2020 Archive

old gravestone for an enslaved person named Cicely

How history memorializes those who die from COVID-19 will reflect our values

December 03, 2020, Nicole S. Maskiell

As COVID-19 affects frontline workers and communities of color far more than other demographic groups, and protesters agitate for racial justice, American society is wrestling with its racial memory and judging which monuments and memorials deserve a place. In The Conversation, history professor Nicole S. Maskiell looks back at how a few marginalized and oppressed people who served on the front lines of prior epidemics have been treated and remembered.

Darla Moore School of Business economist Joey Von Nessen speaks at the University of South Carolina's 2018 Economic Outlook Conference

UofSC economic forecast for 2021: Palmetto State's economy largely rebounded, but significant gaps still remain

November 25, 2020

With a current unemployment rate of 4.2 percent — less than two percentage points away from its pre-pandemic low of 2.5 percent — South Carolina’s economy has largely recovered from the pandemic-induced recession of 2020, but UofSC economists caution that a COVID-19 vaccine will be required to return to full strength across all sectors in 2021.

Image of megaphone

COVID-19 and the retail sector

October 29, 2020, Chris Horn

Retail sales in the U.S. account for about one-half of personal consumer spending and nearly one-third 
of the country’s gross domestic product. But COVID-19 and its accompanying ripples — social distancing, 
lockdowns, layoffs and changes in consumer behavior — have unleashed turmoil in the retail sector. 
Jeff Campbell, an associate professor and chair of the retailing department in the College of Hospitality, 
Retail and Sport Management, offers his perspective on the current landscape in retailing and what 
lies ahead.

woman sneezing

UofSC scientists model how the COVID-19 virus might travel, settle in indoor environments

October 15, 2020, Chris Horn

In this age of COVID-19 concerns, what’s the safest indoor environment? One without humans, of course. In a practical world the answer lies partly in understanding how the virus moves and where it lands in indoor spaces because air ow and surfaces are important routes for transmission of COVID-19.

Several empty test tubes used for the Salivir Test lined up in a tray. They have the UofSC logo and barcodes on them.

Behind the scenes of SAFE Testing

October 09, 2020, Caleigh McDaniel

By now most students have heard about the university’s free Saliva Assay Free Expedited (SAFE) testing program, but we wondered what happens behind the scenes. We spoke with Carolyn Bannister, who serves as the manager for the College of Pharmacy’s Diagnostic Genomics Lab, to gather insights on what happens to your saliva sample between getting tested for COVID-19 on campus and receiving your results.

Actor Chadwick Boseman at the GQ Men of the Year party  in  2015.

Boseman's death underscores an alarming increase in from colorectal cancer among younger adults

September 02, 2020, Franklin G. Berger

The tragic death of Chadwick Boseman at age 43 following a four-year battle against colorectal cancer reminds us it is a difficult and emotional disease for people at any age. Franklin G. Berger, distinguished professor emeritus of biological sciences, writes for The Conversation that awareness of signs and symptoms, along with screening, will lead to the eventual eradication of the disease as a major form of cancer.

instructor and students perform an experiment at a summer camp

Camp will highlight Gullah/Geechee culture to spark students' interest in science

August 17, 2020, Carol J.G. Ward

A summer camp for fifth- and sixth grade-students in South Carolina’s Gullah/Geechee community will introduce Gullah/Geechee students to STEM content from their own community and provide opportunities to interact with professionals who look like them, working in the fields of science, technology, engineering or mathematics.

woman sits in front of computer screen

New library system makes it easier for users to find, access resources

August 14, 2020, Carol J.G. Ward

University of South Carolina Libraries partnered with more than 50 other academic libraries in South Carolina to launch a new shared library services platform this summer. The transition to the new system is an example of a trend in academic libraries nationwide to leverage technology, work more collaboratively and strategically, improve the user experience, and maximize the benefits of collections and limited resources.

women with banners stand by a monument in Washington D.C. in 1918 to advocate for women's suffrage

100 years of suffrage

August 06, 2020, Page Ivey

The month of August marks 100 years since the ratification of the 19th amendment giving women the right to vote in the United States. South Carolina women were a part of the fight for suffrage that started here in the years after the Civil War. Historians and librarians at the University of South Carolina have played a major role in documenting and preserving their stories.

man wearing a face covering walks in Paris with the Eiffel Tower in the background

Covid-19: Tourism update

July 16, 2020, Craig Brandhorst

As the coronavirus threatens health and upends daily life throughout the world, UofSC Today is turning to our faculty to help us make sense of it all. While no one can predict exactly what will happen in the coming months, our faculty can help us ask the right questions and put important context around emerging events. Simon Hudson, a professor of tourism in the College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management and author of the new book "COVID-19 and Travel: Impacts, Responses and Outcomes," keeps us up-to date on the pandemic’s travel sector impact.

Breakthrough Leader: Rob Ployhart

Breakthrough Leader: Rob Ployhart

July 13, 2020, Chris Horn

Ask any Fortune 500 company what it takes to get ahead in today’s marketplace, and you’ll probably hear something about workforce training and recruitment — the fundamentals of human resources. Rob Ployhart has made it his business to understand exactly how those factors translate into competitive advantage, and in the process he’s become one of the country’s most-cited scholars on the topic.

Overlooking the fountain outside Thomas Cooper Library looking at the smokestack near the Horseshoe

UofSC among top universities granted U.S. utility patents

July 08, 2020, Communications and Public Affairs

For the eighth-consecutive year, the University of South Carolina stands among the top 100 universities in the world, based on the number of U.S. utility patents faculty members received in 2019. South Carolina ranks 90th worldwide, named as the lead on 31 patents last year.

1960s civil rights protestor carries signs denouncing segregation

Carving a path toward justice: Part 3

June 05, 2020, Chris Horn

Bobby Donaldson is an associate professor of history and African American Studies and director of the Center for Civil Rights History and Research at the University of South Carolina. In a three-part question-and-answer series, Donaldson presents both his scholarly insights and his personal perspective as they relate to protests over the death of George Floyd.

Bobby Donaldson

Carving a path toward justice: Part 2

June 05, 2020, Chris Horn

Bobby Donaldson is an associate professor of history and African American Studies and director of the Center for Civil Rights History and Research at the University of South Carolina. In a three-part question-and-answer series, Donaldson presents both his scholarly insights and his personal perspective as they relate to protests over the death of George Floyd.

Martin Luther King speaks in Charleston in 1967

Carving a path toward justice: Part 1

June 05, 2020, Chris Horn

Bobby Donaldson is an associate professor of history and African American Studies and director of the Center for Civil Rights History and Research at the University of South Carolina. In a three-part question-and-answer series, Donaldson presents both his scholarly insights and his personal perspective as they relate to protests over the death of George Floyd.

Jeremy LaPointe in a science lab

Psychology major finds his passion through research

May 28, 2020, Page Ivey

Jeremy LaPointe has been interested in learning more about why people behave in certain ways since he was in high school. He has been able to pursue that interest at the University of South Carolina in the classroom and in research labs as an undergraduate majoring in experimental psychology with a minor in neuroscience.

plasma donation

COVID-19 response: UofSC partners with The Blood Connection to collect plasma donations from recovered patients

May 11, 2020

A national study sponsored by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Mayo Clinic is examining the use of plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients, known as convalescent plasma, to treat patients who are currently suffering from the virus. Physicians hope the antibodies in the donor plasma will neutralize the virus in these ill patients and improve outcomes.

protester holds sign calling to close the border

COVID-19 impact: Language differences spark fear amid pandemic

May 08, 2020, Stanley Dubinsky, Kaitlyn E. Smith, Michael Gavin

As the coronavirus spreads around the globe, it can cause a fear of others, especially strangers, who may or may not have taken proper precautions against spreading the disease. This fear can cause people to be on heightened alert for anyone who might be different. English professors Stanley Dubinsky, Michael Gavin and doctoral student Kaitlyn Smith write for The Conversation about how language differences can contribute to discrimination.

ruins of the lumber mill that are now visible on the shores of Lake Marion

Class of 2020: Honors senior's thesis project explores history of a former SC mill town

May 07, 2020, Carol J.G. Ward

When 89-year-old Richard Mims was just a boy in the 1930s, he remembers playing a game he called “Executive” in the abandoned offices of the Santee River Cypress Lumber Co. in Ferguson near his hometown of Eutawville, South Carolina. The once-thriving mill town now lies underwater, part of the region flooded to create Lake Marion. Mims shared his memories in an oral history recorded by South Carolina Honors College graduate Caldwell Loftis.

graphic with multicolored lines to show spread of COVID-19

COVID-19 impact: Coronavirus genome allows epidemiologists to track where it's been

April 27, 2020, Bert Ely and Taylor Carter

Following the coronavirus’s spread through the population – and anticipating its next move – is an important part of the public health response to the new disease. Biological sciences professor Bert Ely and doctoral student Taylor Carter write for The Conversation on how the virus's genetic sequence provides insight into where the virus has been.

depressed young lady

COVID-19 impact: social and mental health issues

April 27, 2020, Amit Sheth

Social media posts and news reports are rich sources of data about people’s attitudes and behaviors. Performing this analysis during the COVID-19 pandemic is revealing the damage the pandemic is doing to the social and psychological well-being of the U.S. Amit Sheth, Founding Director, Artificial Intelligence Institute and Computer Science & Engineering professor writes for The Conversation on examining online conversation about COVID-19.

breakthrough leader dawn wilson-king

Breakthrough Leader: Dawn Wilson-King

April 13, 2020, Chris Horn

Dawn Wilson-King has devoted her career to helping people pursue active and healthy lifestyles, and what a career it’s been. Since 2001, the psychology professor has collaborated on more than 30 grant-funded projects that brought some $40 million in grant funding to the University of South Carolina and she served as president of two prominent national organizations.

AI Institute

Intelligence, all over campus

March 05, 2020, Megan Sexton

While artificial intelligence research and programs are growing around the country, the University of South Carolina’s AI Institute is among the first in the Southeast to include diverse colleges and departments.

mike sutton, mechanical engineering professor

Decades of hard work pay off for engineering professor

March 03, 2020

For nearly 40 years, Michael Sutton has been developing and refining his creation of digital image correlation technology to find deformations in a wide variety of materials, from face cream to tanks. The mechanical engineering professor has been recognized for his body of research — all done at UofSC — by electing him to the National Academy of Engineering.

research collaboration-books

Working across disciplines, university researchers pursue fresh perspectives

February 17, 2020, Chris Horn

UofSC's research office offers internal grant funding up to $100,000 for proposals that include faculty members from three or more disciplines. Colin Wilder, Matthew Brashears and John Rose are using one of these grants to comb through millions of digital library records to explore three centuries of European book publishing.

research collaboration-mirc

Working across disciplines, university researchers pursue fresh perspectives

February 17, 2020, Communications and Public Affairs staff

UofSC's research office offers internal grant funding up to $100,000 for proposals that include faculty members from three or more disciplines. Heather Heckman, Beth Bilderback, Fabio Matta and Paul Ziehl are working to preserve the university's extensive collection of old films.

Salt marsh at Baruch Institute

Window to the Sea

January 14, 2020, Megan Sexton

The university’s Belle W. Baruch Institute for Coastal and Marine Sciences is a national treasure -- a place where students and researchers from the Columbia campus along with universities around the world come to better understand the complexity of coastal and marine environments.