CAS Chronicles
Stories
![The Department of Philosophy hosted a panel discussion on “Ancestry, Genetics, and Medical Ethics,” during last year’s I Belong: ԹϱWeek. Panelists included Dr. Anna Lewis, research associate from Harvard University, Dr. Alexander Levine, professor and chair of the Department of Philosophy, Dr. Katherine Drabiak, associate professor in the College of Public Health, and Dr. Christina Richards, associate professor and AAAS fellow in the Department of Integrative Biology. The panelists are pictured here with Ms. Christina Grigoropoulos and her students visiting from Freedom High School. (Photo courtesy of Dr. Sandy Westerheide)](/arts-sciences/chronicles/images/edition-17/belong-490x328.jpg)
‘I Belong: ԹϱWeek’ to return in September
Students and faculty from the ԹϱCollege of Arts and Sciences (CAS) will host ‘I Belong: ԹϱWeek’ in September. The weeklong celebration—which held its first celebration last spring—aims to educate students about resources on campus, engage in building community, and cultivate a sense of belonging among students, faculty and staff from all backgrounds.
August 31, 2023Community Engagement
![Թϱresearch team tests portable energy units. (Photo courtesy of Sarath Witanachchi)](/arts-sciences/chronicles/images/edition-17/physics-490x328.jpg)
Physics research team brings portable renewable energy source to rural sub-Saharan Africa
Under a National Science Foundation (NSF) supported grant, a team of researchers from the ԹϱCollege of Arts and Sciences Department of Physics have been engaged in a multi-year research project to develop a portable renewable energy source for people living in rural sub-Sahara Africa.
August 31, 2023Research
![Members of the International Coparenting Collaborative (ICC) representing sites (from left) in Pavia, Italy (Michele Marchesi); Ankara, Turkey (Selin Salman-Engin); Toronto, Canada (Diane Phillip); Safed, Israel (Miri Keren); Rome, Italy (Silvia Mazzoni); Stockholm, Sweden (Monica Hedenbro); St. Petersburg, USA (James McHale); and Lausanne, Switzerland (Joelle Darwiche). (Photo courtesy of Dr. Yana Sirotkin)](/arts-sciences/chronicles/images/edition-17/fsc_mchale_490x328.jpg)
Family Study Center shares infant-family mental health advances with global audience
The ԹϱCollege of Arts and Sciences Family Study Center (FSC) shared its newest discoveries with an international gathering at the 18th World Association for Infant and Mental Health (WAIMH) Congress in Dublin, Ireland.
August 28, 2023Accomplishments, Community Engagement, Research
![Mario Garcia (left) and actors Justina Machado (middle) and Will Sasso (right), on the set of “The Throwback”. (Photo courtesy of Mario Garcia)](/arts-sciences/chronicles/images/edition-17/mario-garcia-490x328.jpg)
Թϱalumnus writes and directs an independent film “The Throwback” using inspiration from life's gained perspective
Reflecting on his years at USF, Mario Garcia recounts how his lifelong aspiration to become a writer came to fruition in the form of a movie, inspired by his personal life lessons.
August 28, 2023Alumni, Community Engagement
![Students taking the Terrestrial Lidar Field Methods course, led by College of Arts and Sciences Professor Steve Fernandez from the USF School of Public Affairs and Dr. Laura Harrison from the ԹϱAccess 3D Lab, this past summer were trained in methods of 3D architectural documentation with professional-grade lidar technology while also providing real-world experience in the field in Ybor. (Photo by Alessandra Casanova)](/arts-sciences/chronicles/images/edition-17/esri-lidar-story-490x328.jpg)
Թϱhighlighted by leading GIS software company for lidar education
Steven Fernandez, associate professor in the School of Public Affairs, has served as a source of knowledge and information for ESRI (ArcGIS)—a GIS software company specializing in interactive mapping tools—for the past two years, meeting with the company every few months to assist in improving their 3D products and provide knowledge on what he’s teaching in his lidar courses. Now, they are using his work as examples of their company’s newest capabilities.
August 28, 2023Accomplishments, Community Engagement, Research
![Team photo of Homegrown Hillsborough core staff and CAFSHC researchers. (Photo by UF/IFAS Extension Hillsborough County office)](/arts-sciences/chronicles/images/edition-17/homegrown-hills-490x328.jpg)
Թϱresearchers inform decisions for Homegrown Hillsborough food system program
In early 2023, Hillsborough County awarded a grant to the ԹϱCollege of Arts and Sciences Center for the Advancement of Food Security and Healthy Communities (CAFSHC) to serve as the research training and evaluation arm of an innovative endeavor to promote the local food system, called Homegrown Hillsborough.
August 28, 2023Community Engagement, Research
![exterior side view of airliner sitting on a tarmac](/arts-sciences/chronicles/images/edition-17/listing-plane.jpg)
Թϱgeoscientist creates oceanic tracking model to urge investigators to revive search for missing Malaysia Airlines flight
The new method can reconstruct the drift path and origin of debris from Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, which went missing over the Indian Ocean with 239 passengers onboard.
August 23, 2023Research
![Marcus S. Cooke, PhD, FRCPath, (right) serves as chair of the department. (Photo by Alessandra Casanova)](/arts-sciences/chronicles/images/edition-17/mbs-new-490x328.jpg)
Department of Molecular Biosciences starts anew
The Department of Cell Biology, Microbiology and Molecular Biology at the ԹϱCollege of Arts and Sciences welcomes a more succinct and up-to-date name this academic year. It has officially been renamed the Department of Molecular Biosciences.
August 22, 2023Accomplishments, Community Engagement, Research
![Silvia Moreno-Garcia](/arts-sciences/chronicles/images/edition-17/moreno-garcia-490x328.png)
ԹϱHumanities Institute to host New York Times best-selling author Silvia Moreno-Garcia
The Humanities Institute will welcome author Silvia Moreno-Garcia for a discussion and book signing on Tuesday, October 10. The event promises to be an evening of unique opportunities, from an open Q&A session to a book signing.
August 18, 2023Community Engagement, Events
![Five CAS faculty members who were recognized with outstanding research achievement awards](/arts-sciences/chronicles/images/edition-17/cas-research-awardees-490x328.jpg)
Five CAS faculty members recognized with Outstanding Research Achievement Awards
Five ԹϱCollege of Arts and Sciences (CAS) faculty members are being recognized next month with Faculty Outstanding Research Achievement Awards. “The faculty being recognized with these awards have demonstrated extraordinary success in their research and scholarly endeavors," said ԹϱResearch & Innovation Interim Vice President Sylvia Thomas.
August 17, 2023Accomplishments, Community Engagement, Featured, Research
![Communication doctoral student Rana Elhendi earned the Top Student Award from the International Communication Association’s Organizational Communication division. (Photo courtesy of Rana Elhendi)](/arts-sciences/chronicles/images/edition-17/rana-elhendi-490x328.jpg)
Թϱdoctoral student earns ‘Top Student Award’ from the International Communication Association
Communication doctoral student Rana Elhendi’s paper, “‘The rubber band is already broken: An extended case study of UNDP transformative resilience framework in the context of Palestine,” has earned the Top Student Award from the International Communication Association’s Organizational Communication division.
August 17, 2023Accomplishments, Community Engagement, Research
A $1.5 million National Science Foundation grant will allow researchers to develop a web-based application that gathers crowdsourced data in coastal communities to identify flooding risks and inform policy. Led by ԹϱSt. Petersburg GIS and Remote Sensing Professor Barnali Dixon, the research team will create the CRIS-HAZARD app.
August 15, 2023Community Engagement, Research