University of South Carolina
September 20, 2012
uscTIMES
A publication for faculty, staff and friends of the university
USC Times
Stories, snippets & scenes from the
University of South Carolina. Aiken
Aik
en /
Beaufort
Beau
fort /
Columbia
Colum b
Lancaster
i a / L a n ca s t e r /
Sa l
Salkehatchie
e tc h i a h e k
on
Sumter
/ S um
the inside
Union
Unio ter /
n / Upstat e
Upstate
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Getting to the heart of it BY LIZ
Lasers, radar, synthetic insulin, blood thinners, computers, rocket fuel: For more than 50 years, university research has propelled the United States to the forefront of technology. Considering the myriad challenges we face as a nation — from an aging population to mounting environmental threats and the search for new fuels to power ourselves sustainably into the future — research and development of new technologies is more critical than ever. Despite drastic reductions in federal grants that fund 70 percent of research at universities across the country, USC researchers stand out as strong national competitors, garnering more than $200 million in external funding each of the past six years. But the important work of our faculty and student researchers has value beyond the financial bottom line. We can all take pride in USC’s distinguished position as the state’s only university to receive the Carnegie Foundation’s top ranking as an institution with very high research activity. And, with our nationally renowned research centers answering the call for innovative solutions in key areas like health sciences, advanced materials, energy, environment and sustainability, we can take even more Gamecock pride in knowing that research at USC is helping to secure a better quality of life and a brighter future for all. — Prakash Nagarkatti vice president for research
MCCARTHY
P
ayal Shah’s research isn’t conducted in a lab or by looking at statis-
much more than one could possibly give back.” That experience gave Shah more insight into the
tics. For two years, Shah lived her
data she studied. It gave her the ability to understand
research — eating, sleeping, talking
the nuances of why and how, she said.
and studying alongside her young subjects in rural India. Shah, an assistant professor in
the College of Education, has spent
significant time in India over the past 10 years to better understand problems facing young
“You can make a lot more sense of the problems that rural, marginalized girls experience when you see how they live,” she said. “Girls’ voices are largely absent from academic and policy debates. The experiences of the girls are important and can help us understand what’s happening on the ground.”
girls and their education. She wanted
Shah made it a point to include local,
to understand how education can
state and national lawmakers in her
empower girls there and how edu-
work, keeping them up-to-date so
cation impacts social issues in the
that the data could have a realworld application.
country.
“I’d like my research to have
“I look at the ways in which
multiple impacts. So of course, the
the formal education system in
academic component is very im-
India can or cannot promote a
portant to me, but my professional
greater orientation toward over-
engagement with India started in
all gender equality. In particular, I look at programs that explicitly try to promote girls’ empowerment and try to understand how the girls internalize these programs by listening to their experiences,” she said. Living in the rural village — with no consistent electricity or running water — was challenging, Shah said, but it allowed her to experience the difficulties
2003 working with these populations firsthand,” she said. “I want my research to be helpful as policymakers think about developing policy. ” This research could have a broader impact beyond India’s borders, Shah said. “I think it’s just as important for us to know how marginalized girls in India are living as we know how
facing the girls. “It was one of the most impactful experiences in
children in the inner city and rural America are living,”
my life because I developed deep, real relationships
she said. “If we truly want to understand what these
with the girls and the teachers,” she said. “They really
problems look like and come up with locally appropri-
welcomed me into their world. I learned much more
ate solutions, the more examples we have the better
from them than one can imagine, and I took away
equipped we will be to address these issues.”
!
This is the last issue of USC Times this year. The next issue comes out in January, and with it, several important changes. Times will have a new look and feel, and the way you get it will change. Instead of arriving in your mailbox every two weeks, Times will be available once per month in 25 newspaper racks around campus. If you have any questions about USC Times, contact Liz McCarthy, 803-777-2848, lizmccarthy@sc.edu. Thanks for reading!
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University of south carolina
Managing change Sponsored Awards Management office supports USC’s growing research enterprise About the only thing
the designation of
that’s remained the
being the state’s
same in the Office of
only institution
Sponsored Awards Man-
with the highest
agement during the past
Carnegie research
20 years is the size of
designation. Most of the uni-
the staff.
versity’s sponsored
Everything else about
federal research
posals, the complexity of federal regulations and the monetary total of research awards — has
1155
of research grant pro-
1993 | 2013 proposals submitted
$220.2
enterprise — the number
$60.7
awards come from
1710
the university’s research
1993 | 2013 millions awarded
agencies such as the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health and the
increased dramatically.
Department of
Fortunately, technology
Defense. With those
has eased the crunch of managing all of that.
federal dollars have come myriad regulations. “Bio safety, use of human subjects and
“The days are long gone when we would
Looking under the hood
B
BY STEVEN POWELL
rain research today is in the midst of a revolution, and Chris Rorden is one of its leaders. “I think of Galileo and what
he was able to do with a new tool, the telescope,” says Rorden, the SmartState Chair in Neuroimaging Research. “In just
a few days of observation, he was able to discover moons orbiting another planet, Jupiter. He opened up new worlds in science.”
be assisting faculty as they ran all over cam-
animal models in research studies are subject
pus getting signatures on research proposals,
to a lot of oversight,” said Coggins, who joined
then overnighting the paperwork to a fund-
the university’s research management office
three-step process: observe mental problems,
ing agency,” said Tommy Coggins, director of
in 1980. “In the past couple of years, our office
wait for the patient’s death and then try to piece
SAM and the Office of Research Compliance.
has seen another complex layer of regulations
together what happened after autopsy. But like
“Everything is digital now, and that — along
on conflict of interest added to the mix of
Galileo, modern-day neuroscientists have new tools
with working smarter — is how our staff has
research compliance activities.”
that let them see much more than before.
The university’s quest to increase its
been able to keep up with the bigger volume
Historically, studying brain damage was a grim
“Looking at the brain is very exciting right now,”
research funding has been largely successful
says Rorden. “We have a lot of new technologies,
In the past few years, USC faculty have
in the past two decades, in spite of often flat
and one of the most powerful is magnetic reso-
been submitting about 1,800 research propos-
or decreased funding at large agencies. But
nance imaging (MRI).”
als per year, with total sponsored project fund-
competition from other universities across the
MRI scans give scientists detailed structural
ing exceeding $220 million the past two years.
country grows keener every year, Coggins said.
information about the brain. The scans can be used
That productivity has earned the university
— Chris Horn
to watch blood flow in response to actions and
of work associated with USC’s research.”
thoughts, a technique called functional MRI. In collaboration with Palmetto Health Richland Hospital,
In the seven years since its creation, USC’s Magellan Scholars program has become an eclectic stew of novel research involving undergraduate students from across the system. Bolstered by faculty mentors, the competitive grant program allows students to explore their passions while gaining valuable early insight into what it means to be a researcher.
$2.35 Student scholars
Faculty mentors
million
Total grant dollars Magellan Scholars come from a wide array of disciplines 8% Arts 10% Humanities 6% Business 26% Social Science 36% Science 14% Engineering
109 Scholars from non-Columbia campuses
the university has placed one of the most powerful MRI instruments available in the McCausland Center for Brain Imaging. Rorden is co-director of the university facility located in the hospital. He works closely with clinicians to understand stroke damage and develop new therapies. “There’s a group of research scientists and clinicians here at the University of South Carolina looking at the chronic effects of a stroke, six months to a year later,” says Rorden. “In this area, we’re definitely world leaders.” Apart from his specific areas of research, Rorden is a jack-of-all-trades in MRI research. “I started my career when MRI scanners were really rare,” says Rorden. “I spent a lot of time talking to MRI physicists to get useful data on those early devices, so I tend to have good insight into what goes on underneath the hood.” That insight is highly sought after, says Scott Vendemia, the coordinating manager for the center. “He has publications in his specific area of research, but he also makes contributions all over the field,” Vedemia says. “He brings to the table something that maybe five other people in the world can, which is why he’s so valuable to everybody who works with him.”
USC Times 11/18/2013
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S ystemwide The Office of Research seeks to support faculty excellence in research, creative activities and other scholarly pursuits so the office established the featured scholars initiative to recognize USC’s outstanding faculty from across the university’s diverse schools, colleges and campuses. Here are a few Carolinians from across the system conducting groundbreaking research in their fields.
USC Beaufort
Kasia Pawelek, an assistant professor of mathematics at USC Beaufort, is leading a research team that is collaborating with Beaufort County Mosquito Control on a study intended to help curtail the spread of West Nile virus by developing optimum methods of controlling the population of mosquitoes that carry the disease. Pawelek’s research focuses on developing mathematical models to study the spread of diseases caused by West Nile, influenza and other viruses.
USC Aiken
Spring-Serenity Duvall, an assistant professor of communications at USC Aiken, is rapidly developing a reputation as an authority on mass media representations of national and international issues. This year Duvall received a RISE research grant for a project on U.S. media portrayal of celebrity activism after the Haiti earthquake in 2010.
USC Upstate
USC Lancaster
Sarah Hunt Sellhorst, an assistant professor of exercise science at USC Lancaster, is a highly popular professor with her students. This year she was voted Outstanding Professor of the Year by students. But Sellhorst is also an active scholar with numerous articles in publications like the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. She also serves as director of the Gregory Health & Wellness Center and vice chair of the Faculty Organization at USCL.
USC Sumter
Park Bucker, a professor of English at USC Sumter, has published books on F. Scott Fitzgerald, Thomas Wolfe and Joseph Heller. He is currently working on a book-length descriptive bibliography of the American humorist Dorothy Parker. Bucker is also an active stage director and actor. He has performed in more than 15 plays at USC Columbia and played the Duke of Cornwall in “King Lear” this year.
D
USC Salkehatchie
Eran Kilpatrick, an associate professor of biology, has increased the output of biological research from USC Salkehatchie. He has mentored undergraduate researchers on campus, leading to the campus’ first Magellan Scholars Award. With the help of his undergraduate students, Kilpatrick initiated a biological research program centered in the Salkehatchie region and has added to the understanding of reptile and amphibian ecology in the Salkehatchie watershed.
Samantha Hauptman, an assistant professor of criminal justice at USC Upstate, recently published a book about the U.S. response to 9/11. The book, “The Criminalization of Immigration: The Post 9/11 Moral Panic,” shows that the attacks left the U.S. government scrambling to find an appropriate response to terrorism. The ensuing “war on terror” stance brought sweeping new federal regulations and changes in immigration policy.
Building communities for health eeonna Farr was on her
BY HANNAH SPICHER
in minority communities. “One of the advantages of USC is that we have a high
way to becoming a
participation of African-Americans in our research and
medical doctor when
a large network of researchers and community part-
she traveled to Ecuador to work
ners to help us better understand how to address the
with a community
problem of cancer,” says Brandt, who is also a faculty
clinician. What
member at USC’s Cancer Prevention and Control Program. Farr’s grant builds on the successes of a larger
she saw there
NIH project at USC.
changed her mind.
“The grant encompasses faculty researchers from sev-
She still wanted
eral departments affiliated with the Cancer Prevention and
to help people, but she thought her talents
and skills were better spent focused on improving health and wellness for whole communities rather than curing an individual’s illness. “Public health works to build bridges between what’s discovered and
Control Program and includes community organizations as part of the research team,” Brandt says. This is crucial to building trust among participants. “When commu-
what’s delivered in a culturally appropriate and efficient way,” says Farr, a
nity organizations
doctoral student in health promotion, education and behavior. “By nature,
have a partner-
it’s an interdisciplinary science.”
ship and a place at
Farr worked as a project manager at the Stroke Disparities Project and
the table from the
earned degrees from Cornell and George Washington universities before
beginning, we’re
coming to USC in 2012 as a Presidential Fellow, through a program created by
more likely to have an
the Graduate School to foster promising graduate scholars.
impact,” Farr says.
Inspired by the energy and sense of community at USC, Farr quickly got
“Public health is broader than what happens at a
And Farr’s study has no shortage
doctor's office”
to work, mentoring two undergraduate students and drafting a successful
of involvement from across disciplines
National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant during her first semester at USC.
and from local partners. Health promotion, epidemiology, psychology and
The grant provides two years of funding so Farr can look at factors that influence cancer research participation by African-Americans. Working along-
nursing are all helping with the project. “Public health is broader than what happens at a doctor’s office,” Farr
side Heather Brandt, an associate professor, Farr will examine individual and
says. “We’re working with communities to first find out what the needs are,
structural factors that lead to increased rates of chronic diseases, like cancer,
then to build solutions based on that.”
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University of south carolina
Breakthroughs in leadership
The Office of Research's Breakthrough Leadership in Research Award honors faculty whose interdisciplinary collaboration, mentoring and other efforts demonstrate the highest caliber of academic leadership. The eight inaugural winners share their thoughts on what they do and why they do it. “I made a conscious decision several years ago to invest time, effort and interest in the research development of other faculty, while maintaining my own scientific program and have never regretted doing so.”
“We are here to generate new knowledge and to teach. Ideally, the two activities should be one. Teaching and research become one when we mentor students in the laboratory.” - Lucia Pirisi-Creek, Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology
“There is little that is more gratifying to senior faculty than to help young people navigate the complexities and challenges of becoming a scientist and an academic. It is at the root of what I consider to be the most important role that I have.”
“A big emphasis of mine in recent years has been mentoring junior faculty and graduate students. I feel that I owe that. It’s my responsibility to help these younger people because I didn’t have it when I came here, but I had it in spades when I was in grad school. I feel an obligation to pay forward what others gave to me.”
- Ron Prinz, Department of Psychology “Our graduate students are almost like consultants. Instead of having them do a thesis, I match them up with a client and they go out and solve a real-life problem.” - Simon Hudson, Center for Economic Excellence in Tourism
- Frank Berger, Department of Biological Sciences
- Michael Sutton, Department of Mechanical Engineering
“We accumulate treasures for the state’s citizens, for every future student, but we share them with everybody. These digitization projects are about public generosity, public goodwill. And I think that’s a big part of the leadership equation.” - Scott Gwara, Department of English and Comparative Literature, project leader in the effort to digitize and promote USC’s medieval manuscript collection
“I see myself as a leader, but I also see myself as a servant of the people, particularly people who are disenfranchised. That means not trying to do things for the people, not dictating ‘this is what needs to be done,’ but doing things with the people based on their community’s particular needs.”
Breakthrough magazine, the official publication of USC’s Office of Research, returns in December with a new look and a range of stories highlighting the latest research from around the Carolina community. The winter 2014 cover story explores assistant professor of pharmacology, physiology and neuroscience Susan Wood’s research on the link between depression and cardiovascular disease. Other stories focus on the research of social work professors Dana DeHart, Aidyn Iachini and Teri Browne, statistics professor Don Edwards and
S CIENCE CORNER Size matters
One of the thinnest membranes ever made is also highly discriminating when it comes to the molecules going through it. Assistant professor of chemical engineering Miao Yu led a team that used tiny flakes of graphene oxide to construct a “molecular sieve” just two or three atoms thick. It lets helium and hydrogen through easily, but not larger molecules like carbon dioxide. “Having membranes so thin is a big advantage in separation technology,” says Yu. He thinks the technology could be used to make filters that clean water tainted by fracking operations and is working with the university to develop the intellectual property.
- Albert Goodyear, S.C. Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology, lead investigator at the Topper archeological dig in Allendale County
- Gloria Boutte, Department of Instruction and Teacher Education
On the verge of a Breakthrough
undergraduate Casey Cole.
“The work at Topper has been years in the making, involving a lot of really wonderful people — from donors and volunteers to students, news media and several talented colleagues. I’m truly amazed at the number of dedicated people who have had a hand in our success.”
uscTIMES Vol. 24, No.18 Nov. 18, 2013 USC Times is published 20 times a year for the faculty and staff of the University of South Carolina by the Division of Communications.
The University of South Carolina does not discriminate in educational or employment opportunities or decisions for qualified persons on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetics, sexual orientation or veteran status.
Managing editor: Liz McCarthy Designer: Linda Dodge Contributors: Peggy Binette, Craig Brandhorst, Frenché Brewer, Glenn Hare, Thom Harman, Chris Horn, Page Ivey, Steven Powell, Megan Sexton and Jeff Stensland Photographers: Kim Truett To reach us: 803-777-2848 or lizmccarthy@sc.edu Campus correspondents: Patti McGrath, Aiken Candace Brasseur, Beaufort Shana Dry, Lancaster Jane Brewer, Salkehatchie Misty Hatfield, Sumter Tammy Whaley, Upstate Jay Darby, Palmetto College