Smithsonian to display Clemson research examining health, arts and education for ACCelerate Festival

CLEMSON — At the forefront of innovation and creativity, the 15 members of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), including Clemson University, will come together for the second “ACCelerate: ACC Smithsonian Creativity and Innovation Festival” April 5–7 at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C.

Two research projects from Clemson will be featured:

• The LIT KIT: A Mixed-Technology Architectural Robotic System for Enhancing Children’s Picturebook Reading
• Promoting Health through Human Robot Interaction

Both will be on display ahead of the festival in Clemson’s R.M. Cooper Library on March 14 (10 a.m.-noon, 1-4 p.m.) and 15 (10 a.m.-noon).

“We’re pleased to be heading back to D.C. for the second annual ACCelerate Festival,” said John Griffin, Clemson’s associate provost and dean of undergraduate studies. “Both of these projects are incredibly unique and showcase how different disciplines can positively impact communities around the world through research.”

The LIT KIT is a multimedia, physical/digital artifact that employs lighting, sound and robotic movement to create an environment that is evocative of a children’s picture book as it is being read aloud. It is presented by principal investigator George J. Shafer of the School of Architecture in the College of Architecture, Arts and Humanities.

The Promoting Health through Human Robot Interaction exhibit will showcase a conceptual approach for patient transportation in the emergency department, a developmental solution focused on autonomous lighting for the surgery department and a few research techniques that illustrate the transformation from imagination into reality. It is being presented by Dotan Shvorin of the Clemson University Center for Health Facilities Design and Testing.

Presented by the Smithsonian’s Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation at the National Museum of American History and Virginia Tech’s Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology, the three-day festival will provide an opportunity for visitors to engage with leading innovators of creative exploration and research at the nexus of science, engineering, arts and design.

For more information about the schedule, performance descriptions and exhibitions, please visit www.acceleratefestival.com. Follow the hashtag #ACCelerateFestival on social media for live updates.

Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation
The Lemelson Center has led the study of invention and innovation at the Smithsonian since 1995. The center’s activities advance scholarship on the history of invention, share stories about inventors and their work and nurture creativity in young people. The center is supported by The Lemelson Foundation and located in the National Museum of American History. For more information, visit invention.si.edu.

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Dedicated to its motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), Virginia Tech pushes the boundaries of knowledge by taking a hands-on, engaging approach to education, preparing scholars to be leaders in their fields and communities. As the commonwealth’s most comprehensive university and its leading research institution, Virginia Tech offers more than 240 undergraduate and graduate degree programs to more than 31,000 students. The university fulfills its land-grant mission of transforming knowledge to practice through technological leadership and by fueling economic growth and job creation locally, regionally, and across Virginia.

Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC)
The Atlantic Coast Conference, now in its 65th year of competition and 15 members strong, has long enjoyed the reputation as one of the strongest and most competitive intercollegiate conferences in the nation. ACC members Boston College, Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Miami, North Carolina, NC State, Notre Dame, Pitt, Syracuse, Virginia, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest continue to build upon the cornerstones on which the league was founded in 1953 with a consistent balance of academics, athletics and integrity. The ACC currently sponsors 27 NCAA sports – 14 for women and 13 for men – with member institutions located in 10 states. For more information, visit theACC.com and follow @theACC on Twitter and on Facebook (facebook.com/theACC).