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MFA Graduate Brian Ray on
Creative Writing at USC

Brian Ray keeps a busy schedule these days. Between working on his PhD at UNC Greensboro, teaching courses and promoting his first novel, things can get quite hectic. Brian’s novel, Through the Pale Door, was published by the Hub City Writer’s Project in June, 2009 upon winning the inaugural First Novel Prize, a program administered by the SC Arts Commission.

Brian grew up in Marietta, Ga., and earned his undergraduate degree in English at the University of South Carolina. It was during this time that he decided to pursue an MFA in creative writing. “The Creative Writing program at USC was like an interdisciplinary community, in which professors from the fields of rhetoric, literature and creative writing cooperated and advocated a broader understanding of literature and fiction,” Ray noted. The program is also distinct because it encourages teaching. MFA students at USC teach for 2 years, while most other programs include only 1year of teaching at best. “You gain a more complete understanding of the works when you teach them,” he stated.

This deeper understanding of a variety of authors affected Brian’s approach to his own writing, and professors at USC really shaped the way Brian thought about his future. Their advice and guidance influenced his decision to take “the academic route” with his writing career. “USC felt safe, “ Brian stated. “The professors demonstrate a genuine desire to guide you and provide things for you. Great programs such as Janette Turner Hospital’s course, Caught in the Creative Act and the Fall Festival of Authors provide unique opportunities for graduate students to interact with distinguished artists, and the professors at USC work hard to find support for these events.”

Brian began writing his novel in 2005 while a graduate student at USC, and finished it in the fall of 2008, just a few months after he graduated. Ray is also a winner of the 2007 SC Fiction Project and a finalist for the Next Generation Indie Book Award, as well as the Pirate's Alley Faulkner Prize.
Learn More:

View Brian's website
Read chapter 1 of Through the Pale Door
Explore the creative writing program at USC
View opportunities and support at the SC Arts Commission
Learn about the Hub City Writers Project in Spartanburg, SC
Buy Brian's award-winning novel
Watch a video of Brian's visit to USC as part of the Souther Writers Series

Nick Noland Takes a Hike and
Learns a Thing or Two

Just three days after graduating from USC with his Bachelor of Arts in English, Nick Noland embarked on 4 month, 2,178 mile hike along the entire Appalachian Trail. Nick set off from Springer Mountain, GA in May of 2008, armed with lots of hiking gear, a great deal of tuna, and the determination to reach Mount Katahdin, Maine.

Nick has always loved camping and the outdoors, and has had a mind to hike the Appalachian Trail since he was a mere 8 years old. “I had long planned on hiking the trail, but I must say that my experiences at USC certainly motivated me to push myself to experience life to the fullest.”

“After growing up in a small, close-knit town in South Carolina, I found that the city of Columbia and the University opened up a world of diversity in the community and the classroom. My professors in particular built up my confidence as an individual and helped me to discover abilities that I never knew I had.”

“Hiking the trail provided a refreshing sense of accomplishment, and it taught me the virtue of pursuing a difficult long-term goal. I think grad school will be a similar experience--a long pursuit filled with small victories each day.”

When asked how the hike had changed his life, Nick responded, “I am much more accepting of myself. I am at ease with the person I’ve become through my education and experiences, and look forward to my future in graduate school and beyond as I enter the education field as a school librarian. I can’t wait to see what each day will bring now that I am in a field that I love.”

Learn More:

Read Nick’s Appalachian Trail Blog
Check out the Library Science Master’s Program at USC

Andrea Bonisoli Alquati on Research Collaboration and Traveling the World

Andrea Bonisoli Alquati , a PhD student at the University of Milan, has always been passionate about studying animal behavior. His mentor, Professor Nicola Saino, has long worked with USC’s Dr. Timothy Mousseau studying animal species in the Chernobyl area. Alquati decided to spend part of his academic career in South Carolina, working with Dr. Mousseau to determine the long term effects of radiation exposure to animals in an effort to help develop management plans for future nuclear incidents.

Scientists have long studied Chernobyl’s Zone of Alienation, the area surrounding the site of the 1986 explosion of a nuclear reactor at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. Radioactive contamination is heaviest in this zone. “I find the topic very interesting. Research in Chernobyl has great scientific relevance for understanding the effects of ecological perturbations and of exposure to radioactive contamination, and also provides a field for testing evolutionary questions concerning the dynamics of adaptation and evolution in the wild.

“Coming to Columbia to work in a different lab was great. I found different expertise, learned different techniques and used different model organisms. Cooperation and support from colleagues and staff at USC have helped me with my research and have ensured that my experience here will affect the course of my research and my career.”

The first effect on Alquati ’s horizon after graduation is perhaps one of the most direct. Upon receiving his PhD, he will return to Columbia to begin an appointment as a post-doc in Dr. Mousseau’s laboratory.

Post-doctoral fellowships are a great way to begin an academic career. But Alquati sees the broader effects of his experience in Columbia as the most far-reaching and important. “Any experience outside of the place we are most comfortable is of great value for growth and improvement,” Alquati noted. “It can broaden our perspective of what is happening around us, and even of ourselves.”

Learn More:

Learn about the USC Chernobyl Research Initiative
Are you a USC student Interested in Studying Abroad?
Explore opportunities for becoming an exchange student at USC
Search the Faculty Expert Database to find Researchers in your area.

Lauren Safranek on the Public
History Program at USC

Lauren Safranek grew up in the Washington, DC area, and decided to trek south to join the prestigious group of public historians at the University of South Carolina. "The national reputation of the Public History program is what drew me to USC. I had heard from professionals all over the country that it was one of the oldest and best in the country."

Safranek has traveled quite a bit, doing internships close to home, such as her latest stint at the Smithsonian Institution, as well as more distant ventures, such as her engagement at the Juneau-Douglas City Museum in Juneau, Alaska. These internships are encouraged by the faculty at USC, as they provide real world experience for students who wish to pursue public history careers.

Most internships take place during the summer. Throughout the school year, public history students are placed in assitantship positions in the Columbia area. "My assistantship at the South Carolina Department of Archives is proving to be a great experience. I support and train K-12 educators through a program called Teaching American History, and it has been very rewarding."

Another unique opportunity for public history students is the England Field School, a 6 week course for academic credit that takes students to North Yorkshire and London to work with curators and archivists at cultural institutions in the area. "This is one of the things that makes our program so special," Safranek stated. "Another student and I catalogued and organized the art stored at Kilpin Hall, a historic house museum. We were able to save a good deal of artwork that was being improperly stored. We also went on several tours led by curators and museum leaders, giving us priceless insight into the world of public history in England."

"The experiences that I have had here at USC have prepared me to enter the job market with a competitive edge. My interactions with other talented students, the amazing faculty, and Columbia's dynamic Public History community have allowed me to grow intellectually in ways that will be invaluable as I begin my career."
Learn More:

Learn more about the public history program
Visit the "Teaching American History" website

Mike Martin on SC Wildlife and
Research & Discovery

Mike Martin has always been interested in reptiles and amphibians. As an undergraduate student at North Carolina State University Martin had the opportunity to work with a fellow student on some research he was conducing at the Sandhills National Wildlife Refuge in South Carolina. After graduating, he began working with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) collecting telemetry data on Gopher tortoises and Eastern Diamondback rattlesnakes.

“The people I worked with influenced me to pursue my PhD studying these animals.” Martin’s current research focuses on Eastern Diamondbacks and Eastern box turtles on the South Carolina mainland and on the Sea Islands to determine whether animals from the two geographic areas exhibit different physiological adaptations.

Martin really enjoys being able to study something that he is passionate about, and his experience at USC has increased his interest. “The graduate students I have met have been remarkable, and Dr. Shane Welch and Dr. Jayme Waldron, who have had extensive experience in the field, have really helped to guide me down the proper path.”

These studies will equip Martin to continue studying SC herpetofauna with an agency such as SCDNR, a prospect that he is currently considering. “I would love to continue [with SCDNR], but I would not be opposed to expanding my experience to other regions of the country. No matter what, I fully plan on continuing my education through research.”

Learn More:

Learn more about SC DNR
Visit the Biology Department Website

De Anna Beasley on Studying Insects and the Rewarding experience of Research

De Anna Beasley is a 4th year graduate student in the Department of Biology. For De Anna, stress is the name of the game, or at least, that's the focus of her research. De Anna studies the way that insects, specifically the Madagascar Hissing Cockroach, respond to environmental stress. This includes physical stressors such as food availability and weather, as well as social stressors such as finding mates and aggression between insects.

De Anna has always been interested in studying behavior, though it wasn't until graduate school that she realized the possibilities of studying behavior from a biological perspective. In addition to studying roaches, De Anna also helps maintain a colony of grasshoppers to study the way environmental stressors can effect gestation periods, growth and development and lifespan.

"Why bugs?" one might ask. "I never thought I would be working with insects when I started graduate school," De Anna stated, "But I've quickly come to realize how amazing they are. The Hissing Cockroach is a great model for understanding factors that influence conflict resolution between individuals, and for understanding broader behaviors of the entire population."

Regardless of the particular insect she is working with, De Anna's research ensures that she is constantly learning and exploring. "My experience at USC has really pushed me intellectually. I enjoy the challenge of research. I've learned that when things aren't going as hoped, I often end up learning the most. I have great support from my advisor and the people in my lab. Research calls for both creativity and practicality, and it's okay to get off the beaten path every once in a while." This is what research is all about--asking questions and creatively finding the answers, and De Anna Beasley is up for the challenge.

Learn More:

View the Biology Department Homepage