HURRICANE RESPONSE REVEALS THE BEST IN A UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY
CREDITS
Innovations Magazine is written and produced by the USF St. Petersburg Communications & Marketing department.
Editor
Matthew Cimitile
Assistant
Art Direction, Design
Content Contributors
Tiffany
Dyllan
Paul
Audrey
Carrie
Carlyn
Sarah
Chris
Jess
Photography:
Cliff
Sarah
Carl
John
John
Student
Anabela
Dear friends and supporters,
As we reflect on the past year at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg, we see a story of resilience, discovery and community. Our campus faced the unique challenges of back-to-back hurricanes with strength and resolve, emerging not only intact but more connected than ever. This spirit of recovery has only strengthened our commitment to creating a vibrant, supportive learning environment for our students, faculty and staff.
In this year of new beginnings, our faculty have been at the forefront of ground-breaking research, bringing fresh insights into critical areas. In the field of human trafficking, they are shedding light on this abhorrent crime, advancing our understanding of prevention and treatment of victims. In marine biology, their work is driving innovation in the preservation of marine resources and ecosystems while contributing to the resiliency of our coastlines.
We also celebrate the remarkable achievements of our students, whose determination, curiosity and passion are shaping the future. Among these stories, you’ll read about a student who overcame the challenges of surviving brain cancer to earn his degree. Another shared how her relationship with her grandmother inspired her to pursue research in dementia in hopes of advancing care and understanding. Meanwhile, an entire class had the unique opportunity to step into the political arena through the Road to the White House program, gaining first-hand experience into the intricate workings of a presidential campaign.
These accomplishments are just a few examples of how our faculty and students continue to push boundaries and make a global impact from our waterfront campus in St. Petersburg.
Additionally, our community gained an adorable new member this year: Snowbird, our campus comfort dog. Snowbird has brought warmth and calm to our campus, providing invaluable support to our students, especially during times of stress. Snowbird’s presence reflects our commitment to mental health and the well-being of everyone on campus.
Thank you for your ongoing support, which makes all these achievements possible. I am excited to share this year’s Innovations Magazine with you—a testament to our campus’ resilience, spirit of exploration and dedication to making a positive difference in the world.
Warm regards,
Christian Hardigree
Regional Chancellor
University of South Florida St. Petersburg
USF PRESIDENT
Rhea Law
USF ST. PETERSBURG CAMPUS ADVISORY BOARD
Melissa Seixas, USF Trustee and Campus Board Chair
Lisa Brody
Scott Goyer
Reuben Pressman
Isaac McKinney
Debbie Nye Sembler
USF ST. PETERSBURG CAMPUS CABINET
Christian Hardigree, Regional Chancellor
Thomas Smith, Vice Provost for Academic Affairs and Campus Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences
Jacob Diaz, Regional Associate Vice Chancellor of Student Success and Dean of Students
Lauren Hartmann, Director of Government Relations
Patricia Helton, Regional Vice Chancellor of Student Success
Mai Jenney, Regional Assistant Vice Chancellor of Administration and Finance
Caryn Nesmith, Director of Community Relations
Carrie O’Brion, Regional Assistant Vice Chancellor of Marketing, Communications and Strategic Initiatives
E. Howard Rutherford, Associate Vice President of Development
Kevin Sheehy, Regional Vice Chancellor of Administration and Finance
Anna Thrombley, Human Resources Director
Aurélio Valente, Regional Assistant Vice Chancellor for Undergraduate Studies
Laura Zuppo, Regional Assistant Vice Chancellor of Student Success
For years, Sycamore Fields has held a special place in South Florida Bulls football lore. It’s where, in September 1996, the first practice was held, a full year before the inaugural game.
On November 8, 2024, that spot’s historic importance grew when ground was broken for the University of South Florida’s first on-campus stadium. Beginning in fall 2027, the approximately 35,000-seat facility will host home USF football and lacrosse games, additional sporting events, concerts and festivals. It might also host graduation ceremonies, intramurals, club sports and other academic initiatives.
“Our new stadium will have a major impact on the University of South Florida’s future, not only on the field, but in ways that extend well beyond athletics,” USF President Rhea Law said. “The stadium will greatly enhance the experience for our students and will provide a compelling reason for our alumni and future generations of Bulls fans to visit our campus.”
Highlights of the stadium’s design include an east-west build to help maximize shade for daytime events and shaded home stands on the south side. There will also be a dedicated section for 8,000 students in the west end, an open concourse around a majority of the stadium that provides views of the field even while fans walk to the concession and restroom areas, and a north lawn area ideal for tailgating.
“We are thrilled to bring a dynamic home-field advantage for our Bulls and an unparalleled fan experience for Bulls Nation and the Tampa Bay community -- one that captures the boldness, pride and passion that define the University of South Florida,” USF Vice President for Athletics Michael Kelly said.
Standing between a sandcastle rendition of the stadium and U.S. and USF flags hung by a crane, dignitaries dug the ceremonial first scoop of dirt while the USF Herd of Thunder Marching Band played. Gold and green streamers then shot from a cannon to celebrate the occasion.
“Three years ago, I said that Bulls Nation deserved to have a stadium, and our time has come to take this bold step forward,” USF Board of Trustees Chair Will Weatherford said. “It’s that commitment that we know is needed to take our Bulls to the next level. The best is yet to come.”
Throughout the crowd, those in attendance spoke of the football program’s other memorable moments. The team’s first home game, Sept. 6, 1997, took place more than a dozen miles from campus at Houlihan Stadium, also known as Tampa
Stadium and the Big Sombrero. It took the Bulls just over three minutes to score their first touchdown, en route to an 80-3 blowout over Kentucky Wesleyan in front of 49,212 fans.
The next season, the team moved across the street from Houlihan Stadium to the newly built Raymond James Stadium, which is best known as the home of the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Bulls have played home games there ever since.
The Bulls went on to win their first bowl game in 2006 and celebrate their first 10-win season in 2016. And in 2022, the team was provided with a state-theart 100-yard turf practice field inside the newly built 88,000-square-foot Porter Family Indoor Performance Facility, located next to the site of the future oncampus stadium on the east side of campus, within the USF Athletics District.
An on-campus stadium is the next step in the growth of the football program and all of USF.
Sarah Sell and Jess Van Varenbergh
When Cole Eicher graduated in the spring of 2024, he celebrated another milestone: ten years of being cancer-free.
In 2014, at the age of 12, Eicher was diagnosed with brain cancer. After weeks of experiencing migraines, dizziness, nausea and bouts of double vision, a golf-ball-sized tumor was discovered in the back of his brain. He needed immediate surgery.
“When I was diagnosed, I didn’t know kids could get cancer,” Eicher said. “There were a lot of unknowns going through my head. Would I even be able to make it to high school, let alone college?”
Days after Eicher’s diagnosis, a brain surgery operation was conducted successfully. It was followed by 30 rounds of radiation, then four months of chemotherapy and countless hours of physical therapy to regain motor skills from walking to putting on clothes. By October of that year, he was cancer-free.
Not only did he recover, but he is now a national advocate for children with cancer. He launching an effort that today is the American Cancer Society’s (ACS) official childhood cancer initiative that has raised more than $11 million.
Eicher’s story – shared many times over the years – inspired then-USF President Judy Genshaft on one such occasion to offer Eicher a full scholarship to attend USF. He chose the St. Petersburg campus for its welcoming atmosphere, community feel and small class sizes.
In May, he graduated magna cum laude with a marketing degree.
“My brain cancer operation took place at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, right next to campus,” he said. “My journey truly feels full circle.”
Eicher is one of many students who have used their experiences and talents to inspire and make a lasting impact. Whether hitting the campaign trail during a presidential election, building a marine research device from scratch or advocating for research related to memory loss, these students are making a difference in their community.
When 24 students traveled to South Carolina in February, they experienced firsthand what it was like to work on the campaign trail during a presidential election.
As part of the Road to the White House 2024 course taught by Political Science Professor Judithanne Scourfield McLauchlan, students participated in a 10-day internship working on the Republican presidential campaigns of Donald J. Trump and Nikki Haley, as well as Democratic state-wide campaigns leading up to the South Carolina primary on February 25. While there, students canvassed neighborhoods, worked phone banks and saw how campaigns were run during a critical juncture of the election cycle.
Olivia Borek, a junior majoring in English and political science in the Judy Genshaft Honors College, said she never imagined being deeply entrenched in the primary election.
“I was experiencing the surreal reality of being part of such a significant political event—an adventure that would leave a lasting impression on my life,” Borek said.
The Road to the White House internship is paired with a semester-long course about the history and politics of presidential campaigns and elections. The class, which launched during the 2004 presidential election, touches on the nominating process, national conventions, voter turnout, campaign finance, the Electoral College and more.
Students are now using what they learned being part of national and statewide campaigns to affect change locally.
Researchers have long known that fish reproduce in the Gulf of Mexico, but pinpointing the exact spawning locations of different species has remained a challenge. Now, a team at the USF College of Marine Science (CMS), led by graduate student Garrett Miller, may be on the brink of uncovering the answer, thanks to an unassuming yet powerful tool called the CUFES (pronounced “coofs”).
CUFES, which stands for Continuous Underway Fish Egg Sampler, is a compact device that uses long, flexible tubes to draw in seawater and gather crucial data on fish eggs. The original CUFES, created in 1993 to study fish spawning patterns in California, has played a key role in tracking fish spawning and managing fisheries worldwide. Four decades later, when researchers sought a new method to study spawning in the Gulf of Mexico, Christopher Stallings, a professor of biological oceanography at CMS, had an ambitious idea: why not build a CUFES from scratch?
Miller, a student in Stalling’s lab and an apprentice in the machine shop at CMS, was up to the challenge. With help from fellow CMS machinists and engineers, Miller used a variety of skills and tools to turn a rough sketch into a fully functioning device in just four months.
In late June, a crew took the CUFES on its maiden voyage across the entire West Florida Shelf aboard the Research Vessel Weatherbird II. The data collected will help to determine the timing and locations of spawning fish in the Gulf of Mexico using DNA from collected eggs.
As researchers continue their study, the CUFES will play a crucial role in unraveling the mysteries of fish spawning in the Gulf of Mexico.
Growing up, Dana Smith had a close relationship with her great-grandmother, a poet from Bulgaria. But Smith knew her mostly as a family member who had dementia.
“I only knew her when she was cognitively impaired, and that always stuck with me,” Smith said. “I believe it’s imperative to care for the ailments that this population faces, and it’s something I’m passionate about.”
That experience inspired Smith, as a USF student, to get involved in the Preventing Alzheimer’s with Cognitive Training (PACT) study. The PACT study examines whether computerized brain training exercises can reduce the risk of cognitive impairment and dementia, such as Alzheimer’s disease. It is led by Jennifer O’Brien, an associate professor of psychology.
Smith, a junior studying psychology and a member of the Judy Genshaft Honors College, is now conducting research at the lab, looking into how being a grandparent can positively impact subjective and objective cognition in later life.
In September, Smith was invited to speak in front of the USF Board of Trustees, who praised her hard work and public speaking skills.
“I think your college experience is what you make of it, and that’s what my journey at USF has taught me so far. The relationships that I’ve fostered here are something that I want to continue even after I graduate,” she said.
Sarah Sell
When Heather O’Leary started attending concerts held by USF’s School of Music in 2021, she loved how the performances made her feel.
As an anthropologist, she was moved and inspired by the ebb and flow of the music. She often wondered: could her own data touching on environmental impacts be turned into music that people could enjoy and understand?
“I was listening to all this beautiful music and thinking about my research and what I do every day,” said O’Leary, assistant professor of anthropology at USF St. Petersburg. “I was wondering if sound could make my spreadsheets come alive. The challenge was making sense out of 50 columns of data that span over three years.”
In February 2024, that challenge was met. O’Leary’s research data on the depletion of coral reefs due to stony coral tissue loss disease and the impact of harmful algae blooms on coastal economies was converted into music and performed by the university’s Symphonic Band & Wind Ensemble.
The collaboration began with the publication of a paper. O’Leary was part of a research team that found the red tide bloom in Florida from 2017-2019 cost tourism-related businesses an estimated $2.7 billion. The findings were significant, but the data was difficult to understand by non-experts.
Thinking back to the music, O’Leary loaded her spreadsheets into a sonification machine, which converted the data into sound. It was intriguing, but not exactly what she was looking for. So, she reached out to her colleague Matt McCutchen.
“ I was wondering if sound could make my spreadsheets come alive. The challenge was making sense out of 50 columns of data that span over three years. -Heather O’Leary
“I thought it was a great idea and something that students would enjoy,” said McCutchen, associate professor of instruction and director of bands in USF’s College of Design, Art & Performance. “The students are used to listening to music that does what they think it’s going to do, so this was like learning a new language.”
McCutchen worked with Paul Reller, associate professor of composition, to find students who could help write the music.
This led to CRESCENDO, an interdisciplinary group of faculty and students working together to create and disseminate moving music about the environment. The acronym stands for Communicating Research Expansively through Sonification and Community-Engaged Neuroaesthetic Data-literacy Opportunities.
“It was real people sitting with real data, creating music,” McCutchen said. “If you listen to the piece, it’s not like any other piece you’ll listen to. There’s no real melody, the harmonies are different, and you don’t know where it’s going. But that’s the interesting and brilliant part behind it because scientific data is not pretty.”
The music is written in two parts: Sanctuary and Cardinal Flow. The piece combines three different data streams: environmental distress indicators, economic fallout and chatter on social media. O’Leary said these streams
together give a broader picture of the true economic and social costs environmental threats have to our coasts.
Sanctuary is an acoustical sonification of Florida’s coral reefs under siege. It involves percussion instruments, giving it a broken and choppy sound. Cardinal Flow brings in the wind ensemble and presents moments of ups and downs, much like red tide does each year.
The music performed on Feb. 6 was part of the USF Symphonic Band & Wind Ensemble show at USF’s Concert Hall. It was filmed by students from USF’s Department of Communication, who are in the process of producing a music video that will help tell the story. Students in USF’s Department of Education are also making an augmented reality experience out of the music and data.
Since the data and music project debuted, O’Leary and McCutchen have appeared on National Public Radio’s All Things Considered and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC).
The CRESCENDO team also secured internal funding for two new music projects. One will draw on ongoing research about rising ocean temperatures, while the other will explore the crucial role oysters play in keeping Tampa Bay and the Gulf of Mexico clean. Once completed and converted into music, it too will offer an innovative and engaging way to communicate complex environmental data to the public.
“We can’t believe how much we are learning about the differences between our fields and similarities of the problems we face,” O’Leary said. “We all see messy data and have questions about how our research is affecting and impacting the public. What grabs my heart and holds it tight is that this type of interdisciplinary work is what a university is supposed to do.”
The USF Tra cking in Persons (TIP) Risk to Resilience Lab housed at USF St. Petersburg is one of the first research centers dedicated to studying the myriad impacts of human tra cking in Florida by conducting research to address knowledge gaps, providing critical resources and sharing e ective solutions.
Victims (cases can involve multiple victims)
Since it was founded in 2007, the National Human Tra cking Hotline has identified 7,472 cases involving 17,467 victims in Florida.
Shared Hope International has given Florida a grade of B (2nd best in the nation) for its response to child tra cking.
In 2023, there were 680 cases of human tra cking identified in Florida impacting 1,172 victims, 3rd most in the nation, according to the National Human Tra cking Hotline.
The Hotline receives tips about situations involving sex tra cking, labor tra cking, sex & labor tra cking, as well as situations where the type of tra cking may be unknown or not specified.
In 2023, most cases were sex tra cking, however 122 cases of labor tra cking were reported in Florida.
• Residence-Based Commercial Sex
• Illicit Massage/Spa
• Online Ad, Venue
• Hostess/Strip Club-Based
• Escort/Delivery Service
The BRIGHT (Bridging Resources and Information Gaps in Human Tra cking) Network is a centralized, secure platform that allows professionals in anti-tra cking organizations to track, coordinate and provide available resources to individuals.
Legal Services
ANEW Life International
Gulfcoast Legal Services
Justice Restoration Center
Power and Equality Immigration
Health Care
Crisis Center of Tampa Bay
Mental Health Care
Restored to Dream
Crisis
Crisis Center of Tampa Bay
Selah Freedom
United Abolitionists
Case Management
Breaking Chains Foundation United Way of Pasco County
Housing
Created Women of Tampa Empowered to Change Selah Freedom
The hotline only collects demographic information for victims and survivors in a tra cking situation when appropriate. These numbers are not cumulative as one case could involve multiple victims and survivors.
In 2023, the average victim in Florida was an adult female, although 122 cases involved male victims.
In 2023, 181 cases reported in Florida to the National Human Tra cking Hotline involved minor victims.
United Way of Pasco County
Daily Needs
Created Women of Tampa Quest 2 Freedom
Restored to Dream United Abolitionists
Transportation Quest 2 Freedom
Education/Employment
Stay With Me
Women Voice Network
Peer-Led Support
Breaking Chains Foundation
Sources: https://reportcards.sharedhope.org/year2023/florida https://humantra ckinghotline.org/en/statistics
Dyllan Furness
In February 2024, a NASA satellite launched from the Kennedy Space Center on Cape Canaveral, marking the start of a bold new exploration of earth from space. Packed with state-of-the-art instruments, the PACE satellite — short for Plankton, Aerosol, Clouds, ocean Ecosystem — will allow researchers to study phytoplankton blooms, better understand air quality and advance the science behind ocean health.
Several scientists with close ties to the USF College of Marine Science (CMS) have been integral to the PACE mission, which, in April 2024, reached a new milestone when the satellite’s first data and high-resolution visuals were compiled and released to the public.
The main instrument on the PACE satellite is a cutting-edge tool called the Ocean Color Instrument (OCI). OCI is a hyperspectral imaging radiometer that measures properties of light in the electromagnetic spectrum at finer wavelength resolution than other NASA satellite sensors. Essentially, it will give researchers unparalleled and quite stunning views of the ocean.
Previous NASA satellite sensors detected between three and 16 colors at a handful of wavelengths. The OCI picks up a whopping 128 colors at more than 200 wavelengths including those beyond detection of the human eye.
“Thanks to instruments like the OCI, PACE will collect data that has never before been collected,” said Brian Barnes, an assistant research professor at CMS who has been involved in the PACE mission as a member of its Science and Applications Team.
Barnes will help the PACE mission look at shallow waters such as those around the Florida Keys. These relatively clear ecosystems are a habitat sweet spot for marine plants and animals — coral, seagrass, algae, and
sponges reside there — but these waters can be difficult to assess from satellite data.
“Traditional ocean color research focuses on deep oceanic waters, where the bottom is not visible,” Barnes said. “In optically shallow waters, light reflecting from the seafloor environments complicates this scheme. My project for PACE has been to disentangle the signals the satellite receives about the atmosphere, water and seabed, so we can determine how deep the water is, what’s in the water column and what’s on the bottom.”
Chuanmin Hu, professor at CMS and director of the Optical Oceanography Lab, is an expert in using remote sensing tools such as satellites to study the ocean. As a member of PACE’s Science and Applications Team, he says PACE will help take some of the guess work out of ocean color remote sensing.
“In ocean optics, we often rely on local knowledge to determine what we observe from satellites,” he said. “Now with PACE, we have more spectral bands and can determine what something is by studying its spectral shape. This will allow researchers to easily distinguish floating materials such as Sargassum, litter and cyanobacteria.”
Hu’s work will include deciphering Sargassum physics, biology and physiology through PACE measurements. He said one of the hurdles for the PACE mission moving forward is how best to handle the sheer volume and size of data the satellite sends to Earth.
“A typical digital photo might be three megabytes, but an image of hundreds of spectral bands from PACE may be two gigabytes,” he said. “That is a challenge for the scientific community – how to work on those data and process them in an efficient way.”
Laura Lorenzoni is an oceanographer who serves as the program scientist for PACE. She earned both her doctoral and master’s degrees at CMS. Now at NASA, Lorenzoni ensures PACE’s science addresses the agency’s goals.
“PACE is a trailblazing ocean color and atmospheric mission,” she says. “Now that PACE is flying, it is up to me at NASA HQ, together with our program applications lead, to provide opportunities to our scientists to take advantage and exploit the remarkable data PACE will produce.”
Inia Soto Ramos, another CMS alum, plays a pivotal role for PACE as an associate researcher and one of the mission’s data validation leads at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center Ocean Ecology Laboratory. Soto Ramos earned her doctoral and master’s degree at CMS, and in a recent “People of PACE” profile, she described how ocean color science has allowed her to study the sea from space for nearly two decades.
“ My
project for PACE has been to disentangle the signals the satellite receives about the atmosphere, water and seabed, so we can determine how deep the water is, what’s in the water column and what’s on the bottom.
-Brian Barnes
“PACE data is compared with similar measurements collected in the ocean and atmosphere to make sure they agree; and that process is called satellite validation,” she said. “This process allows us to know how good the data is and whether there are any issues that need to be resolved. Once we know the data is good, we can use it to create algorithms to derive satellite products that are meaningful to the public and scientific community, such as water and air quality products.”
Several other researchers affiliated with CMS will leverage PACE data. At the CMS Institute for Marine Remote Sensing, Frank Müller-Karger and his team will use PACE data to study different functional groups of phytoplankton. Both Lorenzoni and Soto Ramos graduated from Muller-Karger’s lab at CMS. Meanwhile, Marina Marrari, who earned her doctoral degree at CMS and currently serves as director of the Costa Rica Fishing Federation, is working with Brian Barnes to see how PACE data can help track red tide data for recreational fishers in Costa Rica.
Beyond deep ties to CMS, these researchers share a desire to unlock the secrets of the ocean and an excitement for using machines like PACE to look at our planet in ways never before possible.
IMAGE OF THE GULF OF MEXICO BELOW DEPICTS CHLOROPHYLL CONCENTRATIONS THAT HELP REVEAL EDDIES, CURRENTS, AND RIVER PLUMES
No data
to work in a facility such as a school, hospital or nursing home to provide comfort, support and therapeutic benefits. Unlike service dogs trained to perform specific tasks for people with disabilities, facility therapy dogs focus on providing emotional support and enhancing well-being.
The newest member of the University Police Department (UPD) may just be the most popular officer on campus. He has a badge and rides in a customized patrol car, but that’s where the resemblance to his fellow officers ends.
Snowbird, a Goldador—a mix of golden retriever and Labrador retriever— is the campus’ first-ever comfort dog. Together with his handler, Officer Mark Lickenfelt, Snowbird’s job is to offer quiet compassion and spread goodwill to students, faculty and staff.
Since starting their new roles in May, Snowbird and Lickenfelt have attended numerous events and responded to requests from the campus community. Following hurricanes Helene and Milton, the pair provided vital comfort to those affected in the community. They also visited the homes of students whose families lost everything to flooding, offering much-needed support during a difficult time.
“As a dog lover, I know the joy and stress relief a furry family member can bring,” said Christian Hardigree, regional chancellor at USF St. Petersburg. “As college campuses across the U.S. report a growing number of students suffering from mental health challenges, having a dog available to provide unconditional love and support is so beneficial.”
Snowbird came from Dogs Inc., previously known as Southeastern Guide Dogs. He is a facility therapy dog, which means he is trained
Dogs Inc. and USF St. Petersburg have a longstanding relationship. The campus is home to the Puppy Raisers Club, where puppies from Dogs Inc. live with students in the residence hall as they work toward careers as guide and service dogs.
Snowbird lives with Ofc. Lickenfelt, who has been a member of the UPD since 2006. Lickenfelt has wanted to be a K-9 handler since elementary school, and he shares that Snowbird is quickly settling into life at home. The two have formed a strong bond, and Snowbird even gets along well with Lickenfelt’s two cats, Nico and Ziggy.
“He’s a great dog,” Lickenfelt said. “He has responded really well to his training, and I think Snowbird is a great fit for the campus.”
When Daniel Doty first came to USF St. Petersburg, he felt a little out of place.
Having served active duty in the U.S. Army for five years, including a combat deployment to Afghanistan, he didn’t have much in common with many of his classmates.
“It is challenging when you come out of the military and go to a college campus where you might be 10 years older and just have had a different life journey,” Doty said.
One in four students at USF St. Petersburg are military-connected. Research shows these students - veterans and dependents of a veteran or someone active in the military - tend to be older than traditional college students and are more likely to hold off-campus jobs and have spouses and dependent children.
Doty’s college experience changed when he discovered the Office of Veteran Success (OVS). OVS provides military-connected students with academic support and a sense of community by connecting them with others who have a similar shared experience.
“Though it took me a little while, I found myself getting more involved in OVS and the campus as a whole. It really turned into my home base at college, with individuals who went through as much as I did in the military,” he said.
New state funding passed during the 2024 legislative session will go a long way toward enhancing the work of OVS and making the University of South Florida a model for supporting one of the largest military-connected student populations in the state. The $10 million state investment is leading to new and upgraded
OVS facilities on all three USF campuses, benefitting thousands of students as well as first responders.
“For the military-connected community, finding camaraderie and purpose after leaving service is huge,” said Todd Post, assistant director of OVS on the St. Petersburg campus. “We provide that, but with additional resources and more welcoming physical spaces, we will be able to create a greater sense of belonging and a more successful transition into higher education for those who have and continue to serve.”
The $10 million appropriation, sponsored by state Sen. Jay Collins and state Rep. Danny Alvarez, will expand academic, career and health services for this student population. It will include larger shared physical spaces to provide a greater sense of community and belonging, educational support and career training to ensure students graduate on time and find employment, and additional resources for mental health care and mobility access for disabled veterans and service dogs.
“ With this
funding,
our
state representatives and USF are demonstrating our continued commitment to serving military-connected students, first responders and our entire region.
-Wayne Taylor
Approximately $6 million will go to modernizing a facility to expand the capabilities of OVS on the St. Petersburg campus. This will increase existing services geared toward helping students transition from military to civilian life as well as provide for new endeavors, such as labs dedicated to student-veteran research.
The other $4 million is expected to fund the design and initial construction of a new Veterans, Military Families & First Responders Service Complex on the USF Tampa campus. A range of services for veterans, ROTC and first responders as well as programming geared toward these students is expected to be housed in this new facility. A portion of the funds is also going toward new technology and upgrades at the veteran office on the SarasotaManatee campus.
“As a retired Army Green Beret, I’m honored to sponsor this significant project for USF and its military-connected students and first responders,” Collins said. “There is no better place than USF and the Tampa Bay region to have a state-of-the-art facility that connects our student-veterans, ROTC and first responders. I know that this will serve as a model for serving veterans and military-connected students’ needs in higher education across the state of Florida.”
USF is home to nearly 1,150 student veterans. In addition to the 1,142 student-veterans enrolled at USF this academic year, there are 4,824 enrolled students who are dependents of a veteran or someone in the military, bringing USF’s overall military-connected population to nearly 6,000 individuals.
“ We will be able to create a greater sense of belonging and a more successful transition into higher education for those who have and continue to serve.
-Todd Post
Combined with first responders, it is expected that these upgraded facilities and support services will positively impact more than 8,000 students and employees across USF’s three campuses.
“Tampa Bay is the home of U.S. Central Command, U.S. Special Operations Command, major VA hospitals and one of the largest veteran populations in the country,” said Wayne Taylor, director of USF’s Office of Veteran Success.
“With this funding, our state representatives and USF are demonstrating our continued commitment to serving military-connected students, first responders and our entire region.”
The new funding builds on sustained recognition for USF’s support of and academic success with this student population. For years, Military Times ranked USF as one of the top universities in the nation for veterans. And in 2024, the university earned a state designation for its continued commitment for military-connected students.
The Collegiate Purple Star Campuses Program was established to recognize Florida colleges and universities that provide critical support to military-connected students and families as they transition into higher education and sustained resources throughout their academic journey.
To receive this designation, colleges and universities need to designate a staff member as a military liaison and have a student-led program that assists the transition into the institution. They also must offer staff members professional development training opportunities to better serve military students and provide easily accessible web resources and priority course registration for this student population.
“This designation acknowledges the efforts of OVS and VA Work Studies staff across all three campuses in addressing the specific needs and challenges faced by military-affiliated students, such as transitioning from military to civilian life, accessing educational benefits, navigating systemic barriers and connecting with campus life,” Taylor said.
Taylor credits the many successes USF has had in this realm with an inclusive approach that recognizes these students’ viewpoints and incorporates them into everyday campus life. For example, a Got Your Six Cultural Competency workshop helps non-military students, faculty and staff learn what it means to serve in the armed forces and how that experience shapes veterans after they leave active duty.
The approach seeks to create authentic relationships, growth opportunities and a personal touch that mirrors the camaraderie veterans experience during service.
Such an approach has allowed students like Doty to thrive. Once getting involved with OVS, he soon became a regular fixture, helping in the office and with student veteran initiatives on campus while giving back in the community through the Veterans of South Pinellas County and attending national conferences.
He not only would assist with OVS duties, but also befriended new military-connected students. When OVS would host events such as the MRE cooking competition or participate in campus traditions such as the cardboard boat race, Doty joined the team. When volunteers were needed to assist community events, such as a Christmas toy drive, he would show up.
Over the summer, Doty became the first in his family to graduate from college, earning a bachelor’s degree in economics.
“I’ve put in a lot of work,” he said upon graduating. “It means everything.”
Matthew Cimitile, Dyllan Furness and Carlyn Scott
After more than a week of nearly round-the-clock work coordinating USF St. Petersburg’s response to Hurricane Helene, Kevin Sullivan experienced the same sense of disbelief that hit everyone on the west coast of Florida: another hurricane was on the way, and it was even larger than the last.
“We were still dealing with Hurricane Helene recovery operations when we had to transition to storm preparation for Milton,” said Sullivan, the campus’ emergency manager. “We couldn’t even take a breather.”
The simultaneous efforts to finish cleanup efforts while preparing for the next storm would result in an unprecedented response on campus. It would entail securely preparing buildings, safely evacuating
students and temporarily moving classes online. And it led to a monumental recovery effort to get the campus reopened on back-to-back occasions, just days after hurricanes produced the worst flooding and then the strongest winds St. Petersburg has experienced in a century.
More importantly, it would further illuminate the value of the university’s education and research mission and the resilience of the individuals that make up the campus community. Below are just some of those stories.
On the late evening of Thursday, Sept. 25, storm surge brought by Hurricane Helene began to encroach. At peak surge the following morning, more than 85 percent of the campus was under two to three feet of water.
As the floodwaters receded, much of the campus was covered in storm debris. Luckily, almost all buildings escaped significant damage.
To get the campus reopened and ensure classes would resume as quickly as possible, the campus’ Facilities Services department got to work. Essential personnel from the department returned to campus later that morning. Assisted by members of the University Police Department and Housing and Residential Education, this crew began conducting damage assessments of all buildings while beginning cleanup efforts.
Facility members – from buildings and grounds to custodial and even mailroom - teamed up to remove tons of debris as well as identify and resolve safety hazards inside and outside of buildings. More than eight 40-yard containers of organic material and sand that was deposited by Helene’s storm surge was hauled away. This also included downed trees and limbs.
Altogether, members of the facility team worked around 300 hours over two days in the Florida heat to ensure a rapid reopening.
That around-the-clock ethos also pervaded the campus’ emergency management team, whose members oversaw both the planning and recovery response for hurricanes Helene and Milton. Some members of the team worked nearly every day for weeks, from early morning into the night, under challenging conditions.
The emergency management team consists of personnel from departments across the campus vital to the institution’s continued operations before, during and after an emergency. Since the first mention of Helene to opening campus following Milton, this team met daily.
“There were two things that drove everything for our emergency response: nobody gets hurt and getting back to classes as soon as possible,” said Sullivan, who previously worked for the U.S. Coast Guard and joined USF St. Petersburg in April.
“ Since moving here, this tight-knit community has always been so supportive. Through the storms, it really showed that it’s a place where people help each other.
-Anastasia Fox
A familiar presence on campus during this time was Don Rogers, assistant director of building and maintenance operations. In the days leading up to back-to-back landfalls, he went building to building to ensure proper shutdown procedures. When the storm passed, he was one of the first on campus to assess damages – from power outages to water intrusion to other safety hazards.
“It is a big team, and everyone’s role is to provide leadership with the right information they need from our areas as quickly as possible,” Rogers said. “The constant communication is key to make decisions and address any issues that come up, and issues always come up in these sorts of events.”
Led by Regional Vice Chancellor for Administration & Financial Services Kevin Sheehy, working in close coordination with Regional Chancellor Christian Hardigree, the emergency management team held meetings twice a day to discuss updates, issues and challenges. The teamwork, communication and positive attitude throughout proved vital in reopening campus just three days after Helene struck with six feet of storm surge and five days after Milton brought nearly 20 inches of rain and 100 mph winds to the city of St. Petersburg.
“Everybody was on the same page throughout this experience. Everybody on the team knew what they needed to do, and they did it,” Rogers said.
As Florida braced for Helene, an underwater glider operated by the College of Marine Science (CMS) was in a unique and precarious position — it was the only submersible research vessel in the direct path of the storm. Deployed by the Ocean Technology Group to monitor red tide, the glider, nicknamed Jai Alai, was carefully stationed at a location that ended up directly in the path of the hurricane.
“We were cautious about putting the glider in the line of fire,” said Chad Lembke, a research faculty member and project engineer at CMS. “Helene was a good-sized storm. We didn’t want to lose our equipment.”
Gliders are remotely operated submersibles that capture and transmit data from the water column for weeks to months at a time. Data gathered by gliders such as temperature and salinity are fed into
“ There were two things that drove everything for our emergency response: nobody gets hurt and getting back to classes as soon as possible.
-Kevin Sullivan
oceanographic and weather models, allowing forecasters to better predict the paths and intensities of storms before they make landfall.
Warm water fuels hurricanes, so determining the ocean’s heat content is key for forecasting a storm’s ability to strengthen. In the days before Helene’s landfall, Jai Alai detected a deep reservoir of warm water in the storm’s projected path, giving it an abundance of fuel to intensify rapidly. Supercharged by this warm water, Helene grew from a tropical storm to a major Category 4 hurricane in just two days.
Lembke and his collaborators see Helene as a case in point for the value of gliders and other oceanographic observations and envision a network of these research instruments across hurricane hotspots such as the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean and Atlantic coast. Leading this effort on a national scale is NOAA’s U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS), while the Gulf of Mexico Ocean Observing System (GCOOS) coordinates efforts across the Gulf of Mexico, including the work of the Ocean Technology Group.
“Gliders are not only the most cost-effective technology available to collect ocean condition data for up to four months, but also a safe option for the researchers in our network,” said Jorge Brenner, executive director of GCOOS. “It would be practically impossible for anyone to collect the complex tridimensional ocean data needed by the National Weather Service across the water column during a storm such as Hurricane Helene. But for Jai Alai that was possible.”
In addition to gliders, buoys spread across the West Florida Shelf bearing sensors collect critical oceanic and atmospheric data, such as water temperature, salinity, relative humidity and speed and direction of winds and currents. Operated by the Ocean Circulation Lab (OCL) at CMS, data collected from these instruments help researchers monitor the ocean’s response and feedback to hurricanes.
“Our buoy data showed high subsurface water temperatures before hurricanes Helene and Milton, which are necessary for rapid intensification,” Yonggang Liu said, associate professor at CMS and director of OCL.
The ocean’s subsurface temperature is a strong indicator of the fuel available for storms. Prior to Helene, OCL’s real-time sensors recorded water temperatures four degrees Celsius warmer than the 26-degree Celsius threshold needed for hurricanes to develop.
In partnership with the Florida Flood Hub for Applied Research and Innovation, the state’s center for data on changes in flooding, the lab developed and launched a visualization tool integrating numerical models with data recorded by tide gauges to forecast the potential impact of hurricanes, specifically the magnitude of storm surge.
“Our guidance offers a one-day hindcast and a three-day prediction of coastal water levels that provides advance warning of storm surge,” Liu said. “We’ve been working on this model for many years. I am happy that it brought added value by accurately predicting these surge events in the Tampa Bay region.”
Helene hit Florida’s west coast north of Tampa Bay as a Category 4 hurricane. Milton hit Florida’s west coast south of Tampa Bay as a Category 3 hurricane. During both extreme storms, the CRISHAZARD app gathered crowdsourced data to track flooding in Pinellas County, providing scientists with essential data.
The app, launched a week before Helene, combines volunteered geographic information and community crowdsourced data such as photos and videos with near real-time data on flooding. Using dynamic modeling and mapping tools, including artificial intelligence (AI), the app can identify and extract estimated water elevation from imagery submitted that will be used to inform emergency managers and policymakers.
A team of researchers led by USF St. Petersburg GIS and Remote Sensing Professor Barnali Dixon used the CRIS-HAZARD app to analyze how much flooding occurred and where in Pinellas County, which is home to 588 miles of coastline in Florida. The app also received data from users in neighboring Hillsborough County during Milton, which allowed the team to expand its research.
“People used it to report what was happening in their backyard,” said Dixon, who is also executive director of USF’s Initiative on Coastal Adaptation and Resilience (iCAR). “This information is their lived experience, and we want to take that experience and make data out of it using AI tools that will process images and figure out the depth of the water. We can use that data to calibrate and validate models.”
In addition to the data provided for researchers, pictures and videos are accessible to other users so they can see where flooding is happening, which helps inform them of hazards in the community. Dixon compares it to the real-time traffic app Waze, where drivers can see traffic back-ups and where police activity is happening along roads and highways.
The new app, which was developed with researchers at Georgia Tech, is based on the existing Community Resiliency Information System (CRIS), a website created in 2020 by iCAR. Residents can input information related to issues such as flooding and power outages into the platform, which can then be used by policymakers, neighborhood leaders and emergency managers to make decisions.
Dixon has been working with community leaders in St. Petersburg’s Childs and Bartlett Park neighborhoods for several years, where residents have successfully used the system to prepare for extreme storm events. The research team will continue to work with community partners in St. Petersburg and other flood-prone coastal areas to refine the app.
As the CRIS-HAZARD app gains users and data, the team hopes to make it available to communities nationwide.
While the unprecedented hurricane season of 2024 damaged homes and buildings and brought sadness and frustration, it also revealed the resilience, strength and unwavering dedication of the campus community.
“ The constant communication is key to make decisions and address any issues that come up, and issues always come up in these sorts of events.”
- Don Rogers
For many, the events led to redoubling efforts to support students and to fulfill the university’s mission. Many had to juggle taking care of themselves, their families and their homes while still finding ways to ensure the campus continued to move forward.
For example, take Professor Judithanne Scourfield McLauchlan. Her house on Madeira Beach was flooded with four feet of storm surge during Helene. Her office on campus was also inaccessible during this time due to rainwater intrusion from Tropical Storm Debby. But she was so determined to teach class that she lectured from a laptop computer in her car in the parking lot of the Madeira Beach City Hall, which had a comfort station and internet access.
“I teach a Road to the White House campaign class where I give students my 18 commandments of effective organizing. The number 1 rule is always improvise, adapt and overcome,” McLauchlan said.
“Though it was an overwhelming time - I lived in 10 different places in the first 4 weeks after Helene - my job and responsibility was to teach my classes.”
Amidst a power outage during Hurricane Milton, Anthony Jordan broke his hand. The next day, the groundskeeper superintendent was one of the first on campus, in a cast, working tirelessly to clear debris. Despite only having the use of one arm, he was out hauling tree limbs, part of a facilities crew that transformed the campus grounds in a remarkably short time.
For student Anastasia Fox, the storms were an opportunity to help others. As Hurricane Helene approached and students were evacuating, she invited seven friends from out of state and overseas who didn’t have a place to go to her family’s home in Orlando. Huddling near a bonfire, taking walks by nearby lakes and throwing dance parties bonded the group during the experience.
After Milton, she was one of several USF students who assisted The Salvation Army of St. Petersburg/South Pinellas County in delivering food and water to a 12-story apartment. The complex was without power, and most residents were elderly or disabled. Without use of an elevator, Fox and students James Cooper, Vivian Howie and Paige Penman spent the day climbing up and down stairs repeatedly to deliver 80 boxes of food and 60 cases of water to thankful residents.
“I wanted to do something meaningful and helpful once I got back to campus,” Fox said. “Since moving here, this tight-knit community has always been so supportive. Through the storms, it really showed that it’s a place where people help each other.”
USF St. Petersburg hosted a series of successful events in 2024 that engaged the community with hands-on experiences related to science, technology and art.
The St. Petersburg Science Festival and MarineQuest returned in 2024 with more interactive and immersive exhibits than ever before to inspire and deepen knowledge of science and the arts.
The hands-on experiences featured a mobile aquarium, a seagrass maze and a “Touch-a-Truck” exhibit where guests could explore city vehicles, an airplane and a saildrone—an uncrewed vehicle designed to reach marine areas inaccessible to ships and built to withstand the harsh conditions of the ocean.
More than 13,000 people attended the events on campus and outside the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Fish and Wildlife Research Institute. The joint festival brings together scientists, environmental organizations and cultural institutions to engage the public through immersive exhibits and hands-on demonstrations in science, technology, engineering, art and math (STEAM).
The day before the festival, around 1,100 schoolchildren got an exclusive preview of the St. Petersburg Science Festival and MarineQuest during organized field trips. The students explored STEAM fields and learned about various career opportunities.
Students of all ages spent their summer on campus participating in research and hands-on activities that sparked their creativity, fostered independence and offered valuable learning experiences that will help them in future careers.
Camp Rocky offered children, ages 7 – 10, an action-packed summer with arts and crafts, swimming and fitness, indoor and outdoor games,
and boat rides. Each week featured a unique theme, with corresponding activities and field trips led by Campus Recreation staff.
The Ultimate STEM Camp gives students, grades 5 – 8, a hands-on journey into emerging technologies. They explored coding, robotics, artificial intelligence (AI) and more in the College of Education’s Emerging Tech Lab.
Meanwhile, the Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program brought college students from across the country to engage in science-based research led by faculty at USF.
The REU program develops research skills needed for graduate school and future careers and offers a unique opportunity for students to work with community partners, including the National Weather Service (NWS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Coast Guard.
When back-to-back hurricanes hit the Tampa Bay area, organizers of the 3rd annual Halloween Fest considered canceling the event. At the time, many areas of St. Petersburg had been heavily damaged by wind and flooding.
But it became clear that the community wanted the event more than ever. Due to storm damage, RSVPs flooded in because some families in the area lacked a safe place to trick-or-treat.
“This year’s Halloween Fest was an incredible success, with around 1,300 attendees coming together to celebrate and connect after a very stressful hurricane season. We were thrilled to partner with the City of St. Petersburg, the City of Gulfport and Orlando Health Bayfront Hospital to make this event a memorable experience for our community,” said Caryn Nesmith, director of community relations at USF St. Petersburg.
The 2024 Halloween Fest was the biggest yet, with more than 100 volunteers and representatives from 42 organizations and departments. Activities included trunk or treating, the haunted duck derby, the butterfly garden and the not so haunted library.
Sarah Sell
In April 2024, a survey was sent to hundreds of K-12 teachers in Florida and Georgia to gauge if they were using generative artificial intelligence (AI). The researchers behind the survey assumed many were resistant to use the emerging technology, fearing it would eventually lead to job losses.
The unexpected answers that came in would inspire the development of an AI education platform that is now used by more than 500,000 high school and college educators nationwide and received Tech Project of the Year by Tampa Bay Tech.
TeacherServer features more than 850 tools to help educators incorporate AI into the classroom to enhance learning. It provides free AI tools to assist planning, assessment, preparation, research and more.
The platform is the brainchild of USF Education Professor Zafer Unal, who was surprised by survey responses showing how much
teachers were using AI to improve their teaching methods and streamline work.
“Overall, AI was helping teachers in many areas, from language learning and assessments to writing support, presentation skills, grading and lesson planning,” Unal explained.
Though this group of educators were using AI and optimistic about its potential to improve student learning, it was mostly used before and after class to help with presentations or grading. Teachers weren’t incorporating it directly in the classroom due to concerns around data privacy with students and a lack of official training with the emerging technology.
“Based on that feedback, I thought ‘“Well, I have a computer science and education background, let’s see what I could make to address that issue,’” Unal said.
Using survey feedback, he spent several months coding to create dozens of AI generative tools that teachers said would be useful in the classroom and make them more effective educators. Each tool
“ I see AI as another tool like the calculator or the computer, and I hope by providing this platform it allows teachers to get more comfortable with this technology and use tools that really advance education.
-Zafer Unal
was installed on a local server and instructed not to collect data, addressing privacy and security concerns by ensuring no data would be sent to the cloud.
While developing tools for K-12 teachers, Unal began receiving requests from colleagues about expanding the platform to include AI resources for college faculty.
So, he developed a dedicated section for faculty and researchers, with a focus on finding research topics, formulating research questions, selecting appropriate data collection and analysis methods, and more. Notably, this section offers a research simulator tool to refine and prepare research designs before actual implementation.
Unal and the team then designed a two-day professional development workshop embedded into the online platform –featuring online modules and instructional videos – to provide training on these generative AI tools.
Over the summer, the College of Education hosted professional learning workshops with educators, program directors and administrators from K-12 school districts in and around Tampa Bay. An aspect of these workshops introduced TeacherServer.
“They were amazed by the platform and pretty quickly saw how applicable it would be for teaching their subject area in the classroom, for things such as generating in-class activities quickly,” said Richard Rho, program director of educational technology labs at USF St. Petersburg who led the workshops. “They were exposed to a lot of different technologies, but it was this specific platform that was the most relevant for their profession.”
Both the virtual and in-person workshops gave a basic introduction to AI and machine learning as well as ethical AI practices. They also covered more advanced training on integrating AI into curriculum and using technology to enhance lesson plans or improve outcomes.
“AI will transform how we learn, and the earlier we adopt in the classroom, the earlier students get that exposure and understand how to use it properly,” Rho added. “For educators, it provides an expert system that can access incredible amounts of information, which can be leveraged to help our students deepen learning experiences and truly comprehend subject matters.”
Unal is now applying for grants to secure funding for a larger server to support the growth of the online platform. At the same time, new tools are being developed to support high school and college students aspiring to become educators. The goal is to help even more teachers integrate AI tools into their classrooms.
Based on significant interest from users, the College of Education has developed a graduate certification in AI for teaching and learning. The program will be available starting in the fall of 2025, offering advanced training and certification opportunities for educators.
For his work and achievement, Unal was recognized in November with a Tampa Bay Tech Award for Tech Project of the Year. The award recognizes a groundbreaking project developed within the greater Tampa Bay area that created a significant impact regionally, nationally or internationally through industry disruption or transformative effects.
“I’ve been really fascinated with how AI technology is being used so far and how it can best be used in a learning environment,” Unal said. “I see AI as another tool like the calculator or the computer, and I hope by providing this platform it allows teachers to get more comfortable with this technology and use tools that really advance education.”
Matthew Cimitile
Campus mascots are vital to a university’s identity and culture. They impact athletics, student life, community engagement and so much more.
While the Rocky D. Bull mascot has long been a staple of campus life on the USF Tampa campus, in 2023, USF St. Petersburg launched the Rocky Mascot Program to enhance opportunities for the iconic mascot to engage with the city and campus on this side of the bay. Since the program was launched, Rocky has appeared at more than 90 events.
The program was spearheaded by Abigail Bradley-Tyler, the assistant director of student involvement, who is now known as Rocky’s “Momager” and is even writing her PhD thesis on campus symbols and their impact on student life. We talked with Bradley-Tyler and Rocky (who mimed his answers since bulls don’t talk) about the importance of having a mascot’s presence on campus, the impact Rocky has on student life and what a bull like Rocky does in his free time.
Why is it important to have a mascot’s presence such as Rocky on a college campus?
Mascots help promote school spirit and can make students feel more of a connection to campus life. I found this to be especially true when we created the Rocky mascot program for USF St. Petersburg. There was this pent-up demand to have Rocky as more of a fixture on campus, and the past year has been fun to see Rocky elevating all the events he went to.
He even has impacted me personally. I am getting my PhD, and my experience with Rocky has led me to change my doctoral thesis. It now focuses on campus symbols and how they impact student life.
What is the common student reaction when they see Rocky?
Either students are super excited to see him, giving him a hug or high-five and taking a selfie with him, or they’re terrified and hide from him (laughing). Almost always it’s positive, and there is a palpable joy and excitement in the space that Rocky enters.
My favorite reactions are the small smiles that turn into huge grins when they get to interact with Rocky!
Rocky, how does it feel to be adored by so many?
I love all students on our campus. They make me feel welcomed and as much as I hype up and encourage them, they inspire me equally as much to keep the fun and enthusiasm alive.
And what are your favorite things to do on the St. Pete campus and in the city of St. Petersburg?
Going to events on campus is what I live for. And I always love a good photo shoot. Off campus, you can catch me with a coffee exploring local businesses, seeing the pretty sites of our city and engaging with community partners. The Saturday morning market is one of my favorite weekly activities, and I always make a point to go to the St. Pete Grand Prix every year!
What’s been some of your favorite memories managing this program?
I love the creativity of how people utilize Rocky. He has been a bingo caller (at Sailebration), a stein-holding contestant (at Bulls and Brews by the Bay) and a celebrity server. Some of my favorite memories include witnessing his dance moves, and seeing how excited families and students get when they meet Rocky for the first time at Orientation. And not just students’ reactions. Seeing reactions from faculty and staff when Rocky enters a room has been memorable.
But my favorite experience has been working with some amazing students who act as Rocky! For some, it brings them out of their comfort zone, where they act in a way they wouldn’t normally, and which can be liberating.
They are all genuinely so happy to be a part of the St. Petersburg Spirit Squad and bring positivity and hard work to every shift they show up for.
I’m now known as Rocky’s “Momager” within the team!
Rocky, when you are not representing USF and lifting up school spirit, what does a bull like you do on your free time?
I love reading at the Nelson Poynter Memorial Library. I also enjoy working out at the campus gym, playing basketball, going to the Edge for some ping pong and running around downtown St. Pete. Speaking of downtown, many people don’t know I’m a big art fanatic. So, when I’m not on campus, you can probably find me at an art museum, and St. Pete has some great ones.
What impact do you think Rocky and this program has made on student life at USF St. Petersburg?
I believe school spirit has been enhanced and it’s been beautiful to witness the program grow, where now students and departments expect Rocky to be at all campus events! He really has become such a presence on our campus – like Snowbird (the campus comfort dog) – and I think students here love having such a close connection to their university mascot.
Audrey Holtzman
On March 31, 2023, the USF Health College of Nursing became the proud owner of a 38-foot-long RV. What may have been a head-scratching acquisition to some, quickly became a state-of-the-art mobile health unit meeting the diverse health needs of communities throughout Tampa Bay.
Launched in July of 2023, that unit, dubbed the Mo-Bull Nurse Medical Clinic, has enhanced healthcare accessibility for underserved populations while advancing nursing education. It includes two exam rooms, a laboratory and diagnostic center with safe vaccine storage, and 5G cellular service.
Overall, it has served more than 1,500 patients in five critical areas of need in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties. The mobile clinic rotates through 13 sites, including four community centers, three homeless shelters, two refugee centers, a school, church, migrant farmworker outreach center and recovery center. To date, it has saved more than 170 life-years, avoided
308 emergency room visits and returned over $12.1 million dollars on investment. The Mo-Bull Clinic was made possible through a four-year, $3.85 million grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration.
Besides providing easy access to healthcare, the Mo-Bull Clinic serves as a designated Vaccines for Children site, delivering critical immunizations to children who might otherwise go without. The clinic is also collaborating with Tampa General Hospital to bring vital cancer screening services to its mobile unit. These events, focused on skin and colorectal cancer, are hosted at four of the clinic’s sites, ensuring early detection and timely interventions for vulnerable populations. And in partnership with Verséa™ Health, the clinic is offering additional free resources to patients, including at-home drug screening kits, colon health tests and pregnancy testsenhancing its ability to address a wide range of health concerns.
“ I never feel like a homeless woman—I just feel like me. There’s a unique sense of safety and dignity here that I can’t find anywhere else.
Behind the success of the Mo-Bull Clinic is a committed team of healthcare professionals and support staff, which includes: 2 full-time and 1 part-time advanced practice registered nurses (APRN); 1 full-time and 1 part-time patient care associates; 1 full-time and 2 part-time drivers; 2 full-time community health navigators.
Together, they work to deliver high-quality, patient-centered care to those who need it most, advancing the College of Nursing’s mission to enhance health equity.
At the heart of this initiative is education. Student training is incorporated during patient visits in the medical clinic to help future nurses recognize and address social determinants of health. The inclusion of training for public health and pharmacy students promotes an interprofessional approach to treatment. To date, more than 80 students have received this training.
BEHIND THE SUCCESS OF THE MO-BULL CLINIC IS A COMMITTED TEAM OF HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS AND SUPPORT STAFF, WHICH INCLUDES:
part-time drivers 2 1 1 2 1 1 2
full-time advanced practice registered nurses
part-time advanced practice registered nurse
full-time patient care associate
part-time patient care associate
full-time driver
full-time community health navigators
Whether providing vaccines, health screenings or essential resources, the Mo-Bull Nurse Medical Clinic has become more than just a mobile unit - it’s trailblazing healthcare delivery for the underserved. By removing barriers to healthcare access, the clinic empowers communities to take charge of their health and fosters a healthier future for all.
“To know that the Mo-Bull Clinic comes here to help without judgment means so much,” shared one patient. “I never feel like a homeless woman—I just feel like me. There’s a unique sense of safety and dignity here that I can’t find anywhere else.”
As the Mo-Bull Nurse Medical Clinic continues to grow and adapt to the community’s needs, it will continue to educate the next generation of nurses while creating meaningful impacts in the lives of the most vulnerable populations.
Tiffany Chenneville
“But you hate politics,” my partner said, after congratulating me when I told him I’d been selected to work as a congressional fellow in Washington D.C. for a year.
He wasn’t wrong. Although I’ve been civically engaged in a variety of ways throughout my life and stay informed of current events, my threshold for political commentary is relatively low. That’s to say my anxiety rises when too long engaged in conversations that leave me feeling helpless. I have found the only way to quell my fears is to limit my exposure to political news or to do something.
Although burying my head in the sand is often desirable, it feels irresponsible. And, as a psychologist, I know that avoidance only reinforces fear by preventing opportunities for desensitization. So, I decided to immerse myself in the government as a form of “political therapy,” a colloquial term describing strategies people use to manage political stress and the emotional impact of societal issues and world events.
The impact of my “political therapy” was fully realized on January 8, 2024, four months into my congressional fellowship as I sat on the Senate Floor in the U.S. Capitol. “Without objection, it is so ordered,” the presiding officer said in response to a request from Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon:
Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the following members of my office be granted floor privileges for the remainder of the 118th Congress: Tiffany Chenneville and….
Evidence that I “did” something, or at least tried, is now forever memorialized in the U.S. Congressional Record (Volume 170, No. 3).
The American Association for the Advancement of Sciences (AAAS) Science and Technology Policy Fellowship program offers scientists and engineers an immersive experience in federal policymaking and the opportunity to use their expertise to address societal problems. Each year, AAAS welcomes approximately 30 legislative fellows -- many sponsored by professional organizations -- more than 100 executive
branch fellows and one judicial branch fellow from across the nation. My legislative fellowship was sponsored by the American Psychological Foundation’s Springfield LGBTQIA+ Congressional Fellowship program.
Fellows represent many disciplines including biological/agricultural/ environmental life sciences, computer/information science, mathematics/statistics, physical sciences, behavioral/social sciences, engineering and health/medical sciences. During my year on the Hill as a congressional fellow, I worked in Senator Wyden’s personal office on the domestic policy team, contributing to a variety of portfolios including education, health and the judiciary. Under the tutelage of brilliant young and inspiring staffers, I participated in a variety of legislative activities. For example, I helped seek bipartisan support for the introduction of a voting rights bill, drafted oversight letters to federal agencies (such as a letter to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention requesting that HIV testing guidelines be updated), prepared materials for Senate hearings (such as on the Family First Prevention Services Act), and met with dozens of constituents and stakeholders to hear about the myriad issues facing people in America.
About midway through my fellowship year, I was given the opportunity to lead the LGBQIA+ portfolio. At a time when LGBTQIA+ issues and legislation are being hotly contested and debated in a deeply divided Congress, I was forced to think strategically about how to have an impact and learned much about the “long game” in politics -- the careful and patient planning required to achieve goals over an extended period, taking into consideration broad objectives.
I came to understand that the long game in politics is no different than the long game in science. As a social-behavioral scientist who has been studying the psychosocial issues affecting youth living with or at risk for HIV for nearly three decades, I am intimately familiar with slow but steady progress and the importance of incremental discoveries and
advances. Throughout my year as a legislative fellow, I also became keenly aware of the synergy between science and policy.
Having gained insight into the legislative process, I was eager to learn more about the relationship between Congress and the executive branch. As my congressional fellowship neared its end, I applied for an AAAS Executive Branch Fellowship. Selected as a semi-finalist, I engaged in 11 interviews over three days with a variety of federal agencies including the National Institutes of Health, the National Institute of Justice, the Department of State and the National Science Foundation. Learning about the myriad career opportunities that exist in the executive branch was fascinating and exciting. Though it didn’t make me question my decision to pursue a career in academia -- I am a researcher and teacher at heart -- it did make me yearn for multiple lifetimes so that I could pursue many careers.
In the end, I accepted a position as an AAAS Executive Branch Fellow on the scientific integrity team in the NSF Office of the Director. In this capacity, I am integrally involved in creating and implementing policies to bolster scientific integrity within NSF and among the broader research community in response to President Biden’s 2021 Memorandum on Restoring Trust in Government Through Scientific Integrity and Evidence-Based Policymaking. My work at NSF is an excellent fit given my appointment as the Marie E. and E. Leslie Cole Endowed Chair in Ethics at USF, a position that reflects my longstanding interest and scholarship in the areas of professional, treatment and research ethics.
I have found my experiences in the legislative and executive branches of the government to be a good antidote to political stress.
When my second fellowship ends in August of 2025, I hope to return to USF a more impactful professor. Having gained clarity about the interdependent relationship between science and policy, I feel more empowered to help shape the academic environment that is my professional home by aligning my work with local priorities, communicating in ways that resonate with policymakers and collaborating not only with other disciplines but across sectorseducation, science, industry and government. I will return to the university with a renewed commitment to sharing scientific insights responsibly and in ways that help restore the public’s trust in science.
Ultimately, I plan to leverage the knowledge and experiences I have gained as an AAAS Fellow to mentor students -- our future scientists, educators, industry leaders and policymakers. And, perhaps, that will be the most important thing I ever do.
University of South Florida and Florida Holocaust Museum partner to make papers and personal collection of Holocaust survivor and Nobel Laureate available to the world
Matthew Cimitile
Recent conflicts and humanitarian responses across the globe have dominated news headlines and led to fierce debates from the halls of government to college campuses. Each confrontation presents unique and complicated concerns around how to wage war and protect civilians, international law and human rights, and if and when other countries should intervene.
At the University of South Florida, a vision is coalescing around a new center steeped in the issues and ethics around such conflicts. This Center for Humanitarian Ethics would bring together researchers from fields such as religious studies, international relations, anthropology, philosophy and criminology to focus on historical and contemporary issues
around war, crimes against humanity and systematic assaults on human rights, while grappling with the ethics of intervention and rescue. The center would develop major research initiatives as well as mount an academic response to the upsurge of antiSemitism and Holocaust denial.
And it will be inspired by the life and teachings of Elie Wiesel.
“Wiesel was able to extrapolate what happened to him in the Holocaust to something universal. His ideas and life’s work became an inspiration for people who lived through and study not just the Holocaust, but other human rights catastrophes, including what is happening today,” said Thomas Smith, vice provost of
academic affairs at USF St. Petersburg and a human rights expert.
In February 2024, it was announced that longtime USF partner The Florida Holocaust Museum would become the home of the papers and artifacts of Wiesel, a Holocaust survivor who became an esteemed humanitarian, writer and recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize.
USF will be one of very few locations that will exhibit loaned documents, artifacts, and papers, including correspondence with world leaders, unfinished manuscripts, photographs and video and audio recordings which will be available at the Nelson Poynter Memorial Library’s Special Collections Department on the USF St. Petersburg campus. Artifacts from
his collection, including his Nobel Prize, the contents of his personal office and library, and a variety of artworks will become a cornerstone of the permanent exhibition at the museum, which is located in downtown St. Petersburg, FL.
With this trove of historical documents and research materials, USF plans to create the Elie Wiesel Center for Humanitarian Ethics.
The new center will feature an onsite historical archive. Digital access will be available through a searchable database built by Gratz College, which has the world’s largest online graduatelevel Holocaust and Genocide Studies degree program. The digital archive will feature advanced search and filter tools, cybersecurity protections and a user-friendly dashboard.
Together, it will allow researchers and educators to delve deeper into the Holocaust and apply Wiesel’s teachings to contemporary world events.
“We are honored to work together with The Florida Holocaust Museum to create a hub of humanitarian activity and education worthy of such an extraordinary man,” said Rhea Law, president of the University of South Florida.
“Together, we will build a center of intellectual activity that reflects Wiesel’s own life and learning. We are grateful for the trust placed in our university and stand ready to turn this vision into a reality.”
At The Florida Holocaust Museum, the addition of the Wiesel Collection will add to the institution’s continued renovation and expansion. It will join a recently acquired boat used in the seaborne rescue that saved Denmark’s Jewish population, as well as a cattle car used to transport Jews to concentration camps.
“I’m excited The Florida Holocaust
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Wiesel was able to extrapolate what happened to him in the Holocaust to something universal. His ideas and life’s work became an inspiration for people who lived through and study not just the Holocaust, but other human rights catastrophes, including what is happening today.
-Thomas Smith
Museum will be home to my father’s entire archive, including a re-creation of his office, honoring his unwavering dedication to truth, humanity and remembrance,” said Elisha Wiesel, son of Elie and Marion Wiesel and chairman of the Elie Wiesel Foundation. “For almost 30 years, my father taught at Eckerd College, and he and my mother fell in love with St. Petersburg and the surrounding community, which is why I’m honored to be a part of solidifying the importance of this location to my father with the permanent exhibit of his collection.”
The collection will also be converted into an international traveling exhibition by the museum, making it available to Holocaust and genocide researchers around the world and allowing both scholars and the public unprecedented access to Mr. Wiesel’s life and work.
“This treasure trove of artifacts is a gamechanger for the museum, St. Petersburg and our entire region,” said Michael Igel, interim CEO and Chair Emeritus of The Florida Holocaust Museum. “Like the man himself, the Wiesel Collection will be a beacon of hope and a catalyst for action. Elie Wiesel was a master at
explaining to all of us why the lessons of the Holocaust matter. Now, through innovative programming and exhibitions, the museum will use his voice to ensure that his legacy will always remain relevant.”
Bringing Elie Wiesel’s collection to Florida, for the world to see, further strengthens the long partnership between USF and The Florida Holocaust Museum.
For nearly 15 years, they worked together to create the Debbie and Brent Sembler Florida Holocaust Museum Lecture Series at USF St. Petersburg, which brought speakers from around the world for talks on the Holocaust and lessons that came out of one of the darkest periods in history. Basketball legend and civil rights activist Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Paul Rusesabagina, a manager of a resort during the Rwandan genocide whose actions were depicted in the movie “Hotel Rwanda,” were some of the notable speakers for the lecture series.
Recently, the museum helped support the curriculum for a new study abroad class offered by USF, “Confronting the Holocaust,” that launched in 2023. The goal of the trip is to bring depth of understanding for one of the worst mass murders in human history.
Making accessible Elie Wiesel’s collection while establishing a center for research in his name is envisioned to do the same in the coming years.
FIO’s bold steps to advance marine science
Christopher Sharp
For more than five decades, the Florida Institute of Oceanography (FIO) has served as a nexus for marine science, uniting researchers, educators and policymakers to tackle some of the most pressing challenges facing Florida’s coastal and marine ecosystems.
This past year was incredibly transformative for FIO as it solidifies its role as a hub for marine science research, education and innovation. Officially recognized as a University of South Florida (USF) Institute in September, FIO is now expanding its statewide mission. By supporting cutting-edge research, fostering dynamic collaborations and shaping the future of marine innovation and education, FIO is enhancing USF’s standing as a global leader in oceanographic sciences.
FIO’s distinction lies in its collaborative model. As a consortium comprising of 32 member organizations, spanning the State University System, private universities, state agencies and research institutions, FIO unites diverse expertise and resources to advance ocean science and education in Florida.
Founded in 1967 by the Florida Board of Regents, FIO was charged with positioning Florida’s scientists and students at the forefront of oceanographic research and education. What began as a collective effort by state university faculty members to ensure students and researchers had ocean-going platforms to support marine research and educational programs, has blossomed into one of the nation’s premiere oceanographic institutes boasting three research vessels, a marine laboratory and the world’s newest deepwater remotely operated vehicle.
Over the years, FIO has supported more than 10,000 undergraduate and 2,000 graduate students through hands-on research opportunities, mentoring and access to the ocean. Many of these students have gone
on to careers in marine science, environmental management and the maritime industry, contributing to Florida’s burgeoning $74 billion “blue economy,” the economic activities related to oceans, seas and coasts.
“Becoming an official USF Institute enhances our capacity to serve as a hub for marine science research and education,” said Monty Graham, FIO’s director since 2021. “It allows us to better leverage USF’s academic resources while broadening our statewide impact.”
Central to FIO’s mission are its research vessels, which serve as floating laboratories for scientific exploration and education. Among the most notable is the Research Vessel Western Flyer, a 117-foot twin-hulled ship granted to FIO and USF in 2023 by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI).
The Western Flyer is equipped with advanced technology that enables interdisciplinary research in the Gulf of Mexico, Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea. Scientists use the vessel to collect data on water quality, marine life and oceanographic processes, which are critical to understanding and protecting Florida’s marine ecosystems. For students, time aboard the Western Flyer offers a transformative, hands-on experience that bridges classroom learning with real-world research.
“The Western Flyer gives our researchers and students the tools they need to conduct cutting-edge science,” Graham said. “It’s not just a vessel; it’s an immersive platform for discovery.”
In 2024, FIO acquired an important new tool to enhance research efforts on the Western Flyer: a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV). The ROV Taurus is a state-of-the-art underwater robot capable of exploring ocean depths up to 2.5 miles. Funded by the Office of Naval Research (ONR) and built by Pelagic Research Services, the ROV Taurus is equipped with highdefinition 4K cameras, robotic arms and sophisticated sensors, making it an invaluable tool for deep-sea research.
What sets the Taurus apart is its ability to livestream its dives, allowing scientists, students and the public to witness the mysteries of the deep ocean in real time. Researchers aboard the Western Flyer use the ROV Taurus to study remote underwater habitats, search for new species and monitor the health of fragile ecosystems like coral reefs and deepsea vents.
“The addition of ROV Taurus will build upon the impactful work taking place at the Florida Institute of Oceanography,” said USF President Rhea Law. “This cutting-edge technology will create additional opportunities for
“ Becoming an official USF Institute enhances our capacity to serve as a hub for marine science research and education.
-Monty Graham
our students to participate in immersive learning experiences and allow us to expand our research capabilities as we help solve critical challenges affecting our environment.”
FIO’s work extends to critical conservation efforts at the Keys Marine Laboratory (KML). Nestled in the heart of the Florida Keys, KML offers unparalleled access to vital coral reef ecosystems, serving as a hub for research, restoration and rehabilitation projects for researchers and students.
Florida’s coral reefs are vital to the state’s economy and ecology, providing coastal protection, supporting tourism and harboring biodiversity. However, threats like climate change, pollution and disease have caused significant coral decline. KML is playing a pivotal role in reversing this trend.
Scientists and students at KML engage in cutting-edge techniques to propagate coral fragments in nurseries, eventually replanting them on damaged reefs to promote regrowth. This hands-on work allows FIO to contribute to the preservation of Florida’s coral ecosystems.
“KML is an essential part of FIO’s mission,” Graham said. “The work we do there not only helps restore coral reefs but also inspires the next generation of marine scientists by giving them practical tools to tackle some of the most pressing environmental challenges.”
In addition to its conservation and research efforts, FIO is deeply committed to education and workforce development. Through programs like Honoring the Ocean and Peerside, the institute is breaking down barriers to marine science education and inspiring the next generation of environmental stewards.
This innovative program, designed for honors students outside of STEM fields, takes an interdisciplinary approach to marine science.
Participants engage in a series of virtual lectures before embarking on a seagoing adventure aboard one of FIO’s research vessels. Topics range from the role of fishing in global politics to using journalism to document marine ecosystems.
“It’s deepening students’ connection to the marine environment, but it’s also opening their minds to the types of jobs, subjects and research
endeavors they can pursue as non-STEM majors,” said Catherine Wilkins, associate dean of the Judy Genshaft Honors College at USF St. Petersburg.
For many students, the experience is transformative. They leave with a broader understanding of how marine science intersects with art, literature and social sciences - creating radio shows, podcasts and other creative projects inspired by their time at sea.
This mentorship program focuses on sustaining early career development in maritime and ocean STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math). Participants, ranging from community college students to earlycareer professionals, gain year-round support and hands-on experience at sea aboard the Western Flyer
By connecting participants with mentors and fostering a sense of community, Peerside addresses workforce gaps in Florida’s maritime economy. It also prepares students for high-demand careers in marine science, environmental management and related fields.
“These programs demonstrate the power of collaboration and the impact of providing students with direct exposure to marine environments,” Wilkins said. “FIO has been incredibly generous with their time and resources, and our students have benefited so much from these opportunities.”
As FIO looks to the future, 2025 promises to be a year of expansion and innovation. The institute plans to grow its educational and workforce development programs, reach more students and enhance its capabilities to tackle Florida’s challenges.
“We’re innovating, collaborating and laying the groundwork to contribute to Florida’s blue economy,” Graham said. “Our goal is to address the challenges of Florida’s coastal and marine environments for generations to come.”
Matthew Cimitile
With only an eighth-grade education, Kate Tiedemann immigrated from her native Germany determined to work hard to achieve the American Dream; and she did just that. Her belief that “an education has the power to change a person’s life,” is her legacy decades later. Along with her spouse, Ellen Cotton, they continue to support the transformative power of education as the largest donors to USF St. Petersburg.
Living by these words, on September 14, 2014, Tiedemann and Cotton gave USF St. Petersburg the largest donation in campus history. The $10 million gift would go on to name the Kate Tiedemann College of Business, now the Kate Tiedemann School of Business and Finance.
Born near Hamburg, Germany, Tiedemann came over to America at the age of 18 via a steamship crossing from Europe in 1955 to live with an aunt. She spoke limited English and worked for two and a half years as a maid and a cook for former New York Governor Thomas E. Dewey.
She then held several jobs where she acquired administrative skills before landing a position in the surgical instrument business as an assistant in the sales office of Storz Instrument Company, now part of Bausch + Lomb.
“I loved the work and was fascinated by the instruments,” she said. Tiedemann turned this passion into a business. In 1975, operating from the basement of her New Jersey home, she founded Katena Products (short for Kate North America). She worked with ophthalmic surgeons worldwide to design and develop instruments for eye surgery. Those precision ophthalmologic surgical instruments are now sold in 110 countries worldwide.
At the time of the campus donation, after spending 30 years earning money, Tiedemann said they wanted to devote the next 30 years to
The $10 million donation proved to be the first of many gifts Tiedemann and Cotton, a successful banker turned entrepreneur, would give to USF and the St. Petersburg campus over the years. Their generosity demonstrated both a sustained commitment to the institution and financial assistance and educational opportunities for
In 2015, Cotton donated $1 million for student scholarships. In recognition of the gift, USF St. Petersburg created the Ellen Cotton Atrium within Lynn Pippenger Hall, where the Kate Tiedemann School of Business and Finance is housed. Cotton, who grew up in
student organizations on the St. Petersburg campus.
In 2019, they graciously gave $3 million to endow the TiedemannCotton Deanship. A year later, they established the TiedemannCotton Endowed Professorship in Finance with a $2 million gift.
In 2020, they gave $50,000 to provide emergency financial support during the coronavirus pandemic. The funds went to students facing new challenges from the pandemic, such as lost jobs and decreased financial support. “Ellen and I want to do everything we can to help these students remain in school and complete their degrees, despite the challenging and uncertain circumstances they are currently facing,” Tiedemann said.
In 2022, new gifts totaling $14 million from the duo went on to support the Kate Tiedemann School of Business and Finance’s vision to become a “hub of excellence” in the field of financial technology (fintech) across all of USF. A part of the gift would go on to create the USF Fintech Center on the St. Petersburg campus.
An education has the power to change a person’s life.
