stretching24

University of South Florida researchers deploy instruments to search for oil particles in the Gulf of Mexico. The video was shot during a six-day mission in late May aboard the R/V Weatherbird II.

TAMPA, Fla. (Apr. 4, 2013) -- With plenty of news reports talking about giant mosquitos invading Florida, Deby Cassill, a biologist at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg, said it's just a matter of time before the "gallinipper" or flying, "hairy legged-zebra" take the stage.

The American Giant Mosquito or Psorophora ciliata are known as floodwater mosquitoes because they lay their eggs in low-lying areas with damp soil and grassy overgrowth. When these areas flood following a dry period, large numbers of adult mosquitoes will hatch.

They have been around for centuries and are notorious for inflicting a painful bite. It is only the females are aggressive and they can attack all day and night, in contrast to the typical dusk and dawn flights of smaller species of mosquitoes.

According to Cassill, the animal originates near the area of the Mississippi river delta and with heavy rains during previous tropical storms, migrated over to Florida.

"They've been called the hairy-legged zebra of the mosquito world and I think that they are not as big as a quarter. But their legs are long enough and their bodies are long enough to span a dime and in the mosquito world, that's a big animal, kind of like a dinosaur or a large vampire floating around and going after us," says Cassill.

TAMPA, Fla. - University of South Florida engineering professor Craig Lusk is working on a design concept for surfaces that adapt to the way things move. Lusk specializes in compliant mechanisms, which gain their motion from deflections of compliant members. Lusk has been working on the original design that he brought with him to USF and has secured funding from the National Science Foundation. Now, he has taken the concept to the next level designing numerous versions, shapes, and sizes of the surfaces.

The USF Alumni Association connects USF alumni with the university that they love. By bringing Bulls together, the association helps alumni share their pride, make an impact in the lives of others and protect the brand and integrity of USF System.

To learn more about how you can support the USF Alumni Association, contact Ron Sherman, Director of Development for the USF Alumni Association at rsherman@usf.edu

On Wednesday, Sept. 5, 2018, USF System President Judy Genshaft gave her 2018 Fall Address in the Oval Theatre of the Marshall Student Center.

Many residential students at the USF live in tight-knit academically-focused or interest-based Living and Learning Communities.

Dean Dwayne Smith, PhD, mentors and guides graduate and doctoral students in the College of Graduate Studies, providing leadership and helping them to complete their educational journey at the University of South Florida. Smith truly enjoys continuing studies and being in a position that allows him the opportunity to influence students and make a significant difference in their lives.

A therapeutic shoe engineered to improve stroke recovery is proving successful and expected to hit the market by the end of the year. Clinical trials have been completed on the U.S. patented and licensed iStride Device, formerly the Gait Enhancing Mobile Shoe (GEMS), with results just published in the Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation.

Tampa, Fla. (Oct. 3, 2014) - Since the grand re-opening in 2012, the USF Sun Dome has been jamming with musical acts, ranging from Sir Elton John to the Lumineers, providing a unique experience for fans and performers.

“The Sundome was built in 1980-1981, so from that standpoint it’s an older building,” said Trent Merritt, general manager of the Sun Dome. “Through the years the building started to show signs of age and the renovation that took place in 2011-2012 was much needed and has been amazingly well received.”

The 25-year old building received a rejuvenating overhaul, with almost every inch of the interior being replaced or updated. The unique nature of the venue offers a platform for creative expression of all types and an idea to document the performances has led to a special hidden characteristic that many don’t know about yet.

“There’s a lot of room to paint, it’s definitely the biggest canvas I’ve worked on, “ said painter Sam Newton, a graduate of USF’s College of the Arts. Newton was commissioned by Global Spectrum to paint a mural, backstage in the Sun Dome, to archive the performers visits. “People are surprised when they walk in,” through the dressing room hallway, said Newton. “It’s like a secret.”

According to Merritt, the project began with an idea to create something unique and memorable for performers visiting the Sun Dome. “The vision was how can we show our artistic expression as an arena, you think well its an arena, its cement and steel, its not art.” said Merritt.

The project was designed in collaboration with the USF community to incorporate students’ artwork, so the audition went out in 2012 to all USF art students. After commissioning Newtown for the job, the area became a canvas for elaborate artistic expression and celebration of music and events.

Since the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion, researchers and scientists with the University of South Florida's College of Marine Science have been tracking the movement of the massive spill in the Gulf of Mexico and assessing its impact on the environment. In this video, William T. Hogarth, the college's dean, provides an overview of the role of the college, some of the work that has been done and the connection to the Florida Institute of Oceanography. It's a team effort, the dean stresses, and a job that will continue for years as the region fights to recover from the spill.

Tampa, Fla. - Every Wednesday throughout the school year, the sidewalks outside Marshall Student Center are lined with tables offering all types of products and services. University of South Florida students and staff stroll and shop at Bull Market, an open-air market that has become a campus tradition.

Bull Market is a great way for students to learn more about USF; with representatives from almost all of the student organizations, students can browse through rows of beaded jewelry and learn about topics that may interest them on campus.

Submit your move-in day pictures to photos@usf.edu.

TAMPA, Fla. (Jan. 28, 2014) -- Researchers from the University of South Florida have located and excavated the remains of 55 people in a graveyard at the former Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys -- five more bodies than previous fieldwork had indicated might be there and 24 more burials than official records indicate should be there.




The team of more than 50 people from nine agencies is attempting to identify the remains, as well as any information on cause of death from those buried at the now closed reform school. Using cutting-edge scientific methods, DNA matches and advanced technology, scientists working on the nearly two-year-old project aim to identify the bodies buried at the school in Marianna, Florida, which has been the subject of repeated state and federal investigations and claims of brutality and child abuse during its 100 year history.




On Tuesday, researchers from USF updated the public on the status of the research. Associate Professor Erin Kimmerle, the project's leader, announced several key developments:



· The team recovered bones, teeth, and numerous artifacts in every one of the 55 burials. The excavation work began in September 2013 and continued through December 2013.



· Researchers will continue searching for additional unmarked burials on the school grounds, both in the areas adjacent to Boot Hill and in other areas of the school grounds. Over the next few months fieldwork will resume - including additional excavations, ground-penetrating radar analysis and the use of specially-trained K9 teams to locate burials.



· Analysis of the excavated remains is underway. Through this process, a summary report will be written for each body, including all of the information learned from skeletal and dental remains, artifacts, and burial context. Bone and tooth samples will be submitted to the University of North Texas Health Science Center for DNA testing.



· Researchers continue to work with UNT, the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs), and the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office to locate possible next of kin to collect reference samples for identification. At this point, 11 surviving families of former Dozier students have been located and the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office is in the process of collecting DNA samples from them. Researchers still hope to collect DNA from 42 more families.



A list of families for which the researchers are searching can be found here.


Anyone with information is asked to contact Hillsborough County Sheriff's Master Detective Greg Thomas at (813) 247-8678.



"Locating 55 burials is a significant finding, which opens up a whole new set of questions for our team," Kimmerle said. At this time, we know very little about the burials and the children in terms of who specifically was buried there, their ages or ancestry, as well as the timing and circumstances of their deaths.




"All of the analyses needed to answer these important questions are yet to be done. But it is our intention to and answer as many of these questions as possible," she added.



The Dozier project is funded by both the State of Florida and the National Institute of Justice.



"I am very pleased that we are playing a critical role in the forensic investigations at the former Dozier School," said Greg Ridgeway, the Acting Director of the National Institute of Justice. "The National Institute of Justice has paved the way to ever-more advanced and effective uses of forensics in solving crimes, and I am confident that the discoveries made by the USF team will not only bring resolution to these cases but will add to our knowledge about investigations of missing and unidentified persons in jurisdictions across the country."

MARIANNA, Fla. (Sept. 12, 2013) - Anthropology researchers from the University of South Florida returned to the panhandle town of Marianna to begin excavation work on the piece of land within the grounds of the shuttered Dozier School for Boys.

The team is following up on extensive historical research and investigative methods they've used, including GPR data analysis, allowing them to see below the surface.

"Over the past year and a half we did a lot of GPR and we did a lot of fieldwork where we dug trenches to confirm what we thought were grave shafts and look at the soil stratigraphy and confirm that that was in fact what we were interpreting the data to be. It was to some of those locations that we went back and began this work," said Associate professor of Forensic Anthropology Erin Kimmerle.

USF graduate students trained in archaeology and forensic anthropology worked tediously lifting, sifting, and carving the layers of soil to uncover the human remains.

TAMPA, Fla. (Sept. 20, 2012) -- The University of South Florida Herd of Thunder was playing, the beach balls were flying, the flip flops were flipping and Rocky was rocking a hula skirt and coconuts to welcome Sara Haines, the TODAY Show Fourth Hour correspondent, to USF.

Haines' visit was one of six she's in the process of making to the finalists in TODAY's College Challenge. This competition to find the school with the greatest creativity, originality and most school spirit is heating up as the schools put their best feet forward to impress viewers. USF's was the fourth visit on her list. The video clip is available here or visit http://video.today.msnbc.msn.com/toda....

The Charging Forward Workforce Videos feature recent USF grads thriving in the workforce.

More than 50 children died in hot cars in 2018, making it the deadliest year on record. Many of the cases involve parents who unknowingly left a child behind, often for an entire day. University of South Florida Psychology Professor David Diamond has studied this phenomenon for over a decade and has served as an expert witness on many high-profile cases. In his latest publication, he describes the psychological and neural basis of how responsible people make such fatal errors.

Event brought to you by
Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority, Incorporated-Beta Gamma Chapter,
Latin American Student Association,
and Lil' Muddies Fun Bunch

"Creativity for Education" was held at the Marshall Center room 2708 on November 12, 2010.
It was an afternoon dedicated to the arts.
Several students showcased their artwork.

All proceeds went to the Universal Woman Scholarship that is given to two freshmen ladies in the FSI/SSS programs.

USF System President Judy Genshaft delivers her fall address at the Oval Theatre at the Marshall Student Center in Tampa, FL.