CAS Chronicles
Stories
Largest clinical trial using brain training to reduce dementia receives $2.8 million in federal funding
An expansive clinical trial led by USF researchers and aimed at delaying the onset of dementia continues to receive major federal support for addressing a public health crisis.
March 25, 2026Research
Discovery of first St. Patrick’s Day leads to museum exhibition on the Irish in Florida
In 2018, USF St. Petersburg historian J. Michael Francis discovered the first celebration of St. Patrick took place not in New York City or Boston or even Ireland but in St. Augustine, Fla. Now, that discovery has led to a new museum exhibition that highlights the Irish diaspora in east Florida.
March 25, 2026Research
Unraveling the web of brown recluse myths in Florida
USF alum Louis Coticchio and Associate Professor Deby Cassill show the brown recluse spider shouldn’t be portrayed as a villain. Their newly published findings aim to change the narrative by debunking common myths.
March 9, 2026Research
USF helping to restore Tampa Bay’s oyster populations by 3D-printing habitats
Along the seawall of Bayboro Harbor, a group of USF students and professors recently installed 3D-printed habitats they hope will soon house oysters that can filter thousands of gallons of water per day and improve both water quality and ecosystem health.
March 9, 2026Research
USF ranks among top 20 public universities for new patents in 2025
Denis Karaiskaj, a professor in the Department of Physics, has created a silicon-based, solid-state, miniaturized atomic clock that is a smaller, cheaper and more energy efficient alternative to the chip-size atomic clock that is currently used in electronic navigation devices. Awarded a Foundation Bull Ring Ring Accelerator Grant in 2025, the device has applications for oil and gas exploration, space navigation, military GPS and high-end automotive and watch manufacturing.
February 25, 2026Research
Digitizing the past for the future: CAS collaboration helps protect the legacy of Black cemeteries
USF’s IDEx and the Black Cemetery Network are working with local leaders to map, digitize and protect Lake Maude Cemetery, ensuring long‑overlooked histories are accessible to descendants and researchers.
February 25, 2026Community Engagement, Featured, Research
Hurricanes thin Tampa's canopy, spurring interest in replanting
A new post-storm canopy assessment, led by College of Arts and Sciences researchers Shawn Landry and Rebecca Zarger, reveals that Tampa’s citywide tree canopy fell to 29.9% in 2025, down from 31.4% in 2024. The loss represents a 4.8% decline driven largely by storm damage, wiping out canopy gains achieved since 2021.
February 23, 2026Research
Endowed chemistry chair established to advance biomedical research, honor lasting legacy
The Department of Chemistry named Jianfeng Cai the inaugural Julie Harmon Endowed Chair in Chemistry, a move that not only recognizes Cai’s research and goals to advance biomedical innovation, but also honors the legacy of the late Julie Harmon, a pioneering polymer chemist who taught at USF for over 25 years.
February 20, 2026Accomplishments, Research
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
USF-engineered material uses sunlight to combat Florida's red tide
What if sunlight could help curb Florida’s red tide? USF researchers have engineered a reusable, light-activated material that slows harmful algae growth – offering a promising, environmentally safe approach to protecting coastal waters, public health and marine life.
January 28, 2026Research
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
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