Research News Archive

  • Dr. James Davis, left, professor of chemistry and Dr. Kevin West, professor of chemical engineering, have partnered with Norton Engineering Consultants to take their technology of reducing carbon emissions into the industrial marketplace. While hurdles remain, this technology is promising and could have long-term effects for South and the global environment.
    Dr. Jim Davis and Dr. Kevin West are leading a research team that is developing carbon capture technology using ionic liquids. ...
  • Emily Warner, left, with the USA Center for Archaeological Studies, and Thomas Grace, with Wiregrass Archaeological Consulting, bisect a feature in the soil at a dig site that is along the route for a proposed Mobile Bay bridge. After completing the excavation of half the feature, they will photograph and draw the profile, and then excavate the second half.
    The USA Center for Archaeological Studies unearths the past to make way for a bridge linking Alabama's two coastal counties. Its archaeologists and anthropologists are joined by South researchers, academics and students from a cross section of d ...
  • Dr. Sean Powers, right, professor and director of the School of Marine and Environmental Sciences, walks the halls of the school's renovated 20,000-square-foot campus facility at its dedication last year.
    The two new undergraduate degrees in the School of Marine and Environmental Sciences complement the school's existing programs in research and graduate education. ...
  • An artist rendering of the planned expansion and renovation of the University of South Alabama College of Medicine.
    The appropriation from U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby will help fund construction, which will include a new addition and an extensive renovation of the 1974 existing structure. ...
  • University of South Alabama mechanical engineering seniors, from left, Madison Bomeke, Hayden Jenkins, Bryson Hatcher, Will Sergeant, Gavin Brown and Evan Moulds work on a 82-inch-long wing that will provide stability for their remote-control cargo plane in the Design, Build, Fly competition.
    South mechanical engineering students look forward to flying, landing and unloading a remote-controlled plane they designed and built for an international competition in Kansas. ...
  • Dr. Kenneth Hudson, associate professor of sociology and social work at the University of South Alabama, urges students to challenge conventional wisdom using data. “I spend a lot of time looking at numbers, what I call the view from 33,000 feet. ... And there are certain kinds of questions where you have to land the plane, get out and walk around and talk to people.”
    Dr. Kenneth Hudson, an associate professor of sociology and social work at South, studies the dual labor market, income inequality and their implications for society. ...
  • University of South Alabama doctoral student Kim Pusey says her work in areas of social justice has been fueled by her own upbringing and observations of race and the criminal justice system. “Part of my work, part of the research I do, is in service of trying to make things better for little black and brown kids,” she said.
    Kim Pusey chose South for graduate school because of an opportunity to work with at-risk youths. She now plans for it to be her career. ...
  • Former Congressman Jo Bonner, seen here walking into the Administration Building, brings political experience and a personal touch to his role as the fourth president of the University of South Alabama.
    The former congressman brings political experience and a personal touch to his role as the fourth president of the University of South Alabama. ...
  • Dr. Michael Chambers, USA associate vice president of research, has been named to the Alabama Innovation Commission board. The Commission was created in 2020 to develop forward-thinking policy recommendations and ideas to create a more robust, inclusive economy that supports entrepreneurship, innovation and technology.
    The Commission's goal is to develop forward-thinking policy recommendations and ideas to create a more robust, inclusive economy. ...
  • Dr. Christine Ruey Shan Lee traces a figure-eight knot with light outside the Mathematical Sciences and Physics Building at the University of South Alabama. Her research in quantum topology earned a grant from the National Science Foundation.
    Dr. Christine Ruey Shan Lee is using a grant from the National Science Foundation to continue her research in knot theory. She also works with middle school students in the Girls Who Code organization. ...
  • Dr. Jason Strickland, an assistant professor of biology at the University of South Alabama, and senior India Hughes helped identify two new snake species — the Tricolor Snailsucker and the Poppyfield Snailsucker — by sequencing snake DNA.
    A South researcher and his undergraduate research assistant, along with a team of researchers in Mexico, identify two unique snail-sucking species. ...
  • Statue of Aristotle.
    Fellowships from Harvard University Press and the Institute for Advanced Study help Dr. Samuel Baker spend a sabbatical writing a book about truth in the ethics of Aristotle. ...
  • Dr. Sean Powers, professor and director of the School of Marine and Environmental Sciences, walks the halls of the school's renovated 20,000-square-foot facility. “We have an international reputation. We want to bring new students to South,” he said.
    New academic and research programs are expected to follow as South increases opportunities for students and faculty. ...
  • Dr. Brandi Kiel Reese has been named an early-career fellow by the Gulf Research Program of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. The fellowship comes with a $76,000 award that Kiel Reese plans to use to support graduate students and provide paid internships for undergraduates.
    Dr. Brandi Kiel Reese becomes the second South faculty member honored by the Gulf Research Program in as many years. ...
  • "The illustration depicts the outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) produced by pathogenic bacteria ("yellow balls”) coming into contact with the plant cell. In his study, Dr. Tuan M. Tran found that OMV insertion into the plant plasma membrane is dependent on membrane nanodomains (regions highly enriched of sterol and phospholipids). This OMV insertion could alter the dynamics of the plasma membrane and also prime plants for better immune defense responses upon infection by pathogens."
    South's Dr. Tuan Minh Tran is the lead author of an article published in the prestigious scientific journal, The Plant Cell. ...
  • South and USA Health raised $26,147,447 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2021, the largest total in its 58-year history. This record comes on the heels of the nearly $161 million raised during the University's 5-year Upward & Onward fundraising campaign.
    Nearly 4,500 donors help achieve a one-year fundraising record and supporting a wide range of USA and USA Health's missions. ...
  • University of South Alabama Professor Dr. Joseph Currier, seated at Covenant Presbyterian Church in Mobile, where is is a member, said he has felt drawn by his belief in God to psychology, theology and mental health counseling. He is leading a national project that seeks to integrate religious and spiritual competencies in training mental healthcare providers.
    Dr. Joseph Currier, a psychology professor at South, is leading a national project to integrate religious and spiritual competencies into mental healthcare training. ...
  • Saltwater flooding in a busy intersection in Oahu, HI is the result of sea level rise causing higher tides that back up the stormwater system. This type of flooding is known as "high tide flooding," "sunny day flooding," or "nuisance flooding." It's an example of how sea-level rise is affecting everyday life in coastal regions.
    South is part of a research group looking to develop more resilient coastal infrastructure and enhanced coastal ecosystems. ...
  • Hedberg Wins National Award in Research Administration
    USA's Executive Director in the Office of Sponsored Projects Administration recognized for her contributions in the research community. ...
  • An underwater camera on a remote operated vehicle in the Gulf of Mexico captured this school of greater amberjack near a pyramid deployed by the State of Alabama to provide fish habitat.
    South leads a 'Dream Team' of Gulf Coast researchers in an $11.7 million greater amberjack study that could have significant implications for commercial and recreational fishing. ...
  • Dr. John Lehrter, associate professor of marine science, pilots a boat through Mobile Bay, where he and graduate Chris Mikolaitis took water samples to measure the health of its marine ecosystem.
    South marine scientists monitor environmental trends throughout Mobile Bay in a multi-year program that seeks to prevent decline of oysters, blue crabs and spotted sea trout. ...
  • University of South Alabama students, from left, Liz Seiler, Ian Singley and De’Asia Aaron each earned a Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship.
    Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships offer South students an introduction to academic analysis and communication. There's also a $2,000 stipend. ...
  • Mike Fletcher and Amber Simpson, a pair of Mobile County public school science teachers, do lab work during a six-week summer program for high school educators at the University of South Alabama.
    South welcomes local science educators to a summer research experience program for middle and high school teachers. ...
  • Dr. Jeremiah Henning, assistant professor of biology, will study how nutrient addition and disturbance events such as hurricanes alter plant communities and how ecosystems function. The research could have important implications for coastal areas, such as Dauphin Island, where Henning will conduct some of his research.
    Fertilizer may increase plant size or make your grass greener this summer, but possibly at the cost of biological diversity, according to a study co-authored by a South professor. ...
  • David Furman, Director of Information Security & Risk Compliance at the University of South Alabama, was selected by a committee of Research Administrator peers, after the program received well over 100 nominations from around the globe.
    USA's David Furman was selected to Society of Research Administrators International's 'Future of the Field' recognition program. ...