Stories for Students

Data from a computer screen is reflected in the eyeglasses of a researcher.

Big Data Health Science Center brings big minds, big ideas

April 22, 2024, Gregory Hardy

Because data will play such a large role in the future of health care, the University of South Carolina launched the Big Data Health Science Center in 2019. The center held its fifth annual Big Data Health Science Conference in February, which attracted almost 100 presenters from five countries and 269 attendees. Here’s the big picture for what’s next for the Big Data Health Science Center and its supporters to accelerate cutting-edge research and discovery.

Topics: Students, Faculty, Research, Health Sciences, Arnold School of Public Health

two women talk while looking at posters

Exploring the world of research at Discover USC

April 11, 2024, Communications and Marketing

Each year, Discover USC showcases the wide-ranging research being done by University of South Carolina students and postdocs. From health science to humanities and AI to public health, USC scholars — including undergraduate and graduate students, medical scholars and postdocs — are working with faculty mentors and others to explore topics that interest them, learn more about research skills and work on how to present their findings to an audience.

Topics: Students, Research, Signature Events, Student Voices, College of Arts and Sciences, Arnold School of Public Health

Icon of how an artificial intelligence brain connects to concepts of technology, transportation, vision, the brain, ideas and health care.

2024 artificial intelligence faculty experts list

April 03, 2024, Gregory Hardy

University of South Carolina researchers explore how artificial intelligence can be used for advancements in health care, education, manufacturing, energy, disaster management and transportation. They are also helping shape and inform the ethics and policies surrounding these emergent solutions.

Topics: Faculty, Research, Health Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, College of Engineering and Computing, College of Information and Communications, Joseph F. Rice School of Law, Medicine (Columbia), Arnold School of Public Health

three people sit on a bench in a garden setting

USC has 3 Goldwater scholars in 2024

March 29, 2024, Communications and Marketing

Three University of South Carolina students were awarded prestigious Goldwater scholarships Friday. They are: Caroline Rucker, a junior biomedical engineering major from Powhatan, Virginia; Jeremiah Tobin, a junior biomedical engineering major from Greenville; and Katelyn Wyandt, a junior computer science major from Summerville, South Carolina. All three are Honors College students studying in the College of Engineering and Computing.

Topics: Students, Academics, Research, Scholarships, Recognition, Student Voices, College of Engineering and Computing, South Carolina Honors College

An illustration of a robot arm handing a Rubiks cube to a human hand.

From agribusiness to health care to flood management, artificial intelligence research clicks into place

March 01, 2024, Rebekah Friedman

Artificial intelligence is making plenty of headlines these days — and, in some cases, even writing them. Some concerns are valid, some are overblown, but as the global economy embraces the emerging technology, there’s no avoiding the larger conversation. There’s also no denying AI’s real-world potential. For every Sports Illustrated byline scandal or news story about the danger of self-driving cars, there’s an untold story of how AI research promises to change our world for the better, and a lot of that research is happening right here at the University of South Carolina.

Topics: Faculty, Research, Leadership, Careers, College of Arts and Sciences, College of Engineering and Computing, Breakthrough Research

A person in protective gear with clipboard observing waste in a landfill.

Engineering team experiments with new method for processing problematic landfill compound

February 29, 2024, Chris Horn

An experimental project led by a team of USC engineering researchers could lead to a more efficient process for converting landfill gases into cleaner fuel — and simultaneously deal with a silicone-based compound called siloxane that has become problematic for landfills.

Topics: Faculty, Academics, Research, Experiential Learning, Leadership, Careers, College of Engineering and Computing, Breakthrough Research

A robot hand pushes a red button.

USC researcher leads group studying ethics, safety and impact of AI

February 23, 2024, Kathryn McPhail

Shannon Bowen, a professor in the University of South Carolina’s College of Information and Communications, researches ethical decision making and AI within organizations, heads the AI-Ethics Advisory Board and conducts ethics training with leaders of organizations to help them avoid and solve problems and develop strategic communications plans.

Topics: Faculty, Research, College of Information and Communications

Stevie Malenowski combs through a box of papers and images in Thomas Cooper Library.

USC students bring untold history of Sumter, S.C., to the public

January 31, 2024, Laura Erskine

Public history student Stevie Malenowski spent his summer digitizing images from boxes of archival materials, uncovering the history of the Williams Furniture Company, a staple of Sumter, South Carolina, for decades, alongside specialists at University Libraries. The archival materials are a key resource for a traveling exhibit coming in 2024.

Topics: Students, Research, Experiential Learning, History, Collections, College of Arts and Sciences, South Carolina Honors College, University Libraries

Matt White conducts an ensemble

Matt White's approach for "Lowcountry" has him headed to Spoleto

January 26, 2024, Thom Harman

From a new program home to new music to continued research, Matt White, Jazz Studies Program chair, is rather busy. His novel approach to a 2023 release, “Lowcountry” — incorporating Gullah histories and stories with contemporary jazz — has earned White and his collaborators a chance to perform the piece during the 2024 Spoleto Festival.

Topics: Students, Faculty, Academics, Research, Experiential Learning, History, Recognition, Service, School of Music

Maxcy building

New initiatives expand USC's first-gen support

January 22, 2024, Hannah Cambre

The University of South Carolina is committing to providing more comprehensive support to its first-generation student population, including a First-Generation Center launching in August 2024, a living and learning community for first-gen students, and an expanding partnership with the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators.

Topics: Students, University Leadership, Academics, Research, Experiential Learning, Initiatives, Diversity, Student Voices

ASPH award winner, Huda Falous

Public health student recognized for community engagement, research

December 21, 2023, Lauryn Jiles

Committed to advocacy, community engagement and research, public health senior Huda Falous is the recipient of the Arnold School’s 2023 Undergraduate Student Award in Excellence in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

Topics: Students, University Leadership, Academics, Research, Experiential Learning, Initiatives, Diversity, Recognition, Health Sciences, Leadership, Student Voices, Arnold School of Public Health, South Carolina Honors College

Building with a clock tower

2023: Year in review -- record enrollment, new construction and so much more

December 07, 2023, Marketing and Communications

It’s been a momentous year at the University of South Carolina. We welcomed a record-setting freshman class, renamed our law school, announced new research initiatives, hired new deans, held an investiture ceremony for President Amiridis — and so much more.

Topics: Students, Alumni, Faculty, University Leadership, University President, Academics, Research, Undergraduate Admissions

Illustration of

Searching for hidden connections

November 13, 2023, Page Ivey

A team of researchers, including several in the College of Pharmacy, are hoping to use the computing power of artificial intelligence to find subtle connections among the hundreds of drug-therapy studies published each year. The researchers are mining data on approved drugs and their outcomes, particularly in patients with HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders.

Topics: Students, Faculty, Academics, Research, Partnerships, College of Pharmacy

Gamecock Pharmacist IPE students

Collaboration, leadership break down barriers

November 13, 2023, Lauryn Jiles

USC’s Interprofessional Education program brings together students in the university’s 12 health science professional programs across six colleges and schools to help them have meaningful interactions with others training to be pharmacists, doctors, nurses, social workers, physical therapists and speech pathologists, among other fields.

Topics: Students, Alumni, Faculty, University Leadership, Academics, Research, Experiential Learning, Health Sciences, Leadership, Student Voices, College of Pharmacy

Tick in test tube

New institute puts USC on map for vector-borne illness research

October 16, 2023, Hannah Cambre

The Institute of Infectious Disease Translational Research will allow public health researcher Melissa Nolan to operate complementary studies at labs based in Columbia, El Salvador and Brazil, putting USC on the map as an international hub for maternal and infant health research.

Topics: Faculty, University Leadership, University President, Academics, Research, Experiential Learning, Initiatives, Partnerships, Health Sciences, Arnold School of Public Health

a jockey on horseback waves as two men walk beside the horse

History professor documents Latino excellence in horseracing

October 12, 2023, Page Ivey

The next time you watch a horse race, note the accents in the voices, read the names — not just the jockeys and grooms, but the trainers and owners. Chances are most of the people you see excelling in horseracing are Latino. “Over 80% of the people on the track throughout the second half of the 20th and into the 21st century are Latino,” says University of South Carolina history professor Gabrielle Kuenzli.

Topics: Students, Faculty, Research, Diversity, Careers, College of Arts and Sciences

Sanaz Sadati wears safety glass in a lab with workers in lab coats in the background

Chemical engineering team pioneers 3D-printing techniques to mimic natural materials

September 27, 2023, Chris Horn

Replicating the shimmering iridescence of a butterfly wing, the hammer-like hardness of a mantis shrimp claw or the strength of mammalian cortical bone is no simple matter. But a chemical engineering scientist and her research team at the University of South Carolina are pioneering 3D-printing methods to create novel soft materials that mimic intricate nanostructures found in nature.

Topics: Faculty, Research, College of Engineering and Computing

Brynn Lynagh and classmate on Lake Titicaca

Transformative Peru winter session shapes student passions, career plans

August 31, 2023, Hannah Cambre

In 2021, a group of 20 students from across majors and class standings journeyed to Peru to explore the modern day capital city of Lima as well as the ancient Incan capital in Cusco and the sacred site of Machu Picchu. This year, another cohort will return for a winter session to explore the rich history and culture of Peru.

Topics: Students, Faculty, Academics, Research, Experiential Learning, Diversity, History, Student Voices

USC Cocky Statue

ICYMI: Ten big things happening at the university

August 30, 2023, Lauryn Jiles

The university never sleeps, but it does slow down a bit during the summer. With the start of the fall semester, here’s a reminder of some recent happenings that you might have missed, plus a heads up about some major upcoming events.

Topics: Students, Alumni, Faculty, University President, Academics, Research, Experiential Learning, Scholarships, Undergraduate Admissions, Initiatives, History, Collections, Recognition, Signature Events, Partnerships, Health Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, University Libraries

Destroyed homes and buildings in Lahaina on Aug. 10, 2023, in the aftermath of wildfires on western Maui, Hawaii. Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images

Wildfires are a severe blow to Maui's tourism-based economy, but other iconic destinations have come back from similar disasters

August 11, 2023, Rich Harrill

Major wildfires on the Hawaiian island of Maui have killed dozens of people and caused heavy damage, particularly in the historic town of Lahaina, as of Aug. 10, 2023. Research professor Rich Harrill, an expert on hospitality and tourism, explains how such events affect places like Maui in the short and long terms.

Topics: Faculty, Research, College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management

Josh Hughes sits on a horse with mountains in the background in Kyrgyzstan

Change of plans: A canceled study abroad trip leads to new career goals

July 21, 2023, Hannah Cambre

One week before Josh Hughes planned to study abroad in Ukraine, his trip was canceled because of the escalating conflict with Russia. He was disappointed-- until a new opportunity arose in Kyrgyzstan. Now, he's returned to his host country on a Critical Language scholarship.

Topics: Students, Academics, Research, Experiential Learning, Scholarships, College of Arts and Sciences, South Carolina Honors College

A man and a woman sit in a library, reading a magazine and newspaper.

Age Ready series teaches life skills to promote independence for older adults

July 18, 2023, Carol J.G. Ward

As Baby Boomers age, the number of older adult households is rapidly growing. Many of those planning for their retirement years are deciding there’s no place like home. Researchers from the College of Social Work teamed up with Richland Library to teach life skills that promote independence and allow individuals to age in a familiar space and environment, reducing long-term care costs and maintaining established routines.

Topics: Faculty, Academics, Research, Initiatives, Partnerships, Service, College of Social Work

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