Recent Stories

Neon pink and purple waves on black background depict how particles at the quantum level behave.

100 years ago, Schrödinger's equation shed light on quantum physics

October 09, 2026, Sophya Garashchuk

Austrian physicist Erwin Schrödinger developed the wave equation that allowed him to calculate the probability that a particle exhibited a certain property from its wave functions. Even though the human eye can’t parse what’s happening at the quantum scale, the way particles behave influences how you experience the world. Sophya Garashchuk, associate chair and professor of chemistry and biochemistry, writes for The Conversation about how scientists are leveraging Schrodinger's theory at the quantum level.

Topics: Faculty, Research, Molinaroli College of Engineering and Computing, The Conversation

Walter Edgar sits in a red chair and holds his book 'South Carolina A History.'

Alumni awards 2026

October 09, 2026, Marketing and Communications

Each year, USC celebrates exemplary alumni and friends with awards bestowed by the Alumni Association. Honorees include Walter Edgar, winner of the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award, and E. Scott Moïse, winner of the biannual Bethea Volunteer Service Award. All seven award winners reflect the values that define the Gamecock community: service, integrity, character and leadership.

Topics: Alumni, Recognition, Service, Leadership, Careers, McCausland College of Arts and Sciences, College of Education, College of Information and Communications, Joseph F. Rice School of Law, School of Music, South Carolina Honors College

Ada B. Thomas with two other women at a table.

These remarkable women changed USC for the better

September 29, 2026, Rebekah Friedman and Craig Brandhorst

USC has been home to countless highly successful women since the university opened its doors to them in the 1890s. These seven changed the institution from within.

Topics: Faculty, History, Recognition, Service, Leadership, Careers, McCausland College of Arts and Sciences, Darla Moore School of Business, College of Education, Joseph F. Rice School of Law, College of Nursing, Arnold School of Public Health, Carolinian

Exterior of USC's Swearingen Engineering building with fall foliage in the foreground

University of South Carolina and Westinghouse partner to advance nuclear workforce development

September 29, 2026, Marketing and Communications

Agreement will explore opportunities to build the nuclear workforce needed to support fleet deployment of AP1000® reactors in the U.S. through USC’s planned Nuclear Innovation Center.

Topics: Alumni, Faculty, University Leadership, Academics, Research, Experiential Learning, Economic Engagement, Campus Construction, SC Impact, Leadership, Careers, Molinaroli College of Engineering and Computing

University of South Carolina (USC) students walk past a large USC logo outside a campus building. A graphic reads, “U.S. News Nation’s Best First-Year Experience — Public Universities.”

USC retains top US News rankings for international business, public first-year experience

September 22, 2026, Delaney Freistuhler

The University of South Carolina continues its ranking as one the No. 1 public institution for first-year experience and as one of the best business schools in the nation with a top-ranked international business undergraduate program, according to the U.S. News & World Report’s 2027 Best Colleges rankings.

Topics: Students, Faculty, Academics, Experiential Learning, Undergraduate Admissions, Recognition, Darla Moore School of Business

An archival image of housing on the USC Horseshoe.

Inside 225 years of on-campus housing at USC

September 15, 2026, Craig Brandhorst

On-campus living has been a rite of passage at the University of South Carolina since before it was actually a university. But the campus housing experience has changed pretty dramatically since the first nine students arrived at South Carolina College in 1805.

Topics: History

Morgan Stefik poses in his lab, where two graduate students discuss their battery research in the background

USC researcher finds imperfect crystals could make lithium-ion batteries faster, longer-lasting

September 14, 2026, Zoe Nicholson

What if the key to discovery is imperfection? Led by USC chemist Morgan Stefik, a team of researchers has found that flaws in crystal anodes could help lithium-ion batteries charge faster and last longer. The practical uses of the discovery offer enticing applications in energy storage.

Topics: Faculty, Research, Recognition, McCausland College of Arts and Sciences, Breakthrough Research

sign reading 'university of south carolina' seen through a patio with trees and tables

USC researchers land major AI-driven grants from Department of Energy

September 09, 2026, Collyn Taylor

Two University of South Carolina faculty were recently awarded significant grants as part of the first wave projects selected for the Department of Energy’s Genesis Mission. Designed to bring together a national consortium of researchers and pair them with Department of Energy resources, the Genesis Mission will help build AI-enabled workflows to expedite discoveries in energy, national security and more.

Topics: Faculty, Academics, Research, Recognition, McCausland College of Arts and Sciences, Molinaroli College of Engineering and Computing

students walking past a university of south carolina sign

USC welcomes new and returning students to Columbia

September 01, 2026, Jeff Stensland

The University of South Carolina’s Columbia campus is welcoming thousands of new college students from across South Carolina, the nation and the world. With an increase of overall enrollment, now approaching 42,000, USC is serving more students today than at other time in its 225-year history.

Topics: Students

3 young men point at the camera, getting excited at a football game

A guide to Gamecock game day

August 28, 2026, Hannah Magner

It’s that time of the year again when Gamecocks flock to Williams-Brice Stadium decked out in their garnet and black. Whether it’s your first for your 50th Gamecock game day, we’ve created a guide to ensure you have a great “Saturday in South Carolina.”

Signage of the Molinaroli College of Engineering and Computing under a garnet University of South Carolina sign

2026 nuclear faculty experts list

August 26, 2026, Gregory Hardy

Nuclear energy is drawing renewed attention as the nation considers reliable power, advanced reactors, safety and its energy future. This list connects journalists with faculty experts from the Molinaroli College of Engineering and Computing who study how nuclear reactors work, how to make them safer and how new technologies are shaping the field’s future.

Topics: Faculty, Research, Health Sciences, Experts List, Molinaroli College of Engineering and Computing

Icon of how an artificial intelligence brain connects to concepts of technology, transportation, vision, the brain, ideas and health care.

2026 artificial intelligence faculty experts list

August 24, 2026, Gregory Hardy

University of South Carolina researchers explore how artificial intelligence can be used for advancements in health care, education, manufacturing, energy, disaster management and transportation. They are also helping shape and inform the ethics and policies surrounding these emergent solutions.

Topics: Faculty, Research, Health Sciences, McCausland College of Arts and Sciences, Molinaroli College of Engineering and Computing, Joseph F. Rice School of Law

Amy Gerald smiles while standing outside on the USC Lancaster campus

Garnet Apple Award for Teaching Innovation: Amy Gerald

August 20, 2026, Thom Harman

Amy Gerald, an assistant professor of English at USC Lancaster, uses community-connected projects and experiential learning to prepare her students for whatever career they choose. Whether it’s partnering with local nonprofits to solve real-world business problems or assigning observational writing assignments at USC Lancaster’s Native American Studies Center, Gerald’s innovative approaches to teaching stand out both in and beyond the classroom.

Topics: Faculty, Experiential Learning, Recognition, University System

Multicolored brain scan on computer screen

USC researchers work to better understand the human brain

August 14, 2026, Communications and Marketing

Understanding how the brain works and improving outcomes for patients are major priorities for USC researchers. That work gained momentum this year with the opening of the new Brain Health Center, which is just one of the ways the university is concentrating on the brain.

Topics: Faculty, University Leadership, Research, Graduate Studies, Health Sciences, McCausland College of Arts and Sciences, Molinaroli College of Engineering and Computing, Floyd School of Medicine, Arnold School of Public Health

Kathy Moore poses inside the College of Pharmacy museum.

Michael J. Mungo Undergraduate Teaching Award winner: Kathy Quarles Moore

August 12, 2026, Laura Erskine

Pharmacist and instructor Kathy Quarles Moore is known for finding new ways to engage students. From keeping students on their toes in the lab to welcoming them to a peaceful garden in the College of Pharmacy’s courtyard, Moore’s holistic and student-centered approach to teaching has earned her the 2026 Mungo Undergraduate Teaching Award.

Topics: Faculty, Experiential Learning, Health Sciences, College of Pharmacy

Chris Rorden smiles for the camera with the MRI machine in the background.

A Sharper Image: At USC, better brain health outcomes begin with cutting-edge neuroimaging equipment

August 10, 2026, Rebekah Friedman

The McCausland Center’s MRI scanner is a 3 Tesla, twice the strength of typical MRIs. Access to equipment of that caliber has enabled the center to bring in tens of millions in grant funding and has led to an explosion in research studies that have advanced our understanding of aphasia, stroke treatment and brain aging.

Topics: Faculty, Health Sciences, Arnold School of Public Health, Carolinian, Breakthrough Research

Headshot of Alison Huppmann

Garnet Apple Award for Teaching Innovation: Alison Huppmann

August 05, 2026, Laura Erskine

As a clinical associate professor at USC’s School of Medicine Greenville, Alison Huppmann teaches medical students in their first two years of the program. Her goal is to equip her students with a broad understanding of medicine. Her efforts have now been recognized with the 2026 Garnet Apple Award for Teaching Innovation.

Topics: Faculty, Experiential Learning, Recognition, Health Sciences, Medicine (Greenville)

student in gray shirt pulling gray box of belongings on sidewalk during move-in

What you need to know for move-in 2026

August 05, 2026, Collyn Taylor

Move-in is quickly approaching, and soon the Class of 2030 will be on campus at USC. With a large freshman class coming to Columbia, this is a one-stop shop for the information students, faculty and staff need to know during move-in week.

Aaron Vannucci stands by a staircase and smiles.

Michael J. Mungo Undergraduate Teaching Award: Aaron Vannucci

July 27, 2026, Chris Horn

Aaron Vannucci doesn’t have a sophisticated philosophy to explain his teaching style. He merely points back to his own high school chemistry teacher, who inspired him with his consistent excitement for the topic. Vannucci brings the same enthusiasm to his classrooms, and he is the winner of USC's 2026 Mungo Undergraduate Teaching Award.

Topics: Faculty, Academics, Recognition, McCausland College of Arts and Sciences

Author Julia Elliott, brown shoulder-length hair and wearing a brown suit, sits in a chair holding her book surrounded by group of onlookers

USC professor Julia Elliott wins one of fiction's most prestigious prizes

July 23, 2026, Kristine Hartvigsen

Known for her fluid, label-defying prose, author Julia Elliott found herself in excellent company last month among a literary cadre of distinct, even unconventional voices. She read the work of her fellow finalists with awe, never thinking she would win. But it was her name announced over the sound system as the winner of the Carol Shields Prize for Fiction for her critically acclaimed, genre-bending short-story collection "Hellions."

Topics: Faculty, Academics, South Carolina Honors College

portion of an early version of the American flag

After 1776, the founders designed a government that accounts for 'a degree of depravity in mankind'

July 20, 2026, Donovan Fifield

The Declaration of Independence was only the first step in making a unified country. A competing set of state and local interests required a defense of the U.S. Constitution (the Federalist Papers), which sought to define the role of government to keep basic human impulses toward political abuse, self-interest and even violence in check.

Topics: Faculty, Research, History, McCausland College of Arts and Sciences, The Conversation

Jane Roberts smiles in front of foliage

Research center building ecosystem in autism, neurodevelopmental disorders

July 15, 2026, Chris Horn

From helping to establish a popular undergraduate neuroscience major to attracting millions in research grants, the Carolina Autism and Neurodevelopment Research Center at USC has achieved notable success since its launch seven years ago. And the momentum isn’t slowing. The center’s leadership has ambitious plans to serve more citizens of South Carolina.

Topics: Faculty, Research, Initiatives, Recognition, McCausland College of Arts and Sciences

Braden Guliano stands next to a rack of computer equipment

Braden Guliano builds technology career with internships, mentors and entrepreneurial spirit

July 10, 2026, Chris Horn

Braden Guliano has been a man on a mission at USC. In just three years, he completed a bachelor’s degree in integrated information technology at the Molinaroli College of Engineering and Computing while completing multiple internships and launching his own tech consulting business on the side.

Topics: Students, Alumni, Research, Experiential Learning, Molinaroli College of Engineering and Computing, South Carolina Honors College, Meant To Be USC

Michael Carson, an intern for USC Facilities, poses for a portrait.

USC Facilities intern turns capstone project into AI-powered campus innovation

July 06, 2026, Hunter Mutherspaw

A University of South Carolina computer science capstone project led by graduate Michael Carson has grown into an AI-powered internship project that helps USC Facilities analyze maintenance data, automate reporting and improve campus operations through smarter, data-driven decision-making.

Topics: Students, Faculty, Academics, Research, Experiential Learning, Initiatives, Molinaroli College of Engineering and Computing

USC student Aquiles Agreda helps clean up rubble at night after two massive earthquakes struck Venezuela.

Recent graduate rises to the challenge of Venezuelan earthquakes

July 02, 2026, Zoe Nicholson

Like much of the world, Aquiles Agreda was watching the World Cup on June 24 with friends. But two massive earthquakes — a 7.2 magnitude followed by a 7.5 less than a minute later — shook Agreda’s native country that evening. He and his friends were unharmed, but within a day, he was helping with rescue and cleanup operations. Agreda plans to return to USC in August to begin the Master of International Business program. His only plan right now, though, is to help others.

Topics: Students, Darla Moore School of Business

An African American adult male in black t-shirt and ballcap looks into the camera

30 years after 'Reasonable Doubt,' Jay-Z's career embodies hip-hop's biggest contradictions

June 25, 2026, Jabari Evans

The cinematic complexity of Jay-Z’s first rap album “Reasonable Doubt” explains why it still matters 30 years later. Today, hip-hop powers advertising campaigns, luxury branding and streaming platforms. Jay-Z has played an outsized role in that transformation. Writing for The Conversation, USC assistant professor Jabari Evans explores the complicated history of hip-hop’s rise in a capitalist society.

Topics: Research, Entrepreneurship, College of Information and Communications, The Conversation

Board Briefs: Trustees approve budget, key USC Next projects

June 19, 2026, Andy Shain

University of South Carolina trustees approved a 2026-27 fiscal year budget and advanced key projects tied to the Columbia campus’s USC Next master plan.

Topics: Students, Faculty, Academics, Research, Undergraduate Admissions, Initiatives, Economic Engagement, Health Sciences, Campus Construction, SC Impact, Leadership, Careers, McCausland College of Arts and Sciences, Molinaroli College of Engineering and Computing

A headshot of Margaret Janse van Rensburg

Social work researcher aims to improve mental health outcomes for autistic adults

June 19, 2026, Téa Smith

For her dissertation at Carlton University in Canada, assistant professor Margaret Janse van Rensburg collaborated with the Ottawa Adult Autism Initiative to better understand how human service workers can help autistic adults overcome barriers to accessing mental health support. Now, at USC, she is expanding on her research and working toward her goal to enhance outcomes for autistic people.

Topics: Faculty, Research, College of Social Work, Breakthrough Research

view of Russell House with pink flowers blooming in the foreground

USC board approves freezing tuition, expanding Russell House, building Civil Rights Center

June 18, 2026, Andy Shain

University of South Carolina trustees approved a 2026-27 fiscal year budget that freezes in-state tuition systemwide and advanced key projects tied to the Columbia campus’s USC Next master plan.

Topics: Students, Alumni, Faculty, University Leadership, University President, Academics, Research, Undergraduate Admissions, Economic Engagement, Campus Construction, SC Impact, Leadership, Careers, Student Voices, McCausland College of Arts and Sciences, Molinaroli College of Engineering and Computing

Israel softball players celebrate on the field, holding a national flag during an international competition.

Graduate's journey from softball to social work leads to selection as U.S. team therapist at Jewish Olympics

June 10, 2026, Carol J.G. Ward

After navigating the challenges of life beyond Division I softball, licensed clinical social worker Olivia Gott, now supports athletes facing similar transitions. She will serve as the U.S. team therapist at the 2026 Maccabiah Games, bringing both personal experience and professional care to the world stage.

Topics: Alumni, Graduate Studies, Health Sciences, College of Social Work

Pages of a thesis document amid stacked books

From thesis to courtroom: Honors College honed skills, discipline for successful alumni

June 03, 2026, Carol J.G. Ward

Alumni Kathy Carlsten and Peter Siachos, who both graduated from the University of South Carolina Honors College in 1997 and the Joseph F. Rice School of Law in 2000, say they draw on the critical thinking and collaborative skills, the debate-oriented approach and intellectual ambition required in honors courses in their legal practices.

Topics: Alumni, Academics, Graduate Studies, History, Leadership, Careers, Joseph F. Rice School of Law, South Carolina Honors College

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