Arts and Sciences News

Fernando Guérard, a graduate student at the University of South Alabama, watches as his sculpture of Chief Calvin McGhee is being cast in bronze at the Fairhope Foundry. “This man, his humbleness and his honesty, I really connected with,” Guerard says.

'Everything He Did, He Did For His People'
December 9, 2019

Graduate student Fernando Guérard delved into archives as part of his research in creating a sculpture of Chief Calvin McGhee. ...

Ruby Bryan, a University of South Alabama student, joined Dr. Kathy Cooke, Honors College dean, and Dr. Kern Jackson, director of the African American Studies Program, for an interview on the Eastern Shore as part of an oral histories program. The interviews will be shared with the public in local library programs early next year.

Collecting History Through Conversation
December 9, 2019

An Honors College initiative is sending students and faculty into the Mobile-Tensaw Delta to record stories of its people. ...

The community is invited to attend the "Celebrate the Season" holiday concert at 6:30 p.m., Friday, Dec. 6, at the USA Mitchell Center.

'Celebrate the Season' With South
November 22, 2019

The department of music will host its annual holiday concert Dec. 6 on campus. The community is invited to this free event. ...

Dr. Laura Moore, left, associate professor and chair of music, and Dr. Silas Leavesley, professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, were named respectively as Phi Kappa Phi’s artist and scholar of the year.

Phi Kappa Phi Names Scholar, Artist of 2019
November 15, 2019

Dr. Silas Leavesley and Dr. Laura Moore are recognized by the Phi Kappa Phi honor society. ...

Dr. Tera W. Hunter, author and Edwards professor and scholar of gender, race and Southern history at Princeton University, is the guest speaker at this year's Stallworth Lecture. The event will be held at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 29, at the Laidlaw Performing Arts Center.

Princeton Author, Professor to Speak
October 23, 2019

Dr. Tera W. Hunter, who explores the history of African American marriage and family, will be this year's Stallworth lecturer. ...

Dr. John Lehrter, associate professor of marine sciences, and Ph.D. student Mai Fung will take part in a study to determine how oyster, blue crab and speckled trout respond to changes in their environment. “We’re looking at how do we manage the ecosystem both from the bottom up – water quality and habitat quality – and top down – fisheries management,” Lehrter said.

Assessing the Health of Mobile Bay
October 22, 2019

USA receives $2.9 million to study how oysters, blue crab and speckled trout provide answers to environmental questions. ...

USA students John Pomerat, center, a sophomore computer science and mathematics major, along with Daniel Hodgins, a freshman engineering major, show Murphy High School student Mollee Bearden how to problem solve during a recent Math Circle session.

Creativity + Critical Thinking = Math Circle
October 15, 2019

South students and professors have helped students grades 7th through 12th solve problems for the past 20 years. ...

University of South Alabama alumnus and Atlanta BeltLine CEO Clyde Higgs has spent his life's work at the intersection of private and public sectors, or, as he says, "where the magic exists." Photo courtesy of Atlanta BeltLine Inc.

Creating Jobs, Housing and Room to Breathe
October 1, 2019

South alumnus Clyde Higgs leads one of the nation's most ambitious land use development projects at Atlanta BeltLine Inc. ...

Stephen Azar, second from right, is the University of South Alabama Board of Trustees Scholar for the 2019-2020 academic year. Azar is a freshman from St. Patrick High School in Biloxi, Miss. The scholarship is awarded annually to the most academically talented student in each incoming freshman class at USA. Joining Azar at the USA Board of Trustees meeting are, from left, 2018 scholar Cody Dunlap of Mobile, 2017 recipient Ada Chaeli van der Zijp-Tan of Madison, Ala., 2016 recipient Christian Manganti of Gulfport, Miss., Board of Trustees chair pro tempore Jimmy Shumock; Rana Azar, Stephen Azar's mother; Azar, and University President Tony Waldrop.

University Board of Trustees Scholar Named
September 13, 2019

Stephen Azar, who scored a perfect 36 on his ACT, is named the 2019-20 Board of Trustees Scholar. He plans to major in biology. ...

Dr. Alex Beebe, an associate professor in the department of earth sciences, said an adult requires a minimum of about three liters of water each day to survive. The average U.S. citizen uses more than 200 liters every day.

Unusable, Inaccessible and Increasingly Scarce
August 7, 2019

A fourth of the world's population is under extremely high water stress. USA hydrologist Alex Beebe lists six reasons to conserve. ...

Participants in a summer forum, financed by a $293,914 National Science Foundation REU grant, study pieces of a skull loaned to Dr. Lesley Gregoricak, associate professor of anthropology at South, and Dr. Jamie Ullinger, associate professor of anthropology at Quinnipac University, by the government of the Emirate of Ras al-Khaimah in the UAE. The students collaborate with an interdisciplinary group of dynamic scientists while conducting original research over an eight-week period.

How Did People Live 4,500 Years Ago?
July 23, 2019

College students from around the country hone their research skills studying ancient bones during a summer program at South. ...

Thomas “Reid” Nelson credits South’s Ph.D. program in marine sciences with having the resources and range of expertise in faculty to support his research interests and education. He works in a National Marine Fisheries Service lab with other scientists from UC Santa Cruz.

#MyFirstJob: Thomas 'Reid' Nelson
July 22, 2019

In a lab along the California coast, Reid Nelson researches ways to improve survival rates of juvenile salmon migrating to sea. ...

Dr. T. Grant Glover, seated, demonstrates an early-stage prototype of the next-generation carbon dioxide scrubber being developed for the International Space State. Colleagues Dr. Matthew Reichert, from left, standing; Dr. James Davis and Dr. Kevin West are colleagues on the research project, which is financed by a $1.1 million grant from NASA.

South Awarded $3.8 Million for Ionic Liquids
July 18, 2019

USA researchers are leading the way in developing liquid salt as an environmentally friendly solvent, on Earth and in outer space. ...

Dr. Sarah Koon-Magnin, associate professor of political science and criminal justice, works with volunteers who act as advocates for sexual assault victims. The work is done through Lifelines Counseling Services of Mobile.

Examining the 'Disclosure Experience'
July 18, 2019

The #MeToo movement has brought focus to sexual assault. Dr. Sarah Koon-Magnin works to make talking about it less traumatic. ...

Zane Patterson's official title at Shipshape Urban Farms is account manager. But working at a start-up means pitching in wherever he's needed, and Patterson said he thrives on that culture. "I enjoy the flexibility of entrepreneurship,” he said.

#MyFirstJob: Zane Patterson
June 17, 2019

An account manager at Shipshape Urban Farms, Zane Patterson thrives on start-up culture. 'I get to help shape this business.' ...

Andrew Conniff, who earned a strategic communication degree from the University of South Alabama in 2017, was named 2019 Photojournalist of the Year by the Alabama Broadcasters Association.

Creating His Own Story, Telling Others'
June 13, 2019

Andrew Conniff, who earned a strategic communication degree from South in 2017, is named 2019 Photojournalist of the Year. ...

Dr. Ken Heck, professor emeritus, and Alex Rodriguez, a technician in Heck's lab, look at seagrass samples from near Port St. Joe, Fla., as part of their research to find ways for replenishing the grasses.

Protecting the Gulf's Underwater Nurseries
May 31, 2019

Propellers, hurricanes and even sea turtles pose a threat to Gulf of Mexico seagrass. South researchers aim to reverse its decline. ...

Dr. David Meola, the Bert and Fanny Meisler Assistant Professor of History and Jewish Studies and director of the Jewish and Holocaust Studies Program, will research the involvement of Jewish Germans in the German liberal and democratic movement of the 1830s and 1840s as a Fulbright Scholar.

South Professor Awarded Fulbright
April 5, 2019

Dr. David Meola, director of the Jewish and Holocaust Studies Program, will conduct research in Germany for two summers. ...

Grand Rapids, Mich., Mayor Rosalynn Bliss, standing in front of the skyline of Michigan's second-largest city, graduated summa cum laude in 1997 with a degree in psychology and criminal justice. “When I was going through my undergraduate studies, I did not imagine I would be running for office someday,” she said.

She Leads Michigan's Second-Largest City
March 13, 2019

At South, Rosalynn Bliss '97 wasn't considering a career in politics. Then she became Grand Rapids' youngest mayor in 132 years. ...

Dr. Kate Brown, professor of history in the science, technology and society department of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, will be the speaker at the 2019 Mahan Lecture on March 14. The lecture is free and open to the public.

MIT Professor to Speak on Nuclear Power
March 6, 2019

Dr. Kate Brown will address questions about nuclear power and its potentially catastrophic effects on humanity and the environment. ...

Dr. Kern Jackson is an assistant professor of English and the director of USA's African-American Studies Program.

Highlights in African-American Studies
February 26, 2019

From the "Black Experience" course to a 2016 teach-in, here are nine moments in USA's African-American Studies Program. ...

A photo of the Jan. 20 "blood moon," taken shortly before 11:15 p.m. using a Canon EOS 5D in west Mobile.

Top 7 Astronomical Events This Year
February 22, 2019

This year's blood moon captured the public's attention, to space and on social media. South's expert lists what's next. ...

Associate professor Dr. John Lanicci, whose research focuses on extreme weather events, placed 36 rain gauges around the area of the Kennedy Space Center. He found the amount of annual rainfall varied as much as 16 inches over an area approximately one-eighth the size of Mobile County.

What's the Rainfall Count? It Depends
February 21, 2019

Dr. John Lanicci's research suggests rainfall measurements can vary widely, a potential vulnerability for stormwater infrastructure. ...

Senior chemistry students Madison McBroom, left, of Huntsville and Amanda Tanner of Cantonment, Fla., listen as Dr. William Richert talks about their research with ionic liquids in the field of 3D printing.

Developing a Printer Worth Its Salt
February 5, 2019

Ionic liquids, or liquid salt, may one day be used in 3D printing. Dr. Matthew Reichert is exploring the possibilities. ...

Dr. Thomas Shaw, director of USA Polling, and Dr. Jaclyn Bunch, associate director, have conducted surveys on everything from health care and public policy to schoolchildren’s summer vacations.

Survey Says ... USA Polling Group
January 25, 2019

In a lab in South's Humanities Building, pollsters blend art and science to get accurate answers from the other end of the phone. ...

Arts and Sciences News Archive

'Everything He Did, He Did For His People' December 9, 2019

Collecting History Through Conversation December 9, 2019

'Celebrate the Season' With South November 22, 2019

Phi Kappa Phi Names Scholar, Artist of 2019 November 15, 2019

Princeton Author, Professor to Speak October 23, 2019

Assessing the Health of Mobile Bay October 22, 2019

Creativity + Critical Thinking = Math Circle October 15, 2019

Creating Jobs, Housing and Room to Breathe October 1, 2019

University Board of Trustees Scholar Named September 13, 2019

Unusable, Inaccessible and Increasingly Scarce August 7, 2019

How Did People Live 4,500 Years Ago? July 23, 2019

#MyFirstJob: Thomas 'Reid' Nelson July 22, 2019

South Awarded $3.8 Million for Ionic Liquids July 18, 2019

Examining the 'Disclosure Experience' July 18, 2019

#MyFirstJob: Zane Patterson June 17, 2019

Creating His Own Story, Telling Others' June 13, 2019

Protecting the Gulf's Underwater Nurseries May 31, 2019

South Professor Awarded Fulbright April 5, 2019

She Leads Michigan's Second-Largest City March 13, 2019

MIT Professor to Speak on Nuclear Power March 6, 2019

Highlights in African-American Studies February 26, 2019

Top 7 Astronomical Events This Year February 22, 2019

What's the Rainfall Count? It Depends February 21, 2019

Developing a Printer Worth Its Salt February 5, 2019

Survey Says ... USA Polling Group January 25, 2019