College of Arts and Sciences

2022 News Archive

When Dance and Science Collide

During my sophomore year of college, I learned that I have a strong love for the medical field. I took on the minors to support my pre-med track and wish to someday help dancers.

Cellular biologist champions research opportunities for underrepresented students

Armstrong is using funding from the Science Diversity Leadership Award to support intensive research experiences for undergraduate and graduate students of color in her lab and outreach to K-12 students in historically excluded groups.

Graduate Spotlight

Josh Dixon came to USC in his 30s and quickly found the direction for his career thanks to help from his media arts professors. During an internship with Professor Northrop Davis, he helped prepare a pitch to publish a graphic novel Davis is creating with USC alumni artists and writers.

Graduate Spotlight: Jacqueline Purtell

Statistics graduate Jackie Purtell knows it takes more than good luck to find the right path. When she found her direction, she got on track to a career as a Quantitative Analyst.

Criminology professor guides students through complex concepts

Cory Schnell has always wanted to be a teacher, but he says his favorite part about teaching is just guiding his students through conversations that help them understand concepts of criminology and the criminal justice system.

Graduate Spotlight: Sarah Hall

Marine science doctoral graduate, Sarah Hall, was once afraid of the ocean's power and mystery. Those same unknowns eventually inspired her to pursue a career in physical oceanography at NOAA.

Remains of Revolutionary War soldiers help USC anthropologists unravel the Battle of Camden

Archaeologists with the South Carolina Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology at USC have studied the Camden Battlefield for decades, but their most recent finding is the discovery of a lifetime.

Statistics graduate scores dream job with NFL team

Nick Tice is an integral part of the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals football team. But you won’t find him on the field. Tice watches the game as it happens, along with countless other fans. The day after each game, he examines every second of every game through hundreds of thousands of data points.

New map shows Columbia's hot spots and cooling power of trees

Kristin Dow, a professor in the geography department, recently obtained Columbia's new heat map. Even for a city known for being "famously hot," the map of Columbia's heat held some surprises.

Love of golf and storytelling combine for media arts alum's career

Justin Tupper has built his career on golf and creativity. It's a connection he forged on golf courses in South Carolina's Lowcountry 30 years ago.

Bound by Blood

History professor’s new book looks at cross-cultural ties created by slavery in the U.S. Colonies.

Lessons in geography — and global citizenship

Geography professor Meredith DeBoom is a 2022 Mungo Undergraduate Teaching Award winner

Chemistry research fellow explores ways to protect watershed of coastal communities

Gwen Hopper’s research takes her to rivers, drainages and stormwater ponds throughout Horry and Georgetown Counties. She collects water samples to examine the amounts and types of dissolved organic matter in each system.

Psychology fellows take on the opioid epidemic through new training center

Ph.D. psychology students will train with frontline agencies to combat the opioid epidemic through a new fellowship program, funded by HRSA. The program, called Supporting Substance Use Disorder Services in South Carolina, will include a new center at USC.

Art students explore the power of play in new residency program

Four undergraduate students in the School of Visual Art and Design are putting together an exhibition as part of the new Stormwater Collaborative Residency program.

The riddle of autism

New center takes a multifaceted research approach to neurodevelopmental disorders

The square root of mathematical learning

As the sort of kid who had a knack for math, Matthew Ballard grew up thinking that was just the way his brain was wired, a widely accepted misperception within American culture.

Hurricanes, history and hauntings

Hugo, Hazel, Floyd, Florence and Joaquin are names seared into the memories of South Carolinians during the past few decades. These hurricanes ripped paths of destruction through the state, but one of the most significant storms in Palmetto State history didn’t have a name.

The creepy clown originated in the crass and bawdy circus clowns of the 19th century

Postdoctoral fellow of history Madeline Steiner writes for The Conversation on the origins of the modern creepy clown

SVAD students bring design and function to legislative committee

A group of design students put their skills into action this semester to help a South Carolina legislative committee streamline its communications.

Dianne Johnson-Feelings on her love of children's literature, advice for writers

Dianne Johnson-Feelings published two children’s books in 2022 under the pen name Dinah Johnson. “H is for Harlem” and “Indigo Dreaming” tell unique and richly wrought stories about the experiences of African American communities.

Alumna Jotaka Eaddy interviews coach Dawn Staley about coaching, advocacy and life

Jotaka Eaddy started a movement with the social media hashtag “WinWithBlackWomen” that reached hundreds of millions of impressions. Eaddy now brings this movement home to South Carolina through Coming Full Circle, a new series that will bring dynamic Black women leaders to speak on campus in partnership with the College of Arts and Sciences.

Marine biology professor Tammi Richardson wins top teaching award

Tammi Richardson jokes that she fell in love with phytoplankton as an undergraduate — captivated by the gorgeous shapes and striking colors— but it took a long time to make the tiny organisms her life’s work.

UofSC to support schools in responding to the child and adolescent mental health crisis

Schools throughout South Carolina now have a new way to prepare teachers and other staff to support student mental health.

Remembering Rosamond Kent Sprague

Rosamond Kent Sprague, a pioneering professor of philosophy, died September 10, 2022, at the age of 100.

Students learn from faculty leading NSF-funded physics research

As a first-generation college student at UofSC, Alan Rowland wondered whether he would find a place in academia. But by the end of his freshman year, he was researching the biggest questions about the smallest particles known to science. It started with a lab class taught by Professor Yordanka Ilieva, who studies protons.

New biological sciences labs foster collaborative learning

Three new biology labs in the Jones Physical Science Center are giving students hands-on experience with exploring science.

New academic unit leaders share what brought them to the College of Arts and Sciences

Four new leaders recently joined the College of Arts and Sciences, bringing a combined 76 years of experience in teaching, research and leadership.

Theatre students star in, produce Carolina-based indie film

Carly Siegel is one of 13 students who worked on and off camera to create Hero, a feature-length film produced by the Department of Theatre and Dance

Remembering F. John Vernberg, founder of UofSC marine science program

John Vernberg, a longtime University of South Carolina professor of biological sciences, died on August 19 at the age of 96.

Art student finds joy of play in 'life-changing' summer experience

Catalina Marin made a home at Penland School of Craft this summer. She spent two weeks studying clay-making among artists from around the world, thanks to support she received from the Ethel S. Brody Scholarship.

New cyber intelligence program prepares students for battlefield of the future

On Aug. 1, Jack Sadle became the first University of South Carolina student to graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Cyber Intelligence — a field where issues of cyber and national security meet.

New leadership team drives positive change for the College of Arts and Sciences

The College of Arts and Sciences begins the Fall 2022 semester with several new academic leaders who will sharpen the college's focus on strategic initiatives, diversity, equity and inclusion, research, undergraduate studies and the sciences.

Researchers map Columbia's hottest neighborhoods

Local citizens and scientists are looking for Columbia's hottest neighborhoods, places where people can face a higher risk of heat-related health problems.

Statistics alumna aims high with national research

New York Times, NBC News, Axios and more cite work by Kiley Hurst. Just two years out from graduating from the University of South Carolina with her statistics degree, Hurst works as a research assistant for the highly regarded Pew Research Center in Washington D.C.

UofSC sets the stage for Midsummer Shakespeare in Washington, D.C.

Gamecocks are behind the scenes and on stage this summer for a groundbreaking Shakespeare performance in Washington, D.C.

How Octavia E. Butler mined her boundless curiosity to forge a new vision for humanity

Butler was the first science fiction writer to be awarded a MacArthur Genius Grant. A pioneering writer in a genre long dominated by white men, her work explored power structures, shifting definitions of humanity and alternative societies.

UofSC researchers unpack identity politics in feminism, anger and COVID

Political science professor Elizabeth Connors and her students set out to answer a simple question: what factors influenced how Americans responded to information about the pandemic?

McCausland Fund awardees to innovate online learning in dance education, sociology

South Carolina's first master's degree in dance studies and an online sociology minor are under development thanks to two new McCausland Innovation Fund awards.

Three from UofSC receive Governor's Awards for the Arts

Two College of Arts and Sciences alumni and one faculty member received South Carolina's highest award for the arts for their work in the local community and beyond.

Alumna helps point Boston Ballet to virtual success

Planning dance company tours, connecting professional dancers with the community and visiting young dancers in their schools would have been impossible just two years ago as the COVID-19 pandemic began. Now, Juliana Jordan is making these plans and more while finding her groove as company manager for Boston Ballet.

German and political science major finds first-rate education by way of a second choice

Jahleel Johnson discovered opportunities in-state that allowed him to study around the world.

UofSC scholars work toward brighter future through nuclear research

Undergraduate researchers Gigi Jones and Pilar Zamorano are learning how to grow crystals. Practicing these reactions will teach them the skills they need to do research with UofSC chemistry professor Hans-Conrad zur Loye, with the goal of innovating safer ways to store nuclear waste.

Educators Angela Davis and Nikky Finney deliver powerful conversation on race, social justice and Black creativity

The packed-out Pastides Alumni Center could hardly contain the buzzing excitement that Angela Davis and Nikky Finney brought to the University of South Carolina at the Robert Smalls Annual Lecture on April 21.

Rongyin Jin leads UofSC to new heights in quantum science and tech

Rongyin Jin and her students are discovering the computing materials of the future. Known as topological superconductors, such materials will allow quantum computers to function at unimaginable speeds.

Film and media studies director researches stunt work across the globe

Lauren Steimer researches the history of stunt work in Hollywood and beyond. Now, she wants to help her students find their footing in Tinseltown.

Psychology alumna recognized for advancing her field with life-changing work

BJ Casey is a psychologist who has dedicated decades to the study of cognitive neuroscience, a field she shaped and influenced alongside her mentors who founded the field. Now she is committed to giving back to society and mentoring the next generation.

2022 McCausland Innovation Fund projects to enhance learning and community

The College of Arts and Sciences is announcing 21 McCausland Innovation Fund Awards to programs that will meet the emerging needs of our students and will serve as models of interdisciplinary, interactive learning. "Everything we do in the College of Arts and Sciences connects to the impact we have on our students and our community, and these projects will expand that impact in important ways," says Joel Samuels, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.

Author, activist Angela Davis to speak at UofSC with Nikki Finney

The College of Arts and Sciences at the University of South Carolina will welcome Angela Y. Davis as guest speaker for the 2022 Robert Smalls Annual Lecture.

Author, activist Angela Davis to speak at UofSC with Nikki Finney

The College of Arts and Sciences at the University of South Carolina will welcome Angela Y. Davis as guest speaker for the 2022 Robert Smalls Annual Lecture.

Two alumni first of UofSC math grads to earn top research fellowships

The National Science Foundation has awarded two University of South Carolina mathematics alumni the highly-competitive Mathematical Science Postdoctoral Research Fellowships.

UofSC researchers discover potential therapeutic strategy for autism subtype

The genetic risk factors of autism spectrum disorders are still largely unknown, but now researchers are one step closer to unraveling those genetic complexities, thanks to the work of Sofia Lizarraga, an assistant professor of biological sciences, and collaborators at the Lizarraga Lab.

Faculty, student-led climate conference coming to Columbia April 1-2

Local action is the best way to combat climate change, says philosophy professor Matt Kisner. He's directing the first Climate Ready Columbia, a free, two-day conference about the Columbia metropolitan area's preparations for climate change.

Political science alumna leads diversity efforts for SC business

Cynthia Bennett, a University of South Carolina political science graduate, is helping South Carolina businesses create a more diverse and inclusive workforce.

Journal for kids condenses whale of an article from UofSC researcher

School-age children can read about ground-breaking environmental research on right whales in a new online article by the Science Journal for Kids, thanks to a University of South Carolina professor's research.

Climate change and lithium mining influence flamingo abundance in the Lithium Triangle

Chile's saltwater lake closest to lithium mining activity has lost 10 to 12 percent of its flamingo population in the past 11 years. As lithium mining increases to supply the metal to electric vehicles and other products, the effect could spread.

Psychology graduate becomes president of American Academy of Forensic Sciences

As a forensic scientist and president of an international science academy, Carl McClary uses creativity in the way he approaches his scientific work.

National group honors UofSC professor for historic accomplishments

Winner of the 2022 Robert Kelley Memorial Award, Constance Schulz has worked as a pioneer of the relatively new field of public history.

AFAM Studies to host Benjamin Crump, renowned civil rights attorney

Benjamin Crump, renowned trial lawyer for justice, is set to be the UofSC AFAM Studies Program guest speaker at 7 p.m., March 24 in the Campus Room at Capstone.

Civil Rights Center Students Make History

As part of the half-time ceremony, Maria Hickman presents Donaldson with a game ball on behalf of Dawn Staley and the team, a gesture to honor the efforts of UofSC’s Center for Civil Rights History and Research.

Happy Twosday!

Why numbers like 2/22/22 have been too fascinating for over 2,000 years.

Alumni make their mark on Mars exploration

If humans ever move to Mars, several University of South Carolina alumni will be among those who helped make the journey possible.

UofSC Astronomer to use NASA's new space telescope

UofSC Astronomer will use NASA telescope to study start dust

Samuels named dean of the College of Arts and Sciences

The University of South Carolina has named Joel H. Samuels as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, effective Feb. 16.

UofSC researchers work toward earlier autism diagnoses

Two UofSC psychology researchers are uncovering ways to diagnose autism earlier, meaning earlier intervention and better outcomes.

7 new McCausland Faculty Fellows named for 2022

The premiere faculty scholarship program in the College of Arts and Sciences recognizes rising stars who are committed to teaching, research and service.

New podcast streams perspectives on the South

The Institute for Southern Studies has started a new podcast focused on the South, covering topics like wrestling, religion, poetry, politics and more.

Challenge the conventional. Create the exceptional. No Limits.