©Rendering courtesy of the Bordeaux Group.
Clemson University’s Innovation Center Rendering (Bordeax Group)
An Economic Engine For South Carolina Clemson University Advance Materials Research By Sandra Woodward
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dvanced Materials is one of Clemson University’s primary areas of emphasis within its missions of teaching, research, and public service. Clemson University’s advanced materials enterprise supports industries ranging from optical fibers and photonics to advanced plastics to biomedical materials. Advanced Materials research accounts for nearly 30 percent of the University’s total research funding and also supports several other research areas, such as automotive and transportation technology, biotechnology and biomedical materials, information and communication technology, and sustainable environment. John Ballato is a professor of materials science and engineering and the director of the Center for Optical Materials Science and Engineering Technologies and champions the University’s advanced materials research programs. He says Clemson has extended its reach as South Carolina manufacturing has diversified. For example, biomedical fibers are being tested for artificial arteries, scaffolds for cell or bone growth, and selfhealing fabrics that promote skin reconstruction. Non-traditional fibers are being produced for use in chemical and biologicalsensing platforms, telecommunication systems, and defensesensing and warfare applications. “The diversity of Clemson’s advanced materials research is truly amazing, and we believe our researchers, research facilities, and associated functions are assets to existing companies and those considering South Carolina as a manufacturing location,” he said. Through the South Carolina Centers of Economic Excellence (CoEE) program that provides state funds to match private
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investment in research universities in areas of existing or potential economic growth in the state, Clemson has six CoEEs with research focusing on advanced materials: Advanced Fiber-based Materials, Advanced Tissue Biofabrication (with MUSC/USC), Optical Materials/Photonics, Optoelectronics, Regenerative Medicine (with MUSC), and Tissue Systems Characterization.
Statewide Research Facilities for a Statewide Industry Advanced Materials is a statewide economic cluster, recognized as having exceptional growth potential, and Clemson is supporting the industry with both a wide range of research initiatives and research facilities that put Clemson researchers in contact with industry partners. More than 150 individual researchers are involved in Advanced Materials research at the main campus as well as at the University’s research and economic development campuses located across the state. In Greenville, for example, researchers at the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR) are working with a variety of materials to address issues related to the automotive industry, including the use of composites to reduce weight and the road resistance of tire materials and construction, all designed to improve fuel efficiency. Also in Greenville, Clemson researchers are working with colleagues at Greenville Hospital System’s Patewood campus on a wide array of biomedical materials. In North Charleston, at the Clemson University Restoration Institute, research is under way on conserving maritime historical artifacts and also preserving modern materials from the wear-and-tear of daily use in marine, automotive, and aerospace environments.
November 2010 •
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