Accelerating SCIENCE

We’re kicking off 2024 with renewed energy — accelerating our commitment to world-changing discovery, the best student experience and amplified engagement with our Clemson Family and beyond.

If you missed our December Season’s Greetings video, I invite you to watch it here. We accomplished so much in 2023, starting with the launch of our Accelerate Science strategic plan, which set the tone and foundation for a bold future in alignment with the University’s Clemson Elevate strategic plan.

Our faculty reached a record high of $24 million in research expenditures, which surpassed our previous goal of $22 million by 2026. Awards, like Alumni Distinguished Professor Billy Bridges of the School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences receiving the Class of ’39 Award for Excellence, helped highlight the sustained excellence of our faculty.

We also strengthened our students’ workforce readiness. Through new industry partnerships, we offered more professional development, internship and entrepreneurship opportunities. We hosted two Science Career Fairs (in-person and virtual) with excellent student attendance, launched the first Science Entrepreneurship Course, and progressed in establishing a pilot program that allows students to earn electronic resumé badges that demonstrate their mastery of lab-related skills.

As we cast our collective sights to 2024 and the years to come, our focus is on recruiting and growing more world-class scientific talent, driving plans for two new state-of-the-art facilities and fueling health innovation through precision medicine and workforce readiness.

Wishing you good health and a happy new year!

Go Tigers!

How active are the microorganisms in your yogurt? Clemson chemists created a new tool to study probiotic activity — out of cardboard.

William C. Bridges Jr., an alumni distinguished professor in the School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences, was awarded the prestigious Class of ’39 Award for Excellence for his service to the student body, Clemson University and the larger community.

Biochemistry major Emily Bernabe and Clemson University alumna Matthew Angel had worked in neighboring labs at the Clemson University Eukaryotic Pathogens Innovation Center (EPIC). A chance encounter in Washington, D.C., reunited the pair and led to an internship opportunity for Bernabe in a lab Angel leads.

Sam Stone says his hometown of Chester, South Carolina, and Clemson University shaped him into what he is today. He has spent a lifetime giving back.

The College of Science will attend the 2024 SCbio Conference in Greenville February 6-8. If you are planning to attend, please visit our booth — we would love to see you there. To register for the conference, go here.

Michael Sehorn, an associate professor of genetics and biochemistry, has been named to the Creative Inquiry + Undergraduate Research program’s first ever class of faculty fellows. The fellows will assist the CI office to enhance and grow the program in the College of Science.

Benjamin Manard ’14, who studied under Department of Chemistry Professor Ken Marcus, has received a 2023 JAAS Emerging Investigator Lectureship Award. The award is presented annually by the Journal of Analytical Atomic Spectrometry.

‘What Lies Beneath,’ an article on Clemson University marine biologist Antonio Baeza and his research received a Best of CASE (Council for Advancement and Support of Education) District III Award for storytelling. District III includes nine Southeastern states.

Clemson University’s Brook T. Smith Launchpad is highlighting the College of Science in its inaugural Entrepreneurship Week with an event on Tuesday, January 30 from 5-7:30 p.m. The keynote speaker will be Jennifer Manning ’95 (biological sciences). If you are interested in entrepreneurship, networking with SCIENCE students, faculty and staff, or being a part of the job fair to hire SCIENCE students, register here.

Let us know what you’re doing. Share your professional accomplishments with the College of Science, and your news may be featured on our website or in this newsletter. Share your alumni news today!