Serpula (fungus) are formed. The strand mycelium of "Serpula", which can be up to 8 mm thick, are invasive and can spread over non-nutritive surfaces to find new food sources, even spreading through pores in stone, brickwork, and cement. After its initial growth period, the fungus can produce the water it needs and can continue growth into dry timber, eventually degrading it to powder—hence the term "dry rot". "S. lacrymans" is the most serious cause of building timber decay in the UK and northern Europe. The "Dictionary of the Fungi" (10th edition, 2008), suggests that the genus contains two species. , the
Aiken Technical College fall of 1972. One hundred and seventy-seven students enrolled in the first class of what was then the Aiken Technical Education Center. The current campus opened in the winter of 1973. The original ATC campus consisted of three buildings constructed at a cost of $2.3 million — $80,000 provided by Aiken County and the remainder from federal education grants. Founding President Ashley J. Little led ATC from its beginning as a vocationally based training center to its accreditation as a two-year technical college in 1975. The College’s name was changed to Aiken Technical College in 1977. President Little also presided