Several Clemson College of Science faculty and staff members were honored for excellence during an awards ceremony on April 30.
The honorees were:
Outstanding New Teammate
Caleb McGill is the assistant director of global engagement for the College of Science.
McGill has significantly expanded experiential learning by proactively meeting with students to educate and inspire them about study abroad opportunities. Advising is a time-consuming, detail-oriented process. He does this without complaint and with a strong desire to support student development, ensuring students receive the no. 1 student experience.
In addition to his student-facing work, McGill plays a vital role in overseeing the safety and sustainability of global programs. His ability to build bridges across units strengthens global learning opportunities and elevates the institution’s international presence. He maintains a cooperative attitude, communicates with professionalism and courtesy, and builds rapport with colleagues across departments.
As a father to a 1-year-old son and a graduate student pursuing his MBA at Clemson, he continues to approach his work with energy, reliability and excellence.
Outstanding Staff Member
Scott Drayton is the building manager and safety coordinator for the chemistry department. In addition to managing Hunter laboratories, he also supports chemistry activities in the Biosystems Research Complex, the Advanced Materials Research Laboratory and the new Advanced Materials Innovation Complex.
Drayton successfully shut down an entire chemistry building for two weeks to allow a critical renovation to proceed. That required meticulous planning and communication while maintaining the confidence of faculty, staff, students and contractors. He developed detailed shutdown and restart plans and coordinated contractor access while prioritizing safety and compliance.
He is proactive in anticipating problems, which allows him to schedule shutdowns and maintenance in a way that minimizes adverse impacts on teaching and research. He always maintains a helpful, positive approach to resolving building and infrastructure issues. It is obvious he genuinely cares for the research mission of the department and the work of faculty and staff. He advocates for all interests across multiple domains, and there is confidence he will help the chemistry department keep doing the work they are doing.
Outstanding Staff Member
Weston Link is the building manager for Jordan Hall. He routinely crosses work boundaries to support the Department of Biological Sciences and the broader University mission.
He consistently demonstrates outstanding overall job performance across a broad range of responsibilities, including space management and facility maintenance, vehicle fleet coordination, laboratory renovations and long-term planning for upgrades to research and office spaces.
Whether it is coordinating repairs, assisting with event setups, troubleshooting facility issues or helping someone on short notice, he approaches every task with a “How can I help?” attitude.
His contributions often happen behind the scenes, but they have a direct and meaningful impact on the daily experience of everyone who works and studies in the department buildings.
A notable example of his leadership and project management skills was the greenhouse installation on the roof of Jordan Hall. He oversaw the project with care and attention to detail. Through careful oversight of expenses and thoughtful planning, he delivered a facility that met the project’s goals but exceeded expectations.
Many have asked him for what seems like the impossible, and time and time again, he finds a way to deliver.
The Hattie B. Wagener Award
This award was established in memory of Hattie Boone Wagener, a long-time administrative support staff member at Clemson. The award recognizes an individual who displays job enthusiasm, embraces new challenges, contributes to the unit’s success, presents a positive attitude, works exceptionally well with everyone, and exhibits loyalty to the College and University.
Shannon Lattimore is the administrative coordinator for the Institute for Human Genetics.
She brings a level of experience, skill and professionalism that any office would be fortunate to have. She serves two roles brilliantly. She is the administrative agent at the Institute for Human Genetics, and she is also a key part of the “glue” that connects the IHG to the main campus. She works quietly and effectively behind the scenes, taking care of a multitude of diverse tasks. She has become essential for the smooth functioning of the IHG.
Lattimore has a “can do” attitude. Her approachable nature and sense of humor make her a joy to work with. She surpasses her regular duties by putting in the extra time needed for events to run smoothly and being a trusted confidante to students. She is unfailingly reliable and deeply committed to the mission of the IHG, the College of Science and the University.
She personifies the quality of performance that Clemson exemplifies: dedication, service, respect and excellence.
Outstanding Team Award
This award recognizes a group of three or more individuals who have worked together on a project, process or service that positively impacts the College of Science or individual units within the College.
The Physics Foucault Pendulum team installed a Foucault pendulum in the Spartanburg County Public Libraries planetarium and maker space. The project required far more coordination and creativity than was expected.
Chad Sosolik provided the complex calculations and modeling needed to ensure accurate motion. Staff members Michael Denz and Barrett Barker engineered and fabricated custom components, often working evenings to keep the project on schedule. Molly Sanseverino assisted with design revisions, data collection and coordination with library personnel. Sam Panzica created clear expectations for visitors, assisted the library with planning the display, ensuring the final set-up was something the public could enjoy and learn from.
The project gives Clemson significant exposure, allowing its programs, faculty expertise and student initiatives to reach a broad and diverse community. Just as the pendulum swings back and forth in a continuous, connected motion, knowledge and resources flow between the University and the library.
This group demonstrated what real teamwork looks like — people with different skills stepping in wherever needed and supporting each other until the job was done. Their generosity exemplifies a commitment to lifelong learning. By donating their expertise and labor, they have enhanced the educational mission of the planetarium and provided an enduring gift to the community.
Excellence in Student Engagement
The Excellence in Student Engagement Award recognizes a faculty member with demonstrated excellence in service and innovative teaching with emphasis on the most recent three years.
Kelly Willemssens is a lecturer in the Department of Biological Sciences.
She has distinguished herself through an extraordinary commitment to student engagement, innovative teaching practices and transformative experiential learning opportunities that extend far beyond the classroom.
She consistently employs creative, evidence-based teaching strategies that actively engage students and deepen their understanding of ecological concepts. Two examples of this are her introduction of an immersive “escape room” activity centered on disease and parasitism and using balloons and physical demonstrations to help students visualize atmospheric circulation patterns. These inventive approaches are widely praised by students for making complex scientific topics both accessible and memorable.
She has also dramatically expanded experiential learning opportunities for students with her field ecology study abroad program in Costa Rica, which immerses students in hands-on ecological research in tropical ecosystems. A student commented, “It was one of the most engaging and impactful learning experiences I have ever had. It was clear that we were not just students completing an assignment, but we were actively contributing to scientific research.”
Excellence in Teaching
The Excellence in Teaching Award recognizes demonstrated excellence in traditional instruction and excellence in other aspects of instruction.
Nathan Redding is a senior lecturer in the Department of Biological Sciences.
He demonstrates exceptional commitment to high-quality teaching across a broad range of courses. His excellence in teaching is reflected not only in the scope of his assignments, but also in the care with which he approaches course design and delivery. His mentorship focuses not only on content mastery but on helping students grow as educators and scholars.
“Each time I observe him present information, whether in his classes or in departmental meetings, I am impressed by his ability to convey complex material in an incredibly organized, structured and approachable manner,” a colleague wrote. “I watch a steady stream of students move in and out of his office for support. He is a gentle soul who connects easily with the students and spends the time questioning them to find out where they need help. Laughter rolls down the hall frequently when he is meeting with students.”
His nominators said Redding’s work has strengthened not only individual student outcomes, but the broader teaching mission of the Department of Biological Sciences.
Rising Star in Discovery
The Rising Star in Discovery recognizes an assistant professor or first-year associate professor who has demonstrated excellence in forefront research with an emphasis on work conducted at Clemson University.
Jonathan Zrake is an assistant professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy. He has clearly demonstrated excellence in forefront research in relativistic astrophysics. He has published 43 papers, with 3,492 citations and an h-index of 30. His work is valued by the astrophysics community as indicated by the citations and his 12 invited talks and colloquia over the past three years.
Zrake also shares his expertise effectively with our younger rising stars. He has had three postdocs, five Ph.D. students and six undergraduate students do significant work with him. He insists that all in his group fully understand the physics of their problems and has most write their own codes so they understand numerical hydrodynamics and its limitations.
It is a success for Clemson and for the College of Science when we can address a fundamental problem and contribute to its solution. He has succeeded on several. He also has many plans that will keep his star rising. He is developing codes that include magnetic fields, work across vastly different spatial scales and run efficiently and easily on new and upcoming computer platforms.
His nominator said he will keep Clemson at the forefront of astrophysics for years to come.
Excellence in Discovery
The Excellence in Discovery Award recognizes a tenured faculty member with demonstrated excellence in forefront research with emphasis on work performed in the previous three years.
Since joining Clemson in 2014, Marco Ajello has established himself as a preeminent figure in high-energy astrophysics. His research trajectory demonstrates sustained excellence. His career productivity is staggering, boasting 403 publications, including 21 articles in Nature and Science, and h-index of 125A. His leadership in the field was further solidified this year with his election as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
A hallmark of his “forefront research” is the success of his proteges. He has mentored 11 Ph.D. students and 14 postdoctoral fellows, many of whom have secured faculty positions or prestigious fellowships. His dedication to mentoring students and postdocs was formally recognized in 2023 with the Distinguished Doctoral Mentoring award.
He has built an impressive postdoctoral program. He currently works with seven outstanding international researchers, a much higher number than any of the astrophysics faculty at Clemson has ever been able to create and support.
His transformative discoveries—from measuring all the starlight in the history of the universe to shaping the next decade of NASA missions—embody the spirit of this award.
Excellence in Community Outreach
Neil Calkin and Eliza Gallagher, both of the School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences, have jointly built since 2022 a sustained and wide-ranging outreach program centered on variant sudoku puzzles and mathematical magic as accessible entry points to mathematical reasoning. They are well known in the puzzle world under the pseudonyms Full Deck (Gallagher) and Missing a Few Cards (Calkin). Their commitment to community engagement through mathematics outreach is transformative.
They have curated and compiled three (soon to be four) volumes of student-created puzzles that they promote widely through their MissingDeck puzzles website.
A colleague writes, “I know these outreach efforts have direct impact on the students that engage with the puzzles as I have seen the smiles and ‘a-ha!’ moments on the faces of students of all ages as they work through or construct their own puzzles.”
They are widely regarded as two of the most impactful faculty members students encounter. National Scholar seniors are invited to recognize a faculty or staff member who had a profound impact on their Clemson experience. One recent graduate, a computer science major, chose to honor both, which speaks volumes about their ability to build meaningful, lasting connections with students across academic boundaries.
Excellence in Mentoring Students
The award for Excellence in Mentoring Students recognizes demonstrated excellence in student mentoring of graduate or undergraduate students, in particular activities that go beyond the one-on-one mentoring model for students and advisors, including activities that augment traditional learning and help develop the next generation of scientists and science learners.
Meredith Burr is a principal lecturer in the School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences. At the heart of this nomination is a professional development seminar she has taught since 2017, “Introduction to Teaching College Mathematics.” Through this course, she has mentored nearly 250 graduate students at one of the most consequential and anxiety-inducing transitions of their academic careers: their first experience as instructors of record at the collegiate level.
Her ongoing commitment is further reflected in her role as course coordinator for Calculus II, where she provides hands-on mentoring to graduate student instructors new to the course through regular check-ins, classroom observations and individualized feedback. By preparing graduate students to teach effectively, Burr directly enhances the educational experience of countless undergraduate students at Clemson.
One of her students said, “As a first-year graduate student, I was extremely nervous to manage a classroom for the first time, but after taking Meredith’s course, I had the confidence and tools to succeed. She went beyond the basics of teaching to prepare us for broader challenges that come from running a class.”
Excellence in Mentoring Faculty
The Award for Excellence in Mentoring Faculty recognizes demonstrated excellence in science faculty mentoring, including one-on-one and group mentoring.
Lesly Temesvari is an internationally respected scholar, Alumni Distinguished Professor and senior academic leader whose sustained commitment to mentoring has profoundly shaped the professional development and success of faculty at Clemson. Her mentoring contributions are particularly evident within the Department of Biological Sciences, where she has played a central role in supporting early-career faculty and strengthening the department’s mentoring culture.
Her mentorship often extends beyond formal structures to include sustained one-on-one guidance for individual faculty members. Her mentoring style emphasizes honesty, strategic thinking and encouragement, helping colleagues develop both confidence and independence as scholars.
Temesvari has also created innovative faculty development opportunities that emphasize mentorship and professional development growth. She founded and organized Clemson’s “Picture a Scholar” Symposium, a campus-wide event celebrating the achievements of women scholars and promoting discussions about mentorship, leadership and career advancement.
A colleague writes, “For the past nine years, Lesly has served on my faculty mentoring committee and helped guide me through promotion to both associate professor and full professor. That long and sustained engagement gives me a particularly clear perspective on the care, thoughtfulness and effectiveness she brings to mentoring.”
Excellence in Faculty College Service
The Excellence in Faculty College Service Award recognizes exemplary service to the College of Science, over-and-above expectations for regular faculty service work. The award is limited to senior and principal lecturers and associate and full professors.
Christine Minor is a Dean’s Distinguished Principal Lecturer in the Department of Biological Sciences. She also serves as the principal lecturer consultant to the University Grievance Board. This role requires exceptional professionalism, careful judgment and the ability to evaluate complex situations with fairness and integrity.
Minor has also made exceptional contributions to faculty mentoring and professional development. She currently serves on multiple departmental and college mentoring committees, supporting early-career lecturers and instructors as they navigate teaching responsibilities, professional advancement and departmental expectations.
A colleague writes, “What truly distinguishes Chris, however, is her unwavering commitment to supporting colleagues and fostering a positive, collaborative community. Within the lecturer community, Chris is often referred to as the ‘mom’ of the group, a reflection of how consistently she looks out for others and prioritizes the success and well-being of her colleagues.”
