Research News Archive

  • Dr. Sean Powers, professor and director of the School of Marine and Environmental Sciences, walks the halls of the school's renovated 20,000-square-foot facility. “We have an international reputation. We want to bring new students to South,” he said.
    New academic and research programs are expected to follow as South increases opportunities for students and faculty. ...
  • Dr. Brandi Kiel Reese has been named an early-career fellow by the Gulf Research Program of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. The fellowship comes with a $76,000 award that Kiel Reese plans to use to support graduate students and provide paid internships for undergraduates.
    Dr. Brandi Kiel Reese becomes the second South faculty member honored by the Gulf Research Program in as many years. ...
  • "The illustration depicts the outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) produced by pathogenic bacteria ("yellow balls”) coming into contact with the plant cell. In his study, Dr. Tuan M. Tran found that OMV insertion into the plant plasma membrane is dependent on membrane nanodomains (regions highly enriched of sterol and phospholipids). This OMV insertion could alter the dynamics of the plasma membrane and also prime plants for better immune defense responses upon infection by pathogens."
    South's Dr. Tuan Minh Tran is the lead author of an article published in the prestigious scientific journal, The Plant Cell. ...
  • South and USA Health raised $26,147,447 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2021, the largest total in its 58-year history. This record comes on the heels of the nearly $161 million raised during the University's 5-year Upward & Onward fundraising campaign.
    Nearly 4,500 donors help achieve a one-year fundraising record and supporting a wide range of USA and USA Health's missions. ...
  • University of South Alabama Professor Dr. Joseph Currier, seated at Covenant Presbyterian Church in Mobile, where is is a member, said he has felt drawn by his belief in God to psychology, theology and mental health counseling. He is leading a national project that seeks to integrate religious and spiritual competencies in training mental healthcare providers.
    Dr. Joseph Currier, a psychology professor at South, is leading a national project to integrate religious and spiritual competencies into mental healthcare training. ...
  • Saltwater flooding in a busy intersection in Oahu, HI is the result of sea level rise causing higher tides that back up the stormwater system. This type of flooding is known as "high tide flooding," "sunny day flooding," or "nuisance flooding." It's an example of how sea-level rise is affecting everyday life in coastal regions.
    South is part of a research group looking to develop more resilient coastal infrastructure and enhanced coastal ecosystems. ...
  • Hedberg Wins National Award in Research Administration
    USA's Executive Director in the Office of Sponsored Projects Administration recognized for her contributions in the research community. ...
  • An underwater camera on a remote operated vehicle in the Gulf of Mexico captured this school of greater amberjack near a pyramid deployed by the State of Alabama to provide fish habitat.
    South leads a 'Dream Team' of Gulf Coast researchers in an $11.7 million greater amberjack study that could have significant implications for commercial and recreational fishing. ...
  • Dr. John Lehrter, associate professor of marine science, pilots a boat through Mobile Bay, where he and graduate Chris Mikolaitis took water samples to measure the health of its marine ecosystem.
    South marine scientists monitor environmental trends throughout Mobile Bay in a multi-year program that seeks to prevent decline of oysters, blue crabs and spotted sea trout. ...
  • University of South Alabama students, from left, Liz Seiler, Ian Singley and De’Asia Aaron each earned a Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship.
    Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships offer South students an introduction to academic analysis and communication. There's also a $2,000 stipend. ...
  • Mike Fletcher and Amber Simpson, a pair of Mobile County public school science teachers, do lab work during a six-week summer program for high school educators at the University of South Alabama.
    South welcomes local science educators to a summer research experience program for middle and high school teachers. ...
  • Dr. Jeremiah Henning, assistant professor of biology, will study how nutrient addition and disturbance events such as hurricanes alter plant communities and how ecosystems function. The research could have important implications for coastal areas, such as Dauphin Island, where Henning will conduct some of his research.
    Fertilizer may increase plant size or make your grass greener this summer, but possibly at the cost of biological diversity, according to a study co-authored by a South professor. ...
  • David Furman, Director of Information Security & Risk Compliance at the University of South Alabama, was selected by a committee of Research Administrator peers, after the program received well over 100 nominations from around the globe.
    USA's David Furman was selected to Society of Research Administrators International's 'Future of the Field' recognition program. ...
  • Merritt McCall's duties with the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources include building, seeding and monitoring oyster beds in state waters. she recently earned her master's degree in marine science from the University of South Alabama.
    Marine scientist Merritt McCall turns her experience at South and the Dauphin Island Sea Lab into a fisheries job with the state of Mississippi. #MyFirstJob ...
  • University of South Alabama Assistant Vice President for Research Dr. Matthew Reichert has received a Council on Research, Research Leadership Fellowship given by Association of Public and Land Grant Universities.
    The fellowship will allow Reichert to work with other vice presidents for research at Universities around the country. ...
  • South assistant professor Matt Howard has been researching the use of virtual reality in workplace training since he was in grad school. He has two soon-to-be published articles he believes will have a significant impact in that space.
    University of South Alabama assistant professor Dr. Matt Howard is researching the use of virtual reality in workplace training. ...
  • Dr. Lorraine Ahearn, an assistant professor of multimedia journalism at the University of South Alabama, holds a boom microphone for her interview with a Bayou Le Batre resident who moved there from Vietnam as a child. Ahearn is producing a documentary about the Vietnamese fishing community on the Alabama Gulf Coast. The videographer on many of her interviews is Francisco Cordova, right, a December graduate from the digital cinema and television program.
    A documentary produced by Assistant Professor Dr. Lorraine Ahearn will focus on a tight-knit Vietnamese fishing community that has grown up along the Alabama coast. ...
  • Dr. Natalie Gassman, an assistant professor of physiology and cell biology at the University of South Alabama, and graduate student Arlet Hernandez left, are conducting experiments and continuing research on the harmful effects of dihydroxyacetone, a molecule produced by electronic cigarettes, at the USA Health Mitchell Cancer Institute.
    Vaping remains popular among those seeking to quit tobacco smoking and young people enticed by flavors from watermelon to creme brulee. Dr. Natalie Gassman's research suggests dangers that are decidedly less sweet. ...
  • The research of Dr. Mohamed Shaban, assistant professor of electrical engineering at the University of South Alabama, focuses on using brain waves — shown here in this photo illustration — to reveal cognitive impairment as a result of Parkinson's Disease.
    Computer-assisted analysis focusing on brain waves could help physicians detect and manage cognitive impairment in the early stages of the disease. ...
  • USA Led Initiative Lands $4.85 Million Grant
    Funding will be used to establish a technical assistance and training programs for innovative wastewater treatment solutions. ...
  • University of South Alabama assistant professor of chemistry Dr. T. Grant Glover is part of a collaborative effort with researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, the University of Chicago and General Electric to design and develop a portable device that produces drinking water out of thin air.
    USA engineering professor Grant Glover is part of a groundbreaking research project to address global water scarcity. The result could open new water sources to everyone from overseas troops to residents of the world’s driest lands. ...
  • Plans for South's School of Marine and Environmental Sciences call for additional faculty, renovated classroom space and new academic programs. “The school capitalizes on our strategic location on the Gulf Coast, and allows us to expand opportunities for both undergraduate and graduate students,” said Dr. Andi Kent, interim provost and senior vice president.
    Plans call for new undergraduate and graduate programs to complement the existing degrees that have been offered by the department of marine sciences. ...
  • Researchers from the William B. Burnsed Jr. Mechanical, Aerospace, and Biomedical Engineering Department. From L-R; Michael Johnson, MS student and Graduate Research Assistant, Nazim Uddin, MS student and Graduate Research Assistant, Prof. Kuang-Ting Hsiao display a unidirectional ZT-CFRP Prepreg sample produced in Hsiao’s lab and a ZT-CFRP Composite Panel manufactured from stacks of ZT-CFRP prepregs.
    USA lands a large grant and partners with private industry to develop improved carbon fiber reinforced polymers for commercialization. ...
  • Dr. Jason Strickland, assistant professor in South's department of biology was part of a team breaking new ground in genetic research.
    South faculty member Dr. Jason Strickland co-authors study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. ...
  • Dr. Peggy Delmas, an assistant professor in educational leadership spent two years researching the contributions of Catholic sisters in the field of academics, including science.
    USA assistant professor's research highlights the contributions of Catholic sisters' careers in education leadership and science. ...