Transforming Local Communities: Insights from USF’s Top Researchers
Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025
DINNER & LECTURE | 6 p.m.
You are invited to attend this private event hosted by the USF College of Arts and
Sciences at the University Club of Tampa in downtown Tampa along with your fellow
USF alumni and community. Dean Elizabeth Spiller, along with our three featured CAS
faculty members Dr. Will Schanbacher, Dr. Heather O’Leary and Dr. Christian Wells,
will lead you through an engaging evening filled with culture, conversation, education
and a delicious dinner. We look forward to hosting you!
Kindly register to attend by Feb. 19, 2025. Seating is limited. Please register early.
*In the event you may need to cancel your reservation, please provide 48 hours notice
to Dylan Garcia or CAS RSVP.
DRESS CODE
The University Club has a dress code. Men must wear a sport coat. Denim, shorts, t-shirts and sneakers are not permitted.
ABOUT THIS EVENT
“Transforming Local Communities: Insights from USF’s Top Researchers”
This event will feature presentations highlighting diverse research initiatives focused
on community engagement and environmental justice through the eyes of three of the
college’s top researchers. Dr. Will Schanbacher will present a food sovereignty toolkit
developed through a partnership between the USF Food Sovereignty Initiative and local
non-profits, serving as a model for community-engaged research. Dr. Heather O'Leary
will examine Florida's coastal environmental changes, emphasizing how creative approaches
to data literacy foster global dialogue. Dr. Christian Wells will share the story
of Tallevast, a historically African American town affected by decades of chemical
contamination, where residents and USF researchers are now working together to address
the lasting health impacts and chart a path toward recovery.
Building Local Food Sovereignty Through Community Engaged Research and Relationships
Presented by Dr. Will Schanbacher
Will Schanbacher, an associate professor of religious studies, showcases a food sovereignty
toolkit developed through a partnership with the USF Food Sovereignty Initiative,
in collaboration with non-profit organizations: Well Fed Community and Healthy 22nd
Street Garden Program (H22). The collaboration serves as a model for community-engaged
research.
Making Waves: Coastal Data Sonification and the Transformative Swells of Music and
Environmental Justice
Presented by Dr. Heather O’Leary
Can you listen to a spreadsheet? Heather O'Leary, director of the CRESCENDO Lab and
assistant professor of anthropology at USF St. Petersburg, explores the sounds and
silences of coastal Florida's environmental changes, highlighting how creativity and
innovation in data literacy spark new dialogues globally.
Environmental Justice from the Ground(water) Up: Coping with Contamination in Tallevast
Presented by Dr. Christian Wells
Christian Wells, a professor of anthropology, recounts the incredible story of Tallevast,
a historic African American town on the outskirts of Sarasota that was contaminated
with dangerous chemicals for more than 60 years by a local manufacturing company producing
components for nuclear warheads. Many of the town’s residents have since developed
rare cancers and other diseases. They are now collaborating with Wells and other USF
researchers to chart a path forward.
Featured CAS Faculty SPEAKERs
Heather O’Leary
Heather O'Leary is an expert on water. She has nearly 20 years of experience engaging communities in their water practices and beliefs — making water risk mitigation plans and policies more democratic, efficient and sustainable. She serves on the International Science Council's Water Task Force and their Standing Committe on Gender Equality in Science. For nearly a decade, O'Leary served as an active board member of the World Anthropological Union and the International Union for Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences. Additionally, she co-founded and chaired the Scientific Commission for Anthropology and Environment.
Website: CRESCENDO
Will Schanbacher
Will Schanbacher is an assistant professor of religious studies at the University of South Florida. His research interests focus on religious and social ethics related to the food system. Schanbacher is the author of three books. His new book, “Food Insecurity: A Reference Handbook” examines the history of food insecurity in the United States through a food sovereignty lens. He is the director of the USF Food Sovereignty Initiative, an interdisciplinary research group dedicated to finding solutions to food insecurity, and is also a faculty advisor for the USF Agrarian Club.
IG: @usf_foodsov
Website: Food Sovereignty Initiative
Christian Wells
Christian Wells is professor of anthropology and director of the Center for Brownfields Research & Redevelopment at the University of South Florida, where he served previously as founding director of the Office of Sustainability and deputy director of the School of Global Sustainability. He is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and is past president of the Florida Brownfields Association. Wells is the recipient of the Wesley Horner Award from the American Society of Civil Engineers and the Black Bear Award from the Sierra Club for outstanding dedication to sustainability and the environment.
Website: Center for Brownfields Research and Redevelopment
EVENT LOCATION
University Club
Suite 3800 – 38TH Floor
201 N Franklin Street
Tampa, FL 33602
PARKING Tips
Use the address of the parking garage for your GPS: 107 N. Franklin Street. Make sure
you use the Whiting Street entrance for the hourly parking spaces.
Once in the parking garage, park on Level 3 where there will be a crosswalk that connects
to the building. The University Club is on the 38th floor. Once you get into the building,
there is a bank of elevators straight ahead and on the right. Select the elevators
that will take you to the 38th floor. You must pre-select the 38th floor when selecting
the elevator. A number will display to let you know which elevator will take you to
the 38th floor.
There is a fee for parking and the garage accepts cash or credit cards upon exit.
DIRECTIONS
From I-275 North or South
Take 275 N/S to the Ashley Street Exit (exit 44). Follow Ashley to Whiting (two stop lights past Kennedy). Turn left (east) and go up two blocks to the Old Fort Brooke Garage (107 Franklin Street)
From South Tampa
Take Bayshore Blvd. to the Platt Street Bridge. Go underneath the Convention Center. Turn left at the second light (Florida Street). Go two blocks to Whiting and turn left to park in the Old Fort Brooke Garage.
From I-75 and Crosstown
Take exit #7 Downtown West. The 2nd stoplight is Franklin Street. Turn right onto Franklin Street. Go two blocks to Whiting Street. Turn left on Whiting. Turn immediately right and enter the Old Fort Brooke Garage.
ADA ACCOMMODATIONS
For reasonable accommodations or other questions, please contact CAS RSVP.