Clemson students join other ACC students for Meeting of the Minds

CLEMSON – A select group of Clemson University undergraduates have just returned from Louisville, Kentucky, where they participated in a Meeting of the Minds with other Atlantic Coast Conference students.

The conference is held each spring to celebrate undergraduate research and creativity and to provide an opportunity for sharing ideas and collaboration.

“The Meeting of the Minds is always a great annual event,” said Bridget Trogden, Clemson associate dean for engagement and general education. “Our students get to present their work while learning more about different types of research and creative endeavors that their peers are doing at other ACC institutions. They quickly find shared interests with the other students attending and gain additional perspective on their own ideas.”

Clemson students participating in this year’s conference include Sarah Johnson, a sophomore bioengineering student from Simpsonville. Her project was titled “Head Start! – Quantification of Helmet-Head Interaction during Cranial Remolding Treatment.” Preparing for and participating in the Meeting of the Minds conference afforded her opportunities not many undergraduate students receive.

“This opportunity has definitely been beneficial in my experiences as a student and has positively contributed to my professional development,” Johnson said. “Being able to communicate is vital to the success of projects. Having an opportunity to communicate my research to others has improved my communication skills and given me confidence in my ability to communicate clearly and effectively.”

Madison Stanley, a sophomore biological sciences student from Waldorf, Maryland, showcased her project, “Clemson Engineers for Developing Countries: Serving the Developing World, Developing Those Who Serve.”

“Completely positive,” is how Stanley described the conference. “I thought it incredibly beneficial to myself and everyone in attendance to be able to immerse ourselves in a diverse set of research. It is easy to be caught up in your own field and forget to look outward, but the world is wholly multidisciplinary. Seeing such different research all in one place puts my own research and work in perspective.”

Other Clemson students participating in the conference were:

• Noah Wright, a sophomore bioengineering student from Gibsonia, Pennsylvania, for his project, “A Novel Facemask Design for American Football Helmet Systems”;
• John Nisbet, a junior plant and environmental sciences student from Irmo, for his project, “So You Want Another Heirloom? Exploring Genetic Diversity in Agricultural Production Systems of Upstate South Carolina”;
• Christopher Coskrey, a junior student from Lexington, for his project, “Engineers Without Borders: El Serrano Water”; and
• Jenson Hoppes, a sophomore plant and environmental sciences student from Clemson, for his project, “Higher Manna Fungal Pharmacy.”

Six students from each of the 15 ACC institutions are selected to attend this conference each year. The students present their research in either an oral or poster presentation. Research from every background is represented, including the sciences, arts and humanities.

Clemson hosted the conference in 2006.

In addition to Clemson, other ACC schools include Boston College, Duke University, Florida State University, Georgia Tech, North Carolina State University, Syracuse University, University of Louisville, University of Miami, University of North Carolina, University of Notre Dame, University of Pittsburgh, University of Virginia, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest University.