From virtual events and masked faces to gradually gathering together and sharing smiles with colleagues, it’s been a year of growth and transition. I’m so proud of the way our students, faculty and staff have persevered and emerged more resilient and adaptable. Here on campus, we wrapped up the year by honoring the accomplishments and excellence of our remarkable students, staff and faculty and celebrating commencement ceremonies where more than 500 graduate and undergraduate students became College of Science alumni.

Clemson’s recent seventh annual Give Day was a smashing success. The university set a new record in charitable giving. Science donors generously gave more than $60,000 to the College, nearly tripling donations from last Give Day. Thank you!

These gifts support our students, programs, faculty and so much more — including the recently announced Dean’s Distinguished Lecturer Awards, which honored three outstanding instructors for excellence in science teaching and engagement.

These awards — and others like the Dean’s Professorship Awards and our endowed faculty and chair positions — are possible through philanthropic support from alumni and friends like you. And they’re important in helping us attract and retain the most talented faculty and earning national recognition.

I thank you for your ongoing support for the College of Science. We look forward with enthusiasm to bright days ahead.

Go Tigers!

Forty-five health care professionals participated in the seventh annual Tigers on Call: Making Connections in Healthcare. The event, hosted by Health Professions Advising in collaboration with the College of Science, connects students interested in pursuing health care careers with Clemson alumni and friends who are working in the industry. ➥ Read more about the program.

Turmeric, a spice found in most kitchens, has an extract that could lead to safer, more efficient fuel cells. Researchers at the Clemson Nanomaterials Institute and their collaborators in India discovered a novel way to combine curcumin and gold nanoparticles to create an electrode that requires 100 times less energy to efficiently convert ethanol into electricity. ➥ Read more about the research.

Each of us has unique genes that make us who we are. Genetics major Jack Carson’s idea to turn a person’s uniqueness into one-of-a-kind art or music won the College of Science’s inaugural entrepreneurial challenge, the Catalyst Competition. ➥ Read more about the competition.

Grant Wilkins, a junior mathematics and computer engineering major from Kingsport, Tennessee, was one of three Clemson students to earn a Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship, the premier competitive national award for students who have the potential to advance research in mathematics, natural sciences and engineering.

Assistant Professor of Physics Joshua Alper and some of his undergraduate students helped Smithsonian National Museum of American History visitors explore how brain functions arise from cells working together in small teams as part of the 2022 ACCelerate: ACC Smithsonian Creativity and Innovation Festival.

Allyson Drawdy, a recent biochemistry graduate, saw the disparities that some people in the community face and started CU-REACH, a program in which Clemson students tutor and mentor local elementary and middle school students participating in the Littlejohn Community Center after-school program. 

Chemistry Professor Jeff Anker has received a prestigious Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program grant to travel to Finland to conduct research and teach. Anker, who researches sensors that can be attached to orthopedic impacts to monitor bone healing and defect infection, will work with two professors at Tampere University with Clemson ties.