CAS Chronicles
2026 Stories
Traveling the nation to understand it: A USF professor’s America250 milestone
USF professor Judithanne Scourfield McLauchlan marked America250 in a unique way: by standing in her 50th and final state. Her cross‑country milestone became a reflection on the founding ideals that continue to shape the nation.
July 3, 2026CAS News, Community Engagement
Not one of the original 13 colonies, how Florida helped shape the American Revolution
As the country marks 250 years of independence, USF St. Petersburg historian Erin Mauldin explains why Florida stayed loyal to Britain during the Revolution and how that loyalty still shaped the outcome of a global war.
June 29, 2026Community Engagement, Research & Innovation
Empowering future leaders: CAS students join GNSI’s inaugural D.C. experience
The GNSI DC Experience took CAS students beyond the classroom and into the heart of the nation’s capital. The insights — and connections — they brought home are shaping what comes next.
June 23, 2026Community Engagement, Honors & Awards, Students
USF Student Advances to Global Finals of Red Bull Basement Competition
USF cybersecurity and political science student Sahasra Upputuru placed among the top three competitors nationally and advanced to the Red Bull Basement World Final in San Francisco, pitching SafeStep Secure, an app she built to help protect people from scam calls and digital fraud.
June 23, 2026CAS News, Community Engagement, Honors & Awards, Students
USF students heading to the FIFA World Cup
From volunteering to scoring much-coveted tickets, USF students are finding ways to be part of the biggest sporting event in the world.
June 16, 2026Community Engagement
How eye movements and brain activity shape reading comprehension
Reading seems like a straightforward process, but it’s not always that simple. Readers regularly skip words, sometimes without realizing it. New research from USF shows how the brain processes those skipped words using peripheral vision, even as the eyes move past them.
June 15, 2026Research
Local ecosystem becomes living field laboratory for USF students
A four-phase, multi-year partnership between USF and Siesta Key Chapel combines student learning, environmental stewardship and community impact to restore a vital maritime hammock.
May 22, 2026Community Engagement
Building on Fulbright: Taylor Herman’s next chapter abroad
Political science major and Fulbright recipient Taylor Herman spent a year in Moldova teaching English and fostering a classroom grounded in open conversation and curiosity.
May 19, 2026Community Engagement
Memorial funds honor USF anthropologist Curtis Wienker, support student research
Created by his family, the funds support the biomedical anthropology program and establish the Curtis Wienker Viva Cuba Memorial Fund — each reflecting a distinct dimension of Wienker’s decades-long career as an educator, researcher and mentor.
May 13, 2026Community Engagement
'Strongest' issue yet: 'Saw Palm' celebrates 20 years of Florida literature and art
Managed and edited by students in USF’s creative writing MFA program, “Saw Palm” is both a literary journal with global reach and a hands-on learning laboratory that offers students direct experience with the publishing process — from soliciting submissions to evaluating and selecting work for publication.
May 12, 2026Community Engagement
Internship grant opens doors for humanities students
Arielle Kessler grew up hearing stories about her great-grandmother’s experiences in Nazi-occupied Europe. When the history major came across an opportunity to intern at the Florida Holocaust Museum, she saw it as a chance to honor the many millions of people who did not survive the genocide.
May 12, 2026Community Engagement, Students
With life sciences solutions in high demand, U.K.-Florida Innovation Corridor is thriving
Department of Molecular Biosciences Chair Marcus Cooke highlighted the importance of universities and research institutions in supporting life science companies, noting that strong academic partnerships create opportunities for commercialization, workforce development and scientific advancement.
May 12, 2026Community Engagement