The Office of the Vice President for Research is pleased to formally announce a new showcase event coming up this spring. The new event, Discover USC, will bustle with the energy of undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral scholars and medical scholars presenting their research, creative and scholarly projects to the university community and beyond. Held on Friday, April 21, 2017, at both the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center, and the USC Alumni Center on the opposite side of Lincoln Street, Discover USC gathers together a number of traditional springtime showcase events, and places them under one big garnet umbrella.

We want to show the unique benefits of having a major research university as a neighbor, and show our neighbors a new way of thinking about USC and the many positive impacts it has on the community. — Prakash Nagarkatti

In the coming weeks, we will be announcing details about Discover USC’s most exciting features:

• A world-class keynote speaker to kick off the day’s festivities.
• Chances to have your picture taken with everyone’s favorite mascot, Cocky
• More than 600 poster and oral presentations of cutting-edge research, outstanding scholarship, student leadership and community outreach

Bringing Gamecock Scholars Together

The brainchild of Vice President for Research, Prakash Nagarkatti, Discover USC combines three spring events—Discovery Day for undergraduates, Graduate Student Day and the School of Medicine (Columbia and Greenville) and Palmetto Health USC’s Medical Scholarship Day of Focus—into one super-event. It will also encompass research and scholarship by USC’s postdoctoral scholars, who will have a spring showcase for the first time ever. The idea is to unite innovators and scholars at every level of study, from every discipline and every system campus, to exchange information, energy and inspiration with one another, and with the broader community.

As Nagarkatti puts it, “We want to show the unique benefits of having a major research university as a neighbor, and show our neighbors a new way of thinking about USC and the many positive impacts it has on the community. We want to highlight the world-class opportunities available to USC undergraduate and graduate students, from dedicating their time to community service to conducting funded research and creative projects to studying around the globe. Carolina has a huge impact on the Palmetto State, and we think that even our closest Gamecock family members will learn something new about how USC engages with our community through this event.”

Sharing with the Community

A unique feature of Discover USC will be community participation. State and local government officials, local media, business leaders, K-12, technical college and historically black college and university students and teachers, alumni and neighbors will be invited to get a deeper view of the innovation, out-of-the-classroom experience, leadership, scholarship and creativity that make South Carolina’s flagship university such an asset to our state. By sharing all the opportunities USC has to offer, Discover USC will foster new relationships throughout the community and attract the best and brightest students to choose USC as a launchpad to their futures.

Kicking off with a Bang

Discover USC festivities will kick off with a morning keynote speech by a world-class researcher of great renown. The speaker will draw on past career experiences to give students a bird’s eye view of what is possible with hard work and dedication, and inspire them to aim high as they plan for futures of success.

More to Come

Visit the newly launched Discover USC website at sc.edu/DiscoverUSC to learn more and get the latest updates as they’re released.

30 January 2017