Reading through descriptions of the 1,000-plus research projects featured annually at Discover USC, it’s impossible not to be inspired by the passion fueling the wide-ranging research projects.
From history to public health, USC scholars — including undergraduate and graduate students, medical scholars and postdocs — work with faculty mentors to explore topics that interest them, learn more about research skills and work on how to present their findings to an audience.
Sponsored by the Office of the Vice President for Research, this year’s Discover USC research projects can be seen throughout the day at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center on Friday, April 25. There will be poster presentations at 9:30 a.m. and at 1 p.m., and shuttles will run between the Horseshoe (Sumter Street bus area) and the convention center from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Also, if you are still looking for that elusive selfie with Cocky, stop by between 10 and 11 a.m.
The following are highlights from a few participants’ projects, told in their own words.
Luke Aldridge
History, senior
College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
Research project: “Vietnam Veterans Oral History Project”
Campus: USC Aiken
Hometown: Clover, South Carolina
Inspiration: I took an upper-level Vietnam War history class and one of my classmates was a Vietnam veteran named Mike. Throughout the semester, Mike shared personal anecdotes that grounded the class content, making it more tangible. I realized that there are many other veterans in the Aiken area who have their own eye-opening stories. Both at the time and since, controversial aspects of the Vietnam War have resulted in less attention to veterans of this war. With the help of my professor who taught the Vietnam War class, Sarah King, I have been able to conduct 10 oral history interviews, documenting the stories of these veterans, many of whom were sharing memories of their service for the first time.
Challenges: Learning to conduct oral history interviews has been a challenging and rewarding process. Over time, and with the help of Dr. King, I’ve gained a lot of confidence, and our interview process has been greatly improved through trial and error. For example, more recent interviews involve much more preparation before the interview itself. A more extensive pre-interview allows me to both meet with the veteran and get a general sense of their time in Vietnam. Later, I work with Dr. King to tailor each interview’s question list to the veteran’s specific circumstances. This process has made me much more comfortable on the day of the interview. Now, with this year of interviews almost wrapped up, our interview process is better than ever, and that shows in the quality of the interviews.
Lessons: Although the Vietnam War literature documents the harrowing experiences of Vietnam veterans, sitting across from a veteran and seeing how much their time in Vietnam still affects them is altogether different. I’ve been struck on many occasions by just how potent many of the memories are for these veterans, even though the events took place over 50 years ago. Other trends from the interviews are shocking. Every veteran I’ve interviewed had some contact with Agent Orange. While some Vietnam veterans were in the vicinity of Agent Orange, others had direct skin contact with the toxic, cancerous chemicals. Every single veteran I’ve interviewed, however, has said they were not worried about Agent Orange at the time because they were told it was safe. It’s instances like this that reaffirms my passion for hearing, recording and preserving the stories and experiences of Vietnam veterans.
Tempestt S. Johnson
Language and literacy, fourth-year doctoral candidate
College of Education
Research project: “The Positive Impact of Using Young Adult Literature in the English Language Arts
Classroom”
Campus: USC Columbia
Hometown: Darlington, South Carolina
Inspiration: I was inspired to write this paper both for my class EDRD 803, “Pedagogical Perspectives on Reader Response Theory,” and because I was interested in examining parents’ views of the use of young adult literature in the classroom. In professor Catherine Compton-Lilly’s class, I was presented with the opportunity to learn theoretical approaches to reading that helped me build my understanding around what happens when we read, as well as parents’ views of young adult literature in high school English Language Arts classrooms. Reader Response Theory and its critiques have been key to my grasp of reading and other forms of literacy.
Challenges: I faced several challenges during my study that my instructor guided me in overcoming. The first challenge was finding participants. I was a classroom teacher at the time I was conducting this research, so I had access to many parents — but I needed to choose parents who would be willing and able to read and discuss a selected passage at length. The second challenge was meeting modality. My study took place during a time in which social distancing was still encouraged, so we ultimately decided that Zoom meetings would work best for everyone. The final challenge I faced was with recording and transcribing the data. During one of the parent interviews, Zoom failed to record, but because I used my phone and Google Docs voice-to-text features as backups, I was able to have audio and a rough transcript.
Lessons: My biggest takeaways from this study as a researcher have been to always have a backup plan and that parents — at least the ones in this study — found young adult literature to be a valuable resource in the classroom. Learning to have a backup plan for recording the words of my participants early in my Ph.D. journey was important because it has taught me to be prepared for the unexpected. This is especially necessary as a qualitative researcher who centers Black girls’ experiences and storytelling because I want to ensure that their words are what end up in the final publication. The result of my study also speaks to a less-discussed area in research, which does not often feature the voices of parents in literacy studies.
Julio Domingo
Political science and African American Studies, senior
College of Arts and Sciences
Research project: “Preserving the Narrative: Black Rap and Black Student Life During the Early Years of Integration at USC”
Campus: USC Columbia
Hometown: Columbia
Inspiration: As an undergraduate research assistant at the Center for Civil Rights History & Research, I am part of a team examining the lives and culture African American students built at the University of South Carolina following its historic desegregation in 1963. During my research, I discovered Black Rap, a student publication created by the Association of Afro-American Students, which offers revealing insights into Black student life at USC. This discovery sparked my interest in how Black Rap fits into the broader Black campus movement — a nationwide effort in the 1960s and 1970s in which African American students advocated for representation, relevant learning experiences, Black Studies programs, more Black faculty and students, and greater inclusion in higher education institutions. My research extends and amplifies earlier work, such as Invisible No More, by exploring how students navigated and reshaped the university’s culture during a pivotal era of change.
Challenges: Some challenges I have encountered include locating other student publications similar to Black Rap and understanding how this publication fits within the larger context of the Black campus movement. One of my mentors, Dr. Jill Found, has been especially helpful in guiding me to literature and archival materials that deepen my understanding. Dr. Bobby Donaldson has also been instrumental in helping me grasp the broader historical context and providing information about the individuals involved in creating Black Rap. Their support has been essential as I continue this research, particularly in exploring how Black Rap emerged and how its contributors helped shape African American student life following the second desegregation of USC.
Lessons: Through this project, I have gained valuable insights into the unique experiences African American students faced during this time. I found it particularly interesting how they often collaborated with Allen University and Benedict College students, attending each other’s events and emphasizing unity. Most importantly, researching Black Rap and noticing the lack of digitization and recognition of this and other student publications has shown me the importance of preserving and digitizing these materials. Black Rap and similar publications tell the story of how African American students contributed to campus life at USC and other institutions. Thus, we need to make it accessible, so the public is aware of this history. Additionally, it is crucial for all student organizations to preserve their records and archives so that their histories are not erased. These organizations play a vital role in shaping student life at institutions, and their legacies should be acknowledged and preserved.
Ansley Martin
Neuroscience, sophomore
College of Arts and Sciences
Research project: “Harnessing Regional Brain Age to Predict Aphasia Outcomes”
Campus: USC Columbia
Hometown: Greenville
Inspiration: My drive for neuroimaging research stemmed from the idea that novel neuroimaging approaches can be used to understand heterogeneity in disease presentation and progression. Often clinical symptoms vary greatly on an individual level, and understanding why is crucial for effective treatments. Aphasia is language dysfunction/impairment, commonly due to a stroke on the left side of the brain. It severely impacts the quality of life of stroke survivors. However, the causes of different symptom patterns are still poorly understood. Thus, understanding the relationship between neuroanatomical structure and aphasia prognosis is essential both in research settings and clinically. Traditional approaches to this problem focus on characteristics of the stroke lesion itself. However, we wanted to investigate how the integrity/health of the undamaged right hemisphere could contribute to prediction of aphasia severity over time and effectiveness of treatment. To do this, we used a novel neuroimaging biomarker, estimated ‘brain age.’
Challenges: Because this approach to aphasia prediction has never been done and we were working with large amounts of data, the biggest challenge was figuring out how to ensure our data was validated. To tackle this, we used a data-reduction technique called exploratory factor analysis to find meaningful patterns across participants. To validate the brain age technique, we incorporated lesion patterns into our model as well. I was incredibly fortunate to have guidance from an amazing team of mentors — Dr. Leo Bonilha and my principal investigator, Dr. Nicholas Riccardi — who helped refine the methods and interpret the findings.
Lessons: I learned how to conduct a research study from start to finish, which is an incredible opportunity as an undergraduate. Furthermore, I had to learn how to present this research at the Cognitive Neuroscience Society annual meeting in Boston this past March and now Discover USC. As for the findings of the study, we learned the value of brain health in predicting recovery after stroke. Specifically, stroke survivors whose frontal and ventral regions were “younger,” or healthier, improved more with therapy. This means we might be able to use these brain age estimates to better predict who will benefit most from rehabilitation. That could help doctors tailor treatment plans for individuals, improving care and outcomes. The findings also show that keeping your brain healthy throughout life might protect against problems later, even in the face of something as serious as a stroke.
Travis Abel Jebackumar
First-year medical student
School of Medicine Columbia
Research project: “Unhoused, Not Unheard: Bridging gaps in Healthcare for the Homeless”
Campus: USC Columbia
Hometown: Charlotte
Hands for Homelessness partners: Preston Harrison, Ryan Titus
Inspiration: We founded Hands for Homelessness to bridge the gaps in health care for the unhoused population in Columbia. We were driven by the stark disparities in access to medical care and wanted to create a solution that offers preventative health screenings and health care enrollment support through Cooperative Health. Our initiative has grown to include roughly 40 medical students who provide hands-on support, and we’ve partnered with The Comet to offer free bus passes for transportation to health care visits. Additionally, the iCARE team at USC helps supply essential hygiene products and opioid overdose medication, Naloxone, commonly known as “Narcan.” By addressing both health care and social needs, we strive to create a more accessible and supportive system for those experiencing homelessness.
Challenges: The biggest challenge we faced with the Hands for Homelessness project was the extensive planning required for each event, as each took months of coordination across multiple groups. Aligning timelines, resources and volunteers from several organizations often led to delays up to weeks. We overcame these obstacles thanks to the support of dedicated volunteers, community organizations and the local government, who helped with both resources and advice. Their collaboration and expertise were essential in keeping the planning process on track and ensuring the success of each event. Through strong teamwork and effective communication, we were able to make a meaningful impact in the community.
Lessons: Starting this program has taught us the profound impact that proactive health care outreach can have on vulnerable populations. Many individuals experiencing homelessness face significant barriers to medical care, including lack of transportation, limited awareness of available resources, and distrust of the health care system. By bringing routine screenings and health care enrollment services directly to them, we can help screen for preventable conditions, connect them with essential medical services, and ultimately improve their long-term health outcomes. This work is important because preventative care reduces the burden of emergency services and hospitalizations, which often serve as the only point of care for many homeless individuals. Facilitating access to health care coverage empowers individuals to take control of their well-being, breaking the cycle of neglect that causes these chronic conditions. We also learned the value of interdisciplinary collaboration — partnering with social workers, community organizations and fellow students has been essential in expanding our reach and effectiveness.
Dylan Kunkel
Biological sciences, senior
College of Arts and Sciences
Research project: “The Current State of Psychedelic Psychotherapy”
Campus: USC Columbia
Hometown: Windermere, Florida
Inspiration: As someone aspiring to attend medical school, taking Psychology 101 was part of my pre-requisite courses. While taking this course, instructor Neil Levens introduced the class to clinical studies that used psychedelic substances (psilocybin from mushrooms, mescaline from cacti, LSD, MDMA, DMT and ketamine) to treat varying mental disorders. The main applications have been for major depressive disorder (MDD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). As someone who has a family history of major depressive disorder, it was fascinating to hear about potential alternatives to the current drug interventions used today. With my limited background on the cultural stigma around these drugs, I wanted to know more about why they have returned as a research interest. This led me to choose this topic for my thesis to educate myself and provide a digestible overview for other curious readers about the current research and cultural implications around psychedelic psychotherapy.
Challenges: This project was daunting for me because of my limited background knowledge when it comes to pharmacology, neuroscience and psychology. This meant I had to spend time teaching myself about these topics just as much as writing about them. It was initially overwhelming, but slowly and surely I was able to grasp the concepts I wanted to talk about. I spent lots of time vetting research papers for accuracy and making sure my writing was understandable for the average reader. Throughout nine months of research and writing, Dr. Levens read over my work and gave critiques and advice on how to make it stronger. With his help and my continuous efforts, I feel proud of the state of my paper and all the work it took to get here.
Lessons: The history and future implications of psychedelic psychotherapy clinical research is a fascinating, relevant topic for many people. With almost 1 billion people affected by a mental disorder globally, novel drug interventions are needed more than ever. Understanding the context behind the current legal status of these drugs is important for proving their therapeutic potential for the future. I learned about the challenges many researchers face and what will be necessary to challenge psychedelics’ designation as not having any accepted medical use. The research breakthroughs of the past 20 years will likely continue, which could bring exciting results for patients and challenges to current legislation. I hope that in the future, psychedelics will be accepted as a legitimate intervention for those struggling with mental disorders.
Katherine Palmer
Psychology, junior
College of Arts and Sciences
Research Project: “Audio Equalization of Misophonia Stimuli”
Campus: USC Columbia
Hometown: Waxhaw, North Carolina
Inspiration: I was inspired to do this project after learning about a condition called misophonia through my involvement with the Affect and Cognition Lab at the Institute for Mind and Brain. Misophonia is a condition characterized by intense emotional distress, as well as physiological and behavioral reactions triggered by specific auditory stimuli, leading to significant discomfort for the individual. I am passionate about mental health and helping others, and being able to raise awareness for misophonia while contributing to future research led me to pursue this project. Our lab is focused on studying the physiological responses that individuals experience when exposed to these triggers. We have created a large set of audiovisual trigger stimuli, because few resources are currently available for misophonic stimuli. Through this project, we standardized the quality of our stimuli using the Python programming language to prepare for the creation of a large public database that will make our stimuli available for future researchers.
Challenges: The biggest challenge for me was understanding misophonia, learning the scale of this condition, and the nature of triggers. There is limited research on misophonia, and our project has a unique purpose. A challenge to this specific project was learning to use Python and the attention to detail required to ensure high-quality stimuli that meet the trigger criteria based on the current definition of misophonia and records of lived experiences. I was able to overcome the technical challenges I encountered in Python with the help of my co-author Danielle Sabatina, and my mentors Sewon Oh and Svetlana Shinkareva. My mentor, Sewon Oh, significantly helped us with Python and oversaw our progress. Danielle and I collaborated often to support and learn from each other for this project.
Lessons: Beyond learning skills in Python and audio equalization, the most important things I learned were the nature of misophonia and the need for tools to support researchers studying this condition. Our trigger database will hopefully be one of the tools that will help in the study of misophonia and contribute to the field. Formatting and standardizing our stimuli, including audio normalization using Python, will prepare us to get one more step closer to the publication of a large, publicly available audiovisual misophonia trigger database.
Beatrice Quiroz
Educational psychology and research, first-year doctoral student
College of Education
Research project: “Teacher Mobility: Do Reasons for Leaving Contribute to Different Mobility Decisions?”
Campus: USC Columbia
Hometown: Miami
Inspiration: This project was inspired by a prior manuscript submission that focuses on rural teacher mobility in the state of South Carolina. However, I was also interested in this topic to challenge the common belief that the U.S. faces widespread teacher shortages when, in reality, these shortages are highly context-specific. Teacher shortages are commonly examined at a higher-level context, though vast differences in teacher attrition rates can be seen between states, districts and even schools. Additionally, teacher shortages are defined inconsistently, which may obscure what is interpreted by the public. For example, when people account for teacher attrition, they don’t consider lateral movement (i.e., moving between districts) or involuntary movement. In sum, it became important for me to highlight the types of teacher mobility occurring specifically in South Carolina and to better understand the underlying reasons why teachers choose to leave their positions, transfer districts or exit the profession altogether.
Challenges: The biggest challenge I faced in this study was learning a new statistical method while still becoming familiar with the statistical software. The main analysis used in this study was a binary logistic regression, and I learned how to run this in R with the help of one of my mentors, Dr. Svetlana Dmitrieva. She has provided me with numerous resources and met with me one-on-one to ensure that I could successfully complete and interpret the analysis. Further, I would like to thank the SC TEACHER staff and research fellows involved in collecting and cleaning the data I used in this study.
Lessons: From this study, I learned that multiple factors contribute to a teacher’s decision to leave their school. Specifically, teachers were more likely to leave the profession rather than move to a different district when they rated demands and policy-related reasons as highly important. Additionally, teachers were more likely to move to a different district than leave the profession when they rated resources and personal reasons as more important. These findings were important because they may help inform policymakers and stakeholders about which working conditions need improvement. Addressing these factors may help mitigate the context-specific teacher shortages in particular districts in South Carolina where such challenges are most acute.