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International conferences focus on past and future
Clemson hosted two international conferences this summer covering
widely divergent subjects. While both were organized under the auspices
of the physics and astronomy department, one asked questions about
the Earth’s origins, while the other addressed issues concerning
the future well-being of the planet and its inhabitants.
Questions of astronomical proportion were considered this fall when
80 international scientists convened for “Astronomy with Radioactivities
V: From Gamma Rays to Stardust.”
Astronomers maintain we are made of stardust, meaning the calcium
in our bones and the iron in our blood were made in stars and eventually
incorporated into the solar system, into the planets and eventually
into the Earth’s biomass. All of this began with the “big
bang,” when hydrogen and helium came into being, followed
by the forging of more massive elements, such as carbon and iron,
in the inner cauldrons of stars.
Clemson professor Dieter Hartmann called the conference a signature
gathering of astrophysics at the university. He says, “These
are some of the brightest minds in our field in the world. To have
a chance to get together in one place and share our research is
how new concepts and understanding are created.”
The conference meets every two years and was previously held in
Germany. Attendees representing a dozen countries, including Brazil,
Canada, China, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Japan and Spain,
were present at the Clemson meeting.
At the 24th International Conference on Thermoelectrics, more than
300 scientists and engineers from around the world came to Clemson
this summer to think about the Earth’s impending energy crisis
and how it can be averted. The renowned convention, which is held
in the United States only once every three years, highlights new
ideas, new materials and new device concepts from the U.S., Europe
and Asia.
Thermoelectrics is the study of materials that allow us to convert
heat to electrical energy in a highly efficient way. “We have
an impending energy crisis,” said Clemson physics professor
and thermoelectrics expert Terry Tritt. “The problem will
strongly impact our children and grandchildren in 50 years if we
don’t find an alternative to fossil fuels. By gathering together
and sharing information, we generate ideas and new directions for
the research,” he said.
Clemson University is a leader in thermoelectric research and has
received a Department of Energy Center of Excellence Award to study
thermoelectricity.
One of the highlights of the conference
occurred when delegates helped professor emeritus, Don Clayton (standing
to the right of the Clemson Tiger) celebrate his 70th birthday.
Clayton is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences,
and has been a member of the Clemson faculty since 1989.
Some 300 scientists and engineers attended the 24th
International Conference on Thermoelectrics, including Japan, Russia,
Korea, China and Austria. Clemson physics professor and thermoelectrics
expert Terry Tritt, said “While the U.S. energy crisis is
just starting to pinch us now, the problem will strongly impact
our children and grandchildren if we don’t find an alternative
to fossil fuels. We need to look in a lot of directions to solve
this crisis.”
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