| Alumni,
friends and colleagues. As the spring term comes to a close, we
take a breath and a short break to take stock of our accomplishments
and refocus towards the upcoming fall. Unfortunately the rest
is not too long, as there are ongoing changes within the School
which keep us moving forward. In addition to noticeable changes
to Sirrine and Olin Halls, most of the highlights from the past
year are in the form of new programs, new people and the ongoing
shift in our focus to better serve Clemson and our students.
The past year has been a busy one for local and statewide initiatives
where the School has grown. Our cover story highlights the formal
announcement of the Warren Lasch Lab’s establishment as
the Clemson Conservation Center. Under the leadership of Professor
Mike Drews, who was not allowed to stay retired long, the Center
and its staff join the School as our “anchor” in Materials
Science and Engineering research and education in the Low Country.
We are thrilled to have the Lasch staff as part of our MSE family
and look forward to the opportunities ahead.
My office has also supported a strong Clemson presence in several
other statewide initiatives over the past year, specifically with
our partners at Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) and
their efforts to strengthen their ties to materials and energy
initiatives in MSE and across campus, with Mr. Ed Maier and the
South Carolina Manufacturing Extension Program (SCMEP) and their
launch of a new Composites Cluster as well as furthering our connectivity
and support with our local industry partners. Kentwool announced
late this spring a new research partnership with MSE that will
further strengthen the ties our Endowed Chair program has fostered.
As noted in the summary (at right), Dr. Deborah Lickfield’s
efforts to rejuvenate our Undergraduate Summer Internship Program
was in high gear as all undergrads looking for summer work, found
it this summer, either in industry, national laboratories or university
research experiences. Our 9th annual Summer High School program
was held hosting 12 rising seniors from across the state (and
from NY, FL, VA and Maryland). This program continues to seek
out and mentor existing and future students. These efforts grow
connectivity and visibility to the School, forming partnerships
that will grow and enhance the quality and experience base of
our students.
Speaking of partnerships, we continue to work hard to raise funds
for our Endowed Chairs in Photonics and Fiber-based Materials.
An $800K gift by 3M Corporation was added this spring and numerous
individual agreements with local companies are in process thanks
to the hard work of our faculty and Ms. Ann Marie Alexander in
the College’s Development Office. Your contribution, regardless
of size, can support our effort and receive dollar-for-dollar
match by the State. Please contact my office for details.
Lastly but not least, we have had changes in our faculty during
the year which will continue into the fall term. We are thrilled
to announce our first joint appointment in MSE, Assistant Professor
Vincent Blouin. Vincent’s home appointment is in Architecture,
joint with MSE, and carries out research efforts supporting projects
in precision optical molding and structural analysis of the Hunley
with the Conservation team. Also, we welcome a new research faculty
member to the School, Dr. Steven Serkiz (SRNL), along with new
adjunct faculty members Dr. Tommy Edwards (SRNL), Dr. Dave Witter,
and Dr. Huo Bao (ECUST, China). These colleagues, along with our
strong base of instuctors, will continue to support our teaching
and research efforts bringing new skills and talents to MSE. In
August we will welcome Dr. Molly Kennedy who will join us as an
assistant professor, as well as Dr. Greg Kusinski later this year.
Greg will hold a joint MSE/ICAR position, established last fall,
with Mechanical Engineering to strengthen partnerships in materials
research between the School and ICAR. Both come with experience
in metallic materials (bulk and thin films) and we will feature
them in upcoming newsletter. - Kathleen Richardson
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