CAS Chronicles

Stories

The CAS winners of the Outstanding Thesis and Dissertation Award and the Outstanding Faculty Mentor Award (left to right): Janine DeBiasi, Noah Schulz, Alexandria Choate, Patrice Buzzanell and Travis Bell.

CAS sweeps Outstanding Graduate Faculty Mentor and Outstanding Thesis & Dissertation awards

The College of Arts and Sciences is home not only to this year’s Outstanding Faculty Mentor and an honorable mention, but to three out of the four Outstanding Thesis and Dissertation Award recipients as well.

November 20, 2024Accomplishments, Research

A view into the La Corona lava tube system in Lanzarote, Spain, where there is massive accumulations of gypsum and other sulfates.

How volcanic cave research is advancing the search for life on Mars

An international research team led by University of South Florida professor Bogdan P. Onac has uncovered preserved biosignatures in Spain’s lava tubes, providing insights into Earth’s ancient environments that could guide the search for past microbial life on Mars.

November 18, 2024Research

Davide Tanasi holds an Egyptian Bes mug

USF professor confirms Egyptians drank hallucinogenic cocktails in ancient rituals

Through advanced chemical analyses on an Egyptian vase at the Tampa Museum of Art, Davide Tanasi confirmed the vase last held a cocktail of psychedelic drugs, likely for a magical ritual.

November 14, 2024Research

kids lounge on a sofa looking at their smartphones

USF researchers begin first lifespan study on the effects of digital media use

A groundbreaking new study will track young people through 2050 to learn more about the long-term impacts of smartphones, social media and other digital media on individual wellbeing.

November 14, 2024Research

voting booths beside window

Despite democracy concerns, researchers find Americans very interested in election

According to the survey, heightened political interest and general faith in the integrity of American elections is mixed with persistent worries about whether democracy is working in the United States and the extent of social media’s influence on democratic institutions and processes.

November 4, 2024Research

USF Botanical Gardens staff hard at work clearing the damage from Hurricane Milton. (Photo courtesy of Nicole Brand)

Volunteers support the USF Botanical Gardens’ ongoing recovery efforts ahead of fall festival

After Hurricane Milton caused significant damage and forced the closure of the USF Botanical Gardens, dedicated staff and the Tampa Bay community united to restore the gardens and prepare for one of the year’s biggest events.

October 29, 2024Featured, Research

Team member Margaret Amsler scouts the diverse and abundant Antarctic sea floor for interesting marine organisms to collect. (Photo courtesy of Bill Baker)

Dr. Bill Baker's career of merging the world of marine organisms and medicine

USF College of Arts and Sciences professor Dr. Bill Baker has dedicated his research career to the creation of live-saving human therapeutics using marine invertebrates.

October 29, 2024Accomplishments, Community Engagement, Research

nterest from users, including start-up companies and contract research organizations, around the world is very high for the Prototype Automated High Through-Put Comet Assay Device. (Photo courtesy of Dr. Marcus Cooke)

Dr. Marcus Cooke awarded $2 million grant to advance creation of new device simplifying the testing for damaged DNA

Dr. Marcus Cooke has been awarded a $2 million grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to develop a novel device for automating the comet assay — essentially making it easier and faster to test cells for DNA damage.

October 28, 2024Accomplishments, Research

Tiffany Chenneville started her executive fellowship in Washington D.C. on September 1, 2024.

Psychology professor receives prestigious Executive Branch Fellowship with the National Science Foundation

USF St. Petersburg Psychology Professor Tiffany Chenneville has been working with the National Science Foundation's scientific integrity team in Washington, D.C.

October 22, 2024Accomplishments, Research

Silver Glen Springs at sunset

On the history, science and wonderment of Florida’s springs

Florida is home to one of the largest concentrations of freshwater springs on the planet. A new book from Chris Meindl, director of the USF Florida Studies Program, chronicles the unique geology, centuries of history and the current state of springs in the sunshine state.

October 22, 2024Research

The CRIS-HAZARD app allows users to upload pictures such as this one posted on September 26, 2024 near St. Pete Beach.

A new app developed by USF researchers tracks flooding in coastal communities during hurricanes Helene and Milton

A team of researchers led by USF St. Petersburg GIS and Remote Sensing Professor Barnali Dixon used the CRIS-HAZARD app to analyze real-time flooding in Pinellas County. The web-based application gathers crowdsourced data to identify flooding and inform policy in vulnerable coastal communities.

October 4, 2024Research

(L to R) Dr. Alejandro Figueroa, Professor of Anthropology at the University of Missouri, Dr. Christopher Kiahtipes, USF Libraries FLENH curator, and Jaime Rogers, Ph.D. candidate in USF’s Anthropology program.

USF Libraries Curator Awarded $150,000 National Science Foundation Research Grant

Dr. Christoper Kiahtipes, curator of the USF Libraries’ Florida Environment & Natural History collections and a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Anthropology, has been awarded a National Science Foundation grant to examine long-term changes and environmental resilience in coastal fisheries and the impact of climate change.

October 1, 2024Accomplishments, Research

About CAS Chronicles

CAS Chronicles is the monthly newsletter for the University of South Florida's College of Arts and Sciences, your source for the latest news, research, and events at CAS.