Clough-Weimer fellowship supports visiting undergraduate researcher

Susan Glairon — Mon, 15 Jun 2026 22:19:12 +0000

Clough-Weimer fellowship supports visiting undergraduate researcher Susan Glairon Mon, 06/15/2026 - 16:19

Susan Glairon

Aashna Bhatt, a rising junior majoring in bioengineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, has been selected to receive the Clough-Weimer Summer Research Fellowship Award. The award is helping support Bhatt's participation in the Young Scholars Summer Research Program (YSSRP) this summer.

The Clough-Weimer Summer Research Fellowship in �鶹��Ѱ��'s Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering (ChBE) provides undergraduate students with paid, immersive, full-time research opportunities alongside faculty mentors. The fellowship was established through a gift from alumnus Houston Frost and is named in honor of Emeritus Professor Dave Clough and Professor Al Weimer in recognition of their contributions to the department.

As a fellowship recipient, Bhatt is conducting research in the Fox Lab under the mentorship of Associate Professor Jerome Fox.

YSSRP is a nine-week summer undergraduate research program hosted by �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder's Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering. The program aims to spark interest in graduate study by providing students with hands-on research experience and professional development opportunities.

What does receiving this award mean to you?

I am very grateful to receive this award. It gives me the opportunity to spend time pursuing research that interests me and motivates me to continue growing as a researcher. I hope to use this award and my time here in YSSRP to strengthen my scientific skills.

Describe the research you are doing in the Fox Lab.

I study proteins called kinases, which act like molecular switches that help cells send and receive signals. I am investigating whether we can change these proteins so they interact with different targets than they normally would. This research could help scientists better understand how kinases recognize specific targets and may support the development of new therapies, since many medicines work by targeting kinases involved in disease.

Why did you decide to apply for the YSSRP?

I wanted to continue exploring research over the summer and was drawn to �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder’s interdisciplinary labs that integrate computational and experimental techniques. I also love that YSSRP is cohort-based with lots of fun and professional development programming that would make the summer a great experience.

How does participating in the YSSRP fit into your future plans?

I am considering pursuing graduate school in the future, and YSSRP provides an opportunity for me to connect with current graduate students and professors to gain insight about that pathway. It has also allowed me to further my experimental research skills, as I come from a computational lab background, which is a skillset that I hope to use for future job opportunities and research experiences.

What do you enjoy most about being in Boulder?

I’ve been in Boulder for about two weeks and have really enjoyed being surrounded by the mountains. There are so many outdoor activities to explore here, and I’m looking forward to hiking, rafting and, in general, spending more time in nature.

Aashna Bhatt, a bioengineering student at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, received the Clough-Weimer Summer Research Fellowship to conduct research in the Fox Lab during �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder's Young Scholars Summer Research Program. Her research explores how kinases recognize cellular targets, with potential implications for understanding disease and developing new therapies.

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Retired professor’s passion rooted in academic engagement

Anonymous — Wed, 03 Apr 2024 18:42:19 +0000

Retired professor’s passion rooted in academic engagement Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 04/03/2024 - 12:42

Susan Glairon

Photo caption: Faculty member David Clough presentating research at a conference (early 1980s).

Grad Student Dave Clough with the computer system
he built for his PhD research (1970s).

Dave Clough (left) in Tasmania with co-author Steve
Chapra.

For most people, retirement means relaxation. For Professor Emeritus David Clough, it’s an opportunity for productivity and service.

Since retiring in 2017 from �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder’s Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Clough has collaborated on three textbooks. He’s also regularly involved with students, participating in PhD committees and undergraduate activities alike.

“Staying involved with young people keeps my mind active in engineering and science,” Clough said. “I find immense value in remaining engaged with the department and with writing about technical topics through textbooks. I could never find the time for the latter during my faculty career.”

Clough’s long history with �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder’s Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering began almost 60 years ago. He earned an MS in chemical engineering in 1969 from the university, followed by a PhD in 1975. That same year he joined the chemical and biological engineering faculty; he has remained a departmental fixture ever since.

To this day Clough maintains an office in the Jennie Smoly Caruthers Biotechnology Building and welcomes consultations with both faculty and students.

He assists with the senior design courses alongside Professor Alan Weimer and Teaching Professor Wendy Young, offering workshops on computing as well as advising student design groups. He also creates screencast tutorials, including a current project, a series of nine that help senior-level students learn three software packages — MATLAB, Python and Excel.

"Dave has been a wonderful resource for design students for years," Young said, noting that he recently created AutoCAD screencasts to aid students in creating P&IDs (Piping and Instrumentation Diagrams) and PFDs (Process Flow Diagrams).

With the assistance of Dana Hauschulz, a retired electronics engineer from the department, Clough renovated a portable module that provides students with hands-on experience in setting up and tuning control systems. Teaching Assistant Professor Ehsan Keyvani plans to incorporate the module into CHEN 4570 Instrumentation & Process Control lab exercises. Notably, Clough developed the CHEN 4570 course and taught it more than 30 times throughout his career.

Clough also advises graduate students in their research. He’s also been involved in several PhD committees and consults with doctoral candidates on applied statistics and experimental design.

Since retirement, he has collaborated on three textbooks with Professor Emeritus Steve Chapra of Tufts University. The first, “Applied Numerical Methods with Python for Engineers and Scientists,” adapted Chapra’s popular MATLAB-based numerical methods text into Python. The second, “Introduction to Engineering and Scientific Computing with Python,” draws from the two professors’ decades of teaching the Introduction to Engineering computing course, which they introduced to �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder in the late 1980s. Their latest collaboration, “Spreadsheet Problem Solving and Programming for Engineers and Scientists,” is based on 30 years of teaching spreadsheet problem-solving to engineering students and professionals.

For his next project, Clough will collaborate with Chapra in a new edition of Chapra’s MATLAB-based numerical methods text.

Later this spring, Clough and Weimer will present their Most Improved Student award, which includes a monetary prize donated by the two professors. Originating in the late 1990s, the annual award recognizes an undergraduate student who has demonstrated a dramatic improvement in academic performance throughout their time in the department.

"Dave is an incredible professor who never stops helping," Weimer said. "Thank you for all you have done, are doing and will do in the future."

Since retiring in 2017 from �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder’s Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Professor Dave Clough has collaborated on three textbooks. He’s also regularly involved with students, participating in PhD committees and undergraduate activities alike.

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