CAS Chronicles
Stories

Corridor partnership expands undergraduate research and advances experiential learning at USF
Through the continued Corridor Undergraduate Research Initiative, more than 200 students will gain hands-on, faculty-mentored research experience in disciplines ranging from engineering and artificial intelligence to public health, education, sustainability, and the arts.
October 29, 2025Research

New translation brings south Indian literature to English audiences for first time
Written in a mixture of verse and prose, Harihara’s stories are remarkably accessible to contemporary readers due to their short, linear plots. What makes them so compelling, according to Gil Ben-Herut, a professor in the Department of Religious Studies, is their focus on “regular people in regular settings.â€
October 29, 2025Accomplishments, Research

Molecular Biosciences chair aims to uncover the environmental drivers of disease
Marcus Cooke, a professor and chair of the Department of Molecular Biosciences, has been studying DNA damage for over 30 years ago. In that time, he has found that one thing significantly influences DNA damage, leading to the development of major diseases such as cancer: environmental exposures.
October 29, 2025Research

AI and citizen science reveal potential first detection of invasive malaria mosquito in Madagascar
Researchers from the »Æ¹ÏÊÓÆµ have used artificial intelligence and citizen science to identify what may be the first specimen of Anopheles stephensi — an invasive and deadly malaria-carrying mosquito — ever detected in Madagascar.
October 28, 2025Research

Making waves: Undergrads get hands-on experience on the open sea
Fifty-two students participated in a voluntary four-day educational cruise, gaining hands-on experience collecting, identifying and tagging sharks and performing other biological survey methods.
October 28, 2025Research

CAS professor and associate dean receives highest honor
Jody Harwood, a professor in the Department of Integrative Biology and associate dean for graduate studies in the College of Arts and Sciences, is among three faculty members to be named 2025 Distinguished University Professors, the highest honor given to USF faculty.
October 28, 2025Research

Internship program prepares humanities students for early-career success
Bustinza’s internship with the Make-A-Wish Foundation is one of many made possible by a five-year, $4.8 million grant from the Mellon Foundation that will support up to 900 students each year in otherwise unpaid internships.
October 20, 2025Community Engagement, Research

USF faculty experts available for interviews on Halloween topics from how consumers can save money, to tariff impacts, to AI use
As Halloween approaches, the »Æ¹ÏÊÓÆµ is offering a variety of faculty experts to discuss this year’s trends and impacts. Topics include consumer spending and any potential price increases from tariffs, the use of artificial intelligence for party planning, as well as the psychology of fear.
October 8, 2025Research

When anthropology meets engineering: A fresh solution to wastewater
Nancy Romero-Daza and David Himmelgreen completed an interdisciplinary project that trains anthropology and engineering students in anthropological and environmental engineering methods in Costa Rica.
September 29, 2025Community Engagement, Research

Society of Wetland Scientists Professional Certification Program streamlines certification for USF grads
The new agreement serves as a guarantee from the Society for Wetland Scientists Professional Certification Program that the suite of classes commonly taken by environmental science and policy majors at USF meets industry standards.

From Classrooms to Coastlines: CAS undergraduates apply learning as NOAA Hollings Scholars
Three USF College of Arts and Sciences undergraduates were named NOAA Ernest F. Hollings Scholars, a prestigious national recognition earning paid internships at NOAA facilities where they applied classroom learning to research and policy projects with NOAA scientists.
September 26, 2025Accomplishments, Research

USF urban planning professor uses 3D scanning to assess hurricane flood risk in Tampa
Youjung Kim, an assistant professor in the School of Public Affairs, is collaborating with the Access 3D Lab to investigate flood risk disparities on Davis Islands and explore solutions to reduce future vulnerability.
September 26, 2025Research