Clemson University professor of physics and astronomy Apparao Rao has been named a Fellow of the American Physical Society. Fellows are elected by their peers for outstanding contributions to physics, and fellowship is limited to no more than one half of 1 percent of the membership. Rao was recognized for developing methods of synthesizing carbon nanotubes and for elucidating the properties of carbon nanotubes through Raman spectroscopy. Rao and his team have gained international recognition for advancing nanoscale electromechanical sensors that have the potential to read and alert us to different toxic chemicals or gases in the air. He also has invented a way to make beds of tiny, shock-absorbing carbon springs that may be used to protect delicate objects like cell phones from being damaged by impact.