Clemson driving sustainability, workforce development, leaders tell conference

Published: March 6, 2012

GREENVILLE — From the Upstate to the coast, Clemson University is driving research and workforce development that will help keep the brightest students in South Carolina and boost the state’s economy.

Speaking at the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 2012 International Electric Vehicle Conference, John Kelly, vice president for economic development at Clemson, said Monday the university is investing in undergraduate studies and strengthening its track record of successful public-private partnerships.

These initiatives will help provide jobs to keep students in the state after they graduate and establish South Carolina’s knowledge economy as one of the best in the nation. Universities must modernize and adjust curriculum to suit private sector needs, he said. The students will, in turn, show industry what the state has to offer.

“The most important issues for the private sector when working with universities are research and development and workforce development,” Kelly said. “These come up in every conversation we have with companies looking to partner with us.”

Through the newly created Clemson University Center for Workforce Development, combined with state-of-the-art research campuses that include the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR) and the Clemson University Restoration Institute in North Charleston, the university can help accelerate innovations to market and facilitate the exchange of knowledge, Kelly said.

“Our students work side by side with the very people looking to employ them after they graduate,” he said.

More than 1,000 people are attending the first-of-a-kind conference, which ends Thursday. The conference will address key trends in technology, engineering and deployment of electric vehicles and related infrastructure solutions.

CU-ICAR will host tours, a reception and workshops. Main conference activities are held at Greenville’s TD Convention Center. Click here to view the conference agenda.

During a reception Monday evening at CU-ICAR, Clemson University President James F. Barker put the development of electric vehicles into the context of higher education’s overall commitment to sustainability, which is influencing teaching, research and the way campuses operate.

“The definition of sustainability is the ability to meet today’s needs while preserving the ability of future generations to meet their own needs,” Barker said. “It is a value and a goal that is deeply held within the higher education community. 

“Students are passionate about it, and they are pushing us in the right direction,” he said.

Conference chairman Joachim Taiber, an automotive engineering professor at CU-ICAR, said that attracting such a high-profile conference to the Upstate is an opportunity to showcase Clemson University on the international stage, along with the strength and potential of South Carolina’s automotive industry.

Presenters include manufacturers, vehicle component and infrastructure suppliers, utilities, telecommunications providers, corporate executives, educators, legislators and venture capitalists.

IEEE has 406,000 members in more than 100 countries, including 235,000 members in the U.S. The organization chose Greenville for the major automotive event over Austin, Texas; Detroit; San Francisco; and Washington.

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