Why and what sustainable products do we consume in every day life? When do we engage in sustainable behavior? Public concern about the climate change has led to a reflection on the consumer’s behavior. Consistent with the public awareness, major consumer-good brands are pledging to engage in sustainable business practices. For example, in light of the “reduce, reuse, recycle” model of production and consumption, major firms such as Nike, Unilever and The North Face incorporate recycled-content material into their products, change their way of packaging or offer reuse services. Consumer Behavior researchers at the Darla Moore School of Business explore sustainable consumption and ways how firms can implicitly increase the consumers pro-environmental behavior in the marketplace. The project will investigate how the framing of product attributes influences people's decision-making to purchase sustainable product alternatives. Data will be collected in the Marketing Behavioral Lab on campus. The goal is to contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 12 which aims at ensuring sustainable consumption and production patterns to sustain livelihoods of current and future generations. The researcher group also supports students interested in pursuing seniors honors theses. For more information, contact Dr. Elise Ince.

The SC Family Study is seeking undergraduate students to assist with research on autism, fragile X syndrome, and related conditions. Our research focuses on characterizing language, cognitive, motor and social phenotypes associated with genetic risk for autism and fragile X syndrome. We adopt a unique interdisciplinary approach that draws upon techniques from the fields of psychology, communication sciences and disorders/speech-pathology, linguistics, genetics and physiology. This opportunity may be of particular interest to speech-pathology, psychology, linguistics, pre-med and public health majors. We offer students opportunities for hands-on research training, professional development and mentorship. Opportunities for volunteer and independent study credit are available. We also support students interested in pursuing Honors College Research Grants, Magellan Research Awards and senior honors theses. For more information visit SCfamilystudy.com or contact Dr. Jessica Klusek at klusek@mailbox.sc.edu.

Our research investigates development in language and cognition (e.g., attention, memory) from toddlerhood through the early school years. Our goal is to identify when and how developmental trajectories diverge for children with typical development and children with language disorders (e.g., Developmental Language Disorder or DLD). DLD is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects about 2 children in every classroom of 30. Children with DLD have difficulty with speaking and understanding language for no obvious reason. The goal of our research is to clarify the underlying causes of DLD and to identify early methods of identification and intervention.  Please contact esmolak@mailbox.sc.edu for further information. 

Dr. Arjmandi is the Director of Translational Auditory Neuroscience Lab in the Arnold School of Public Health at the University of South Carolina. He incorporates his cross-disciplinary research background in auditory neuroscience, speech perception and production, and biomedical engineering to study the neuroscience of human communication and hearing impairment. Dr. Arjmandi's research combines behavioral, computational, and neuroimaging techniques to systematically investigate the mechanisms and factors influencing the auditory, speech, and language development in individuals with typical, impaired, and electric hearing (e.g., cochlear implant listeners). The goal of his research is to translate the findings into clinical practice for developing improved diagnostic tools and personalized interventions and treatments for individuals with hearing impairment.  Please contact Dr. Arjmandi to inquire about joining this lab

Are you interested in obtaining research experience? The Carolina Health and Relationship Mechanisms (CHARM) lab is accepting applications for student Research Assistant positions on a rolling basis. The CHARM lab is led by Dr. Jennifer Fillo and is based at the Arnold School of Public Health at University of South Carolina. We accept applications from University of South Carolina students and students from other universities and colleges.

Work in Dr. Fillo’s lab focuses on examining the reciprocal relations among close relationships (e.g., family, friends, romantic partners), stress, and substance use. Using a variety of quantitative and qualitative methods, studies in the lab build upon existing knowledge of interpersonal processes and social influences on health behavior, and work toward the development of new measures and ways of leveraging these close relationship influences to improve health (e.g., how to use spouses/partners to help their loved one reduce problematic alcohol use). Additionally, we work with military populations to examine the influence of service-related stress and trauma on the health and well-being of service members/veterans and their romantic partners.

If you are interested in working with our lab, please complete an application and visit our website to learn more about Dr. Fillo’s work. Please direct any inquiries about RA positions or application status to:

Benjamin Fisher
Project Coordinator
803-777-6558

The LoPresti Lab, led by Eric LoPresti, is looking for motivated undergraduate students interested in pollination, seed ecology, and insect ecology to both assist with ongoing projects as well as to develop their own projects. Broadly, we study how plants and animals interact and how this shapes the ecology and evolution of the species involved; we do this with both mutualistic interactions, such as pollination, and antagonistic interactions, such as herbivory and seed predation. In the 2022-2023 school year, students may work on: a project involving different contributions of moths and butterflies to pollination success of sand verbenas, a project identifying how seed mucilage (think, chia seeds) helps seeds survive in a harsh world of extreme temperatures and full of animals that want to eat them, a project examining changing moth and butterfly communities in light of climate and land-use change, and others. For more information, contact Dr. LoPresti.

Numerous opportunities for undergraduates to conduct research in coastal estuarine ecosystems are available at the USC Baruch Marine Field Laboratory located at the edge of the North Inlet estuary on historic Hobcaw Barony. General faculty research interests include estuarine community ecology, fish and fisheries ecology, marine biology, and quantitative analysis of environmental data. Habitats of interest range from salt marshes, intertidal creeks, and estuarine rivers, to oyster reefs, surf zone, and nearshore waters, among others. Unrivaled field access and flow-through seawater laboratory facilities are available for experiments. Affordable housing in the on-site BMFL dorms can be arranged for short and long-term stays (overnights to months) during the summer months, and numerous opportunities for additional field and lab experiences are available while in-residence. For additional information contact Drs. Robert Dunn (robert at baruch.sc.edu) or Matt Kimball (matt at baruch.sc.edu).”

Our research investigates development in language and cognition (e.g., attention, memory) from toddlerhood through the early school years. Our goal is to identify when and how developmental trajectories diverge for children with typical development and children with language disorders (e.g., Developmental Language Disorder or DLD). DLD is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects about 2 children in every classroom of 30. Children with DLD have difficulty with speaking and understanding language for no obvious reason. The goal of our research is to clarify the underlying causes of DLD and to identify early methods of identification and intervention.  Please email Professor Erin Smolak to inquire.

Drs. William Strosnider (Director of Baruch Marine Field Laboratory) and Justin Hougham (Associate Professor at the University of Wisconsin) are looking for undergraduate students to support project-based work related to virtual watershed education and marine science at Baruch Marine Field Laboratory in Georgetown, SC.  All majors are applicable.  Past project examples include executing and designing virtual watershed education programs through ArcGIS StoryMaps, supporting collaborative projects with environmental non-profits, restoration projects and green infrastructure, and organizing community water events. Project outputs related to this current opportunity will include web-based media related to marine science and developing (as well as initializing) a communications plan to disseminate project findings with the goal of wider adoption of these curricular enhancements, to do a better job of engaging all students, especially those traditionally underserved.  Potential internship windows are summer (June-August) or fall (August-December) 2023.  Please contact Dr. Strosnider inquire further.