Steve Benjamin, former mayor of Columbia and two-time graduate of USC, is director of the Office of Public Engagement and a senior adviser to the president and the White House. Benjamin sat down with USC Today earlier this year to discuss the job and how his experiences as a political science major and law school student prepared him for his 12 years as Columbia mayor and for his new role in the White House.
A longtime partnership between the University of South Carolina and the University of Queensland, Australia, has contributed to a global effort to improve child and family well-being through parenting advocacy and support.
Researchers work across disciplines to explore line between natural aging, cognitive disease.
Governor Henry McMaster appointed Brian Gaines, a two-time alumnus of the Department of Political Science, as South Carolina's Comptroller General. With this appointment, Gaines becomes the first Black statewide Constitutional officer in the state since Reconstruction.
Mani Sockalingam’s research supports the development of advanced composite material systems that could find application in the production of lightweight structures for the aerospace, automotive and defense sectors. He seeks to address fundamental scientific challenges at the intersection of materials-mechanics-manufacturing while mentoring students to conduct meaningful research.
Ashley Poston, who earned her English degree from USC, has published nine books across multiple genres. Her first adult novel, "The Dead Romantics," was a Good Morning America Book Club selection and a N.Y. Times bestseller. Her latest book, "The Seven Year Slip," will be published June 27.
When Ethan Older thinks of bacteria, he envisions tiny chemists at work inside us. A doctoral student in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Older researches the bacteria that live in the human digestive tract from a genetic standpoint. His work may lead to breakthroughs in treating diseases scientists have yet to fully understand.
Even amidst the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the graduates of USC displayed remarkable resilience, provided mutual support and attained great accomplishments.
For many, reaching the age of 65 means slowing down and enjoying retirement. Aliza Burton, an English major at the University of South Carolina, has chosen a less traditional path.
The Center for Integrative and Experiential Learning is celebrating the Graduation with Leadership Distinction Program's tenth anniversary. Take a look at some of the earliest graduates with leadership distinction.
Ralf Gothe is part of a group of scientists exploring quantum chromodynamics at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility in Virginia. His work focuses specifically on the strong interaction between quarks and gluons, two elementary particles essential to quantum field theory.
David Beasley, former South Carolina governor, head of the United Nations World Food Program and 2020 Nobel Peace Prize winner, visited the University of South Carolina campus on April 18 to speak with a group of students about the challenges and opportunities in combating hunger around the globe.
In her forensic chemistry lab, Molly Kantor learned techniques to analyze crime scenes and gained skills she hopes to use in a future career with the FBI. Kantor is one of the first students to take the forensics minor, a new program organized by Dr. Way Fountain of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry.
Lawyer Erin Brown just landed a job working as a clerk of the U.S. Supreme Court. Brown says earning her political science degree and participating in student government at USC helped set her on the path to Washington, D.C.
Evolutionary biologist Tim Mousseau has been studying the ecological effects of radiation at Chernobyl for decades, even during wartime.
Huan Ning, a Breakthrough Graduate Scholar in geography, is using artificial intelligence to bridge technology with geographic information science research.
A class at USC is making significant contributions to the history of the 1st South Carolina Volunteer Infantry Regiment. Part of a project led by history professor Valinda Littlefield, this research involves multiple institutions nationwide.
McCausland Fellow Besim Dragovic has a favorite mineral —it’s garnet, of course. Garnet is a mineral that carries a wealth of information about unique locations on Earth and their history as well as element-containing rocks hold several possibilities for sustainability.
Cultural anthropologist Monica Barra studies how racial inequalities are shaped by scientific practices, racial histories and climate change in the U.S. South.
Assistant professor of sociology Jaclyn Wong's book "Equal Partners?" dives into relationship inequality within dual-professional couples.
University researcher Erin Meyer-Gutbrod aims to protect endangered right whales from ship strikes using underwater listening robots to track their locations.
Tressie McMillan Cottom, a renowned author, sociologist, and cultural critic, will give the 2023 Robert Smalls Annual Lecture for the University of South Carolina Department of African American Studies.
The Columbia-Richland Fire Department is now equipped with unexpected tools to battle blazes: maps, graphs and statistics. A University of South Carolina geography graduate lead the way in bringing these tools that calculate and cut off many fire risks before they even occur.
As a tribute to the Black alumnae featured in the student-produced documentary The Backbone, USC’s Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion installed 18 personalized bricks on the Horseshoe. The honorees' stories span seven decades of university history.
Kendall Deas, a post-doc fellow in African American Studies, is using his research on racial equity combined with curriculum from The Algebra Project to advance new models for teaching K-12 math skills.