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 Sophya Garashchuk is a chemistry professor at the University of South Carolina, but she works with pen and paper, and computers, rather than with chemicals. The results, however, are not merely abstract. Her research unravels the details of chemical processes at the level of atoms and molecules, as they collide and rearrange. Her group develops methods of molecular dynamics combining exact, approximate and classical description in a seamless and consistent way for better accuracy and computational efficiency. Some of this research is currently supported through the 2018 GEAR award from SC EPSCoR, entitled “Simulation of nuclear quantum effects on properties of advanced materials employing adaptable Gaussian bases.” Combination of chemical experiments, theory, high-performance scientific computing and machine learning holds great promise for adaptive rational design of new materials.
Garashchuk, UofSC, is a member of the MADE in SC Modeling and Computation Core and the PI on a GEAR Program project entitled, “Simulation of nuclear quantum effects on properties of advanced materials employing adaptable Gaussian bases.”
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The mechanistic reaction of the clot is the first step in providing scaffolding for the formation of new tissue. The clot, therefore, requires special materials properties. The recently developed Magnetic Rotational Spectroscopy with magnetic nanorods, coupled with the surface analysis on nanoliter droplets of insect blood allows us to unveil the physical mechanisms of blood clotting in insects. We study clot nucleation and transformation of viscous blood into a visco-elastic aggregate which happens in a few minutes, which is hundreds of times faster than wound plugging and scab formation. Combined with biochemical and biomolecular studies, these discoveries can help design fast-working thickeners for vertebrate blood, including human blood, based on clotting principles of insect blood.
Kornev, Clemson, is a member of the MADE in SC Thrust 3 (Biomaterials) and the Lead PI on a GEAR CRP Program project entitled, “The effect of physical and chemical signals on cellular behavior across multiple scales.” He collaborates on this GEAR CRP project with Dr. Ekatrina Michonova from Erskine College.
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 Congratulations to MADE in SC Thrust 1 (optical, electrochemical and magnetic materials) participant Dr. Hui Wang from the University of South Carolina, on receiving the 2019 Young Scientist Award for Excellence in Scientific Research.
SC Governor Henry McMaster presented the 2019 Governor’s Awards for Excellence in Science on May 1. Other recipients were:
- Excellence in Scientific Research: Dr. Kathleen Brady, MUSC
- Excellence in Scientific Awareness: Dr. Timothy Mousseau, UofSC
- Excellence in Scientific Research at a Predominantly Undergraduate Institution: Dr. Dena Petty Garner, The Citadel
Pictured from left to right: Drs. Garner, Mousseau, Brady and Wang and Governor McMaster.
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Dr. Marek Urban, Thrust 2 (Stimuli-Responsive Polymeric Materials) co-leader, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Clemson, spoke to an almost-capacity crowd at Science on Tap-Greenville on Tuesday, April 30. His talk was entitled, Self-Healing Materials: Explore how to design materials that can recover from injuries in real time.
Science on Tap, held at Coffee Underground in Greenville, is a forum where people come to learn about and discuss recent discoveries in science and technology while having fun. Experts give an informal talk for 20-25 minutes, followed by Q&A and discussion. The monthly event is free and open to all ages.
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 Recognizing that career development is important to all South Carolina students and faculty, SC EPSCoR / MADE in SC will be co-hosting the annual Academic Leadership and Career Development Workshop again this year with SC INBRE. This free workshop is open to all disciplines. As with past Workshops, there will be a grants writing/development component focusing on both NIH and NSF grants. The agenda is being finalized and will be announced soon, however, registration is open now! There will be limited seating, so do not hesitate to sign up to attend.
- Monday, June 17 - faculty and students. To be hosted at the USC School of Medicine, Columbia campus. Faculty, please note that the grant writing workshops will be held during this Workshop with sessions for both NIH and NSF grants. There will be concurrent sessions for grad and undergrad students. Plenty of free parking is available.
- Monday evening, June 17 - faculty only. Networking dinner at the USC Alumni Center. This is only available to faculty and is on a first-come, first-served basis. Registration for this will close when all slots are filled. Please only register if you are certain you will attend.
- Tuesday morning, June 18 - faculty. USC Alumni Center. Sessions to be announced.
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Now Hiring: Director of the Eagle STEM Scholars Program, Winthrop University. Coordinates all program aspects, runs a year-round recruitment and data management plan, supervises assistants, monitors academic progress, conducts summer bridge program for entering students and serves as the program liaison to academic deans, faculty and staff. The Director also conducts recruitment and outreach, develops and implements program activities to transition students from Winthrop into doctoral biomedical science programs, and works with development and potential donors on funding of program initiatives. 
Please share with SC high school science teachers: Winthrop Materials Science Workshop for High School Science Teachers, June 17-21 and June 24-28. This two-week summer workshop will cover selected topics from the physics and chemistry content areas of the SC academic standards in high school science. For those who live more than 60 miles from Winthrop, room and board accommodations will be provided free of charge. 
The 
