What’s new to Synergy?
Fall 2018
Clemson is constantly bringing new opportunities to students and faculty every semester. This Fall, there are a number of new service-learning projects and opportunities associated with Synergy. From service learning project developments to innovative new Creative Inquiries to first-time study abroad trips, our Clemson students and faculty are always looking to put the knowledge they gain at school out in the real world and give back to their communities.
As the Fall Semester comes into full swing, read below to see what Synergy has been up to recently and what new opportunities we have this Fall!
Service Learning
Call Me MISTER
The mission of the Call Me MISTER® (Mentors Instructing Students Toward Effective Role Models) initiative is to increase the pool of available teachers from a broader more diverse background particularly among the State’s lowest performing elementary schools. Student participants are largely selected from among underserved, socio-economically disadvantaged and educationally at-risk communities. This semester, Call Me Mister is working on Razor Readers which is a reading program done on the weekends at local barbershops. In addition, they are volunteering with a YMCA Mentorship program. When asked about this year, president AJ Richard said, “This is not only a special but defining year for us as a cohort. We are keeping ourselves busy by putting events for the community which is our purpose and what we love to do.” In addition to their others activities, the program is also involved with the College of Education at Furman University, working with Seneca Middle School’s Jr. Misters program, and putting on a Kicks, Cleats, and Kids Event with the Clemson Football Team where we shoes are given out to students across the state of SC. Members of Call Me Mister are known for their commitment and dedication. “Our main goal is to make an impact not only in the College of Education, but Clemson and the community around it. I look forward to our continued growth as a unit,” Richard said.
For more information on the program, visit their Facebook page.
Students in Call Me MISTER pose for a group photo.
Students Helping Honduras
Students Helping Honduras, a relatively new group on campus, is a humanitarian organization where students help build schools in Honduras for children who don’t have the opportunity to go to school. Recruitment chair and co-trip leader Grace DeWulf says that their group is trying to make education a priority for kids in Honduras as education for them is a way out of a bad place. When asking sophomore student Dewulf about connecting this service with learning Grace replied that the organization, “Definitely helps me place a greater value on my Clemson Education. Being part of Students Helping Honduras has made me super thankful for such amazing opportunities I’ve been given.”
During their annual trip to Honduras, students partake in a cross-cultural awareness seminar at night learning about Honduras and the political unrest in the country. Grace further explained that the experience made her more culturally aware and inspired her to take on a position in the organization. Not only did students learn about politics in Honduras, but were taught traditions of Honduras from their host families such as different cooking techniques and practices when staying with the families. This fall, Students helping Honduras are having their first ever proceeds nights and small events like bake sales on library bridge to raise awareness and support for their great cause!
For more information on Students Helping Honduras, visit their Facebook page.
Grace DeWulf (left) poses with two of her sorority sisters in Alpha Delta Pi on their trip to Honduras this past December.
Creative Inquiry
Creative Inquiry (CI) is the innovative combination of engaged learning and undergraduate research offered here at Clemson. There is an immense amount of Creative Inquiry opportunities for students that span multiple disciplines. From the humanities to areas of STEM Clemson provides CI’s of all sorts. This fall, several new Creative Inquiries have been added to the ever growing list.
For Synergy, Creative Inquiries are important because they provide students and faculty a chance to gain educational experiences while helping the community (be it local, regional, or global). For example, this semester a creative inquiry has been set in place that brings together local elementary school classes with Clemson student volunteers in a unique arts and sciences (STEAM) outreach program with a focus on marine conservation and our changing climate. The Creative Inquiry titled, “Something Very Fishy” is a musical theater production paired with a hands-on marine science exhibit for elementary school children. Members of this creative inquiry team plan to develop and present hands-on marine science exhibits to enhance the experience of children attending this musical theater production, which follows the lives of a young marine biologist and a local fisherman that must set aside their differences to work together to save their local marine animals. Members of this creative inquiry team are involved in a number of learning activities such as developing hands-on exhibits, caring and exhibiting live marine animals, and leading students through basic experiments demonstrating the importance of water quality.
Clemson STEAM students hard at work.
CI team members also have an opportunity to learn about ongoing marine science research through their partnership with the Conservation of Marine Resources and Marine Ecology creative inquiry teams. From CI’s like that which focus on STEAM outreach to other new creative inquiries that combine robotics and mechatronics to support agriculture and horticulture, creative inquiries have endless capabilities.
A specifically interesting creative inquiry concerning research on the study of glioblastoma (the most common and the most malignant of all primary brain tumors) is another addition to Creative Inquiry on campus. We sat down with the leads of the project Marc Birtwistle and PhD Student Deepraj Sarmah. Birtwistle, head of the new creative inquiry in the chemical and biomolecular engineering department describes creative inquiries as, “beneficial for all parties involved” referring to the wonderful student and teacher interactions it invokes. He went on to say that the experience allows him to provide assistance for ongoing research projects and for students to try out new ideas. “Biological research endeavors can be very conservative” explained Birtwistle in the interview, stating further that this creative inquiry allows both him and Sarmah flexibility and opportunities to do research in ways other endeavors can’t. As their research goal is to help propose suitable drug combinations for tumors like glioblastoma by reconstructing protein networks that control glioma cell drug responses, this creative inquiry helps students learn about and uncover amazing scientific findings and helps build research towards very important causes. Overall, creative inquiries demonstrate how Clemson University wonderfully implements service learning.
PhD student Deepraj Sarmah at work in the laboratory he uses for research.
Interviewee Brooke Tannehill posing with Deepraj Sarmah.
Study Abroad
Last week, we sat down with Assistant Professor of Communication and Faculty Leader of CU in Germany, Dr. Andrew Pyle.
As Pyle began his first semester at Clemson in 2014, he learned about an opportunity to start a faculty-led study abroad program. During his first year at Clemson, Dr. Pyle worked alongside Dr. Travers Scott to build their program, successfully taking their first group abroad in the summer of 2016.
The connections that students on this program make are remarkable. Over 200 companies that are based in Germany have a presence in the states and many of them have a presence in the Upstate of South Carolina. “We have a fairly unique opportunity for our students to see how some of these companies operate on a global scale and how they manage communication with stakeholders all over the world,” said Pyle. The intent of this program is for students to gain an understanding of how different cultures communicate through two courses on Public Relations and Communication in Science and Technology.
Faculty director Dr. Andrew Pyle smiling for the camera at the Gendarmenmarkt in Berlin, Germany.
Study Abroad programs at Clemson exist to push students outside their comfort zones, try new things and experience new places. “Being a faculty leader of this study abroad program has made me a better professor in that I have been challenged to be a better leader and I am humbled by the fact that not everything goes perfectly. In addition, I have been able to use my experiences to make more connections here at Clemson,” said Dr. Pyle.
Faculty are not the only ones benefiting from study abroad experiences. Speaking to how her study abroad experience made her a better community member, Junior Communication major Kellen Lott said, “I have the ability to give back to my community by sharing my with potential students which hopefully helps them recognize that there are cultures outside of our own and encourage them to live a more adaptable life.”
The CU in Germany Communication Study Abroad program will be taking its fourth group abroad in the summer of 2019. For more information on the program, visit their website or contact Dr. Andrew Pyle.
As one can see, Clemson is home to numerous fairly new innovative and impactful programs.
Junior Communication major Kellen Lott enjoying her time on a weekend excursion in Lucerne, Switzerland.
Written by:
Brooke Tannehill is a sophomore Communications major with minors in Business Administration and French Studies. Coming from a military family, Brooke has lived all over, but she calls Arlington, Virginia her home. In addition to interning at the Pearce Center for Professional Communications, Brooke is actively involved in many other parts of the Clemson community. She is a member of Alpha Delta Pi Sorority, the Women’s Club Lacrosse Team, and the Calhoun Honors College. She is excited to be entering her second semester at the Pearce Center this fall.
Lauren Andrews is a senior Communication and Political Science student here at Clemson. She is from Gastonia, NC, however she has grown up a tiger fan and is so sad to be graduating in May. She plans to enjoy her last year in tiger town by attending every away football game and spending time with her friends. After graduation, she hopes to attend law school and pursue a career in Corporate Communication.