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Research News Archive

  • Dr. Michael Chambers, USA associate vice president of research, has been named to the Alabama Innovation Commission board. The Commission was created in 2020 to develop forward-thinking policy recommendations and ideas to create a more robust, inclusive economy that supports entrepreneurship, innovation and technology.

    USA's Chambers Named to Alabama Innovation Corporation Board
    December 15, 2021

    The Commission's goal is to develop forward-thinking policy recommendations and ideas to create a more robust, inclusive economy. ...
  • Dr. Christine Ruey Shan Lee traces a figure-eight knot with light outside the Mathematical Sciences and Physics Building at the University of South Alabama. Her research in quantum topology earned a grant from the National Science Foundation.

    Tied Up In Knots
    December 7, 2021

    Dr. Christine Ruey Shan Lee is using a grant from the National Science Foundation to continue her research in knot theory. She also works with middle school students in the Girls Who Code organization. ...
  • Dr. Jason Strickland, an assistant professor of biology at the University of South Alabama, and senior India Hughes helped identify two new snake species — the Tricolor Snailsucker and the Poppyfield Snailsucker — by sequencing snake DNA.

    Long Known to Snails, New Snake Species ID'd
    December 7, 2021

    A South researcher and his undergraduate research assistant, along with a team of researchers in Mexico, identify two unique snail-sucking species. ...
  • Statue of Aristotle.

    A World of Good
    December 7, 2021

    Fellowships from Harvard University Press and the Institute for Advanced Study help Dr. Samuel Baker spend a sabbatical writing a book about truth in the ethics of Aristotle. ...
  • Dr. Sean Powers, professor and director of the School of Marine and Environmental Sciences, walks the halls of the school's renovated 20,000-square-foot facility. “We have an international reputation. We want to bring new students to South,” he said.

    School of Marine and Environmental Sciences Dedicated
    December 2, 2021

    New academic and research programs are expected to follow as South increases opportunities for students and faculty. ...
  • Dr. Brandi Kiel Reese has been named an early-career fellow by the Gulf Research Program of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. The fellowship comes with a $76,000 award that Kiel Reese plans to use to support graduate students and provide paid internships for undergraduates.

    USA Associate Professor Named Gulf Research Program Fellow
    November 17, 2021

    Dr. Brandi Kiel Reese becomes the second South faculty member honored by the Gulf Research Program in as many years. ...
  • "The illustration depicts the outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) produced by pathogenic bacteria ("yellow balls”) coming into contact with the plant cell. In his study, Dr. Tuan M. Tran found that OMV insertion into the plant plasma membrane is dependent on membrane nanodomains (regions highly enriched of sterol and phospholipids). This OMV insertion could alter the dynamics of the plasma membrane and also prime plants for better immune defense responses upon infection by pathogens."

    Plant Health Research
    November 15, 2021

    South's Dr. Tuan Minh Tran is the lead author of an article published in the prestigious scientific journal, The Plant Cell. ...
  • South and USA Health raised $26,147,447 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2021, the largest total in its 58-year history. This record comes on the heels of the nearly $161 million raised during the University's 5-year Upward & Onward fundraising campaign.

    USA Celebrates Record Fundraising Year
    November 1, 2021

    Nearly 4,500 donors help achieve a one-year fundraising record and supporting a wide range of USA and USA Health's missions. ...
  • University of South Alabama Professor Dr. Joseph Currier, seated at Covenant Presbyterian Church in Mobile, where is is a member, said he has felt drawn by his belief in God to psychology, theology and mental health counseling. He is leading a national project that seeks to integrate religious and spiritual competencies in training mental healthcare providers.

    Faith in Counseling
    October 28, 2021

    Dr. Joseph Currier, a psychology professor at South, is leading a national project to integrate religious and spiritual competencies into mental healthcare training. ...
  • Saltwater flooding in a busy intersection in Oahu, HI is the result of sea level rise causing higher tides that back up the stormwater system. This type of flooding is known as "high tide flooding," "sunny day flooding," or "nuisance flooding." It's an example of how sea-level rise is affecting everyday life in coastal regions.

    Studying Sea-Level Rise
    October 6, 2021

    South is part of a research group looking to develop more resilient coastal infrastructure and enhanced coastal ecosystems. ...
  • Hedberg Wins National Award in Research Administration

    Hedberg Wins National Award in Research Administration
    September 22, 2021

    USA's Executive Director in the Office of Sponsored Projects Administration recognized for her contributions in the research community. ...
  • An underwater camera on a remote operated vehicle in the Gulf of Mexico captured this school of greater amberjack near a pyramid deployed by the State of Alabama to provide fish habitat.

    Tracking Amberjack
    August 25, 2021

    South leads a 'Dream Team' of Gulf Coast researchers in an $11.7 million greater amberjack study that could have significant implications for commercial and recreational fishing. ...
  • Dr. John Lehrter, associate professor of marine science, pilots a boat through Mobile Bay, where he and graduate Chris Mikolaitis took water samples to measure the health of its marine ecosystem.

    Bay Watch
    July 29, 2021

    South marine scientists monitor environmental trends throughout Mobile Bay in a multi-year program that seeks to prevent decline of oysters, blue crabs and spotted sea trout. ...
  • University of South Alabama students, from left, Liz Seiler, Ian Singley and De’Asia Aaron each earned a Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship.

    SURF Students Get Feet Wet
    July 28, 2021

    Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships offer South students an introduction to academic analysis and communication. There's also a $2,000 stipend. ...
  • Mike Fletcher and Amber Simpson, a pair of Mobile County public school science teachers, do lab work during a six-week summer program for high school educators at the University of South Alabama.

    Back to the Lab
    July 28, 2021

    South welcomes local science educators to a summer research experience program for middle and high school teachers. ...
  • Dr. Jeremiah Henning, assistant professor of biology, will study how nutrient addition and disturbance events such as hurricanes alter plant communities and how ecosystems function. The research could have important implications for coastal areas, such as Dauphin Island, where Henning will conduct some of his research.

    Too Much of a Good Thing
    July 28, 2021

    Fertilizer may increase plant size or make your grass greener this summer, but possibly at the cost of biological diversity, according to a study co-authored by a South professor. ...
  • David Furman, Director of Information Security & Risk Compliance at the University of South Alabama, was selected by a committee of Research Administrator peers, after the program received well over 100 nominations from around the globe.

    A Rising Star In Research Administration
    July 9, 2021

    USA's David Furman was selected to Society of Research Administrators International's 'Future of the Field' recognition program. ...
  • Merritt McCall's duties with the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources include building, seeding and monitoring oyster beds in state waters. she recently earned her master's degree in marine science from the University of South Alabama.

    The World Is Her Oyster
    July 1, 2021

    Marine scientist Merritt McCall turns her experience at South and the Dauphin Island Sea Lab into a fisheries job with the state of Mississippi. #MyFirstJob ...
  • University of South Alabama Assistant Vice President for Research Dr. Matthew Reichert has received a Council on Research, Research Leadership Fellowship given by Association of Public and Land Grant Universities.

    Dr. Matthew Reichert Receives Research Leadership Fellowship
    June 22, 2021

    The fellowship will allow Reichert to work with other vice presidents for research at Universities around the country. ...
  • South assistant professor Matt Howard has been researching the use of virtual reality in workplace training since he was in grad school. He has two soon-to-be published articles he believes will have a significant impact in that space.

    A New Working Reality
    May 21, 2021

    University of South Alabama assistant professor Dr. Matt Howard is researching the use of virtual reality in workplace training. ...
  • Dr. Lorraine Ahearn, an assistant professor of multimedia journalism at the University of South Alabama, holds a boom microphone for her interview with a Bayou Le Batre resident who moved there from Vietnam as a child. Ahearn is producing a documentary about the Vietnamese fishing community on the Alabama Gulf Coast. The videographer on many of her interviews is Francisco Cordova, right, a December graduate from the digital cinema and television program.

    'Safe Harbor' on the Gulf Coast
    April 29, 2021

    A documentary produced by Assistant Professor Dr. Lorraine Ahearn will focus on a tight-knit Vietnamese fishing community that has grown up along the Alabama coast. ...
  • Dr. Natalie Gassman, an assistant professor of physiology and cell biology at the University of South Alabama, and graduate student Arlet Hernandez left, are conducting experiments and continuing research on the harmful effects of dihydroxyacetone, a molecule produced by electronic cigarettes, at the USA Health Mitchell Cancer Institute.

    'A Flamethrower of Chemicals'
    April 26, 2021

    Vaping remains popular among those seeking to quit tobacco smoking and young people enticed by flavors from watermelon to creme brulee. Dr. Natalie Gassman's research suggests dangers that are decidedly less sweet. ...
  • The research of Dr. Mohamed Shaban, assistant professor of electrical engineering at the University of South Alabama, focuses on using brain waves — shown here in this photo illustration — to reveal cognitive impairment as a result of Parkinson's Disease.

    Deep Learning Opens New Possibilities in Parkinson's Treatment
    March 26, 2021

    Computer-assisted analysis focusing on brain waves could help physicians detect and manage cognitive impairment in the early stages of the disease. ...
  • USA Led Initiative Lands $4.85 Million Grant

    USA Led Initiative Lands $4.85 Million Grant
    March 22, 2021

    Funding will be used to establish a technical assistance and training programs for innovative wastewater treatment solutions. ...
  • University of South Alabama assistant professor of chemistry Dr. T. Grant Glover is part of a collaborative effort with researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, the University of Chicago and General Electric to design and develop a portable device that produces drinking water out of thin air.

    Making Drinking Water Out of Thin Air
    March 18, 2021

    USA engineering professor Grant Glover is part of a groundbreaking research project to address global water scarcity. The result could open new water sources to everyone from overseas troops to residents of the world’s driest lands. ...