2018 Archive

Creative degree programs

USC Creativity

December 03, 2018, Megan Sexton

The university has established several new degree programs that illustrate creative curricula by adding innovation, an entrepreneurial approach or other types of value to traditional degrees.

Saurabh Chatterjee

Gut feeling

November 07, 2018, Chris Horn

In the nearly 30 years since the first Gulf War in Kuwait and Iraq, medical professionals have struggled to identify the cause for symptoms collectively referred to as Gulf War illness that have persisted among a quarter-million military veterans. Saurabh Chatterjee can’t identify the cause, but he thinks his research team at USC’s Arnold School of Public Health has found the locus of medical dysfunction.

Bobby Donaldson

Telling the untold

October 24, 2018, Megan Sexton

As he conducted research for the civil rights history project Columbia SC 63, history professor Bobby Donaldson started discovering largely untold stories about the struggle as it played out in Columbia. The material he and his students unearthed and the people he met helped guide the formation of the South Carolina Center for Civil Rights History and Research.

frankenstein

Celebrating 200 years of 'Frankenstein'

October 23, 2018, Page Ivey and Joshua Burrack

“Frankenstein,” Mary Shelley’s tale of a scientist pushing the boundaries of knowledge and ethics to reanimate lifeless flesh, turns 200 this year, and the University of South Carolina is celebrating the anniversary by reaching into its rare books collection and tapping faculty expertise to tell the story of Mary Shelley, Victor Frankenstein and the creature that has spawned many reincarnations throughout popular literature, film and television.

Sport management students interning at Williams-Brice

UofSC tops U.S. in sport science for third straight year

October 19, 2018, Allen Wallace

The University of South Carolina’s sport science programs are making an impact around the world, and the success has earned global recognition. The programs are ranked No. 1 in the United States for the third consecutive year in the Global Ranking of Sport Science Schools and Departments.

tedx rehearsal

Talking TEDx

October 09, 2018, Page Ivey

Overcoming stereotypes and drug addiction, learning to listen in uncomfortable conversations about race, and finding new ways to diagnose and treat mental illnesses were just some of the wide range of topics presented by speakers at the inaugural TEDxUofSC event Tuesday.

the conversation

Be part of The Conversation

October 03, 2018, Annika Dahlgren

Editor and CEO of The Conversation Maria Balinska will join UofSC professors Derek Black, School of Law; Lauren Sklaroff, College of Arts and Sciences; and Bill Hauk, Darla Moore School of Business for a panel discussion about how to get national media attention for scholarly expertise and research on Tuesday, Sept. 18.

Equine impact

Equine Economy

October 01, 2018, Allen Wallace

A recent American Horse Council study finds that the U.S. equine industry is responsible for about $122 billion in economic impact and 1.74 million jobs that generate $79 billion in salaries, wages and benefits. How much of that is felt in South Carolina? That’s the question University of South Carolina researchers will answer after receiving a $46,500 grant from the state agriculture department.

creativity

Catch the bus

September 25, 2018, Craig Brandhorst

In addition to his role as associate professor and director of music entrepreneurship at the School of Music, David Cutler has been tasked by the Office of the Provost with overseeing a yearlong, university-wide effort to promote innovation and embolden the creative spirit at every level of the campus community.

Susan Wood

Stressed out

July 20, 2018, Page Ivey

We’ve all heard the health warnings about stress, but just how, exactly, does stress damage a healthy person? And what is it that allows some people to be resilient while others exhibit a vexing trail of cytokines, inflammation and other biochemical responses to trauma and other stressors? School of Medicine researcher Susan Wood is trying to figure out just that.

New teacher works with students

New retention program earns A+ from teachers

July 19, 2018, Kathryn McPhail

A new College of Education program aimed at increasing teacher retention in South Carolina proves successful in its first year - with 100 percent of participating teachers returning to the classroom next school year. This fall, 50 additional teachers will enter the program, and a $600,000 grant will help the college research the effectiveness of teacher recruitment and retention efforts statewide.

cancer research

Heating up cancer treatment research

July 12, 2018, Annika Dahlgren

Researchers with the College of Engineering and Computing have created a new way to destroy cancer cells in two days. The research team — made up of electrical engineering professor Seongtae Bae, postdoc fellow Jung-tak Jang and undergrad (Eric) Sang Hoon Ju — uses a nanomaterial and an alternating current (AC) magnetic field generator to super heat the cells.

richard riley

UofSC opens Richard W. Riley Collection as part of S.C. Political Collections

July 11, 2018, Peggy Binette

The South Carolina Political Collections — one of the largest political collections in the nation — will expand Monday, Aug. 6 when the University of South Carolina opens the Richard W. Riley Collection. The collection details the life and public career of Richard Wilson “Dick” Riley, a former South Carolina state representative, senator and governor and U.S. Secretary of Education.

Lauren Greenwald

Ways of being

June 26, 2018, Craig Brandhorst

Assistant professor of photography Lauren Greenwald considered becoming a doctor, pursued a career in architecture, lived on a sailboat for a year and worked as a project manager renovating apartments in Paris – all before finally going to graduate school to study photography. Her work is a reflection of that wanderlust, but the lens through which she examines the world could work for anyone, not just the aspiring artist.

Black hawk helicopter over campus on Engineering Day

Big data to the rescue

June 26, 2018, Chris Horn

University of South Carolina researchers across multiple disciplines are putting data analytics to work to tackle an array of real-world challenges — from keeping helicopters flying safely to improving health care and detecting deadly fungal outbreaks in corn.

Student in lab

No rest for the curious

June 22, 2018, Alyssa Yancey

Over the last few years the University of South Carolina's School of Medicine has doubled its summer research opportunities for rising second-year medical students. This year more than half of the Class of 2021 (M.D.) applied for the program, and 24 students are currently completing research experiences in clinical and translational research.

migraine illustration

No pain, no migraine

June 21, 2018, Chris Horn

Michelle Androulakis understands the debilitating pain of migraine headaches and is looking for ways to help fellow sufferers. The neurologist and med school professor has conducted clinical trials for a non-invasive migraine procedure involving a tiny nasal catheter as well as for a new migraine drug.

Psychology professor Mark Weist

Alliance for change

June 18, 2018, Mary-Kathryn Craft

Psychology professor Mark Weist is leading efforts to improve behavioral health in public schools across the Palmetto State. He and his team recently received a grant from the South Carolina Department of Education to launch the S.C. School Behavioral Health Alliance, an interdisciplinary initiative to prevent and treat emotional and behavioral concerns.

Karen McDonnell

Breakthrough Star: Karen McDonnell

June 15, 2018, Julie Smith-Turner

Karen McDonnell didn’t want to be a nurse. In fact, she turned down a nursing scholarship after high school in favor of studying biology and chemistry. After graduation, she went to work in a research lab. Although she enjoyed her work, something about it didn’t quite fit. That’s when McDonnell discovered her true calling in a most unusual place.

Thomas Makris

Nature made

June 01, 2018, Chris Horn

It sounds like a motorist's dream come true: Microorganisms that make gasoline. If you think it sounds farfetched, talk to Tom Makris. The assistant professor of chemistry is focusing his research on natural product biosynthesis pathways, which include not only fuel-producing microbes but also the antibiotic-making capabilities of microorganisms.

Yiming Ji

Breakthrough Leader: Yiming Ji

May 18, 2018, Karla Turner

Trained as an aerospace engineer, Yiming Ji worked in the aerospace industry for several years before returning to school to study computer science. Inspired by the idea to train others to integrate computer science and engineering as he had done, Ji founded the computational science program at USC Beaufort, the only one of its kind in South Carolina.

Mitzi Nagarkatti

Breakthrough Leader: Mitzi Nagarkatti

April 27, 2018, Chris Horn

When Mitzi Nagarkatti joined the School of Medicine as chair of pathology, microbiology and immunology in 2005, the department was bringing in about $600,000 a year in NIH funding, 81st among all such departments across the nation. The department now garners some $9.5 million per year in NIH grants (No. 17 in the country) and Nagarkatti continues to build research capacity not only in that unit but in the entire School of Medicine and across the university.

South Carolina Sunset

Building a healthier South Carolina

April 20, 2018, Alyssa Yancey

The staff of the SC Center for Rural and Primary Healthcare at the USC School of Medicine is working to improve access to care in rural South Carolina. Created with state funding in 2017, the center has a number of initiatives underway, including a loan program to encourage health profession students to practice in rural settings, research grant programs and partnerships helping put providers on the ground in critical need areas.

Parastoo Hashemi

Breakthrough Star: Parastoo Hashemi

April 20, 2018, Chris Horn

Parastoo Hashemi wants to know what's going on inside our heads — neurochemically speaking, that is — and she and her research team are well on their way toward figuring out how to do it. Her pioneering research on measuring neurochemical levels in the brain have far-reaching implications for treatment of depression and other neurological conditions such as Parkinson's disease.

Awards Day winners

UofSC honors top students at Awards Day

April 19, 2018, Megan Sexton

The university its top student honors, the Algernon Sydney Sullivan and Steven N. Swanger awards, to four graduating seniors during the university’s annual Awards Day ceremony Thursday on the historic Horseshoe.

Johnie Hodge

A dual purpose

March 26, 2018, Megan Sexton

Johnie Hodge is undertaking the challenge of becoming a physician-scientist by earning both an M.D. and a Ph.D. in biomedical sciences from the University of South Carolina School of Medicine. The number of physician-scientists has steadily declined in recent years, but those who remain are helping translate research discoveries into changes in patient care.

Caroline Potter

'A happy accident'

March 20, 2018, Megan Sexton

South Carolina Honors College graduate Caroline Parler Potter headed to England as a Rhodes Scholar in 2000. She's still at Oxford, where she earned her master’s and doctorate in anthropology and is now a medical anthropologist. She'll return to Carolina on April 20 to give the keynote address at Discover USC.

bulusu

Breakthrough Leader: Subra Bulusu

March 16, 2018, Craig Brandhorst

Using remote sensing technology, Subra Bulusu and his research team are exploring oceanic and atmospheric dynamics, meteorological processes and climate change. Among their endeavors, Bulusu’s team has worked on the retrieval of sea surface salinity data obtained by NASA’s Soil Moisture Active Passive and Aquarius and the European Space Agency’s Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity satellite missions.

President Harris Pastides, Dean Haemoon Oh, Huong Nguyen and Kendall Roth in Vietnam

Carolina changes the world

March 07, 2018, John Brunelli

The University of South Carolina is expanding its global reach in Southeast Asia. President Harris Pastides recently signed partnerships with three universities in Vietnam, which will allow for collaboration in teaching, research and service. Now, the Office of Study Abroad is sending a delegation of faculty and staff to the country over spring break to explore other opportunities for Carolina students.

joseph parks

Medical researchers work together to improve South Carolina's health

February 08, 2018, John Brunelli

National Council for Behavior Health medical director Joseph Parks will be the keynote speaker at the Integrated Behavioral Health Symposium spearheaded by the College of Social Work. The symposium will be held Monday (Feb. 12) at the Alumni Center.

Freeze-dried crickets

Guess what's coming to dinner

January 25, 2018, Chris Horn

Insects are regularly consumed by an estimated 2 billion people, a practice that has its roots in culture and sometimes necessity. Law professor Marie Boyd studies the regulation of insects as food as part of her research on the Food and Drug Administration. She says insect-based food has a long way to go, both from a cultural and regulatory standpoint, in the U.S.