Summer 2007 -- Vol. 60, No. 3

Here are six things you must know about Clemson to understand just how vital Thomas Green Clemson’s vision still is today.

When the first Clemson Agricultural College students stepped onto campus in 1893, they surely were mystified by the indoor plumbing and electric lights, rarities for American households at the time, especially in the devastated South.

Automobiles were just as rare. Most of the new cadets arrived by the Blue Ridge rail line, getting out at Cherry’s Crossing and walking two miles to the College. Their destination was a school of hope — founded by a man of extraordinary vision — to be both a “high seminary of learning” and a driver of economic development. 

It’s almost overwhelming to consider how much has changed for Clemson students since then. And how much Clemson has affected the quality of life for so many people.

It’s equally amazing to consider how Thomas Green Clemson’s extraordinary vision continues to lead the University.

Today, Clemson stays true to the vision of education and economic development by focusing our talents, energies and resources on specific areas. These areas encourage collaboration and integration of teaching, research and service. They create partnerships with industry, research and charitable foundations, other universities, hospitals, public schools and civic organizations — all to help people, to improve quality of life, to be good stewards.

1. Clemson’s “heart” continues to be in educating students.

One of the qualities that makes the Clemson experience distinctive for students is the way the University combines the best of small-college teaching and campus life with big-time science, engineering and technology.

Clemson works hard to provide scholarships and fellowships for students. No entering freshman from South Carolina pays full tuition. All receive some financial aid. In addition, the University offers an overall 14-to-1 faculty/student ratio. Clemson’s Academic Success Center helps students stay on track with their studies. It recently received the international award as Outstanding Supplemental Instruction Program.

Creative Inquiry is a new initiative that promotes “engaged learning” across majors and throughout the undergraduate experience. It requires multiple semesters and combines critical thought, research, communication, teamwork and commitment.

Clemson students have another advantage in the Pearce Center for Professional Communication. It works to ensure that all Clemson students are prepared to communicate effectively in their major discipline and are familiar with communication practices and technologies in the workplace. The program has received special recognition for the seventh straight year in Writing in the Disciplines by U.S.News & World Report’s 2007 edition of America’s Best Colleges.

Students learn leadership and entrepreneurial skills through Clemson’s Spiro Institute for Entrepreneurial Leadership. It supports educational, research and outreach programs that promote entrepreneurial activity and economic development of the region, state and nation.

The new Clemson Renaissance Center in Greenville will house the University’s program for entrepreneurial, experience-based graduate education and will serve as a portal between the school’s College of Business and Behavioral Science and the Greenville business community.

The University addresses the “whole student” through the Rutland Institute for Ethics. The institute provides the campus and the community with a forum to explore ethical issues, especially those affecting the Clemson family.

Clemson’s goal is for all students to have international experience. Its study-abroad program includes Clemson centers in Genoa, Brussels and Dominica along with many other opportunities throughout most of the world.
More than 100 graduate programs offer traditional and innovative career paths, from a Ph.D. program in entomology to a master’s in digital production arts.

How are we doing?

• U.S.News & World Report ranks Clemson 30th among all public national universities, the only S.C. school in the top 50.
• Kiplinger ranks Clemson 29th among more than 500 colleges and universities on the basis of quality and affordability.
• The Phi Beta Kappa Society, America’s oldest and most prestigious academic honor society, selected Clemson University for one of six new chapters to be established in 2007.
• SAT scores and graduation rates of Clemson students rank in the top 25 among national public universities.
• Clemson is included in Colleges with a Conscience: An Engaged Student’s Guide to College for its outstanding and varied service-learning and civic-engagement programs.
• Clemson’s business program has reached top-20 status among public colleges and universities, according to BusinessWeek magazine’s ranking of the Best Undergraduate Business Schools.
• U.S.News & World Report has ranked nine Clemson graduate engineering programs in the top 50 among the nation’s public doctoral-granting institutions.
• Clemson’s civil engineering undergraduate program is ranked 14th among public engineering schools (whose highest degree is a doctorate) and 24th in a list that includes private and public schools.
• Princeton Review ranks Clemson’s Communication-Across-the-Curriculum (CAC) program as one of the top five in the nation. CAC was a primary factor in Clemson’s being named TIME magazine’s 2001 Public College of the Year.

2. Public service is still the “soul” of Clemson.

One of Clemson’s strongest character traits that’s changed with society’s needs, but never wavered in commitment, is service to people, especially the citizens of South Carolina.

The University’s Public Service Activities (PSA) programs are located throughout the state to provide easy access for all citizens. They are focused in five interrelated areas: agrisystems productivity and profitability, economic and community development, environmental conservation, food safety and nutrition, and youth development and families.

Safer food, cleaner environment, healthier kids

PSA personnel take to the people what researchers have discovered and developed. For example:

• Farmers reduce operating expenses and environmental impact by using “precision agriculture” techniques using satellite technology to map fields so that fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides are applied in exactly the locations and quantities needed.
• Members of the greenhouse and turfgrass industry, the fastest growing segment of S.C. agriculture, rely on Clemson research, Extension and regulatory services to develop new varieties and production methods and provide training.
• Forest landowners are improving timber production, protecting water quality, enhancing wildlife habitat and preserving recreational forests through Clemson-developed best-management practices that affect the state’s 12.5 million acres of forest land.
• Medical professionals and individuals will have the latest information on the role of nutrition in health and disease through the S.C. Nutrition Research Consortium, a joint effort by Clemson, the University of South Carolina and the Medical University of South Carolina.
• Food suppliers have new tools to protect food safety through Clemson packaging research. One study is developing biosensors as an early warning system for salmonella and other health threats. Other research is developing antimicrobial and antioxidant packaging that extends shelf life and safety.
• Environmentalists and outdoor enthusiasts benefit from research and Extension efforts in the state’s forests from the mountains of the Jocassee Gorges to the coastal wetlands surrounding Clemson’s Baruch Institute of Coastal Ecology and Forest Science.

They also help regulate. For example:

• Clemson Livestock-Poultry Health personnel enforce state and federal laws for animal health, inspect meat-processing facilities and provide diagnostic laboratories for veterinarians.
• Regulatory Services personnel ensure the safe, effective use of fertilizers and pesticides, and the quality of seeds and plants grown in the state.

And they facilitate:

• Schoolchildren, their teachers and families are learning to prevent bullying in schools through a national program led by Clemson’s Institute on Family and Neighborhood Life.
  
• Youth and adults — more than 28,000 per year — participate in educational retreats, special-needs camps and leadership development programs through Clemson’s Youth Learning Institute.
• City and county leaders are developing visions and action plans to improve their communities through planning sessions led by members of Clemson’s Institute for Economic and Community Development.
  

3. Clemson is prepared to play a leading role in advances that create breakthroughs in health, agriculture and bio-based industries.

Clemson is building expertise and research resources that can help South Carolina claim a share of the expanding biotechnology industry — a field that’s expected to have a major impact on the world economy in the years to come.

The Biosystems Research Complex, the University’s newest campus laboratory facility, is a focal point for biotechnology research — in biology, genomics, biochemistry and bioengineering — to create new products and processes in agriculture, health and the environment.

The Clemson University Genomics Institute, located in the new complex, has developed an international reputation as a leading research and training center for discovering and analyzing genes. In fact, it has one of the largest collections of genetic materials in the world.

As a result, Clemson has one of the world’s leading laboratories in fruit tree genomics. This research is particularly important to our state’s fruit industry, especially when you consider that South Carolina is second only to California in peach production.

Genomics research at Clemson is generating patents, spinoff companies and millions of dollars in federal and private-
sector grants for the state. Its extensive plant-based research has also resulted in a prestigious endowed chair.

In the biotechnology field, Clemson offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs that span agriculture, biological sciences, medicine and human genetics.

These programs draw strength from partnerships with other research institutions, including the Greenwood Genetic Center and the Greenville Hospital System, giving students opportunities and experiences beyond the main campus.

Other partnerships focus on developing a skilled work force for the biotech industry. One program links the University with the state’s technical college system; another collaborates with high schools to provide biotechnology workshops for students and teachers.

Clemson is also partnering with industry organizations, as well as with biotechnology, biomedical and nutraceutical companies, to develop commercial applications through research and technology transfer programs.

The University has teamed up with the nation’s leading genetics learning center to help S.C. students and teachers understand the far-reaching impact genetics will have on the future. Since the S.C. DNA Learning Center at Clemson opened last year, nearly 1,500 secondary and middle school students and teachers have gained hands-on DNA lab experience.

More than 52 middle and high school teachers have completed graduate courses in new teaching methods for DNA science, forensics and biotechnology.

Stronger bones, healthier hearts, longer lives

• While this research has great economic potential, its benefit to health and quality of life may be immeasurable. For example:
  
• Scientists are using desktop printers to produce three-dimensional living tissue, a step toward printing complex tissues or even entire organs.
  
• Tissue engineering research could facilitate spinal cord regeneration.
  
• Clemson researchers are collaborating with NASA in a molecular study of bone loss from prolonged space flight to find a treatment for osteoporosis.
  
• Scientists are studying the process of DNA repair at the molecular and cellular level for new approaches to the prevention and treatment of cancer.
  
• A potential new treatment for breast cancer — based on the study of the hormone prolactin — is awaiting approval to begin clinical trials.
  
• Another Clemson scientist is developing an injectable tissue implant that could provide patients a viable reconstructive surgical solution for damage from lumpectomies and other invasive procedures.
• Researchers are using electrochemical methods to develop new analytical techniques to detect and identify DNA, such as a hand-held analyzer for rapid disease diagnosis.
• A molecule called Ap4A is being studied in an effort to characterize its role in regulating blood pressure, particularly in stressful situations.
  

4. Clemson aims to put South Carolina at the hub of the nation’s automotive and motorsports industry.

In November 2003, Clemson broke ground on the 250-acre Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR) as a focus of innovation and economic development. The center is located in Greenville along I-85, halfway between Atlanta and Charlotte in the heart of the Southeast’s automotive and motorsports industry. More than 1,000 automotive assemblers and suppliers are within a 500-mile radius of Upstate South Carolina.

With Clemson’s strength in mechanical engineering and electronic/computer engineering at both the graduate and undergraduate levels and the state’s potential for growth, the center is a natural fit. The project has already generated more than $220 million in private and public support, and early corporate backers for the research campus include BMW, Michelin, Timken, Sun Microsystems and SAE International.

CU-ICAR is anchored by the Carroll A. Campbell Jr. Graduate Engineering Center, where programs will focus on automotive systems integration. Clemson faculty and students will find ways to integrate the scores of different systems in automotive development and manufacturing. Facilities include state-of-the-art equipment valued at $10 million, including an MTS seven-post shaker unit with a Weiss climate chamber, an FEV engine dynamometer, a RENK Test Systems chassis dynamometer and a coordinate measuring machine from Carl Zeiss and J&H Machine Tool.

CU-ICAR researchers are expected to generate $5 million a year in external research support.

Education is key. In addition to the opportunities for graduate students, Clemson’s emphasis on undergraduate research and critical thinking will find a home at the center.

The center’s new faculty will join an established core of Clemson researchers who’ve been leaders in automotive and motorsports research and education for nearly 20 years.

Faculty from the Clemson Center for Research in Wireless Communications will also be an important part.

The safety arm of CU-ICAR is Clemson’s Automotive Safety Research Institute. In addition to its current education and research programs, it’s launching a new Safe Driving Program through a partnership with Richard Petty Driving Experience.

‘Smart’ engines, better brakes, safer cars

The automotive research campus will build on our existing strengths. Here’s a sampling of recent and current research.

• Researchers in Clemson’s computational fluid dynamics lab can predict and eventually control intricate fluid flows in everything from the interiors of engines to the exteriors of vehicles.
  
• Using Clemson’s supercomputing capabilities, researchers are developing complex aerodynamic modeling that will significantly reduce time-consuming prototype testing.
• Computer-aided development of novel materials and processing technologies will lead to more efficient and environment-friendly vehicles, as well as electrical power generators.
  
• Research in enhanced thermal system management for automobiles for improved heat control and dissipation could lead to lighter, more fuel-efficient engines with reduced tailpipe emissions.
  
• Researchers are working on other efficiency measures including drive-by-wire technology for quicker response times in braking and maneuvering, aerodynamics testing and simulation, mechatronics applications and assessment of vehicle systems, such as ABS and four-wheel steering, in their impact on vehicle performance.
• Safety-related projects include virtual-reality testing to assess driver attention under distraction, and pedestrian visibility and perceptions of visibility in nighttime driving.
  

5. The Clemson University Advanced Materials Center is positioned to be a magnet and research hub for the global advanced materials industry.

The 265-acre Clemson University Advanced Materials Center — located three miles from I-85 in Anderson County and formerly known as the Clemson Research Park — will target globally recognized advanced materials companies and researchers.

The academic heart of the center is Clemson’s renowned Advanced Materials Research Laboratory, home to the highest resolution electron microscope available at any university in the nation. The unique laboratory — internationally recognized for its work in advanced fibers, films, ceramics, optics, composites and nanomaterials — has received funding from the National Science Foundation, the Department of Defense, NASA and the private sector.

It also has two strategic campus partners — the S.C. Research Authority and the Applied Research and Development Institute. A state-of-the-art innovation center/incubation facility is also in the works.

One example of the Advanced Materials Center’s potential for economic and educational opportunities is the Center for Optical Materials Science and Engineering Technologies (COMSET). Clemson is the only university in the nation, and one of only a few in the world, to have industry-level optical fiber fabrication capabilities.

Optical fiber is crucial to the Internet and many other conveniences. It’s important to automotive, medical and industrial systems as well as homeland security and defense such as high-power laser systems and chemical and biological agent detection.

COMSET supports optical materials research and development from concept to commerce. It’s the nation’s academic focal point for research into organic and inorganic optical materials.

Among the center’s contracts is a $1 million annual Department of Defense contract on high-power fiber lasers. With the backing of the J.E. Sirrine Textile Foundation and 3M, the center has been approved for an endowed professorship in optical fibers as part of the S.C. Research Center of Economic Excellence Program.

Advanced materials researchers with Clemson’s COMSET have generated more than $30 million in external funding, 25 patents and two spinoff companies since 2000. Faculty expertise ranges from materials science and chemistry to physics and entrepreneurial development.

Biodegradable plastic, double DVDs, better drug delivery

Here are more examples of Clemson advanced materials projects.

• A new “smart blending” process could change the way plastics are made and improve their performance.
  
• Clemson researchers have found a potential way to replace up to 50 percent of the chemicals that make regular plastics with polylactic acid, a byproduct of corn.
  
• Clemson photonic research could lead to fast, reliable and inexpensive sensors that detect chemical agents in order to combat their potential use as instruments of terror.
  
• Micro-optic research could cut Internet costs, double DVD storage capacity and lighten military aircraft.
  
• Nanotubes could assist with surgery and more effective drug delivery.
  
• Clemson researchers are working on smart materials in automotive applications, optical fibers to route information between a car’s electronics and on-board sensors, and tires embedded with materials that can sense and respond to road conditions.
  

6. Clemson is leading major restoration and conservation efforts based on the University’s resources and South Carolina’s needs.

Nearly 1 million new residents are expected to move to South Carolina in the next 20 years, making it one of the fastest growing states in the nation. As the population grows, more schools, medical facilities, fire and police protection, as well as housing and commercial developments, are needed. City and county governments are facing tough questions about how to balance population growth and quality of life.

Add to that a shortage of raw materials. The world is undergoing a major building boom. Forecasts indicate that by the year 2030, more than half of all buildings in the United States will have been built since 2000.

We don’t have enough raw materials to meet this demand, let alone rebuild and repair existing infrastructure such as roads and bridges. More advanced, sustainable and healthy building materials and methods need to be discovered. In other words, the potential for restoration knowledge, materials and processes is huge.

To reap the greenest benefits for South Carolina, the state needs a plan that reaches from the Upstate to the Lowcountry. That’s where the Clemson University Restoration Institute (CURI) comes in. Founded in 2004, the institute is headquartered at Clemson while its major research center will be at the former Navy base in North Charleston.

The main research center will serve as a catalyst for the restoration and sustainability cluster in South Carolina. It will bring together researchers in architecture, historic preservation, ecological restoration, land-use planning, engineering and advanced materials to create new knowledge-based industries and jobs.

Early evidence of this synergy can be seen in the research to restore metal surfaces on the historic H.L. Hunley submarine. An international team of chemists and engineers, led by Clemson scientists, is developing revolutionary compounds and processes to remove and prevent corrosion on metal surfaces exposed to saltwater. This research has the potential to protect billions of dollars in maritime ships and equipment.

Another promising research area is restoration of compromised environments, such as abandoned industrial sites known as brownfields. This work can help sustain economic growth in every part of the state. The Navy base offers a ready-made laboratory for brownfield restoration, a specialty of Clemson environmental scientists. Lessons learned from these studies can preserve the quality of life that makes South Carolina such an attractive destination for tourists and residents alike.

As more people move to our state, municipal and county officials are learning how to better manage pollution caused when storm water runs off parking lots, driveways and sidewalks through Clemson Extension’s Carolina Clear program. And commercial developers and urban planners are learning new methods for commercial and residential development through Clemson research on the environmental impact of changing land-use patterns. Research on building materials — such as the work of the National Brick Research Center at Clemson — will result in better and more environmentally friendly products.

Because of leadership in this area, Clemson has been selected by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to
establish a Watershed Center of Excellence in South Carolina that will foster development and implementation of cost-effective watershed management programs for communities throughout the state.

Today, Clemson still combines education, research and service to improve the quality of life for the people in South Carolina. And, in the process, the University’s impact is reaching far beyond our campus home — beyond the Fort Hill property that Thomas Green Clemson left for a “high seminary of learning.”

His extraordinary vision continues to lead us. We think he would be pleased.