The College of Arts and Sciences boasts a wide variety of research service facilities to encourage the innovation and work of our faculty and students, as well as to provide support services to the residents and commercial enterprises in South Carolina. Our facilities are also available to and widely used by visiting researchers in a variety of fields.
The unique capabilities of the university offer undergraduate and graduate students, the opportunities to conduct important research in their field of study. Why wait to do what you love when you can get real experience right now?
Research Facilities, Centers, and Institutes
Math and Science
Learning to care for our incredible coast requires a hands-on approach. That’s why, in addition to our lab facilities in Columbia, we study in our 17,500-acre living laboratory at the coast.
The Center for Colon Cancer Research (CCCR) at the University of South Carolina, the first of its kind in the state, was established in 2002 to conduct innovative research on colorectal cancer that will lead to improved methods for prevention, diagnosis and treatment of this disease.
The Center for Elemental Mass Spectrometry (CEMS) is a core analytical facility and cost center at the University of South Carolina. The facility is run by a full-time laboratory manager and used primarily by faculty and students in the School of Earth, Ocean and Environment.
With the serious environmental challenges facing the world today, applied research and service is especially important to help us meet these challenges. Enter the Earth Sciences and Resources Institute (ESRI) at the University of South Carolina.
The Electron Microscopy Center at the University of South Carolina is a core facility providing all levels of technical support and consultation in the area of light microscopy, electron microscopy and elemental analysis.
SCGEO is a network of K-12 educators and university geographers that uses geography to improve the education of our children. Our primary goal is to bring the concepts and methodology of modern geography to the K-12 classroom by providing high-quality, low-cost, professional development opportunities and materials for South Carolina educators.
More and more we depend on Geographic Information Systems (GIS) data. Our center is committed to refining and improving the systems, consulting with users and providing advanced training.
Lives and property can be saved if we can learn what a disaster, like a hurricane, will do before it occurs. The institute studies planning, responses and works to identify trends in natural disasters.
Unlocking the mysteries of the mind-brain connection is one of the great scientific challenges of the 21st century. The University of South Carolina is poised to become a world leader in cognitive neuroscience research with the establishment of the Institute for Mind and Brain.
The Interdisciplinary Mathematics Institute is an internationally recognized mathematics research center, fostering advanced research and creating solutions for real-world problems.
A magnetometer with field strength up to 7 Tesla, sensitivity of <10-7 emu and temperature range from 1.8 - 350 K is available in the Magnetic Measurement Facility.
The Mass Spectrometry (MS) Center includes two VG 70S instruments, a Finnigan TSQ, Micromass Q-TOF I, Micromass Quattro LC, Bruker Ultraflex MALDI TOF/TOF, Waters Quattro Premier, Micromass Q-TOF API-US, Thermo-Finnigan Element XR ICP-MS, Orbitrap Velos Pro as well as GC, LC, HPLC and other chromatographic apparatus that can be configured with the instruments.
At The McCausland Center, researchers and students explore one of the greatest frontiers in science: the brain.
Bringing an idea to life is a critical step. Our facility, equipped with an array of equipment and qualified staff, can turn a drawing into a working assembly.
The NMR Core Facility at the University of South Carolina is part of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. It is the only high resolution NMR facility at USC and researchers are welcomed from throughout the university. We also provide services to other local universities and industrial clients.
Our Powder X-Ray Diffraction Facility comprises a Rigaku Ultima IV powder X-ray diffraction system and a Rigaku D/Max 2100 powder X-ray diffractometer.
The center and its staff are here to help faculty and students by providing them with scientific computational research services involving our high performance computing systems for the processing of large data simulations and the running of complex calculations.
The science student is only as good as the science teacher. At the Center for Science Education, we are committed to creating better science educators through training, program development and specialized training.
The Single Crystal X-Ray Diffraction Facility operates a Bruker D8 Quest diffractometer with sample operating temperatures of 90 to 300 K.
Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
The South Carolina Center for Asian Studies was established in 1994 as a focal point for promoting research, teaching, and service on international and cross-cultural issues and problems in Asia.
A joint initiative of the College of Arts and Sciences and University Libraries, the center seeks to bring out civil rights history to life and inspire an informed dialogue about today's social justice issues.
Established in 2008, the nonprofit Confucius Institute is a joint program of the Beijing Language and Culture University and the University of South Carolina that is designed to promote Chinese Language education, as well as educational, cultural and business exchanges, between the state of South Carolina and China.
Exploring digital technology’s place in the worlds of art, science and literature helps us see the human condition in a whole new way. The center supports various types of innovations in the use of digital technology for research, teaching and public outreach in the humanities and related disciplines.
The History Center nurtures scholarship and engages with the community to promote the historical craft.
Originally established in 2007 as a working initiative to encourage the scholarly study and public understanding of all facets of race and black life in the United States and throughout the African Diaspora, the Institute for African American Research (IAAR) achieved its official status as a USC entity from the Board of Directors on April 7, 2009, and on June 17th, from the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education.
As the state where the Civil War began, South Carolina has always been at the forefront of the history of the American South. The Institute for Southern Studies (ISS) at the University of South Carolina helps tell this important story.
The nurturing of children is the single most important task of society. The Parenting & Family Research Center conducts studies aimed at understanding and promoting the well-being of children in the context of family, school and community.
Where do government leaders go to learn more about doing their jobs better? Our mission is to deliver training and technical assistance to the elected and appointed officials who lead the way.
Human beings have always been interested in their fellow humans -- those alive today and also our ancestors from the past. How has human life and culture evolved over the millennia? To study this crucial question, the South Carolina Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology (SCIAA) was established in 1963 both as a University of South Carolina research institute and a State cultural resource management agency.
Through its survey research services, the laboratory attempts to monitor the quality of life in South Carolina by providing current data to policymakers, the media and the public on such issues as health, taxation, the environment, recreation and perceptions of public services.
The Walker Institute is home to six minor degree programs that engage students in the interdisciplinary study of world affairs and cross-cultural understanding.