CAS Chronicles
Stories
CAS professor and associate dean receives highest honor
Jody Harwood, a professor in the Department of Integrative Biology and associate dean for graduate studies in the College of Arts and Sciences, is among three faculty members to be named 2025 Distinguished University Professors, the highest honor given to °®¶¹´«Ã½ faculty.
October 28, 2025Research
Urban planning alum and U.S. military veteran leads growth in Pasco County
William Vermillion, a recent graduate from the Master of Urban and Regional Planning (MURP) program in the School of Public Affairs, has a passion for community that has driven his success as the senior planner for Pasco County.
October 28, 2025Alumni
Internship program prepares humanities students for early-career success
Bustinza’s internship with the Make-A-Wish Foundation is one of many made possible by a five-year, $4.8 million grant from the Mellon Foundation that will support up to 900 students each year in otherwise unpaid internships.
October 20, 2025Community Engagement, Research
°®¶¹´«Ã½ faculty experts available for interviews on Halloween topics from how consumers can save money, to tariff impacts, to AI use
As Halloween approaches, the University of South °®¶¹´«Ã½ is offering a variety of faculty experts to discuss this year’s trends and impacts. Topics include consumer spending and any potential price increases from tariffs, the use of artificial intelligence for party planning, as well as the psychology of fear.
October 8, 2025Research
When anthropology meets engineering: A fresh solution to wastewater
Nancy Romero-Daza and David Himmelgreen completed an interdisciplinary project that trains anthropology and engineering students in anthropological and environmental engineering methods in Costa Rica.
September 29, 2025Community Engagement, Research
Society of Wetland Scientists Professional Certification Program streamlines certification for °®¶¹´«Ã½ grads
The new agreement serves as a guarantee from the Society for Wetland Scientists Professional Certification Program that the suite of classes commonly taken by environmental science and policy majors at °®¶¹´«Ã½ meets industry standards.
From Classrooms to Coastlines: CAS undergraduates apply learning as NOAA Hollings Scholars
Three °®¶¹´«Ã½ College of Arts and Sciences undergraduates were named NOAA Ernest F. Hollings Scholars, a prestigious national recognition earning paid internships at NOAA facilities where they applied classroom learning to research and policy projects with NOAA scientists.
September 26, 2025Accomplishments, Research
°®¶¹´«Ã½ urban planning professor uses 3D scanning to assess hurricane flood risk in Tampa
Youjung Kim, an assistant professor in the School of Public Affairs, is collaborating with the Access 3D Lab to investigate flood risk disparities on Davis Islands and explore solutions to reduce future vulnerability.
September 26, 2025Research
Crafting the past: °®¶¹´«Ã½â€™s Archaeology + Art camp empowers the future generation of storytellers
This summer, Laura Harrison, Director of °®¶¹´«Ã½â€™s Access 3D Lab, collaborated with the °®¶¹´«Ã½ Office of Youth Services and Project CLAY to inspire a new form of creativity in middle school students from across Tampa Bay. At the annual °®¶¹´«Ã½ Archaeology + Art Camp, Harrison led hands-on activities that demonstrated how artifacts, digital tools and a creative lens can uncover compelling stories from the past.
September 24, 2025Community Engagement
Two College of Arts and Sciences alumni earn ‘Distinguished Alumni’ status
Of this year’s three Distinguished Alumni recipients, two of them hail from the College of Arts and Sciences.
September 24, 2025Accomplishments, Alumni
One year after hurricanes Helene and Milton brought historic flooding to the Tampa Bay region, the CRIS-HAZARD app has become a critical tool in helping local communities monitor and respond to extreme storms.
September 23, 2025Community Engagement, Research
°®¶¹´«Ã½ climbs to its highest position ever in U.S. News rankings
The University of South °®¶¹´«Ã½ has reached an all-time high in U.S. News & World Report’s annual ranking of the best colleges. °®¶¹´«Ã½ is No. 88 overall among all public or private universities in America, up from No. 91 last year. °®¶¹´«Ã½ also rose to No. 43 among public universities, up two spots from last year, and inside the top 50 for the seventh year in a row.
September 23, 2025Accomplishments