Stories for Faculty and Staff

A man standing in front of a bookcase

USC Rice Law professor David Sella-Villa studies cause and effect of modern privacy policy

December 19, 2025, Kristine Hartvigsen

No area of government, business, industry or law goes untouched by the latest technologies, whose benefits also come with risk. David Sella-Villa, assistant professor at the Joseph F. Rice School of Law, says the current system of privacy laws demands that a sense of “caveat emptor” accompany the choices we make with our data.

Audrey Webb holds a copy of her winning artwork in front of the Cocky statue

Sophomore Audrey Webb wins holiday card contest on second try

December 15, 2025, Thom Harman / photo by Kim Truett

USC Columbia sophomore Audrey Webb won the 2025 holiday card design contest. A computer science major from Fort Mill, South Carolina, Webb's winning design imagines what the Cocky statue on campus would look like if it snowed. Her design is featured on President Michael Amiridis' and First Lady Ero Aggelopoulou-Amiridis' holiday card, and it earned Webb a $500 gift card.

man stands outside with trees and a building in the background

Marshall Scholarship finalist Michael Pitre studies the circuitry of the brain -- and plans a future in neurosurgery

December 08, 2025, Page Ivey

South Carolina Honors College student Michael Pitre likes to get up around 3 a.m. on Tuesday and Thursday mornings to make the two-hour drive to Folly Beach to surf at the Washout before heading back to Columbia and his 11:40 a.m. class. It’s a regimen that aligns nicely with the Marshall Scholar finalist’s jam-packed schedule that includes earning his BARSC-MD degree in just three years, working as an emergency medical technician, and researching the circuitry of the brain on his way to becoming a neurosurgeon.

Head shot of Guoan Wang in his engineering lab

Engineering prof named university's third-ever National Academy of Inventors fellow

December 05, 2025, Chris Horn

Electrical engineering professor Guoan Wang got his first U.S. patent while in graduate school and now has more than 60 patents and more than 50 additional patents pending. He was elected to the National Academy of Inventors’ 2024 Class of Fellows, the highest professional distinction awarded to inventors.

Woman in cap and gown waving towel at graduation ceremony

Class of 2025 December graduates

December 03, 2025, Megan Sexton

As the December Class of 2025 prepares to walk across the commencement stage, graduates leave the University of South Carolina with memories of enduring friendships, newfound passions, supportive mentors and life-changing experiences.

An image from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope shows the dense galaxy cluster SMACS 0723, filled with thousands of galaxies—from bright ellipticals to faint red spirals—with gravitational lensing stretching distant background galaxies into curved streaks of light.

When darkness shines: How dark stars could illuminate the early universe

November 26, 2025, Alexey A. Petrov

Scientists working with the James Webb Space Telescope discovered three unusual astronomical objects in early 2025, which may be examples of dark stars. Alexey Petrov, a USC endowed chair in physics, writes for The Conversation on how this could alter scientists’ understanding of how ordinary stars form.

A pile of sulfur sits near a crane at a seaport

Sulfur-based batteries could offer electric vehicles a greener, longer-range option

November 18, 2025, Golareh Jalilvand

Imagine an electric car that could go 600, 700 or even 1,000 miles on a single charge. Golareh Jalilvand, an assistant professor of chemical engineering at USC's Molinaroli College of Engineering and Computing, writes for The Conversation on how battery researchers are seeking options to lithium-ion batteries that have better performance, improved environmental sustainability and lower cost.

A student works with a model of the heart.

Innovative cardiac teaching tool earns recognition for nursing faculty

November 18, 2025, Laura Erskine

Heart defects affect about 1 percent of all babies born in the United States each year, making the cardiovascular system an important part of the nursing curriculum. To help students master this material, assistant professor Stephanie Schaller invented a new tool that lets students learn heart defects through hands-on activities.

A group of winners gather together holding their awards.

USC students and alumni win South Carolina InnoVision Awards

November 14, 2025, Laura Erskine

Six finalists with ties to USC were recognized by the 2025 InnoVision Awards, with three winning top honors. The winning businesses are led by students in the South Carolina Honors College, alumni and graduate students from the Molinaroli College of Engineering, and alumni from the Darla Moore School of Business and the Honors College.

A health care provider greets a mother and her infant.

Community health centers provide care for 1 in 10 Americans, but funding cuts threaten their survival

November 13, 2025, Jennifer Springhart

Many Americans who lack or have insufficient health insurance seek health care from a network of safety net clinics called community health centers. Dr. Jennifer Springhart of USC's School of Medicine Greenville writes for The Conversation about how decreasing their capacity could destabilize other elements of local health care delivery systems.

woman stands outside with trees in the background

Clinical Practice Teaching Award: Megan Tran

November 12, 2025, Dan Cook

It would be a stretch to say that playing the clarinet led to Megan Tran’s career as a pharmacist — but not much of one. In high school, Tran — now a clinical assistant professor at the College of Pharmacy — played the clarinet and the tenor sax. Playing in the marching band was a big reason the Clover, South Carolina, native came to USC, and she considered a career as a band director. But an aunt encouraged her to keep an open mind about career options, and Tran ended up falling in love with pharmacy.

Man standing in medical research lab

Future physician-scientist selected as Marshall Scholarship finalist

November 11, 2025, Valerie Weingart

South Carolina Honors College student Michael Pitre has been named a finalist for the 2026 Marshall Scholarships. If selected, he plans to pursue an MPhil in biological sciences to develop novel treatments for Parkinson's disease before returning to USC for medical school.

Landon Pitts looks at a laptop alongside two peers.

Social work initiative expands behavioral health care access in rural South Carolina

November 10, 2025, Carol JG Ward

The University of South Carolina’s Rural Occupations Workforce Expansion (ROWE) program trains MSW students to serve in underserved communities, strengthening South Carolina’s rural behavioral health workforce and improving access to mental health care.

Students walk along brick pathway on campus during fall

First-generation students bring perspective, energy to USC campus

October 31, 2025, Megan Sexton

As the university marks the celebration of First-Gen College Celebration Week, we caught up with first-generation students, alumni, faculty and staff who are thriving in the classroom and beyond.

Young woman checks her blood pressure with a monitoring cuff.

Why your late teens and early 20s are crucial times for lifelong heart health

October 24, 2025, Jewel Scott

Emerging adulthood is a life stage where behaviors that diminish heart health—such as spending more time sitting, consuming more fast food and using more tobacco and alcohol—become more common. Jewel Scott, assistant professor of nursing science in USC's College of Nursing, writes for The Conversation about the power of habits on our behavior.

Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper looking toward video screen displaying logo and photo of students

Department of Sport and Entertainment Management named for David and Nicole Tepper

October 14, 2025, Allen Wallace

USC announces the newly named David and Nicole Tepper Department of Sport and Entertainment Management in honor of its visionary partners. A new $5 million investment extends their longstanding support for high-achieving students and adds funding for elite practitioner-educators.

Illustration of nurses' gloved hands piled on top of one another.

A Culture of Caring

October 08, 2025, Rebekah Friedman

From improving outcomes for premature babies to nurturing research advancements in chronic illness to strengthening the next generation of nursing leadership, University of South Carolina faculty members Robin Dail, Cindy Corbett and Jeanne Cavanaugh have had careers worth celebrating. While these three center directors are retiring this year, their legacies will endure through their centers’ continued impact at USC and beyond.

Head and shoulders photo of James Bowers

Law school's first full-time African American professor cements his legacy

October 07, 2025, Megan Sexton

James E. Bowers was an undergraduate student at USC in the early days of desegregation and the first full-time African American law school professor. He will cement his legacy with an endowed professorship in his name at the Joseph F. Rice School of Law, the first named for a Black law school professor, and an endowed lectureship series that will share knowledge about democracy and the rule of law.

Tremayne Ansani sits on the tailgate of an ambulance.

South Carolina Honors College graduate Tremayne Ansani finds his path at USC

October 07, 2025, Megan Sexton

Tremayne Ansani had big plans before he even set foot on campus, but he had one overarching goal: to create and support community. Four years and a double major later, the Honors College graduate sat on the commencement stage as the recipient of the university’s highest student honor, the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award.