From the Chair

As we head toward the end of the Spring semester on campus, there is a sense of accomplished goals, chapters closing and anticipation of what the future holds for our graduates. Our continuing students have internships, co-ops and study abroad plans lined up, and our faculty are anxious to pour into their summer research…where they often make the most progress with their students. The staff has tirelessly supported the needs of the Department, and this is a time to celebrate how vital they are in making Clemson IE what it is today.

It is such an exciting time of the year. Clemson IE remains a Top 20 graduate program among public universities (according to U.S. News and World Report), with several major research accomplishments. In this most recent year, we achieved our highest research expenditures ever, our faculty had the highest citation rate ever, and our faculty had their highest publication rate ever. Our reputation is also reflected in the job market for our graduates. Our graduating seniors either have jobs lined up, or they’re heading to graduate school. Recently, I attended our College and Department honors and awards nights, and we are blessed to have some of the best and brightest students from around the world.

In this issue, you will find several faculty, staff, student and alumni highlights. Our newest faculty member, Jessica Aviles, had the opportunity to speak in Washington, D.C., at a congressional briefing. And the NSF director recently visited Divya Srinivasan’s lab, highlighting some of her innovative exoskeleton experiments. A combined faculty/student spotlight features Jackie Cha and Alec Gonzalez and their recent article in ISE Magazine.

We are also very proud of the accomplishments of Angela Johnson Culver, who just received the Outstanding Young Alumni Award from the College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences at Clemson. Angela gave the keynote speech this year at our IE End-of-Year Celebration, and it’s easy to see why she has been so successful in her career and life. What an inspiration!

Graduation is just around the corner, and we have a few more events before the semester officially closes out. Please take time to visit any of our social media channels and keep in touch. Clemson IE has focused on improving how we share all of what is going on in the Department and beyond, and I hope you have been enjoying that!