Stories for Faculty and Staff

students exercise with a ball

Kids need physical education - even when they can't get it at school

June 05, 2020, Collin Webster

Kids who are more physically active tend to get better grades and develop the self-confidence that can empower them to succeed later in life. Physical education professor Collin Webster writes for The Conversation that the arrival of summer vacation might allay concerns parents have about their children being too sedentary. However, researchers think a lack of structured summertime activities can cause kids to make unhealthy choices.

Topics: Faculty, College of Education

Drawing of a patrolman looking over the passes of plantation slaves

Ahmaud Arbery's killing puts citizen's arrest laws in spotlight

May 29, 2020, Seth Stoughton

The killing of an unarmed black jogger by white residents is shocking, but it should come as no surprise. Law professor Seth Stoughton writes for The Conversation that if anything, Ahmaud Arbery’s death in Georgia on Feb. 23 was predictable: the latest tragic example of the fatal consequences that can occur when private citizens seek to take the law into their own hands.

Topics: Faculty, School of Law

teacher and student in classroom

COVID-19 impact: Redirection of CARES Act funds shortchanges low-income students

May 29, 2020, Derek Black

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security, or CARES Act, designated $13.5 billion for public schools that was supposed to be distributed based on the number of low-income students enrolled in a district. Law professor Derek Black writes for The Conversation that a new directive from the U.S. Department of Education, which tells districts to share far more of the money than expected private and religious school students, contradicts the CARES Act.

Topics: Faculty, School of Law

librarian with students at Wren High School

Passion for their profession lands SC librarians on Movers & Shakers list

May 26, 2020, Carol J.G. Ward

Having an impact on their students and communities, being more inclusive for underserved populations and encouraging a lifelong love of reading and learning are passions shared by three alumnae of the University of South Carolina’s School of Information Science who have been recognized as 2020 Movers & Shakers by Library Journal.

Topics: Alumni, Faculty, College of Information and Communications

UofSC experts: 2020 hurricane season

May 13, 2020, Carol J.G. Ward

The Atlantic hurricane season officially begins June 1. Top researchers at the University of South Carolina are available to discuss multiple aspects of the 2020 hurricane season, including forecasting, disaster planning and historical perspectives. To coordinate an interview, contact the staff member listed with each expert entry.

Topics: Faculty, College of Arts and Sciences, Darla Moore School of Business, College of Engineering and Computing, College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management, College of Information and Communications, School of Law, College of Pharmacy, Arnold School of Public Health

girl student taking a test

COVID 19 impact: Seeking alternatives to standardized testing

May 12, 2020, James Kirylo

Because of the COVID-19 epidemic, the Education Department is letting states cancel standardized tests. As a result, 2020 is the first year without federally mandated standardized testing in nearly two decades. Education professor James Kirylo writes in The Conversation that school systems can take advantage of this remarkable time to seek alternatives to standardized tests.

Topics: Faculty, College of Education

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.

Topics: Faculty, Research, Health Sciences, COVID-19, Medicine (Columbia)

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.

Topics: Faculty, Research, College of Arts and Sciences

Thomas Palmer

Class of 2020: Thomas Palmer

May 06, 2020, Megan Sexton

Thomas Palmer chose UofSC because of the opportunities offered by a large university, along with its top-flight School of Music and impressive Honors College. Playing in the orchestra during the production of Leonard Bernstein’s MASS, he was reminded that he made the right decision

Topics: Students, Faculty, Academics, Experiential Learning, Undergraduate Admissions, Careers, Student Voices, School of Music, South Carolina Honors College

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.

Topics: Students, Faculty, Research, graduate-studies, COVID-19, College of Arts and Sciences

child with parents arguing in the background

COVID-19 impact: Co-parenting during a pandemic

April 14, 2020, Marcia Zug

As millions of people around the world practice social distancing and self-quarantine, they are separating themselves from everyone but their immediate family members. However, for divorced or separated parents who share custody of their children, the definition of “immediate family” isn’t obvious. Law professor Marcia Zug writes for The Conversation on family law in the age of the coronavirus.

Topics: Faculty, COVID-19, School of Law

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.

Topics: Faculty, Research, Recognition, Health Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences

booker t washington auditorium building

Popular UofSC civil rights exhibit will have a permanent home

April 09, 2020, Carol J.G. Ward

The university will continue rehabilitation and preservation of the Booker T. Washington Auditorium Building to create a permanent space for the Center for Civil Rights History and Research’s exhibit “Justice for All: South Carolina and the American Civil Rights Movement.” Funded with a $500,000 grant from the National Park Service, the restoration will advance efforts to create a destination for people to learn the history of Columbia and of the school.

Topics: Faculty, Diversity, History, Collections, College of Arts and Sciences, University Libraries

3D printer

COVID-19 response: Prisma Health collaborates with UofSC on ventilator device

March 25, 2020, David Lee

A collaborative effort involving Prisma Health and the University of South Carolina has resulted in emergency use authorization for a ventilator expansion device to support multiple patients during times of acute equipment shortages such as the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Topics: Faculty, University Leadership, Economic Engagement, Partnerships, Health Sciences, COVID-19, College of Engineering and Computing, Medicine (Greenville)

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