CAS Chronicles
Stories
In the ground and on the line: Inside USF’s forensic anthropology “Buried Bodies” workshops
Two hours north of USF’s Tampa campus, USF‑FORT hosts the Florida Institute for Forensic Anthropology & Applied Science’s "Buried Bodies” workshops, where investigators learn to excavate real human remains in the Florida woods. It’s real‑world training that draws professionals from across the country, but now, with the land‑use agreement ending, the program that makes it possible faces an uncertain future.
January 29, 2026Community Engagement, Research
A foundation for the future: How the College of Arts and Sciences helped USF take shape
As USF celebrates 70 years since its founding, the College of Arts and Sciences is reflecting on the role it played in shaping USF’s past, present and future as one of the most research-intensive universities in the nation, a leader in innovation and a catalyst for prosperity across Tampa Bay and the state of Florida.
January 28, 2026Featured
USF’s fifth president continues to create positive change for university and college
Betty Castor, who served as USF’s first female president from 1994-99, has become deeply engrained in the university’s past identity and future momentum.
January 28, 2026Community Engagement
USF MFA candidate wins writing award and weeklong stay with distinguished poets
Kallie Blakelock, an MFA candidate in the Department of English, received the Garry Fleming Key West Writers’ Workshop Award, an honor that awarded her a weeklong trip to Key West for a writer’s workshop.
January 27, 2026Accomplishments
Bellini’s new joint program with CAS promises better programmers
Starting in the 2026-27 academic year, students will have the incredible opportunity to earn a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and Interdisciplinary Social Sciences from the Bellini College of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Computing.
January 27, 2026Community Engagement
Anthropology professor honored with national John Lewis Award
Antoinette Jackson has earned the John Lewis Award for advancing history through community partnerships and public engagement.
January 27, 2026Accomplishments, Community Engagement
CAS alumna celebrates more than 60 years of impact at USF
Liana Fernandez Fox, a fourth generation Tampanian, professor emeritus and proud College of Arts and Sciences alumnus, has permanently shaped USF’s past, present and future.
January 27, 2026Alumni
Responsibility and resilience: Reflections from the cloud forests of Guatemala
Jamie Sommer traveled to Guatemala to speak with the Mayan women of San Juan Chamelco who are fighting to maintain their cultural heritage in the face of industrial agriculture, deforestation and rising temperatures that are disturbing the cloud forest with torrential rains and droughts, devastating traditional crops.
January 21, 2026Research
Bellini College partnership to offer three interdisciplinary computing majors (ICM) for 2026
Beginning Fall 2026, USF’s Bellini College will launch three interdisciplinary computing majors that blend computer science and AI with social sciences, business and criminology. Designed through cross-college partnerships, the programs prepare students for technology-driven careers by integrating technical skills with human, strategic and ethical perspectives. Registration opens March 30.
January 20, 2026Community Engagement
Rare, giant millipedes unearthed in graduate student's conservation research
Hidden beneath Central Florida’s sandy soils lives the Florida scrub millipede, a species found nowhere else in the world. USF graduate student Anne Sawl’s research highlights the millipede’s vital role in maintaining the health of Florida’s scrub ecosystems.
January 15, 2026Research
Communication professor partners with CDC to shine light on hereditary breast cancer risk
Marleah Dean Kruzel draws on her personal experience with hereditary breast cancer to spotlight the unique needs of “previvors,” emphasizing the importance of support, storytelling, and improved genetic risk communication in her CDC-invited presentation.
January 13, 2026Accomplishments, Community Engagement, Events, Research
![The Office of Naval Research helped support new research that utilizes a remotely operated vehicle to study some of the most remote areas of the deep sea [Photo by Cliff McBride, University Communications and Marketing]](/arts-sciences/chronicles/images/2026/jan/herd-new-listing.jpg)
USF rises in new research rankings, outpacing many peer institutions in growth
With $522 million in research expenditures in fiscal year 2024, USF ranks No. 47 among the nation’s public universities – and a growth rate higher than 90% of members of the Association of American Universities.
January 13, 2026Research