The World Needs Visionaries
Claflin Scholars Seek Career Opportunities Through Summer Research
  

Raquel Boulware, sophomore, and Donald Davis, junior, are conducting research in human computer interaction. Both are computer engineering majors.

For some college students, the summer months are a brief respite from arduous study and rigorous classroom assignments. However, more than 60 Claflin University scholars in the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics are conducting prodigious, results-driven research that will increase their chances of securing career opportunities and admission to prestigious universities, professional schools and laboratories. The students are participating in more than a dozen STEM-related research-programs at Claflin or other locations. Their research includes cancer, autism, molecular level, organic and inorganic chemistry, robotics, cyber security and other subjects.
 
"Our research scholars receive financial support from National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, Department of Defense, National Nuclear Security Administration, Savannah River Site and several other federal and independent agencies," said Dr. Verlie Tisdale, dean of the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics.  "Some of the researchers at Claflin are supported by institutional funds through the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics."  
 
The University's commitment to increasing experiential learning opportunities aligns with one of the goals of Claflin's Strategic Plan: Claflin LEADS: A Shared Vision for the 21st Century. Claflin's research efforts are consistent with the Career Pathways Initiative (CPI), a $6 million cluster grant funded by UNCF through the Lilly Foundation to improve student employment outcomes and prepare graduates at Claflin, Benedict College and Voorhees College for high-paying careers in the 21st Century workforce.
 
The on-campus projects utilize Claflin's state-of-the-art facilities and equipment at the Molecular  Science Research Center and James S. Thomas Science Center. All research is supervised by 18 faculty mentors and the students were required to complete Lab Safety training with certified trainers. Claflin is supporting external research internships for students involved in studies at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Norfolk State University, Clemson University and the University of Iowa.
 
"Claflin is also supporting the partial expenses for students interning with the NIH RISE Research, Medical Experience (MedEx) Academy, Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory, Weill Cornell/Rockefeller/Sloan-Kettering Gateways to the Laboratory Program, and Medical University of South Carolina MUSC," said Tisdale. 
 
MedEx Academy is a unique program that was created to increase interest among young people to pursue careers in health care. The Academy's goal is to make health professions accessible to students from diverse cultural and socio-economic backgrounds.
 
" These internships provide our students exposure in professional environments and helps them develop their  skills and knowledge as researchers," said Tisdale. "We are extremely proud of what our students have accomplished and Claflin's growing reputation in STEM research."

Claflin University Intensive Residential Camp to Perform Disney's Aladdin Jr. 
 


Claflin University is currently hosting its first annual Claflin University Intensive (CUSAI) Residential Camp. Funded through the South Carolina Arts Commission's Arts Education Grant, the purpose of the program is to provide high-level artistic instruction to youth entering grades six through 10 in a college environment. The camp will conclude on Saturday, June 16, with a musical theater production of Disney's Aladdin Jr. 
 
The camp participants are taking classes led by college professors in acting, art (graphic design and jewelry making), dance, music, and video production while preparing for the culminating musical theatre production featuring music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman, Tim Rice, and Chad Beguelin, and book by Chad Beguelin. Participants are also mentored by college students majoring in one of the artistic disciplines.  
 
"The college students are encouraged to maintain relationships with their mentees beyond the camp in hopes that they will continue their journey to college and major in one the artistic disciplines studied during CUSAI," said Annette Dees Grevious, CUSAI program director and acting professor.  
 
Other professors teaching in the program are Michael Fairwell (video production), Raishad Glover (graphic design), Taylor Johnson (music), Tabitha Ott (jewelry making), and Cedric Rembert (dance). College mentors are Myles Coverson-Springs (dance), Esther Jones (music), Alexis Pipkins (video production), Austin Reynolds (art), and Kayla Richardson (acting). 

Aladdin Jr. will be performed on Saturday, June 16, at 2:00 p.m. in W.V. Middleton Fine Arts Center. Admission is free and open to the public.

Claflin Student Interns at Savannah River Remediation for the Summer
 


Sophomore political science major Daniel Morris is one of 37 students working as an intern at Savannah River Remediation (SRR) this summer. The interns represent a full spectrum of engineering disciplines, and are also working toward degrees in programs such as business, information technology, emergency management and statistics. Morris (back row, second to last) is pictured above with the other interns. 
 
SRR Summer Internship Coordinator Allison Brown said she looks forward to supporting the group of students throughout their internships over the summer. "Internship season at SRR is an exciting time for both the employees and the students, who have the opportunity to work together and learn from one another," Brown said. "The interns bring energy and new perspectives from their learning institutions, and the SRR employees are filled with a sense of purpose to bestow their experience and knowledge onto the college students."
 
Other colleges represented by the interns include Clemson University, College of Charleston, Georgia Southern University, Georgia State University College of Law, Georgia Tech, University of Georgia, South Carolina State University, University of Alabama, University of South Carolina in Columbia and Aiken, Aiken Technical College, Winthrop University, Lafayette College, Tuskegee University, Ohio State University, Washington State University, University of Phoenix, University of Maryland, Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, Atlanta Metropolitan College, Fordham University and the Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University.

SRR is the liquid waste contractor at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Savannah River Site. SRR is composed of a team of companies led by AECOM with partners Bechtel National, CH2M and BWX Technologies. Critical subcontractors for the contract are AREVA, Atkins, and AECOM Technical Services.
Alumni News
Kristen Bell, '13, has been appointed assistant principal at Sparkman Middle School in Toney, Ala. Originally from Spartanburg, S.C., Kristen received her bachelor's degree in mass communications from Claflin University and her master's at Alabama A&M in elementary education. Most recently, she completed the Educational Leadership Program at Samford University. Kristen's background combines her two passions - education and communications. Bell is a former Miss Claflin (2012-2013) and member of the Alice Carson Tisdale Honors College.

Congratulations to Pastor James Edward Holiday, '02, for 25 years of pastoral ministry with Bushy Pond Baptist Church in Norway, S.C. He was raised in the church by his grandparents, and he never left. His favorite scripture is Romans 8:28 - "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."

The Charleston County Public Library ( 68 Calhoun St, Charleston, S.C.) will host Unforgettable: Celebrating a Time of Life, Hope and Bravery on July 1 through September 30, 2018. This exhibit showcases a prelude to Cecil Williams' (Class of 1960) newest publication, Unforgettable. The collection of 40 images provides a rare glimpse of events, portraits, and moments of significant social change during the 1950s through the 1970s. The noble subjects and pioneers captured in Williams' images depict the unforgettable waves of change that impacted the world during that era. The library will also host a book signing on July 30 at 6 p.m. of Williams' book Out of the Box in Dixie, which chronicles the lives and accomplishments of the heroic people of this state who began and led the struggle for desegregation in America. For more information and registration, please call (843) 805-6904. This project is made possible with LSTA funds provided by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and administered by the SC State Library, and through the generosity of Cecil Williams.   
June 13, 2018
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@Claflin is published by the Office of Communications & Marketing 
President: Dr. Henry N. Tisdale, '65
Vice President for Institutional Advancement: Rev. Whittaker V. Middleton, '73
Assistant Vice President for Communications & Marketing: George Johnson Jr.
Public Relations Director: J. Craig Cotton
Web Communications Manager: Colin Myers, '07
Sports Information Director: Romanda Noble-Watson
Photographers: Cecil Williams, '60, Geoff Henderson and Colin Myers, '07