these people so getting to a grocery store is somewhat restricted, so the idea of bringing a food production unit to the area is widely accepted.  Presently these portable controlled environment units are available and expensive, however economics performed usually show limited to no revenue.  The CI will investigate what is needed for the unit to produce food but on a more economical scale.  This would also benefit school systems by providing fresh food to supplement the cafeteria needs for fresh food and at the same time becomes an effective teaching tool that can be positive reinforcement for understanding science, math and economics topics in an enjoyable and dynamic atmosphere.

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Unraveling the Mystery of the Rare Rocky Shoals Spider Lily

Rocky Shoals Spider Lilies are an important part of South Carolina’s natural heritage and probably existed along most Piedmont streams prior to hydropower development of shoals and sedimentation of creeks and streams due to agricultural practices. The watershed for Stevens Creek is forested and mostly undeveloped allowing us a glimpse of what plant, fish, and even mussel populations may have looked like prior to European influence. There is a population of Rocky Shoals Spider Lilies that runs approximately 150 yards along Steven Creek on the Naturaland Trust Property.As a part of this CI, students will research and characterize the Stevens creek run where the Rocky Shoals Spider Lily occurs and at least two additional sites where historic populations existed to determine why the Rocky Shoals Spider Lily has such a robust population along this stretch of stream. Students will collect water quality data using the SC adopt a stream protocol and characterize the sites. They will additionally put out game cameras as one hypothesis is that deer herbivory is impacting Rocky Shoals Spider Lilies. Students will also work to propagate Rocky Shoals Spider Lilies in greenhouses at Clemson so that we will have a population we can attempt to introduce to other suitable stream stretches. By using the SC adopt a stream protocol, students will be adding to a database of stream health for the state and they will be able to compare Stevens Creek to other SC streams to determine what is different about Stevens creek that allows the Rocky Shoals Spider Lily to persist.

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Carbon-Based Materials for "Fast-Discharging" Supercapacitors

Team members in the Carbon-Based Materials for "Fast-Discharging" Supercapacitors research topic learn how to research and evaluate carbon based materials and polymers for electrical energy storage devices. CI students work with Dr. Roberts, graduate student mentors and fellow CI team members in a multi-level, interdisciplinary research environment. Students perform literature searches, collect information to design experiments, and conduct measurements on state-of-the-art laboratory equipment. Through a series of directed tasks and activities, students learn how to properly formulate and evaluate hypotheses and efficiently conduct research on polymeric materials. Projects in this research topic include 1) integrating renewable, redox-active biopolymers with nanostructure carbon materials or electrically conducting polymers, 2) enhancing ion-transport properties in polymer electrodes using polyelectrolytes, 3) evaluating the effects of molecular structure and processing conditions on the material performance in electrode films. Undergraduate researchers are engaged in a multi-level educational environment where they learn how to become effective researchers and research mentors. Team members are mentored by the faculty advisor and more experienced researchers and are also required to mentor entry level students.

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South Carolina Natural History Schools Outreach Project

The Carolina Natural History Schools Outreach Project seeks ways to incorporate hands-on inquiry-based natural history field studies into K-12 classrooms. Each semester, we partner with various master teachers and schools to help train K-12 students in the use of technology and techniques to successfully gather and interpret field data as they investigate the natural world, both in protected park settings and in their local communities.

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Experiencing Woody Plant Genomics and Biotechnology

Forest trees are an essential component of our ecosystem, providing habitat and food for wildlife, stabilization of riparian zones, long-term carbon sequestration and other essential ecosystem services, as well as wood products for human use. In addition to use in lumber and pulp and paper, forests are a potential resource of biomass for sustainable energy production. In 2005, forestry and forest products contributed over $400 billion to the US Gross Domestic Product (GDP), a value exceeding the combined US farm income. However, many factors are threatening the sustainability of our forests, such as the increasing numbers of accidentally introduced exotic pests, diseases, and invasive plants, increasing climate instability, and forest fragmentation. This has created a dire need for forest management tools, including detailed genetic and genomic information, as well as an educated workforce. Unfortunately, interests in working with forest trees are generally low when compared to other systems. Thus, it is essential to educate and excite students about the ecological and economic importance of forest trees and the cutting-edge research. The goals of this Creative Inquiry project are to expose students to the genomics tools and biotechnology that can be used to improve biomass and fitness of trees and stimulate their interest in and appreciation for trees. 

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Soil Judging Project - Hands-On Experience in Soil Science

Soil Judging is a field-oriented project designed to master the techniques used to interpret soil and landscape characteristics with the application to real-life issues in the United States and abroad. It provides hands-on experience in soil morphology and classification. Students have a choice to participate in the Southeastern Regional Soils Contest held each fall at a university within the region which includes the following states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia. Contest consists of an individual and team competition where participant(s) must describe, classify and interpret the soil characteristics and their suitability for agricultural use, urban development and subsurface water treatment. If the team places in the top five positions, it is qualified to compete in the national contest held in the spring. In the Fall 2013 and Spring 2014 students will participate in the project "Adaptation and interpretation of Soil Judging in China."

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Development of Course Material for AGM Undergraduate Curriculum

Students will design, develop, construct, and test technologies to be used in AGM Undergraduate courses. These activities and materials have been partially developed in prior semesters and need improvements made. The course material will not only allow an opportunity for the students working on the project to get experience in the design process, but also add additional visual aids and teaching tools to the current AGM courses. Using AGM 473 this will be an continuing project, which will allow upper classmen to interact with the underclassmen to improve the teaching tools.

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Exploring Peptoid Proteins: Making and Structurally Characterizing Peptidomimetic Structures

Natural peptides and proteins are critically important in biology and medicine as well as increasingly in biotechnology and the chemical industry. Chemical structures mimicking the properties of natural peptides and proteins have been developed over the past two decades, with enormous potential for transformative impact in many fields. One handicap of these peptide-mimetic systems, however, is the lack of a broad scope of knowledge comparable to that available for natural proteins and peptides. Databases such as the Protein Data Bank contain structures for ~100,000 natural proteins, collected over the past ~50 years. These rich data sources enable whole fields of research, such as bioinformatics and protein engineering, that rely on having abundant data. Design of peptide mimics and hybrid peptide-peptidomimetic systems, therefore, relies on rational planning and design. This project involves both a structural component--synthesizing peptoids and peptoid-peptide mimics to study their structures and test predictions for novel secondary structures; as well as biomedical component--using the proven strategy of replacing proline residues in peptides with peptoid residues, as well as incorporating other peptidomimetic residues.

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Comparative Vertebrate Musculoskeletal Biomechanics

Research in my lab examines the patterns and processes of functional evolution in vertebrates. To understand the factors that have contributed to evolutionary transitions in function, we test the functional consequences of variation in biological design, primarily through experimental studies of vertebrate musculoskeletal biomechanics. We have extended these studies to include selection experiments on functional performance, allowing us to evaluate the impact of functional tradeoffs on structural diversification. Our three primary study systems have been examinations of (1) the load bearing capacity of vertebrate limb bones (and fish fins) during terrestrial and aquatic locomotion; (2) the functional performance of waterfall climbing gobiid fishes in a variety of behaviors, including climbing, predator escape, and feeding; and (3) the effects of differences in body structure on the swimming performance of turtles. These systems have allowed a diverse range of comparative studies that have provided insight into broader issues in the diversity and evolution of vertebrate functional design.

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Integrating Children's Literature and Classroom Learning

The purpose of this CI project is to investigate current children's literature (grades 2-6) and approaches for integrating trade books in the elementary school classroom curriculum. Participants read 5-6 titles and develop teaching suggestions for using the books in classrooms.

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Future Engineers and Scientists

To deploy an undergraduate/graduate mentored after-school program to excite elementary school students and recreation camp participants about STEM disciplines through hands-on project experiences. This program has been operating at Clemson Elementary School since Fall 2008 serving 4th and 5th grade students. Our objective is to extend this program to other schools, especially rural and predominantly minority schools through the recruitment and training of undergraduate/graduate teams that will work directly with the schools in six-week modules during after school club or in-service programs according to mutual agreement with the school. Moreover, we seek to collect empirical data on the impact that this program has on the longitudinal academic career paths of the elementary students as well as the professional career paths of the undergraduate and graduate students involved. Finally, we wish to involve Education students and help promote and develop new hands on modules for K-12 classrooms and PRTM students to expand our work in camp settings that are in increasing demand.

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CI Tiger Conservation

We will continue to maintain two CI teams working on tiger conservation projects in collaboration with the Clemson University Tigers for Tigers Club, and the National Tigers for Tigers Coalition which was formed here by an earlier CI class. Tiger Conservation CI (WFB 4700-045) will conduct the annual campus-wide competition on tiger conservation, inviting students to create written, art or video entries that focus on poaching of tigers in the wild, private ownership of tigers in the US and/or tiger farming in China.  This year we have added a group competition for student organizations, for more substantial contributions. Students will promote this competition, solicit and judge entries, and award prizes to the best in each category at an awards ceremony at the end of the semester.Tiger Awareness CI (WFB 4700-046) will plan and host the National Tigers for Tigers Summit again this spring, bringing together students from many schools and tiger experts to plan and coordinate efforts.  We will also begin plans for an international summit, in coordination with organizations in India and Bangladesh. 

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Reading and Reviewing Children's and Young Adult Literature

The purpose of this CI project is to write book reviews that will be included in a children's literature review column. The column will be published annually in Reading Matters, the journal of the South Carolina International Reading Association (SCIRA). Students will read 6-8 titles and then choose their favorites to review.

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Democracy Building in Post-Conflict Societies: The Cases of Serbia, Kosovo, BiH, Montenegro and Croatia

This Creative Inquiry project is organized in spring as PO SC 3050-010 for students registered for Summer Study Abroad in May/June 2019 [Balkans trip]. Students are engaged in research of the history and causes of the conflicts in former Yugoslavia working in 5 teams, one for each country to be visited in May/June. They present their findings and draft research papers which are then finished during Summer Study Abroad using primary sources.

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Aquaponics: Maximizing use of a biological system for unique production of an aquatic and plant based crop

             The effort for this creative inquiry is to motivate students involved in aquatic (fish, shrimp) production in recirculating systems and to expand the unit for establishment of a dual or polyculture unit. Traditional aquaculture systems have bio filtration units to reduce nutrient loading and clean the water efficiently for reuse in the system. However, because of high land, water and energy cost systems must be able to produce more by-products to be competitive in the food market and at the same time be environmentally stable; an aquaponics system provides this. The system is comprised of a fish system and a plant system.  The fish system consists of fish holding tanks, solids capture filtration and biofiltration.  The fish holding tanks are usually circular for good water circulation and should be about 3 to 4 feet deep.  Solids capture filtration is essential to remove solids (fish feces) so that the system water delivered to the plant system is clear so that the plant roots don’t become covered with solids which could suffocate the plants. Biofiltration is needed to house the bacteria discussed above so that nitrification can take place.  Ammonia, which comes directly from the fish, is converted to nitrite and then to nitrate in an oxygen rich environment.  Nitrate is the final product of nitrification and is the main element for plant production.  The plant system can be designed to suit the needs of the owner and all systems have both positive and negative aspects to production.  The creative inquiry will investigate processes for aquaponics and hone in on specific deficiency of the system which include passive heating techniques to reduce costs, system design (airlift technology) considerations for efficiency and power dependency, automation for system productivity and bacterial control for food safety considerations.          

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Cement - Civil Engineering Peer Mentoring Program Development and Evaluation

This group will develop, implement, and evaluate a peer mentor program for new civil engineering students and develop a model for college wide adoption.

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Green Building Materials: Magnesium Oxide Based Cements as a Sustainable Alternative

Have you ever wondered what goes into the building products that go into your house? In many cases, these materials can contain toxic components, have inferior structural properties, or be detrimental to the environment. The goal of this creative inquiry is to explore the use of magnesium oxide-based (MgO) cements as a sustainable alternative to conventional building materials that consist of Portland cement, gypsum and oriented strand board (OSB). The current materials that dominate the $15 Billion residential building products market have many drawbacks. For example, Portland cement has a huge carbon footprint, releasing one ton of CO2 per ton of cement. One way to offset this is to incorporate large volumes of fly ash, which is laden with toxic and carcinogenic heavy metals. OSB contains toxic phenol-formaldehyde resins and are highly flammable. We have recently paired up with Jet Products to investigate the nearly limitless potential for MgO cement boards in a diversity of markets, primarily focusing on residential building products. The societal benefits of this work have the potential to impact every individual that lives in the built environment. Example products include wall board, tile backer, siding, structural insulated panels, fire-proof panels, and ballistic panels.

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Conservation Drones (UAV's) for Natural Resource Management

With recent advancements it is now possible to build unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), or drones, using off the shelf model airplane kits and available electronics/software systems. These model airplanes can house gps-enabled digital cameras and have the capability to take ultra-high resolution aerial photos. These conservation drones are being used all over the world to both evaluate land cover and to identify the location of wildlife species. This creative inquiry project will aim to develop a multi-disciplinary team to add this capability to undergraduate research at Clemson University.

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Veteran's History Project Collection and Digitization

History 2970 CI Veteran's History Project 2 (2,2). The Veterans History Project of the American Folklife Center collects, preserves, and makes accessible the personal accounts of American war veterans, as well as U.S. Citizens who were actively involved in supporting war efforts (war industry workers, USO medical personnel, flight instructors, etc.) so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand the realities of war. In order to assist the Library of Congress with this arduous task, Clemson University students will conduct interviews and collect other materials accepted by the project then facilitate their digitization for Clemson University records before sending the original materials to the Library of Congress.  The course is being revamped this year, students will meet together as a group for five classes to learn how to do oral interviews and how to use the digital camera for the interview.  With students in the Creative Inquiry Digital History/Humanities/Social Science class, the interviews will use AI technology to analyze the interviews, as well as the more than a hundred interviews already collected.  A syllabus is available upon request that outlines what is required in the course

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Breaking Bud: investigating the environmental control of spring bloom timing in peach.

Trees must time their spring bloom to avoid late frosts but allow sufficient developmental time for their fruit and seeds. Although we know cool (chilling) followed by warm (heat) temperatures are necessary for bloom, we do not currently understand the quantitative relationship between chilling and heat that results in a specific bloom date for a cultivar. Missing this information means we cannot make accurate predictions of the timing of bloom and the start of the growing season now or under future climate change scenarios. Additionally, understanding the environmental and genetic factors that determine timing of bloom date is critical to efforts to breed tree fruit varieties adapted to our current or future climates. The goal of this work is to establish the relationship between chilling and heat requirements for bloom date in trees and whether there is variation for this relationship within a species. We will test these question using peach trees from the diverse germplasm collection located at the Musser Experimental Fruit Research Farm. Students are expected to enroll in the CI project for 2-4 semesters with a minimum of 2 semesters essential. This CI will be listed as BIOL 4940/4941 sec 024 each semester.

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Towards an Adaptive Multimodal Interface in Support of Real-Time Decision Making for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Command and Control

Data overload, especially in the visual channel, and associated breakdowns in monitoring already represent a major challenge for UAV command and control. The problem is expected to get worse due to the anticipated introduction of even more tasks and technologies. For example, the Office of the Secretary’s Defense Roadmap for Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UASs) outlines the need to investigate “appropriate conditions and requirements under which a single pilot would be allowed to control multiple airborne unmanned aircraft simultaneously.” Currently, 2-3 operators are needed to handle all mission, flight, and management tasks for a single UAV; the ultimate goal, however, is to have one operator handle up to 10 UAVs. This drastic change in the operator-to-UAV ratio presents a major design challenge given operators’ limited attentional resources.   Given that an increasing number of tasks will have to be automated to achieve single operator control of multiple UAVs, the question then becomes what to allocate to automation and how to present this information to support attention management and multitasking. 

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Community Supported Art

CSA's are commonly known as "Community Supported Agriculture" - where shareholders pick up fresh produce at regular intervals throughout a season. An new spin on the CSA model is "Community Supported Art" - where shareholders pick up fresh art at special seasonal events, which are popping up around the country through arts centers, galleries, individual artist studios and other non-profits. This CI project will investigate the CSA and other innovative art and community models for application within the Clemson community, and as an opportunity for students interested in art to develop and implement a marketing plan.

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Kinetic Sculpture

Kinetic sculptures are art pieces that incorporate movement.  Traditional sculptures use energy stored in a spring which is released over time or are powered by the wind.  However, other mechanisms can be envisioned, including small motors, magnets, or others.  This project will work to design and prototype new kinetic sculpture.  Prototypes will be pursued via 3D printing of plastic sculptures, and successful designs may be pursued via other materials.  Highly successful designs may be entered for display at Artisphere, the art show held downtown Greenville in May, as part of the Clemson Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics (STEAM) exhibit.  Computer design software skills such as SolidWorks will be a huge asset to students in this project, although they are not required.

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Robot networks

The technological development of the last decade in robots, computing and communications has led to envisage the design of robotic and automation systems consisting of networked vehicles, sensors, actuators and communication devices. These developments enable researchers and engineers to design new robotic systems that can interact with human beings and other robots in a cooperative way. Applications span surveillance/monitoring, manufacturing, intelligent vehicles, exploration, and many others. In this project, we will explore some basics of robot networks and build robotic cooperation using several intelligent ground robots available in the lab. No knowledge of distributed dynamical systems or robotics is needed.

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China's Foreign Policy

The objective of this one-credit Creative Inquiry project is to instruct Clemson University undergraduate students to systematically examine some of the most important issues facing the world, by involving the students in on-going discussions and debates and engaging them in direct dialogues with diplomats and business leaders, both Chinese and American.

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Economics of Crime and Punishment in South Carolina, 1900 - present

In the early twentieth century, South Carolina punished criminals through extended prison sentences for serious offenders, jail time for less serious offenders, and chain gangs, which were mostly reserved for African-Americans sentenced two or three months of incarceration. This project will document crime and punishment in Greenville County in the early 20th century using the county's jail (arrest) records, court records, and the state's prison records. Changes in the nature of arrests points to changes in the law and to changes in social conditions. In the 1920s, for example, arrests for alcohol-related offenses surged with the imposition of Prohibition. Jail and court records will also be used to document any disparate treatment by age, race or gender. The legal historian Lawrence Friedman writes that "criminal justice is not just an enumeration of forbidden acts, and what their punishments might be -- a price list for disfavored behavior. It is also a guide book to right and wrong conduct." Thus, the records can not only document criminal behavior and the prices society imposed on those behaviors, but evolving attitudes toward what acts were to be considered criminal.  

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Heat transfer along the human arm in electric arch phenomenon(Mathematical Modeling with Advanced Engineering apps)

Participants pursue research on different aspects for the problem of heat transfer along the human arm occurring during the electric arch phenomenon. Emphasis is placed on modeling and considering various modules that this complex problem consists of with applications in engineering and science and on use of electronic portfolios. Students will continue this project  for three semesters.

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Geologic Indicators of Climate Change

Students explore and analyze the carbon dioxide fluxes from soils, rocks, and reservoirs using a variety of techniques. The goal is to characterize the variability in CO2 fluxes from natural settings and from settings disturbed by human activities.

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Research in Digital Media & Learning

Research in Digital Media & Learning gives students the opportunity to work as individuals or part of interdisciplinary teams to enact research that focuses on the intersection between digital media and learning. This CI is interest-driven, meaning that students should come with their own ideas about what they would like to investigate. Faculty assist students in developing and enacting their research plan. Ideal candidates would be from any field, as long as their interests involve digital media and learning in some way. Students will also be encouraged to present their work at a research conference and the Clemson FoCI conference.

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The Jolly Postman Delivers: Dialoguing About Books With Children Through Book Talks, Letters, Blogs, & Vlogs

The Jolly Postman Delivers: Dialoguing about Books with Children Through Pen Pal Letters Creative Inquiry participants will have opportunities to read children’s picture books and tradebooks and dialogue through letters, book talks, blogs, or vlogs with students in elementary classrooms and libraries providing critical perspectives on quality children's literature. CI students will attend introductory sessions on picturebook characteristics and how to analyze picturebooks and tradebooks. Each group will learn ways to organize texts sets, critique, and model responses about books. Participants will create print or video book talks throughout the semester.

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Identifying, Cloning and Characterizing Nodule Regulatory Mutants

The lab focuses on understanding how the shoots and roots of plants communicate with each other at the molecular level, using mutants in a process called nodulation to determine what genes and proteins are involved in long-distance signaling. The project involves DNA, RNA, and protein work as well as mapping & cloning genes.

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Advanced Synthetic Biology

Microbial biofilm confers high level of resistance to antimicrobial agents. Understanding how antibiotics penetrate through bacterial biofilms could aid the development of therapeutic approaches that facilitate the penetration of antimicrobial agents through biofilms. The team aims to develop a tool for detection of antibiotics in biofilms.  A antibiotic sensor system, i.e., a Biobrick consists of a green fluorescence protein reporter system under the control of Bacillus subtilis promotor PliaI, inducible by low concentrations of antibiotics will be constructed to measure the penetration of antibiotics through Bacillus subtilis biofilms.  A second Biobrick consists of a red fluorescence protein reporter system under the control of a synthetic constitutive promoter for Bacillus subtilis to measure the thickness of the biofilms.  A shuttle vector system will then be developed to study the penetration of antibiotics through Bacillus subtilis biofilms.  The completed antibiotic sensor tools will then be utilized to evaluate methods that could disrupt and/or facilitate the penetration antibiotics through biofilms.

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Economic, Ethical, and, Practical Aspects of Trapping

Have you ever trapped a mouse? That's right- you are a trapper! The Economic, Ethical, and Practical Aspects of Trapping provides an opportunity to learn about basic trapping issues. The participants in this project will review classical writing on the history of trapping and the importance to the economic development and settlement of the United States and Canada. Readings, debate, and discussion will be used to understand the negative externalities associated with trapping problem animals. The principle of actually trapping will be learned. This Creative Inquiry will encompass the economic effect from multiple species. The ethical aspects of trapping will be a theme of study. General laws and legal regulations will be reviewed. The practical benefits associated with this recreational activity will be explored. Students will be expected to engage in research and applied technical knowledge in order to complete the objectives, including: how trapping is an effective management tool, how it maintains sustainable resources by managing nuisance animals, while maintaining ethical standards.

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ASME Student Design Competition Team

The ASME Student Design Competition is an annual international competition that tests students’ abilities to design and build a robotic solution to a unique problem statement often inspired by real world situations. Previous years’ problem statements have included: remotely navigate a room with an unknown layout in search of an object to retrieve; deliver a payload through various rugged terrain without contamination; design an automated machine to manufacture a projectile out of a piece of paper and launch it. The problem statement for this year will not be released until the end of August.

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Experimental studies of organelle biogenesis in protozoan parasites

This project employs biochemical, genetic and cell biology techniques in the study of organelle biogenesis in protozoan parasites using the African trypanosome as a model system.

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The impact of peer mentoring on the student of color experience

The CONNECTIONS program believes students of color at Clemson University are scholars who will achieve positive change in themselves, the Clemson community and their world. This Creative Inquiry will prepare a group of undergraduate students whose primary role is to support students of color through their first-year transition at Clemson University. The students in the CI will understand student development and racial identity development theories and conduct research related to sense of belonging, self-regulated learning, academic achievement or student engagement.

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Development of NIR camera for early detection of diabetic wounds

Clinical applications for infrared (IR) cameras and thermometers have emerged in health care to detect and manage inflammation of tissue at risk of ulceration. Recent study findings in wound care suggest that IR technology is beneficial in targeting lower extremity skin temperature, including diabetic, pressure, neuropathic foot and venous leg ulcers, to predict, prevent, and treat these ulcers. However, portable IR cameras are expensive, and must be used in a clinical setting. The purpose of this Creative Inquiry is to manufacture a cheap near-IR camera and application for use with smart phones to test whether the device can detect areas of skin at risk for ulceration. Near IR cameras are much cheaper and are readily compatible with smartphones. Near IR technology has previously been used to monitor wound healing in a hospital setting. However, a technology that enables patients to take images of their legs at home on a daily basis and transmit them to a clinician’s office over a cellular network is lacking. Such technology would allow early detection of nascent diabetic wounds, even before the patient can visually detect them. Students will be assembling and test prototype portable near IR cameras that could revolutionize prevention and treatment approaches to leg ulcers, specifically venous ulcers because they are expected to be readily detectable in near-IR range, and account for 80% of all lower extremity ulcers.

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Imaginative Ligands and Unique Metal Complexes: A Marriage of Organic and Inorganic Chemistry

Organic chemists often are puzzled by metals, and inorganic chemists are often puzzled by organic chemistry, but there are great opportunities in uniting the ability of organic chemists to generate complex 3D molecules with the unique reactivities and properties of metals. Living cells, which possess some of the most complex organic molecules, still turn to metals for their powerful reactivity in 2/3 of all enzymes (proteins that catalyze chemical reactions). Students participating in this project will focus on generating previously unknown ligands (organic molecules that bind metals) and studying their reactivity with the most biologically common metal ions (iron and copper). Additional ligand designs (such as more complex ligands for a variety of different applications) may be undertaken by students more interested in the organic chemistry; alternatively studies of the metal complexes could be pursued by students more interested in the inorganic chemistry aspects of the research. First semester organic chemistry and laboratory (CH 2230) are a prerequisite for this Creative Inquiry project, and one credit hour of commitment will translate to 3 hours spent in the laboratory. Specific times to conduct the CI project will be negotiated with Profs. Wetzler and Brumaghim.

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Biology of Lipids and Lipid Droplets in Trypanosomes

We are investigating how the lethal blood parasite Trypanosoma brucei acquires and stores lipids from its host. More specifically, we are investigating the mechanisms of uptake and storage in lipid droplets of fatty acids.

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Human Performance Engineering In Health Care: Developing applications in emergency medicine

The Greenville Health System (GHS) is growing to become an academic center in addition to its clinical care given service. The Emergency Medicine Department will open a new residency program in January 2017 which will include a clinical track as well as a research track. This Creative Inquiry will be instrumental in supporting this endeavor and provide theoretic assistance as well as practical engagement with various projects. This collaboration will require students to be able to engage with physicians, residents, and patients at various levels from data collection to present a progress report. The CI yearlong (Fall, Spring and possibly Summer) commitment will enrich the student’s hands-on research experience in healthcare and provide an in-depth knowledge of clinical procedures of emergency medicine.   

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Implementation of Public Art for the Clemson University Campus

Atelier InSite is a new paradigm for the implementation of public artwork on university campuses that capitalizes on a cross-disciplinary and inclusive approach that is predominantly student driven. Students enrolled in different department programs from art to the life sciences collaboratively work together to implement site specific public artwork. Students in this creative inquiry program engage in direct, hands on processes to determine the artwork placed around campus. They also conduct research on the nature of public art as well as investigate the design build process, conduct site analysis, and identify site locations for artwork on the Clemson University campus.

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Human Energy Metabolism

Students will explore a wide range of factors contributing to energy metabolism, such as body composition measurement via DXA scan, monitoring nutrient metabolism and resting energy expenditure via metabolic cart, and physical activity and sleep monitoring with a wearable activity monitor. Initial semesters will be devoted to the collection of data, with additional semester work devoted to composition of a manuscript describing the work performed. Thus it is encouraged for students who join this CI team to remain on the team until the successful completion of a manuscript.

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Alcohol and Other Drugs

This research teams is dedicated to reducing the negative impact of alcohol and other drugs on Clemson’s campus. This team will apply the results of the National College Health Assessment to develop and evaluate alcohol and other drug initiatives.

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Molecular Modeling of Biological and Polymer Systems

We are rapidly entering the era of nanoengineering where materials are designed molecule-by-molecule. It is therefore, critical that we understand and model how the molecular properties affect material properties. The Molecular Modeling of Biological and Polymer Systems CI team will focus on this aspect of materials design.This CI will provide the students with a molecular perspective of materials and introduce them to the world of nanoengineering. The students will perform molecular modeling and computer simulations to investigate how molecular interactions govern the behavior of materials. Specifically, we will focus on polymers and biologicalmolecules (e.g. proteins).Students enrolled in this CI will work under the mentorship of Dr. Sarupria and be tasked with becoming familiar with concepts from material science and computing. This cross-disciplinary environment will offer a rich experience which can enable clarify challenging concepts in materials science through modeling. Students will learn how to work cooperatively and communicate science across disciplines, while honing their own skillsfrom their own background. Ultimately, the project aims to construct molecular models that get us closer to engineer materials at the nanoscale.

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The development of critical thinking in undergraduates

Evaluation of the values of critical thinking in education

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Geologic Field Trip Design and Implementation

Geology is an exploration of the world around us. Geologists examine, hypothesize, and decipher the landforms and associated natural process that created those landforms. One of the best ways to explore geology is on a field trip where a guide walks you through their interpretation of the processes that created what you are examining. This project seeks to place that responsibility of leadership on the student where they are assisted, encouraged, and trusted to develop field trips of their own and to lead them.

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South Carolina - China Economic Relations

The U.S.-China relationship is the most important bilateral relationship in the 21st Century and China has become the top destination for South Caroline exports.  In recent years China has expanded its international economic presence and South Carolina provides an alternative for Chinese outflow foreign direct investment.  Overall in the United States, China has established 1,583 companies with $46 billion that directly employs more than 80,000 Americans.  This project aims at exploring what South Carolina can offer to such international investment as Chinese FDI, what kind of business South Carolina has been able to attract from China, and what contributions Chinese investments are making to South Carolina's economic development.

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Beaches and Deserts: The microbial cycling of iron and other nutrients and their importance to healthy ecosystems.

Beaches are poorly studied with respect to coastal microbial ecology. While many of us spend time on a beach for recreational purposes, most are unaware of the complex biological processes found in the sand underneath their feet. It is the goal of this project to learn about the microbial ecology in a beach ecosystem. Using a variety of scientific tools, we will learn not only about the microbial diversity found within a beach, we will learn about the geochemical processes they mediate. Through this work, we hope to directly link these fundamental processes to the microbial diversity and ecologies found in estuarine, salt marsh and near coastal marine environments. To accomplish this, we will use multiple techniques from microbiology, genomics and biochemistry to gather the data necessary to support and revise our hypotheses regarding beach inhabiting microbial communities.

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Novel Applications of Photovoltaics

Due to constant reduction of prices of photovoltaic (PV) modules, the generation of electricity is at lower price than other energy sources. Without investing about $5 million per mile in long haul transmission of electrical power, the local generation of resilient and sustainable electrical power by photovoltaics is transforming   the global electricity infrastructure. As a personal source of smart electrical power,  we can use photovoltaics  all over the world with minimum cost of electrical power  infrastructure Team 1 is building a DC Powered Cooking unit  that can work only on Photovoltaics and batteries and does not need AC power from grid. Team 2 is working on electric charging by DC Power generated by photovoltaics.   PV integrated with Transport system (car, buses, trucks, rail , etc.) coupled with a DC charging station (PV generates DC power and batteries store DC power) . have the potential of replacing more than 90 % fossil fuel based transport system. Student will gain the know how of the real world engineering.Publications are expected.

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Hands on Tissue Engineering:

Interested in working with cell and tissues for future clinical breakthroughs? Then this CI will give you hands-on experience in laboratory set up. During the past semesters students had work on various projects involving the culture of  novel three dimensional cancer models for screening purposes, creating cartilage tissues from chondrocyte cultures isolated from pig joints, development of a novel high throughput culture device base on the photoelectric effect of photovoltaic devices and more projects to come including cardiovascular tissues. This CI will provide you with the insights of bioengineering to better assess the propensity to continue towards a more formal research environment at graduate school. Students are expected to be enrolled in this CI at least two consecutive semesters.

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mHealth devices and cell phone applications

According to Wikipedia, mHealth is a term used for the practice of medicine and public health, supported by mobile devices. mHealth applications include the use of mobile devices in collecting community and clinical health data, delivery of healthcare information to practitioners, researchers, and patients, real-time monitoring of patient vital signs, and direct provision of care (via mobile telemedicine). mHealth is a new and exciting technology that will bring doctor-patient communications to a new level within the next 5 years. The purpose of this Creative Inquiry is to design and manufacture a series of mHealth devices and phone apps to monitor numerous physiological parameters for patients and transfer those collected data to the researcher’s office via secured connection.

Team Leaders

Marine Conservation and Genetics

Over-fishing, pollution, and habitat destruction are among the major issues affecting marine life and habitats. Marine ornamental crustaceans, i.e., wild caught species sought by aquarium hobbyists due to their aesthetic value (e.g., bright coloration) and/or ability to control/eliminate aquarium pests, are particularly impacted by over-fishing and habitat destruction and do require immediate attention. The ornamental fishery, a well-established multi-million dollar industry, often operates unnoticed due to their niche market, the frequency of product export, and the diminutive size of the target organisms. Little attention has been paid to them and they have been managed based on little to no life history information. The marine aquarium trade relies predominantly on wild caught species with > 90% taken from coral reefs and associated habitats. The industry has increased dramatically in recent years with a distinct focus on crustaceans (and other invertebrates) that provide “ecosystem services” for aquaria (control of aquarium pests). As these organisms are harvested for the services they can provide in an aquarium, those services are potentially lost from the ecosystem. Immediately after corals, crustaceans represent the most heavily traded ornamental marine invertebrate worldwide. Basic life history information critical to manage any fishery with the goal of sustainability is largely absent. Furthermore, the mislabeling of the species traded in the industry is rampant. The development of a genetic (COI and/or 16S) barcode for this economically and ecologically important group of shrimps is warranted for achieving the goal of fishery sustainability. In this Creative Inquiry project, students will learn how to generate basic life history information about the most intensively traded species in the western Atlantic (e.g., shrimps from the genera Thor, Lysmata and Periclimenes, and crabs from the species complex Mithrax-Mithraculus). Furthermore, students will be exposed to relevant molecular techniques for setting up the bases for the development of a genetic barcode for the most heavily harvested ornamental crustaceans.

Team Leaders

Determining Delirium in the Intensive Care Unit Utilizing a Wireless Sleep Assessment Monitor and Assessing Environmental Factors

Our creative inquiry (CI) team research seeks to discover if the use of the Z-Machine device improves the identification of events that disrupt the sleeping pattern of MICU patients. For this project, the team chose to utilize the Z-Machine device because it is the first complete electronic system for capturing and analyzing sleep event data far less complicated than an EEG. By solving the problem of inadequate sleep correlations could be made into better ways of providing care to patients in the MICU that would enhance recovery and minimize delirium. The result is better information you can use to improve protocols, streamline procedures, enhance Joint Commission compliance and improve outcomes. To gain a better understanding of the Z-Machine the objective wake/sleep state of the patient, the Zmachine contains an integrated EEG amplifier, digitization circuitry, and a processor with an integrated wake/sleep detection algorithm (”Zmachine Algorithm”). The Zmachine system acquires a single channel of spontaneous EEG data obtained from the differential-mastoids and a neck ground. The Zmachine Algorithm then processes the EEG signal to classify the wake/sleep state of the patient every 30 seconds. Because each patient will have a different EEG pattern, related to their unique characteristics (skull thickness, age, etc.), the Zmachine Algorithm automatically tunes its internal parameters to match each patient, thereby maximizing accuracy. A ninety-nine subject (99) clinical study was conducted (publication in progress) in which polysomnographic (PSG) data was acquired and analyzed by multiple PSG technologists and compared with the Zmachine wake/sleep detection algorithm.

Team Leaders

Biochemical analysis of homologous recombination and DNA repair

The process studied in my laboratory is homologous recombination. Homologous recombination is an error-free pathway to repair DNA double-strand breaks within the genome. If these breaks in the genome are not repaired correctly, chromosomal aberrations and anueplodies can occur which may lead to cancer or even cell death. At the heart of homologous recombination in eukaryotes is two recombinases, Rad51 and Dmc1. Both the Rad51 and Dmc1 recombinases localize to a processed DSB and bind to the broken end of DNA. The recombinases then engage the sister chromosome and search for homology in order to promote error free repair of the DSB. In order to this, Rad51 and Dmc1 need help from accessory factors. My lab focuses on establishing a better understanding of the role these accessory factors play in the DNA repair process through biochemical and genetic experiments. This CI project is designed to provide students with an opportunity to perform molecular biochemical research. The project involves generating and cloning mutants of these accessory factors genes in order to express and purify the protein encoded by the genes. The purified protein from these mutant genes is tested for various biochemical activities (DNA binding, protein-protein interactions). The culmination of these studies will provide mechanistic insight in to the function of these recombination accessory factors.

Team Leaders

Exploring New Materials for Advanced Lithium Ion Battery Applications

This creative inquiry project provides a focused field of study for the research and training of undergraduates in a vital area of basic energy sciences. Through this interdisciplinary research program, we will learn what constitutes prototype solids suitable for cathode applications in the next generation re-chargeable lithium-ion batteries. The underlined research goal is to examine and evaluate the critical parameters that produce electronically and ionically conducting materials for use in Electric Vehicles (EV), Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEV), and Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV) which require high energy density and minimal capacity fade throughout multiple charge/discharge cycles. The major emphasis of our research activity is to investigate the chemistry of extended inorganic oxides featuring open-framework structures that warrant improved electronic conductivity and ion transport properties compared to the state-of-the-art cathode materials. This research covers a broad range of fundamental inorganic chemistry in an emerging field of advanced materials. It offers ample opportunities to acquire new knowledge that invigorates innovative directions in the research development of prototype materials for next generation, high-power battery applications. Students will participate in the research activities through which knowledge in emerging fields of materials science and engineering is readily acquired.

Team Leaders

Exploring New Magnetic Solids for Quantum Computing and Information Storage

This creative inquiry project provides a focused field of study for the research and training of undergraduates in a vital area of basic energy sciences. Through this interdisciplinary research program, we will learn the factors that constitute a prototype solid suitable for quantum computing and information storage. The underlined research goal is to evaluate and determine the parameters that are critical for materials selection in quantum device applications. The research activity is designed to investigate the chemistry of extended inorganic oxides featuring magnetic nano structures that warrant slow relaxation of magnetic spins. This research covers a broad range of fundamental inorganic chemistry in an emerging field of advanced materials. It offers ample opportunities to acquire new knowledge that invigorates innovative directions in the research development of prototype materials for next generation computing and information storage device applications. Students will participate in the research activities through which knowledge in emerging fields of materials science and engineering is readily acquired.

Team Leaders

Engineering the Intervertebral Disc

Low back pain associated with intervertebral disc degeneration places major economic burdens on society here in the U.S. and around the world. The multi-factor degenerative process results in the degradation of the shock-absorbing cartilage discs in your spinal column and can result in pinched nerves and reduced mobility. Many patients must have their spines fused with metallic hardware or have a synthetic disc composed of metal and plastic implanted. The goal of this creative inquiry project is to develop an approach to creating a novel engineered total disc replacement that will ultimately consist of living cells and tissues. The participating students will be responsible for idea generation, hands-on experimentation, collaboration in a team environment, and presentation of their technical findings.

Team Leaders

Contemporary Art & Practice

Contemporary Art & Practice is a Departmental Creative Inquiry two-semester sequence consisting of ART 4730, and then ART 4750. Visual Arts Majors seeking the Bachelors of Fine Arts (BFA) Degree begin this Creative Inquiry two semesters from graduation such that their final exhibition in the Lee Gallery coincides with their enrollment in ART 4750.             Contemporary Art & Practice CI students will explore historical and theoretical issues to gain critical perspectives on Art, visit and study current exhibitions in galleries in museums in New York City, gain professional experience, and share their studio research in an exhibition in the Lee Gallery.

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Brain Tips

Students in this project learn more about the human brain and behavior. We find popular press and scientific articles that we think would be of interest to and help college and high school students and develop short, memorable tips to share using social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter). Students learn about the brain and how it works by developing ideas that others can find useful and apply in their lives. https://www.facebook.com/clemsonbraintips/; https://www.instagram.com/clemsonsss/

Team Leaders

Turning Teams of Experts into Expert Teams: Team Development in High Risk, High Stress Organizations

How do we turn teams of experts into expert teams, especially when their members are distributed across space and time? We are currently investigating this question in the Developing and Improving Globally Integrated Teamwork and Leadership (DIGITAL) Lab, as teams today face new challenges which may require different interventions and strategies than what seems to work in traditional teams. This CI team will involve conducting lab and field research with populations such as medical teams, business teams, and spaceflight crews to answer this question and expand our current knowledge of teamwork and leadership in culturally diverse, physically distributed, dynamic, and adaptive work environments.

Team Leaders

Engineering for Modern Healthcare

This Creative Inquiry collaborates with Centra hospital in Lynchburg, VA. Our contacts there have proposed several projects for us to help them with including process engineering and medical device design.

Team Leaders

Generation and Characterization of Radiation for Biomedical Applications

In recent years there has been a strong growth in the number of medical devices that use different wavelength radiation for treatment and imaging applications. There is also a growing interest in different fields ( e.g. medicine, biology, space research, electronics) to understand and utilize the effects of different forms of radiation. The effectiveness of radiation technology depends on the understanding of the interaction with the materials in question ranging from surfaces of solids to biological soft tissues. The present research project lies on the borderline of physics and biology. The elementary physical processes of the interaction are well known, but their expressions in biological samples depend on the complex response of the system and its environment. Students in this project will explore different techniques to generate, detect, and characterize electromagnetic radiation, their uses in specialized medical devices, and their applications in research. Radiation sources that can be used in this program range from simple x-ray sources to the new CUEBIT facility of the Department of Physics and Astronomy. Biological response measurements will be designed based on the advanced techniques developed at the Department of Bioengineering.

Team Leaders

Low-cost microfluidics to detect Chagas disease in a rural setting

This project will explore the development of a low cost technology to detect the parasite causing Chagas disease in newborns in a rural setting. Chagas disease is a silent killer claiming up to 14k lives each year. Although the disease is deemed incurable in the mature stage, current antibiotics are capable of eliminating the parasite in newborns. Therefore, is extremely important to diagnose the disease at the time of birth. Unfortunately, those mostly affected by the disease are born in rural conditions where power and clean water are not always a given. The project includes review of the literature to detail the specifications needed to detect such parasite in blood; hands-on development of technology; and testing of the technology with biological samples. Expected outcomes include the development of a technology with the potential of being deployed in Latin America.

Team Leaders

Origami-inspired manufacturing of composite parts

This project explores the use of paper soaked in different composite inks as a precursor of carbide parts. The goal is to develop a manufacturing process that allows the relatively easy creation of patterns in paper, i.e. following origami techniques, that will yield carbon and carbide parts after going through a heating process. Students will perform a literature review to determine the state-of-the-art in the field; develop composite inks; establish protocols for paper processing; and optimize the carbonization process.

Team Leaders

Cardiovascular microtissues - 3D cell-based structures for myocardial regeneration

Myocardial infarction and heart failure are predominant pathologies in developed countries. Strategies for restoration of heart function remain clinical priorities. Mesenchymal stem cells have the potential to differentiate into cardiac cells, especially when grown as 3D spheroid structures. In this project, cell self-assembling techniques will be considered in order to form stem cell spheroids able to generate cardiac-like microtissues. These structures can serve as in vitro models to: 1) study of normal and pathological processes that occur in cardiac tissues; 2) study the effect of drugs on cardiac cells (and mitigate the use of animal studies); 3) assemble as building blocks and generate larger-sized tissue constructs (a tissue engineering and regenerative medicine approach). Students will work in a team environment; they will design, test, and compare several techniques, in order to create cardiovascular microtissues. Specific stainings will be used to determine cardiovascular tissue formation. Six students are required for this project.

Team Leaders

Insulin-secreting microtissues - 3D cell-based structures for pancreatic islets regeneration

Diabetes is a significant health problem affecting over 8% of the population and increasing to epidemic proportion worldwide. In type1 diabetes, the pancreas completely stops producing insulin, a hormone that enables the body to use glucose found in foods for energy. The beta cells, responsible for insulin production, are located in pancreatic islets. Pancreatic islet transplantation is an efficient therapeutic strategy, but often rejection and poor function of islets occur after transplantation. A new tissue engineering approach has been recently described in the literature, based on the developing of multicellular aggregates or spheroids from commercial pancreas-derived cell lines. In this project, the potential of mesenchymal stem cells to form cellular spheroids and differentiate into insulin-producing cells will be investigated. These structures can be used to study pathological mechanisms involved in diabetes, as well as the effect of different drugs used for the treatment of diabetes. The participating students will explore several techniques to generate stem cell spheroids and test their ability to secrete insulin as a response to glucose stimulation. Students will develop their own hypotheses, test them in the lab, and select optimal methods for generation of insulin-secreting microtissues. Six students are needed for this project.

Team Leaders

The DEN (Design Entrepreneurship Network)

The DEN (Design Entrepreneurship Network)Are you entrepreneurially minded? Do you have an idea, design or technology that you would like to move to the next stage? This CI allows student teams to be mentored by leaders in device design, development, marketing, patenting and small business development to forward student-led technology and ideas. Initially, this CI will focus on mentoring technologies that are being generated by other CI groups, as well as from other Capstone Design programs, but other “independent” teams and technical areas will be sought after the CI structure is established. Teams can include undergraduates and graduates, and preference is given to groups that have already formed around a topic or technology of interest. Mentors and guest speakers from industry, patent law, marketing and start-up businesses will work with student teams to take technology beyond the university development level. The format will be very student driven, with small student teams presenting each week on some aspect of their technology development and business plans. These presentations will be the focal point for discussions, mentoring and advice. Key concepts to be covered are: 1. Predicting Technology Trends/Market Mapping 2. Opportunity Assessment/Intellectual Property/Licensing 3. Corporate Law/Contracts 4. Project Management 5. Product Development/Device Lifecycle Management 6. Operations/GMP/Logistics/Quality 7. Business Models/Start-Up Funding/Attracting Investment 8. Start-Up Finance 9. Regulatory/FDA/International 10. Clinical Trial Design & Management The goal of this CI is to take ideas and technologies forward using student-teams with the hopes of generating new start-ups, technology licenses and a greater network of design and entrepreneurship at Clemson and in Creative Inquiry.

Team Leaders

Investigating mechanisms of drug resistance in a fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans

Fungal infections are estimated to occur in over a billion people each year, and recent evidence suggests the rate is increasing. One of the pressing needs in antifungal therapy is to prevent frequent drug resistance among fungal pathogens. Commonly used azole drugs inhibit the production of ergosterol, an essential component of the fungal cell membrane. It has become apparent recently that two most significant opportunistic fungal pathogens, Candida albicans and Cryptococcus neoformans acquire resistance to azole drugs by changing the number of chromosomes (becoming aneuploids or polyploids). It is well established that resistance of C. albicans to the azole drug fluconazole may occur through specific chromosomal rearrangements that result in an increase of the copy number of a gene that encodes the target of fluconazole, the Erg11. Similarly, Cryptococcus neoformans challenged with a dose of fluconazole higher than the MIC (minimum inhibitory concentration) becomes an aneuploid with respect to key genes that permit survival of the drug treatment. What are the molecular mechanisms responsible for changes in chromosome number upon drug treatment remains elusive and the main objective of this Creative Inquiry project will be to investigate these mechanisms. The goals of this Creative Inquiry are 1. To improve our understanding of the mechanisms of fungal drug resistance 2. To engage students in a scientific discovery process that will include formulating relevant questions and hypotheses, hypothesis testing, and making conclusions. 3. To familiarize students with scientific tools and methods in a molecular biology laboratory. The participating students will enroll in GEN4910.

Team Leaders

Building Healthier Communities in the Dominican Republic: Creative Inquiry and Study Abroad

This multi-disciplinary creative inquiry project engages Clemson students in a reflective critical thinking learning process and incorporates service learning in order to study the health situation of Las Malvinas II, a low-resourced setting bordering the highly polluted Ozama River in the city of Santo Domingo. Students will use the input gathered from direct interactions with the community to recommend appropriate courses of action for improvement under the healthy communities’ and socio-ecological frameworks. This project increases students’ cultural competence by translating applicable evidence-based health practices from the US to a LAC country. 

Team Leaders

Plant biotechnology for use in crop genetic improvement

Abiotic stress including drought, salt, heat, cold etc. are important factors significantly impacting plant development and crop yield. Development of molecular strategies to genetically engineer crop species for enhanced performance under adverse environmental conditions would greatly contribute to agriculture production. This project involves identification, cloning, molecular characterization of new genes determining plant response to environmental stress and development of novel molecular strategies to improve crop species using biotechnology approaches. Students involved in such research activities will tremendously benefit from gaining new knowledge and learning modern technologies in molecular biology and cell biology and plant biotechnologies. This would train next generation agricultural research scientists who would contribute to continued development of agricultural research for sustainable agriculture, meeting the challenge of producing more food for increasing world population. As an experienced plant molecular biology and biotechnology educator, The PI has a long-term goal of making a difference in educating a new generation of citizens with deeper appreciation of plant science research. Thus the goal of this Creative Inquiry project is to cultivate student researchers in plant molecular biology and plant biotechnology to improve crop species with enhanced performance under adverse environmental conditions and increased agriculture production. The participating students will enroll in the project for at least two semesters.

Team Leaders

Sustainable Landscape Demonstration Garden

Sustainable Landscape Demonstration Garden is a model for urban design. It uses sustainable practices for design, installation, and maintenance. It measures environmental health via soil tests and soil moisture; and human perception of health via perception surveys that have received Institutional Review Board approval. Student designs from HORT 308 were adapted for installation and students enrolled in HORT 408 worked with landscape services to install the garden. Students each semester (including summer) maintain the garden; conduct surveys; and orally present on the project. The Web site is an instrumental communication tool that provides valuable information regarding plants, process, and people.

Team Leaders

Synthetic Biology

The need for alternative energy sources has driven the scientific community to explore biofuels, energy sources produced by living things or their wastes. Biofuels may be produced using plants, bacteria, or other microbial systems. Bacteria are often the host of choice for mass production of industrial products because they are easily genetically engineered and cultured. However, using bacteria for the production of biofuels is not currently economical because harvesting cells is both time-consuming and energy-intensive. One way to reduce costs is to prevent the need for lysing the cells by using cellular processes to export the products instead. Not only will using cellular export allow the products to be more easily collected, but the cells can be maintained in continuous culture. There are many groups of well-described bacterial efflux pumps that can be utilized for the export of biofuels. In this study, we are evaluating the efficiency of two such efflux pumps in exporting isoprenoids. This study focuses on isoprenoids because they are already used to manufacture biofuels and are easily detectable using colorimetric methods. The goal is to combine isoprenoid production and efflux pump activity into the same cell for rapid and efficient export. Rapid product removal will drive production forward and minimize the toxic effects of overaccumulation within cells. Optimization of this system will allow for more rapid and economical production of bacterially-produced biofuels. 

Team Leaders

Clemson University Soil Judging Competition Team

This is a multi-semester project (3 hours in fall and 1 hr in spring unless we place and head to nationals at which time students can sign up to 4 credits in spring ) coaching students to compete in the SE regional Soil Judging competition. If make top 3 then students will advance to national competition. Expected Student Activities: 1.  characterize a soil profile, 2. identify the relationships between different soil characteristics and between soil characteristics and what the soil's uses maybe. 3. learn how to work as a team. 4. network with other students, faculty and state and federal officials for after graduation opportunities. 

Team Leaders

Inter-kingdom communications - studies on C. elegans and bacteria interactions

Bacteria are known to have social behaviors just like the higher organisms. They use special "languages" to talk to each other and make group decisions. The "languages" (or signaling molecules) are small chemical compounds, such as autoinducers and secondary metabolites, produced and secreted by the bacterial cells. Recent studies have revealed that functions of these signaling molecules are not restricted to communications between bacterial cells, but extend to cross kingdoms, i.e. communications between bacteria and their hosts. In this research, we will use the nematode, C. elegans, as a model to study the inter-kingdom communications. Specifically, we will investigate (1) interactions between bacterial pathogens and C. elegans, and (2) effects of probiotics on C. elegans health span.

Team Leaders

Deep Learning and Big Data Research (DL/BD)

            Deep Learning is currently a very popular paradigm of machine learning research used for applications such as image processing, natural language understanding, or even controlling a vehicle. Deep Learning has become so successful in recent years due in part to the availability of modern high-performance computing resources such as GPGPUs, but also because of the sudden influx of more and more labeled data for training these huge neural networks. The goal of this Creative Inquiry is to equip students with a better understanding of how Deep Learning networks operate, how they are directly affected by the training set used to teach them, and the methods and best practices for designing a training set for meeting a certain goal. Students should expect exposure to high-performance computing hardware, cutting-edge machine learning software, and the latest sensors used in dataset creation.

Team Leaders

Decision-Making and Risk-Taking

The purpose of this Creative Inquiry team is to conduct research on the (1) effect of emotion and reward motivation on goal-directed decision-making as well as (2) how individual differences, such as personality and susceptibility to performance pressure, affect risk-taking behaviors.  Decision-making is an inescapable, prevalent phenomenon that can have significant consequences.  This research aims to understand factors and cognitive mechanisms that affect decision-making and risk-taking. Students should expect to enroll in the CI project for at least 2 semesters. 

Team Leaders

Human Performance Engineering: Developing Applications in Sports, Health and Human Machine Interface

This is a multidisciplinary research approach in trying to understand human capability with cutting-edge technological developments. Using a mobile and wireless EED (electroencephalograph) technology we are able to record brain wave activity and analyze its meanings. We are engaging with the most complex system in the universe as we apply various engineering tools. Our goals are to improve human performance when considering our physiology, cognition, and emotions. The human developmental aspects ranging from genes, that establishes our limitations, to experience, which shapes our capabilities, are critical to multidimensional research collaboration. Experts in different fields are working with us to examine ideas that may innovate our way of thinking when trying to solve problems. Looking at disability as well as high athletic capability allows us to learn the extremes of performance and create relative scales. Innovative technology allows us to directly communicate with our brain as we can code brain activity and use that code to activate a remote-control device. This capability gives rise to shorten the distance between thought and action and present tremendous potential ready to be explored. Being a part of this research requires creativity, adaptability, and motivation. This area presents many challenges as we face great uncertainty in every aspect, thus a research member is expected to initiate research progress on a weekly basis. This is internally funded research and its funds support our technical equipment and student presentation in professional conferences.

Team Leaders

Insect Viruses and Physiology

Insects provide excellent opportunities to perform basic and applied biological experiments at the molecular, physiological and organismal scales. They serve as model organisms for developmental and cellular biology, and are important vectors for human and agricultural pathogens. As a result, working with insects can expose students to numerous hard and soft skills useful in a range of life-sciences fields, from medical to agricultural biology, evolutionary and ecological to developmental and immunological. In this project, students will develop and work on projects examining the evolutionary physiology of an insect virus by looking at host-specific patterns and mechanistic basis of pathology, and molecular evolution, of different members of a virus gene family. To do this, students may participate in DNA barcoding of host insects, isolation of novel gene family members, and use of recombinant viruses and transgenic Drosophila melanogaster in organismal and cell culture bioassays. Techniques commonly used include fluorescent microscopy, immunological approaches, PCR and sequencing, and more. Students are required to participate in communicating data in weekly group meetings, and then via on-campus, state, regional, and national meetings.

Team Leaders

Building Elder Care Services

Students work with the professor to assess caregivers attitudes, knowledge and benefits about the care of persons with cognitive impairment.  The students will do community based action research and consider policy changes that could improve the health of elders and those who care for them.

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Organizational Climates

The purpose of this Creative Inquiry team is to learn about and do research, specifically in the field of industrial-organizational psychology (or psychology applied to people’s work experiences). For example, one topic that we've been studying since our team was started is organizational climate, or employees' more informal perceptions of the way they should behave on the job. Climate is a neat topic to study (and our own results have surprised us a few times!) because it can be very different from formal rules or policies on the job, and make a huge difference in how employees behave. For example, if your formal safety rules say you should wear safety goggles on the job, but the informal perception (i.e., safety climate) is that the safety goggles look nerdy, you're probably going to have an issue with your employees wearing those goggles! Our stream of work has focused on looking at multiple types of climates at once.Other topics we research include: courage at work, unethical pro-organizational behavior, small family businesses, and online crowdsourced workers. We do our research with student samples, online samples, and applied samples, so team members get experience with a range of data collection techniques.Students in this Creative Inquiry will learn about the topics and research issues related to studying the field of industrial-organizational psychology. Students will gain hands-on experience in research design, data collection, and data analysis, and will have the opportunity to present research and submit manuscripts for publication after the conclusion of the project.

Team Leaders

Creative Play

Creative Play studies formalistic models for visual computation applied to creative disciplines and engineering. This CI project will introduce the LEGO brick system as a catalyst for creativity in design and as an introduction to formal systems for visual computation. Topics include design creativity, formal composition, engineering problem solving, exploratory research, manufacturing and game theory.

Team Leaders

Design Morphology

The Morphology Research Studio studies morphogenetic design and biomimicry to research natural structures and processes to find applications in the build environment. The initial focus will be for structural applications using pre-cast concrete. Subjects of study include Geometry, Topology, Computational Design, Origami, Deployable Structures and Kinetic Design.

Team Leaders

Cities, Memories and Models

This CI aims to create a collection of large scale wall models to serve as visual catalog of significant architecture and urban environments in the most prominent cities in the US.

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Human-Robot Collaborative Manufacturing using Baxter Humanoid Robot

The goal of this project is to develop a deep understanding of capabilities and potentials for using human-robot collaborative teams in a manufacturing environment. In this project, students will investigate capabilities of humanoid manufacturing robotic systems (e.g., Rethink Robotics’ Baxter) by conducting experiments and surveys for human-robot collaborative manufacturing tasks simulated in laboratory settings. The experiments will include use case development, design and building of work environments, software design, and user studies. Students will gain experience in multi-disciplinary research at the frontiers of human-robot interaction and improve their computer programming and hands-on fabrication skills.

Team Leaders

The use of compression clothing in children with Autism

For this project, students will explore how compression clothing affects behaviors in children with Autism.

Team Leaders

The Final Frontier: Preparing Astronauts for Teamwork and Leadership in Long Duration Space Missions

How do astronaut crews function effectively when their missions last not just weeks, but potentially years? How will they perform from a teamwork perspective when they are with their team members 24/7 for years at a time, with very little or even no contact with Earth? Who will take on leadership roles, and how will they dynamically interact to ensure mission success? How do we select the "right" team members to even start this journey? We are currently investigating these questions in the Developing and Improving Globally Integrated Teamwork and Leadership (DIGITAL) Lab. While astronaut crews have successfully conducted a range of missions over the past several decades, moving to long duration space exploration is a new and uncharted territory that has many unknown implications. Although much of the focus has been on how to physically get astronauts to destinations like Mars, we also need to understand how to prepare these crews to interact effectively as a team--that is, how do we take this team of experts and turn them into an expert team? In this Creative Inquiry project, we will use a range of methods, including getting access to NASA's simulated crew environments, in order to run studies that will help us answer all of these questions (and more!). Students will be strongly encouraged to create their own research questions that we can explore in field and lab settings, and will be actively involved in translating research findings into practical guidelines and recommendations for NASA astronaut selection and training practices. Students will also be encouraged to present research findings at local, national, and international conferences, with funding available to support such trips.

Team Leaders

Montana Prairie Ecology

This creative inquiry is part of a newly created undergraduate research fellowship program developed at Clemson to expose Clemson students to the biodiversity and working landscape of the Great Plains through directed undergraduate work and research experience.  Students will spend the spring semester learning about the ecosystem, developing research questions and preparing for the summer course where they will travel to Montana.  Acceptance into this creative inquiry is competitive, and applicants are expected to apply by December 1 of each year to be allowed to enroll in both the spring and summer courses.  More information on the project and how to apply can be found at:  http://prairieecology.blogspot.com/

Team Leaders

Looking at Proteins one at a time with high precision

The goal of this project is to understand how proteins move, fold and interact in molecular complexes by looking at them one at a time with super resolution methods. Biochemical, genetics and biophysical tools will be combined with analytical and quantitative methods. In some instances we will derive three dimensional models of bimolecular machines.

Team Leaders

Evaluating the impact of Livestock Exhibition on student professional development

Livestock Exhibition Techniques is a course in the Animal and Veterinary Sciences Department designed for students learn techniques associated with exhibition and evaluation of beef, dairy, equine, poultry, and swine.  While enrolled in the course, students often boast about the knowledge they are gaining not only about the livestock and animal industries, but also a considerable amount with regards to the responsibility, team working, and leadership skills.  The purpose of this project is to allow a student-ran team to evaluate the impact enrollment in Livestock Exhibition Techniques has on a student’s professional development.  

Team Leaders

Nano 3D printing using bacteria

Fabricating materials using living organisms is an emerging practice that is fueled by the quest for sustainable and environmentally friendly manufacturing techniques. Many wild microbes are known to synthesize different useful materials ranging from polymers to ceramics, and the dramatic advances in synthetic biology are constantly expanding the boundaries of what is possible using engineered microbes. What is missing are techniques to manipulate each of these microbes in desired trajectories to build materials from the bottom-up. Imagine growing a part using a swarm of microbial “print heads” moving in orchestrated fashion. This revolutionary capability will enable us to fully exploit the superb properties of microbial nanomaterials. In this project, the use of electric fields is explored to manipulate bacteria as "print heads" with the goal of depositing nanomaterials on specific locations. 

Team Leaders

Ruminant Nutrition Research Team

This research team provides an opportunity for the advancement of the teacher-scholar model at Clemson by integrating significant student learning experiences into an ambitious ruminant research program in the animal and veterinary sciences department. Students have an opportunity to gain exposure to and experience with ruminant research first hand, and skills gained through this process will provide them a critical understanding of real world synthesis and application of research in a systematic manner. Successful development of the team will, in turn, support honors thesis, M.Sc., and Ph.D. projects, and numerous other potential future projects, many of which will be the result of active discussion among students and faculty. The team offers students coveted hands-on experience in a unique situation, and encourages all members to view issues of ruminant production from a variety of perspectives and to actively seek out opportunities for multidisciplinary cooperation in research and in practice. The team will also provide significant opportunities for networking for our students, obtaining funding for research, and sponsorship for attending conferences. The development of this team has resulted in industry funding for students to attend conferences in the past. Finally, internships can be facilitated as industry and other research organizations are actively seeking individuals with the capabilities that the team will help students develop. Additionally, the team will provide students with the necessary skills to continue their professional careers in several areas: 1. Industry 2. Independent Consultant 3. Government 4. Graduate School 5. Veterinary School

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Establishing a Clemson University-K-12 Research Collaboration

The purpose of this CI is aid in the establishment of a yearlong high school laboratory program that will include lectures, interactive discussions and and hands-on laboratory experiments in which students will generate some of the molecular constructs that will be used in research projects being carried out on the Clemson Campus.

Team Leaders

Research and Development for the National Dairy Council's Annual New Product Competition

Small teams of undergraduates with hands on research experience with general guidance from a faculty mentor. The overall goal is to create a new dairy product to enter into the annual National Dairy Council new product competition. Emphasis being placed on conducting sensory panels and understanding ingredient functions as is relates to dairy foods.

Team Leaders

Prosthetics - Socket Fit Sensor

Amputees often experience volume change in the residual limb due to muscle atrophy, resulting in ill-fitting sockets and the need for new sockets over the course of their life. It is often difficult for a patient to determine when their socket is not fitting properly, so that they may take some corrective action, and it is difficult for care providers to justify the need for a new socket to insurance agencies. This project aims to develop a socket fit sensor, which will report to the user and care providers a quantitative measurement of the fit of the socket based on the movement of the limb within the socket. Basic programming skills will be a huge asset to students in this project, although they are not required.

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Assessing Reasoning

Why are some people better than others at complex, everyday-reasoning tasks like making a political argument, troubleshooting a computer, or making a difficult decision? Another term for everyday reasoning is critical thinking. In this research project, we are studying the different styles people use for everyday reasoning as well as what psychological factors might cause people to vary in their reasoning ability. The two factors we are investigating are: general intelligence and intellectual attitudes (e.g., open-mindedness; curiosity). We are developing our own and adapting other researchers’ tests and surveys to measure reasoning, general intelligence and intellectual attitudes. Then we are conducting studies to see how strongly intelligence and intellectual attitudes correlate with reasoning ability.

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A Retrospective study of cardiac arrest survival using Theraputic Hypothermia at a large upstate hospital

One of the most promising treatments fighting against cerebral injury post-cardiac arrest is therapeutic hypothermia (TH). TH has been proven successful because it suppresses the inflammatory response to cardiac arrest, decreases acidosis, minimizes cell death, and “can decrease the cerebral blood flow and cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen consumption as much as 6% to 7% for each 1°C reduction in brain temperature” (Ferreira & Frontera, 2013, p. 638). Indicators for TH, such as the desired body temperature, biomarkers, and pre-existing conditions of patients, require further research to standardize the process. Our team is going to do a retrospective chart review for the last 5 years on patients who have experienced a cardiac arrest and received therapeutic Hypothermia post cardiac arrest and identify common variables associated with survival.

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Measuring Functional Brain Asymmetry in Realistic Settings

Functional Brain asymmetry (the fact that the hemispheres of the brain show consistent differences in the type of cognitive and motor functions they control) has been known for over a century and is generally considered as one of the fundamental aspects of brain organization. Nonetheless, the reason why the brain is functionally asymmetric remains unclear.  One of the leading theories proposes that a crucial advantage that brain asymmetry may offer is to increase neural capacity, because specializing one hemisphere for a particular function leaves the other hemisphere free to perform other (additional) functions. However, to date the type of evidence showing a relationship between behavioral performance and degree of functional hemispheric asymmetry is quite limited.  One of the main reasons for this is that most current imaging studies (i.e., fMRI studies) of functional hemispheric asymmetry are conducted in highly artificial settings which drastically limit the type of cognitive/behavioral tasks that the subjects can perform. As a solution to the above-mentioned limitations of current research, I am developing a research program in which 1) the subjects are engaged in cognitive and motor tasks performed in more realistic settings, and 2) measures of brain function are obtained using functional transcranial Doppler technology (fTDS), a portable and fully non-invasive imaging technology, based on the same principles and technology of ultrasound imaging.

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Martian Soil Simulants - Mechanical Properties and Feasibility as Building Blocks

Mars has long fascinated humankind because of its potential as a host for alien life. Looking forward to continued exploration, it is of the utmost importance that all technical components for Mars missions function properly once in situ. In order to test rover instrumentation before mission launch and improve the chances of success, the understanding and analyses of terrestrial soils similar to those that will be encountered on Mars have become crucial. Mars soil analogues provide a preview of the physical environment that a mission to Mars may encounter.  In this project, the mechanical properties of JSC Mars-1A soil simulant will be analyzed through a combination of conventional and advanced experimental activities, as well as computer models. Information gained from this project will be benchmarked against available data and will be used for (1) development of a numerical model to predict behavior of Mars soil simulant; and (2) feasibility of utilizing Martian geomaterials as building blocks for future Mars exploration missions.

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Video game development for fun learning of distributed dynamical systems

This project aims at the development of a car racing video game which can enhance the student learning experience of distributed dynamical  systems and even more broader dynamical systems & control courses and auto engineering courses. The project will be built upon existing work which already realized a sophisticated vehicle simulator, a  game framework, and graphics engine. Students will be focused on developing an interface between existing work and student learning process. The game development itself will be a fun learning process. Knowledge of Linux and C++/C is required. No knowledge of distributed dynamical systems is needed.  

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Bionic Arm

This project is inspired by the eNABLE community whose projects are providing motion controlled prosthetics for children.  Our goal is to use their open source designs to 3D print a prosthetic arm and embed electronics for motion control via electromyography (EMG) and electroencephalogram (EEG). 

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Engineering Yeast for Sustainable Production of Fuels, Chemicals, and Nutraceuticals

            Our mantra is “Inspired, but not limited by biology”. Microbial biosynthesis of chemicals and fuels offers a renewable way to create the molecules our society needs in a sustainable manner. The major barriers to more broad adoption of biochemicals in the chemical process industry are starting to be overcome by advances in biotechnology and engineering. Taking advantage of natural biodiversity, and engineering new biological components will enable an expanded set of biochemical reactions to be better controlled and therefore more efficiently produced. Team members in the Engineering Yeast for Sustainable Production of Fuels, Chemicals, and Nutraceuticals creative inquiry will actively engage in using and creating biotechnology to improve the production of sustainable chemicals. CI students work with Dr. Blenner, graduate student mentors, and fellow CI team members in a highly active interdisciplinary research environment. Students learn how to identify a problem, design and conduct experiments using state-of-art laboratory equipment, analyze data, and communicate findings. The projects available in this creative inquiry involve: 1.     Engineering yeast for metabolism of lignocellulose. 2.     Engineering biocatalytic conversion of animal fats into value added products. 3.     Establishing genetic and metabolic engineering tools for a novel oleaginous yeast. This include gene editing tools, like CRISPR-Cas9.

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Enhancing School Readiness through Parent Education in the Preschool Setting

Parent education has been found effective at enhancing school readiness skills related to early mathematics and literacy.  This project will challenge students to create effective communication tools to share research-based information with parents of preschool students. 

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Development of novel antifungals

A number of drugs are inhibitors of fungal growth. We have identified medicinal leads that are active antifungals and also inhibit bacterial growth. Using chemical and biochemical techniques, this project will explore how we can tailor the chemical structures of these leads to develop better drugs.

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Human Performance Engineering Research: Bio-sensing Application in Healthcare

This project will focus on developing students’ knowledge and competencies when working with biosensors in a project based approach. The application will be created, tested, and validated within the healthcare environment. This will require students to first experience the complex environment of the healthcare delivery system and the human challenges that exists. The vision of this project is to provide smart information about the human physiology when facing with stressful situations in the clinical environment. Applications will be developed to promote functionality, efficiency, and quality of experiences for the physician and for the patient.

Team Leaders

The role of glycolysis in Entamoeba growth and infection

Entamoeba histolytica is a human pathogen that causes diarrheal disease. Although Entamoeba infection is not a problem in the US, it is a major problem in developing countries with poor sanitation. Entamoeba lacks many of the typical metabolic pathways found in other higher organisms and instead relies on scavenging (including ingesting other cells) to get many of the cellular building materials it needs that it cannot make for itself. One key metabolic pathway that Entamoeba does possess is glycolysis, which is responsible for breakdown of the sugar glucose, which is the preferred energy source for a wide variety of cells and organisms. We are investigating the proteins responsible for performing the various steps of this pathway and what role these proteins play in Entamoeba growth and infection.

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Educational Children's Books about Nature

This team will work on writing, illustrating, printing, and publishing  educational children’s books about nature. This project requires a commitment of two semesters.

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Using EMS triage field reports to predict accurate trauma activations to reduce over and under triage rates

We are working with the the Trauma Surgery Group at Greenville Health System (GHS) to develop a model that predicts Injury Severity Score (ISS) using physiological data from EMS field reports.

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The Phoenix Challenge

The Phoenix Challenge: Each year as part of this CI, the students participate in The Phoenix Challenge Foundation day-long competition focused on flexographic product design and printing for college teams to showcase their practical knowledge, problem solving, team work and presentation and communication skills. This competition has teams from North America as well as Canada representing the best of each university.  Each team is required to research, develop, design and produce three types of printed packaged goods that would be displayed for purchase or use.

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Chemotaxis "Black Hole" Hydrogel for Tumor Elimination

Complete tumor elimination is essential in preventing recurrent tumors from appearing. Hydrogels are a cutting-edge, attractive option for cancer drug delivery. In most cases, hydrogels will release encapsulated anti-cancer drugs into the surrounding tumor tissue. We are interested in exploring a “black hole” hydrogel. In this case, the hydrogel would use motogenic signals, signals that cause cells to migrate, to “draw in” cancerous cells through a process called chemotaxis. Tumor cells that enter the hydrogel could then be eliminated using an embedded anti-cancer drug. We hypothesize that this treatment can work in conjunction with, or replace, traditional anti-cancer treatments like chemo- and radiotherapy for elimination of cancerous tumors. Success would not only improve patient survival rates, but potentially greatly increase patient quality of life. We are looking for a motivated group of individuals willing to work closely with our graduate students and faculty to explore innovative new oncological treatment options. Students will learn about polymer and biology fundamentals including polymeric drug delivery and cancer cell biology. They will have hands-on experience with mammalian cell culture and making hydrogels.

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Development of Quantum Dots for biomedical applications.

Breast cancer is one of the most prevalent diseases in the United States, reportedly targeting 1 of every 8 women. A primary factor which leads to poor disease outcome is an inability or failure to detect tumorogenic cells in the early disease state. This project’s main goal was to synthesize and characterize a group of nanoparticles known as quantum dots.  Quantum dots were used to adhere to Her2-positive breast cancer cells and observed in cell cultures due to quantum dots’ luminescent properties. Quantum dot tracking and antibody conjugation will allow for the use of quantum dots to adhere to breast cancer cells in the body in order to track and image cells, specifically Her2-positive cells. 

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Drinking Water Quality

Nephrolithiasis (kidney stones) is a common cause of significant morbidity. In collaboration with investigators at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and at the University of Maryland, we aim to determine the geospatial distribution of nephrolithiasis with respect to calcium and magnesium concentrations in the drinking water supply of South Carolina. In a retrospective cohort study using the South Carolina (SC) health utilization database, we will map annual nephrolithiasis incidence for each county in SC from 1997-2012. We will collect all available values for calcium, magnesium, zinc, pH, and alkalinity for each of the 639 municipal water districts in SC. We will determine the association between the calcium and magnesium content in the drinking water supply, and nephrolithiasis prevalence, adjusting for temperature and population demographics. SC is a good location for this study because of the geographic variability in calcium and magnesium concentrations in the water supply, which will provide the heterogeneity of exposure needed for this analysis, and the population-based database, which contains all 229,295 unique patients who received emergency, surgical, or inpatient care for kidney stones in SC from 1997-2012. Hypothesis: Areas with soft water (low calcium and magnesium concentrations) have a higher than expected incidence of nephrolithiasis.

Team Leaders

Mammalian Genome Editing by CRISPR/Cas9

The process studied in my laboratory is homologous recombination. Homologous recombination is an error-free pathway to repair DNA double-strand breaks within the genome. If these breaks in the genome are not repaired correctly, chromosomal aberrations and anueplodies can occur which may lead to cancer or even cell death. At the heart of homologous recombination in eukaryotes is two recombinases, Rad51 and Dmc1. Both the Rad51 and Dmc1 recombinases localize to a processed DSB and bind to the broken end of DNA. The recombinases then engage the sister chromosome and search for homology in order to promote error free repair of the DSB. In order to this, Rad51 and Dmc1 need help from accessory factors. My lab focuses on establishing a better understanding of the role these accessory factors play in the DNA repair process through genetic experiments. This CI project is designed to provide students with an opportunity to edit the genome of a human cell line by 1) deleting a specific accessory factor and 2) exchanging the normal coding sequence for the accessary factor to one found in cancer.  The cell lines will be further investigated to assess the role of these accessory factors play in the repair of damaged DNA.  The culmination of these studies will provide mechanistic insight in to role these accessory factors play in the repair of damaged DNA.

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STEM Outreach to Clemson Area Schools

This project involves students in coordinated activities with area school teachers and administrators to improve their STEM activities.  Specific emphasis is placed on designing and conducting school science fairs and on team-oriented STEM activities, such as youth robotics.

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Coupling Green Roofs, Rainwater Cisterns, and Urban Agriculture

Independently green roofs and rainwater cisterns have many benefits for urban storm water systems, but they also have some drawbacks. This project is going to investigate how these two green infrastructure technologies can be used together in ways that mitigate their weaknesses and create a more effective and resilient system. As a bonus, coupling these systems may allow for their utilization for urban agriculture. We will first create a theoretical model of the system to see how to best configure the system, and then we will implement a pilot study system complete with monitoring systems to see how the system actually behaves.

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Using an Arduino for Tech Development

Arduino microcontrollers are very versatile tools. We will first work through some basic projects to become familiar with how to program and build projects with Arduinos. Then students will choose a project based on a need or problem they identify and design, code, and build a prototype. We will also utilize basic prototyping tools (3D printing, CNC, etc.) as needed in the design.          

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Engineering Innovations Studio

ENGR 1900/2900:Students will design, build, and test new prototypes for bladeless helicopters, build the microcontroller and touchscreen for the high efficiency refrigerator, and conduct experiments on 3D printers.

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Diagnostic Imaging in Animal Research

Formal laboratory, library, or field study of problems related to diagnostic imaging research in animals, emphasizing hypothesis development, testing, and reporting results. Projects are preplanned, reviewed, and approved. Students are required to maintain a project journal, spreadsheet documenting tasks and hours, have regular progress report and goal-setting meetings with graduate student and faculty mentors,  participate in laboratory journal club meetings, and submit a final report. Students are invited and mentored to submit abstracts for poster presentation at professional meetings and serve as co-authors for papers that include their research.  Current projects are focused on lower back pain in working dogs. May be repeated for a maximum of four credits.

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Fish Biodiversity Challenge

The Southeastern US harbors the greatest freshwater diversity on the continent. South Carolina is no exception: from the Upstate to the Low Country, a variety of habitats support a tremendous fish diversity. Equipping young scientists with the tools to properly understand this diversity is a major investment toward preserving our rich biodiversity diversity for future generations. In this project, students will (a) survey and document the diversity of freshwater fishes throughout the upstate, and (b) monitor changes in habitat and fish communities of local streams. Along the way, students will become proficient in several fish collection methods (e.g. electrofishing and gill netting), field identification, and laboratory methods. 

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Injured Military Veteran Adaptive Sport Program Development

A group of professors in PRTM have received grant funding from the Department of Veteran Affairs to provide adaptive sport activities coupled with community support and leadership services to Veterans with Disabilities and injured members of the Armed Forces. This CI will involve program development, community and health integration, and event planning with a number of various military groups both on and off campus. There is potential for tournament travel to Invictus/Valor or Warrior games(or similar) to assist with tournament planning and implementation.

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Biomimicry and Biomimetics

Biomimicry is an approach to innovation that seeks sustainable solutions to human challenges by emulating nature's time-tested patterns and strategies. Biomimicry and Biomimetics aims to create products, processes, and policies—new ways of living—that are well-adapted to life on earth over the long haul using nature as a model. This project proposes to observe and investigate the diverse ecosystem of the greater Clemson area watershed.

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Activity in School-aged Children

This CI team investigates the effects of physical activity on performance and behavior in school-aged children. In general we are interested in how light activity while completing tasks may affect the students' ability to perform as well as their behavior in the classroom setting.

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Novel Materials for Additive Manufacturing

The booming market for additive manufacturing (three-dimensional (3D) printing) is estimated to be $3.5 billion in 2015. Today, additive manufacturing describes a family of processes in which consecutive layers of material are arranged under computer control. Current industrial applications include resilient prototypes and parts for automotive engineering, tools and parts for aerospace manufacturing. Companies and researchers are looking for new materials for 3D printing; these range from starch-derived PLA plastic to squid ring-teeth proteins. The major trend is to sustainably replace oil and coal plastics with plant-derived and recycled materials. This project is directed to the development of sustainable materials for additive manufacturing, which will promote resource recycling and decrease industrial production of CO2.

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Tiger Gardens: healthy home gardens to combat malnutrition and obesity in SC, USA

Research suggests that failure to link agricultural production with human nutrition and health has led to the development of unhealthy food systems. Malnutrition and high-calorie linked chronic diseases are results of unhealthy food systems. A sensible and quick approach to combat nutritional challenges would be to increase dietary diversity, in which vegetables play a central role to provide a range of essential nutrients. This Creative Inquiry project provides an introduction to vegetable production, value addition, and nutrition.  Students are expected to develop a home garden model to provide year-round nutritious vegetables (especially micronutrients and vegetable proteins) to a small family. The project includes multiple semesters with regular 1 hr. lectures and hands-on practicum for 2 hrs./week.

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Mind Controlled 3D Printing

Using neuro-signal acquisition and processing headsets we hope to build a prototype of mind control 3D printer. Students will engage in the learning on how Electroencephalograms work, and acquire brain activity that become mental commands. Such wireless or wire commands will feed into a 3D printer for creating 3D objects. 

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Nutrient Acquisition and Utilization in Toxoplasma gondii

Toxoplasma gondii infects almost one third of human population in the world, causing severe disease and even lethality in people with compromised immune systems. The vacuolar compartment (VAC) is an emerging subcellular structure in Toxoplasma parasites that appears to be a lysosome-equivalent structure, and plays important roles in parasite pathogenesis including invasion, replication and virulence. A detailed characterization of the functions of this organelle will help identify the new targets to impact disease.

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Object Use in Children with Autism

The proposed project was created to help students gain an understanding of the research process through designing and conducting an experiment involving the use of objects and object affordances in children with Autism.

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Choosy Farm to Belly Evaluation

Choosy Farm to Belly Evaluation: Creative Inquiry students will learn about obesity prevention efforts aimed at preschool age children and their families and participate in evaluating the Choosy Farm to Belly program in Greenville, SC. The program is a hands-on, sustainable learning experience incorporating dance, music, games, recipes, gardening, and a farmers market for preschool age children and their families. The mixed methods evaluation of Choosy Farm to Belly includes observational, survey, and interview data. 

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An Examination of Death in Pickens County

This project focuses on working with the Pickens County Coroner's Office to create a digital database of death investigation records in the county over the past several decades. Currently, records are only available in paper files. A digital database will allow students to examine detailed trends related to deaths in the county from both temporal and spatial perspectives.

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Protein and Peptide Binding with Carbon Based Nanostructures

Carbon based nanostructures, such as fullerenes, carbon nanotubes and graphene nanosheets, have found numerous applications ranging from novel electronic and optic nanodevices to nanomedicine in imagining, diagnosis, and drug delivery. Proteins and peptides are the building block of living systems. Understanding how these novel materials interact with biomolecules may help design biologically and environmentally sustainable nanoparticles and enable their vast applications in nanomedicine. In this Creative Inquiry project, we will apply state-of-the-art molecular dynamics simulations pioneered in our lab to model the binding of peptides with various carbon nanoparticles. By studying the molecular complex systems with different peptide sequences and carbon nanoparticles of various size and shape, we will uncover the molecular determinants of such nano-bio interactions.

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How Do I Help? Critical Effects of Teamwork, Monitoring, and Backup Behaviors on Effectiveness

Think back to when you’ve worked on a group project. Can you think of any issues you might have had with workload or communication? Now imagine if those issues occurred in a different team context such as running a chemical plant. Having even small teamwork issues could potentially result in disastrous consequences such as toxic waste leaks or even explosions that flatten a city. This CI team will be involved in discovering what happens when teams work together and how we can improve that. We strive to do this through looking at team behaviors such as monitoring and helping in tasks, and how that affects team performance and safety. We hope to answer this question through conducting lab research and exploring the related literature on team processes and effectiveness.

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Hydraulic Jump Instability Investigation

Hydraulic jump instabilities   Hydraulic jumps are ubiquitous in nature and appear over a large range of length scales; from the kitchen sink to tidal basins. The geometry of the typical Type I jump is axisymmetric and governed by the balance of fluid inertia and hydrostatic pressure. Introducing a geometric obstruction (weir) to the flow field can affect the hydraulic jump to the point where it loses stability to a less symmetric state, the Type II jump, which is seen as a precursor to turbulence.  The goal of this project is to perform an experimental study of the Type II instabilities, as they depend upon the systems parameters. We will investigate the role of weir geometry and other forcing mechanisms in the transition to instability. 

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3D Printing the Food of the Future

This project aims at determining the printing parameters that will lead to different textures when printing food-grade pastes. These pastes could be homogeneous or a composite, for example a gel with crunchy particles. Should you print it fast or slow to get a creamy texture? What will you do to have a crusty feeling? How can you tailor the porosity of the food and what will be the impact on the eating experience? You will explore how the combination of the paste composition and the printing parameters enables specific textures. The long term goal of the project is to implement a 3D printer capable of producing exciting and nutritious foods. Imagine the possibilities of having a robot that receives raw ingredients and prints a one-of-a-kind food experience, everyday. 

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Disability Research

For this project, students will explore the etiology of stigma related to individuals with disorders or disabilities. 

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Getting to Mars Using Microorganisms

Getting humans to Mars will likely require that food and materials are manufactured using waste and resources readily available on Mars. This CI explores the role that microorganisms could play in the sustaining life on Mars. Recent funding will allow us to send a focused experiment to the international space station. Highly motivated students are sought to independently validate the ground analog experiment prior to its launch this summer.

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Inorganic Biomaterials

Inorganic biomaterials are being used for dental restorations,  orthopedic implants and bioactive materials like bioresorbable glass. Moreover, inorganic biomaterials can be also developed for applications like tissue regeneration.This project is devoted to design and synthesis of inorganic biomaterials and their characterization in cell culture environment.

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Mechanisms, Robots and Embodied Cognition

Robots that can fly walk, run, jump, slither, roll, fly and swim as well as animals do could have an enormous impact on our lives. Few if any of the currently available robots can emulate the smoothness and efficiency of animal locomotion. Characteristics like high  efficiency and maneuverability of animal locomotion are primarily due to the mechanical properties of the body architecture and not through  continuous algorithmic computation as in the case of robots.  In other words the cognition required for locomotion is embodied and is governed by mechanical principles pertaining to linear and angular momentum and energy. The project seeks to exploit these principles to deign and build mechanisms and robots that can emulate the motion of animals.

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Innovations in Bioinstrumentation

Bioinstrumentation is an interdisciplinary subject of applying physical principles and mechanical, electronic and chemical engineering technologies to acquire, analysis and display information from cells, tissues, organs and entire organisms including the human body. This CI was created to allow students to design and build their own bioinstrumentation and/or wearable biomedical technology projects. (Instrumentation class/experience is a pre-requisite for this team)

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Marine Ecology

Marine ecology is an interdisciplinary field of study that integrates research efforts of marine science, conservation biology, evolutionary ecology, oceanography, and fisheries science.  The goal of marine ecology research is to understanding the abiotic and biotic factors that influence the interactions of marine life with their environment.  Students in the Marine Ecology Creative Inquiry team will conduct research on the ecology of Caribbean spiny lobsters and coral reef fishes in response to changes in water quality and habitat quality in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.  Field research will be conducted during 2 months in the summer and two week-long research trips in the spring and fall semesters.  Students with SCUBA certification will be trained to conduct data collection as a scientific diver.  Students will be expected to enroll for 2-6 semesters and will present their research at local and national conferences. Senior students with sufficient experience will have an opportunity to develop senior thesis research questions of their own design.  Evaluation for this creative inquiry is based on satisfactory participation in weekly lab meetings, unsupervised data collection in the lab, supervised field research, data analysis, poster preparation, and public presentation of research. Students will initially enroll in BIOL 4940 CI: Marine Ecology and then will advance to BIOL 4910 Independent Research.

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Animal Model Tissue Biopsy Device Design

The focus of this creative inquiry is to design and develop a fine needle aspirate biopsy (FNAB) device that is semi-automated and allows for tactile ease of use and consistent sampling in animal models.  Resultant samples will be used to study human disease development, initiation and progression of abnormal mammary cells.   

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A.R.C.H.E.R. (Accessible Recreational Creations to Highlight Educational Reach) Design Works

Design targeted solutions with the ARCHER (Accessible Recreational Creations to Highlight Educational Reach) Design Works creative inquiry! Archery has been integrated into the physical education curriculum in K-12 schools across the state of South Carolina. However, students with disabilities can’t always participate fully. Through the ARCHER creative inquiry, Clemson students can design and develop engineering solutions to help these students experience the excitement that comes with hitting the bullseye. Clemson students will be paired with a K-12 student with a disability and will spend the semesters enrolled getting to know the K-12 student, learning about the PE archery program and current adaptive sports techniques, and designing and developing a prototype device to assist the K-12 student in archery competition.  Students wishing to participate should expect to enroll for a minimum of two semesters. Future semesters will expand into other sports.

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Child Development

Students interested in graduate school in psychology or any health-related field who have a GPA of 3.0 or more and can stay involved in the project for at least 2 semesters, are welcome to apply for this research project.  For this project, students will be studying key factors that influence parent attachment to their children in infancy and toddlerhood.   

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The History of the Clemson House

The Clemson House, which has served the University and the community since 1950 as a hotel, restaurant, residence hall, and college and community center, will soon be demolished, and with its demolition of an important part of the University's, the town of Clemson's, and the Upstate's history.  This proposal is designed as a multi-faceted history of the Clemson House, including its construction, the years of its operation, and its demolition.  It's a project involving collection of documents and but also of the memories of staff and people who visited the hotel, dined in its restaurant, resided in it as a dormitory, or made use of it as a University and community center.  Ultimately the project is aimed at producing a book detailing the history of this important structure that has meant so much to so many people.In Fall 2016 the students (3 in number) laid the basis of the more extensive history of the Clemson House, scheduled to be demolished in May and June.  Students toured the Clemson House, took pictures, and interviewed some of the personnel, and studied the original building plans for the hotel/restaurant.  In the Spring students will begin a more comprehensive collection of documents related to the Clemson House's history as a hotel/restaurant, community and college center, and dormitory, conduct written and oral interviews with people associated with the Clemson House over the years  as well as document the building's demolition.  These activities are intended to culminate in a student-written history of the structure and its place in Clemson college and community lifeThis Fall's objective (Fall, 2017) is to assemble and write up the recollections of the Clemson House sent to us, along with photographs and newspaper accounts of activities at the Clemson House, in order to publish a book that will preserve the memory of the Clemson House and its importance in the growth and development of the University..           

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Changes of patients with Parkinsons Disease when participating in Boxing

Identification of changes in balance, coordination and physical abilities plus psycho-social behavior associated with the use of a boxing program for persons with a diagnosis of Parkinson's Disease 

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Carbon fiber composite fabrication and characterization

This creative inquiry will focus on investigating the mechanical properties of carbon fiber composites.  Hands-on participation is required to design and carry out fabrication of carbon fiber composite specimens, perform experiments, and analyze the results on these specimens.  Properties investigated will include the effects of embedded nanoparticles on the mechanical properties during normal and high velocity loading.  The CI will consist of multiple semesters with an end goal of furthering student’s understanding of composites and uncovering their unique properties.

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CU Food Forest

A food forest is intended to mimic the structure of a woodland ecosystem, with layers of trees, shrubs, and herbs, but in a food forest these are substituted with edible and medicinal plants and fungi. The goal of this project is to create small areas, called food forests, throughout campus for all to enjoy. With the permission from Landscape Services, fruit and nut trees, berry shrubs, and edible and medicinal perennials and annuals will be planted and maintained in selected areas on campus. Edible fungi, which are often overlooked as a means of food in the garden, will also be cultivated. Students will learn landscape planning and how to grow and maintain plants and fungi in a food forest environment. The produce from the food forests will be available for anyone to pick. The intent is to nourish, educate, and inspire passersby.

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Engage Dominica 1 - Water and Sanitation

On the basis of the most recently conducted study, the levels of poverty in Dominica have fallen from 39 percent in 2003 to 28.8 percent in 2009. This reduction in poverty is attributed to attempts by Government to stabilize the economy, contain the debt, expand the social and physical infrastructure and prioritize investment. International assessment has been used to expand the physical infrastructure that is contributing to economic development. These infrastructure projects include the airport development, roads and highways expansion and agricultural access roads.  However, the storm in 2015 had a devastating effect on progress, setting the country back a reported 20 years.  This group will seek to address the economic status and effect of the recent storm and infrastructure devastation. 

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Engage Dominica 2 - Archbald Tropical Research Center Assessment and Program Development

For a number of years, Clemson has owned the Archbald Tropical Research Center in Dominica.  The center services a number of US based universities and will house a new Creative Inquiry program modeled after CEDC.  To support the program, this CI will conduct an assessment of the facilities at ATRC and determine potential projects that could improve the site and offer additional resources to visitors and the local community alike.  It is hoped that in the future, the center could support summer educational programs for local youth, as well as connections to the state college.  Additionally, facility improvement such as trails to the extents of the property would be assessed for potential construction. 

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Engage Dominica 3 - Soufriere and Scotts Head Jetty Development

The small town of Soufriere on the southeast side of Dominica is the focus of this Creative Inquiry.  Over the next several months, students will develop a plan to collect data from local residents by local residents on topics related to water security, economic opportunity and quality of life.   Members of the local steering committee have agreed to meet and collect data related to understanding fishing conditions, water security issues, as well as other conditions related to poverty.  Several initial projects that our students can begin researching include a jetty, fishing coop, and sanitation.  

Team Leaders

Personality Measurement

Student's on this project will get the chance to study a variety of aspects of personality including: facet level, contextual level, personality's curvilinear relationships with outcome variables, positively/negatively worded questions, factor structure, moderators, mediators, subgroup differences, generalizability of results, etc. Students are presenting at conferences in New York City, Chicago, and Portland based on our data. Joining the team is a multiple semester commitment. Most of our submission deadlines are in the fall with conferences normally in the spring. Students are all expected to submit to conferences and will learn about the research process from start to presentation stage. With a few students potentially getting to publications. Requirements to join are flexible as long as the person is persistent and ambitious.

Team Leaders

Geological Investigations in Dominica

The island of Dominica in the Caribbean has a research station owned by Clemson.  Numerous active volcanic-related features are present on the island such as calderas, volcanic domes, a boiling lake, fumaroles ( steam vents), and hot springs.  This setting represents a unique learning environment for students to study the nature of previous volcanic events and to investigate the potential for future events.  The research would include an examination of impacts to both human and environmental systems that would be affected by another eruption.

Team Leaders

Research into emotion and its expression

This Creative Inquiry is focused on learning how to conduct research in the realm of consumer behavior, with a focus on the psychology of emotions. Students will be active in research, and will actively collect data. This CI should be of particular interest to individuals interested in research careers both in and out of academia. The CI will meet weekly as round-table seminar.  Topics to be discussed are: methodology, best research practices, current literature, proposals for research projects, ongoing projects, and presentations of findings from research projects. If professional conferences coincide with the CI we will make efforts to provide presentation opportunities for students with completed research projects. We will also discuss if students are interested the path of graduate school and academic careers.

Team Leaders

Football Facemask Performance Creative Inquiry

In this CI, we will be working with the local Daniel High School football team to study the effect of a season of head impacts has on the performance of football facemasks.  We will be studying the performance of facemasks with ages ranging from brand new to a year of use.

Team Leaders

Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) Films

Positive behavior interventions support (PBIS) is a proactive and respectful approach for supporting all students in a school or group. In 2010, the PBIS Film Festival premiered at the Association of Positive Behavior Support (APBS) conference.  Each year the PBS Film Festival receives dozens of film submissions from all over the globe. During the PBS Film Festival, we screen about two dozen exemplary PBS films. The purpose of this Creative Inquiry is to (a) provide students with a hands-on experience supporting a film festival while they learn about schools are using film to support K-12, (b) develop a PBIS Film Festival website, and (c) conduct a study to better understand how schools are using film.   

Team Leaders

Carnivore Ecology

In 2015, Clemson CI students detected the eastern spotted skunk on forest lands near campus, the first time the species had been seen in the state in over 17 years.  This project builds on this important discovery by doing a dedicated study of the ecology and behavior of this cryptic and poorly understood species.

Team Leaders

Exploring engineering solutions to improve dialysis care

Patients on dialysis typically receive three blood-purification treatments a week. One of the most difficult— and potentially traumatic—experiences of a patient relying on dialysis is the experience of being “stuck” with a relatively large needle to draw blood. The primary goal of this project is to use engineering approaches to improve patient health outcomes and experience by enhancing the skill of nurses and healthcare technicians who perform these tasks. Students will work in a fast-paced, highly inter-disciplinary environment to communicate with clinicians, create novel materials to simulate anatomical structures, interface sensors with computers, and analyze human skill data. Students with previous experience in sensor interfacing are strongly encouraged to apply. To apply for the Spring 2017 cohort, please send Dr. Joseph Singapogu (joseph@clemson.edu) the following information: latest resume/CV, major and GPA, brief statement regarding why student is interested in project, any previous project experience.

Team Leaders

The Use of Deliberate Practice in Nursing Skill Acquisition

    The purpose of this Creative Inquiry is to design a research project to determine if deliberate practice can increase Clemson nursing students’ mastery of sterile technique using a deliberate practice model.        

Team Leaders

Clemson Curates: Visual Arts & the Clemson Campus

Clemson Curates presents visual arts exhibitions that explore ideas and issues reflective of and intersecting with university research.  Students gain experience by interpreting visual art, writing exhibit content, project management and exhibition presentations. Students also explore various media platforms necessary for marketing and communications, while conducting studio visits with artists to make final selection for artwork to be included in exhibits. 

Team Leaders

Whats in Our Waters

The What’s in Our Waters (WOW) educational outreach program is designed to introduce high school students to methods of monitoring and reporting on the conditions of local streams thus teaching students the importance of responsible citizen science, conducting research using the ‘scientific method’ and the relevance of science communication with the public. The program has 3 essential phases: 1) in class presentations on watershed health and research practices; 2) in field surveys and data collection; 3) scientific reporting and poster presentation at a local conference. To assess the educational effectiveness of the program surveys are administered to the participating high school students before and after the program and then analyzed by the WOW mentors to help improve the program implementation. In this creative inquiry project we will develop and implement a lesson plan based on research communication and scientific poster presentation at Daniel High School, analyze survey data to assess and report on whole program effectiveness, and work with current mentors to enhance the WOW model.

Team Leaders

Siemens Qualitative Marketing Research

This project will provide a hands-on learning experience in conducting qualitative research for theoretical and B2B insights for Siemens Corporation. In addition to actively learning and practicing different qualitative research methods (e.g., focus groups, interviews, ethnography), students will also learn how to conduct a qualitative research project from start to finish. This CI takes place over the course of three years. Students will need to be available to work on the project for at least one year to be selected for this CI. 

Team Leaders

Sorghum as a feedstuff for gamebirds and broilers in the Southeast

This project aims to evaluate grain sorghum as an alternative feedstuff for gamebirds and broilers in the Southeast by investigating if it is nutritionally equivalent to corn for use in poultry diets. Aside from determining the apparent metabolizable energy of each dietary treatment, students will learn the components of formulating a diet, which will be essential to evaluating the growth, health and product quality of the birds. In addition, students calculating and analyzing diet formulations will be able to make projections for expected growth rates and performance of the birds as well as the economic costs and benefits of an alternative feedstuff. Students should expect to enroll in the CI project for 2-4 semesters.      

Team Leaders

Happiness and Values

The purpose of this ongoing Creative Inquiry research team is to learn about and conduct research in the field of industrial-organizational psychology. We will explore how our values and their importance to us guide our judgment and decision-making on the pathways toward happiness, especially in circumstances where we must trade-off one option for another. The team will also examine whether or not the choices between two paths towards happiness are worthwhile or regrettable in the long-run.  For example, person A works at an organization and they have decided to work more hours at the office instead of spending more time with their family. Depending on which pathways someone values, this decision could make person A seem either hardworking or uncaring to an observer.  The students who participate on this research team will have the opportunity to see how work in empirical psychology is conducted. Our research is conducted with student samples and online samples, so team members will be exposed to various data collection techniques. In addition, students will gain experience in research design, data collection, and data analysis.

Team Leaders

A Nursing/Engineering Collaboration to Solve Current Healthcare Problems

The purpose of this Creative Inquiry (CI) is to utilize a Healthcare Makerspace as a collaboration between nursing and engineering students in order to solve current problems faced by healthcare professionals. This CI will organize teams and match them to healthcare problems brought to us by health professionals currently practicing in the field. Students may use cutting-edge technology, CAD design and other software/hardware to build and test prototypes. The School of Nursing will utilize a portion of its CLRC (Clinical Learning and Research Center) to test products in a realistic clinical environment. Already equipped with high-fidelity automated mannequins and modern healthcare equipment, the CLRC will provide an opportunity for new products to be developed and tested.

Team Leaders

Perinatal Substance Exposure

Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome, or NAS occurs when babies are born with opioid dependence from mothers using opioids during late pregnancy. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports 3.9 of every 1,000 hospital births in 2013 were NAS babies in South Carolina (Ko, 2016). The purpose of the study is to understand the maternal experience battling substance exposure use and caring for an infant with substance exposure through story telling. The voice recording will be transcribed for qualitative analysis using the ATLAS.it program.References: Ko JY, Patrick SW, Tong VT, Patel R, Lind JN, Barfield WD.(2016). Incidence of Neonatal  Abstinence Syndrome — 28 States, 1999–2013. MMWR Morbidity and Mortality Weekly  Report;65:799–802. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6531a2 

Team Leaders

Researching the need for and development of an Undergraduate Network for Innovation and Marketable Skills (NIMS)

To research, plan, and propose a centralized model of undergraduate resources that will empower innovation and development of marketable skills through partnership with student organizations, Creative Inquiry, and special interest centers on campus. These actions will enrich the student team’s ability to investigate issues; think critically; collect, analyze, interpret data and communicate results relative to real-world applications right here on campus.

Team Leaders

Development of novel antibacterials

Summary as described in Medchemcomm, 2014 Jun 1;5(6):816-825. "Controlling DNA topoisomerase functions has been envisioned for developing new anticancer and antibacterial agents.   A number of small molecules have been tested for their ability as poisons of DNA topoisomerase functions.  The therapeutic interest in the development of small molecules as inhibitors of DNA topoisomerase lies in their ability to act as DNA cleavage complex stabilizing agents and to recognize ATP binding site. The emergence of resistance to anti-bacterials has necessitated the search of novel molecules that could help tackle these issues. Small molecules that are both DNA binders and non-binders will be discovered to poison the functions of DNA topoisomerases".  Team members will learn about the target enzyme and work towards investigating small molecules that can inhibit it.

Team Leaders

Entrepreneurial Mentoring: Lemonade Day

Lemonade Day is a community-wide educational program that teaches youth the entrepreneurial skills necessary to start, own and operate their own business...a lemonade stand. The CI project is a recurring activity each academic year engaging a new cohort of Clemson students.          

Team Leaders

Human Factors Forensics

This team will explore the application of scientific knowledge and methods in Human Factors to the legal arena.  Issues include the development of expert opinion, the scientific justification and defense of expert testimony, the techniques for effective education of jurors and the court by experts, etc.  Students will explore these issues from practical, empirical, and theoretical perspectives.  Focus will include topics in vision, attention, cognition and related areas.

Team Leaders

Understanding the aggregation mechanism of amyloid peptides with multiscale molecular dynamics simulations

Understanding the aggregation mechanism of amyloid peptides with multiscale molecular dynamics simulations   Protein misfolding and amyloid aggregation are implicated in an increasing list of human diseases, including neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's, Huntington's, and Parkinson's diseases as well as type-2 diabetes. Accumulating evidences suggest that the intermediate species - i.e., oligomers - along the aggregation processes are the toxic species causing cell deaths. Understanding the aggregation mechanisms and identifying the structural and dynamics properties of these toxic oligomers are crucial for designing therapeutic approaches to inhibit the aggregation and/or reduce cytotoxicity. However, the aggregation mechanism of amyloidogenic proteins and peptides is largely unknown due to challenges both in experiments and simulations. The intrinsic and transient nature of these intermediate states makes experimental pinning difficulty, while the time and length scales of aggregation is often beyond the computational limit of traditional computer simulation methods. The PI lab has pioneered a multiscale discrete molecular dynamics algorithm (DMD) with enhanced computational sampling efficiency, which allows us to observe protein and peptide aggregation in silico. The project aims to perform large scale DMD simulations to understand the aggregation mechanisms of several commonly-studies amyloid peptides - including Abeta in Alzheimer's disease, alph-synuclein in Parkinson's disease, and amylin in type-2 diabetes. The students involved in this CI project will be exposed to the fundamental research of amyloid diseases and get familiar with high performance computing. The students will be trained to use various advanced computational methodologies either developed in the lab or academically available, and will learn to develop their own computational analysis tools. The students will also present the outcome of their research in scientific journals and research conferences. The CI project is part of the NIH-sponsored MIRA research award – “Inhibition of Human Islet Amyloid Polypeptide Aggregation”.