Students

Student Spotlight

GLOBAL CITIZENS AWARD RECIPIENTS

In summer 2024 semester 16 students completed the Global Citizens Award. The Global Citizens Award program was launched in 2015, and the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs, were adopted as an integral part of the award’s framework. The students honored accomplished incredible feats on their journeys to becoming global citizens. 

Being a global citizen means many things, but at the heart of it all is engaging meaningfully and effectively with diverse people, places, events, challenges, and opportunities. It means being immersed willingly in new cultures or viewpoints through our global events. These individuals are poised to make significant contributions to their respective fields, armed with a blend of education, experience, and a passion for making a difference. We are proud of these students' dedication to the Sustainable Development Goals and leaving the world more just and sustainable. Congratulations on this well-deserved recognition.

Interested in receiving the Global Citizens Award? More information can be found on this page.

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The 2024 Operation: Global Action Winning Teams

1st Place: Global Quest 

Team Members: Aminta Camacho, Brittany Cardona, K'yana Edwards, Ella Hasty, and Isabella Trespalacios

Facilitator: Dr. Joy Harris

 

 

Runner Up: Eco Revolution

Team Members: Sofia Guzman, Abil Joseph, Andrea Moncada, Isabella Munoz, and Kristopher Wilhoit

Facilitator: Ms. Natalia Brochero

 

Congratulations to the winning teams, and to all our global innovators who participated in Summer 2024 Operation: Global Action (OGA) program. 

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UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCHERS CONTINUE TO IMPRESS

April 10-12 were exciting days for USF's undergraduate researchers who presented their research at the 2024 OneUSF Undergraduate Research Conference. This year, nearly 600 undergraduate researchers presented 300 unique research projects across our three campuses. The following students were recognized for their exemplary research:

• Om Patel, Health Sciences, Tampa Campus
• Sasha Post, Interdisciplinary, Tampa Campus
• Ashley Paschall, Physical Sciences, Tampa Campus
• Neha Dewansingh, Social Sciences, Tampa Campus
• Usman Khan, Business, Sarasota-Manatee Campus
• Diane Martinez, Health Sciences, Sarasota-Manatee Campus
• Avery Rath, Education, Sarasota-Manatee Campus
• Sakshi Wagh, Social Sciences, Sarasota-Manatee Campus
• Emily Stevens, Social Sciences, Sarasota-Manatee Campus
• Gemma Antara, Biomedical Sciences, St. Petersburg Campus
• Madison Grace Rishovd Day, Marine Biology, St. Petersburg Campus
• Victoria D. Drews, Biology, St. Petersburg Campus
• Jewelia Keller, Biology, St. Petersburg Campus
• Humberto Porrata, Biology, St. Petersburg Campus
• Dana Smith, Biology, St. Petersburg Campus
• Jayden D. Sutliff, Biology, St. Petersburg Campus

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UndergradUATE Research Poster Proposals

The Office of High Impact Practices and Undergraduate Research facilitates IDS 2912: Undergraduate Research Experience, which helps undergraduate students succeed in research endeavors for their chosen majors and careers. This is achieved through experiential learning activities that aid in the development of research skills that universities and employers seek.

This semester IDS 2912 students created research proposals to answer the following questions:

• What is relationship between time spent on short-form videos and attention span among undergraduate students aged 18-22 in central Florida? Jason Arias

• What intrinsic and extrinsic factors are associated with ACL tears among USF soccer players? Adrian Barnat

• Is there a correlation between religious beliefs and rates of attempted suicides? Kylah Bonfante

• How well and consistently can human subjects distinguish between writings authored exclusively by either AI or human authors? Mason Clark

• What is the relationship between Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) in early life and the use of escapism as a coping mechanism? Emily Jared

• How do phthalates affect the immune system in adults aged 65 and older in the United States? Madison Lipowsky

• Does transgender workers’ pay matches their gender identity, their gender assigned at birth, or deviates entirely from the typical earnings of cisgender men and women in comparable jobs within the region? Sawyer Osborne

• What is the impact of working graveyard shifts on anxiety levels in the fast-food industry? Aba Oti

• How does culture impact individuals' views on autism and the consideration of visiting health professionals? Shumarah Pierre

• Which sports drink provides the best hydration for a person based on the their athletic level and intensity while working out? Jamaela Williams

Congratulations to our IDS 2912 students on their research proposal posters! We are excited to see where their research takes them in the future.

STUDENT OF THE YEAR

In recognition of his exemplary service to both the Office of High Impact Practices and Undergraduate Research (HIPUR) and the students which it serves, Mr. Aspen Levin has been named HIPUR's 2024 Student of the Year.

Mr. Levin is a graduating senior at the University of South Florida, majoring in Business
Advertising with cohort members of the Zimmerman Advertising Program and the Business Honors Program. During his time at USF, he has been granted numerous experiences for research involvement and developmental practices in his respective fields. Outside of classes, he has served as a marketing intern at the Global Tech Program, where he helped Charity Water develop an effective advertising campaign. He has assisted in creating campaign drafts and supplemental research for non-profit organizations like United Way Suncoast and participated in youth learning events like JA Biztown and Feeding Tampa Bay Food Drives for USF Rotaract and the Global Citizens Award.

In Spring 2023, Mr. Levin completed his Business Honors Program thesis research after
conducting interview-based research with industry professionals in Web3 and immersive advertising in the U.S. and Czechia. He states, “No matter why you’re here in college, whether you’ve arrived from high school or are coming back later to receive more education, there is always a chance and an opportunity to make whichever city you reside in a better place, and there is nothing stopping you from taking the initiative to learn and try new things.”

Congratulations, Aspen!

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Research Scholar Awardees

The USF Undergraduate Research Scholar Award recognizes a student’s commitment to their development as a researcher during their undergraduate tenure. Below is the list of students who have received this honor.

• Magdelena Alvarez, Communication Science and Disorders
• Jaidon Angel, Communication Science and Disorders
• Lena Bayyat, Communication Science and Disorders
• Jade Brown, Communication Science and Disorders
• Aisha Bazlamatci, Interdisciplinary
• Samuel Camilli, Health Science
• Presley Camp, Social Science
• Samantha Deveaux, Health Sciences
• Iman Elkolalli, Communication Science and Disorders
• Christine Grossman, Psychology
• Cassandra Hendry, Communication Science and Disorders
• Jacob Hensley, Engineering
• Jacqueline Houston, Social Work
• Yuri Lizardo, Communication Sciences and Disorders
• Anna Beatriz Cortes Machado, Physical Science
• Ebu Ojogwu, Health Science
• Jessica O'Reilly, Communication Science and Disorders
• Mackenzie Osborne, Psychology
• Perdita Samuel-Lopez, Communication Science and Disorders
• Abigail Reed, Interdisciplinary
• Shanon Rego, Cell and Molecular Biology
• Evelyn Spiller, Public Health
• Karly Underwood, Social Science
• Cindy Yang, Biomedical Science and Anthropology
• Haley Vantoorenburg, Physical Science
• Gabrielle Whyte, Humanities
• Breanna Zurita, Communication Sciences and Disorders

2023 Undergraduate Research Conference

Select categories below to see the names and disciplines of the 2023 USF Undergraduate Research Conference award winners.