Research News

Participants in a summer forum, financed by a $293,914 National Science Foundation REU grant, study pieces of a skull loaned to Dr. Lesley Gregoricak, associate professor of anthropology at South, and Dr. Jamie Ullinger, associate professor of anthropology at Quinnipac University, by the government of the Emirate of Ras al-Khaimah in the UAE. The students collaborate with an interdisciplinary group of dynamic scientists while conducting original research over an eight-week period.

How Did People Live 4,500 Years Ago?
July 23, 2019

College students from around the country hone their research skills studying ancient bones during a summer program at South. ...

Dr. T. Grant Glover, seated, demonstrates an early-stage prototype of the next-generation carbon dioxide scrubber being developed for the International Space State. Colleagues Dr. Matthew Reichert, from left, standing; Dr. James Davis and Dr. Kevin West are colleagues on the research project, which is financed by a $1.1 million grant from NASA.

South Awarded $3.8 Million for Ionic Liquids
July 18, 2019

USA researchers are leading the way in developing liquid salt as an environmentally friendly solvent, on Earth and in outer space. ...

Dr. Sarah Koon-Magnin, associate professor of political science and criminal justice, works with volunteers who act as advocates for sexual assault victims. The work is done through Lifelines Counseling Services of Mobile.

Examining the 'Disclosure Experience'
July 18, 2019

The #MeToo movement has brought focus to sexual assault. Dr. Sarah Koon-Magnin works to make talking about it less traumatic. ...

Astronaut Edwin "Buzz" E. Aldrin Jr., lunar module pilot of the first lunar landing mission, poses for a photograph beside the deployed United States flag. NASA photo.

Fifty Years After 'One Small Step'
July 17, 2019

South's Dr. Carlos Montalvo talks about how we got to the moon five decades ago, and what's next in space exploration. ...

The 2018 hurricane season will be remembered mostly for hurricanes Michael and Florence, that latter pictured here in an image with elements furnished by NASA. An average Atlantic hurricane season produces 12 named storms, six hurricanes and three major hurricanes.

How to Forecast the 2019 Hurricane Season
June 7, 2019

Sea temperatures, sea-level pressure and monsoons all factor into a hurricane forecast. Here is South's experts' take on 2019. ...

Dr. Ken Heck, professor emeritus, and Alex Rodriguez, a technician in Heck's lab, look at seagrass samples from near Port St. Joe, Fla., as part of their research to find ways for replenishing the grasses.

Protecting the Gulf's Underwater Nurseries
May 31, 2019

Propellers, hurricanes and even sea turtles pose a threat to Gulf of Mexico seagrass. South researchers aim to reverse its decline. ...

Dr. Kevin White, professor and chair of the department of civil, coastal and environmental engineering, and Jordan Blackmon, sophomore civil engineering major, stand on the edge of one of five landscaped bioinfiltration swales near Meisler Hall. The swales help capture storm water runoff instead of it running off on the surface and eroding soil that eventually deposits into Three Mile Creek.

Erosion: Keeping a LID on It
May 20, 2019

USA Engineering is using low-impact development, or LID, to reduce erosion and storm water runoff into Three Mile Creek. ...

Dillon Blount, left, a senior meteorology major from Pelham, Ga.; Dr. Wesley Terwey, assistant professor of meteorology; and Amber Kulick, a junior meteorology major from Falkville, Ala., participate in the VORTEX weather balloon program that seeks to learn more about tornadoes in order to provide timelier forecasts.

When Storms Approach, Balloons Go Up
May 5, 2019

South faculty and students are participating in a program that aims to learn more about tornadoes, resulting in timelier forecasts. ...

Electrical engineering senior Zack Peavy of Citronelle, mechanical engineering senior Kiante Evers of Gulfport, Miss., and computer engineering senior Ariel Pickett of Montgomery are adjusting the vertical travel distance of the robot head for a space station that will be used to grow crops in space. Assisting the students is Dr. Sam Russ, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of South Alabama.

South Supporting NASA's Deep Space Ambitions
April 15, 2019

The University is one of only ten chosen nationwide to design systems, concepts and technologies to go beyond the moon. ...

Dr. David Meola, the Bert and Fanny Meisler Assistant Professor of History and Jewish Studies and director of the Jewish and Holocaust Studies Program, will research the involvement of Jewish Germans in the German liberal and democratic movement of the 1830s and 1840s as a Fulbright Scholar.

South Professor Awarded Fulbright
April 5, 2019

Dr. David Meola, director of the Jewish and Holocaust Studies Program, will conduct research in Germany for two summers. ...

Associate professor Dr. John Lanicci, whose research focuses on extreme weather events, placed 36 rain gauges around the area of the Kennedy Space Center. He found the amount of annual rainfall varied as much as 16 inches over an area approximately one-eighth the size of Mobile County.

What's the Rainfall Count? It Depends
February 21, 2019

Dr. John Lanicci's research suggests rainfall measurements can vary widely, a potential vulnerability for stormwater infrastructure. ...

Senior chemistry students Madison McBroom, left, of Huntsville and Amanda Tanner of Cantonment, Fla., listen as Dr. William Richert talks about their research with ionic liquids in the field of 3D printing.

Developing a Printer Worth Its Salt
February 5, 2019

Ionic liquids, or liquid salt, may one day be used in 3D printing. Dr. Matthew Reichert is exploring the possibilities. ...

Dr. Thomas Shaw, director of USA Polling, and Dr. Jaclyn Bunch, associate director, have conducted surveys on everything from health care and public policy to schoolchildren’s summer vacations.

Survey Says ... USA Polling Group
January 25, 2019

In a lab in South's Humanities Building, pollsters blend art and science to get accurate answers from the other end of the phone. ...

Jessica Gwinn, a Ph.D. student at South, samples herbivorous fish and algae on a rig south of Dauphin Island in July 2018. Gwinn's work was part of an international research project of ciguatera lead by the University of South Alabama.

No Taste, No Smell and No Effective Treatment
January 25, 2019

A USA marine scientist is leading an international research study of ciguatera, the world's most prevalent seafood-toxin illness. ...

Omar Tahri, left, a civil engineering junior from Morocco, works side by side with Assistant Professor Dr. Shenghua Wu in the asphalt lab. “It’s really nice to be hands on with materials that you are making predictions about and see your ideas become reality,” Tahri said.

In Search of Making Blacktop Green
January 24, 2019

University researchers are testing cooler temperatures to make asphalt production safer and more environmentally friendly. ...

Marine Sciences Students Earn Top Awards
October 4, 2018

Graduate students Haley Gancel, and Jeffrey Coogan attended the Alabama Water Resources Conference. ...

Dr. William T. Jackson Jr., assistant professor of geology, will receive the 2018 Stephen E. Laubach Structural Diagenesis Research Award from the Geological Society of America.

Jackson to Receive Geological Research Award
October 4, 2018

Dr. William T. Jackson Jr. to be awarded the 2018 Stephen E. Laubach Structural Diagenesis Research Award. ...

NSF Funding Creates Undergraduate Research Experiences
October 3, 2018

School of Computing students participate in paid research experiences through a supplemental grant. ...

English Department to Host 'Chaucer: Sound and Vision'
October 3, 2018

The medieval literature conference, which will focus on representations of the senses, is open to the public. ...

Dr. Caitlyn Hauff, assistant professor of kinesiology and health promotion, and Dr. Geoffrey Hudson, an assistant professor of exercise science, are two of a dozen members of South's Obesity Research Network. Hudson is testing whether a 3D camera, in the background, can accurately measure body fat. Hauff specializes in body image and weight stigma research.

Gaining Knowledge on Losing Weight
October 3, 2018

Thirteen faculty from five USA colleges and schools are combining efforts and expertise through the Obesity Research Network. ...

Graduate students Harrison White and Matthew Simmons flank Dr. Carlos Montalvo as they discuss the tradeoff from having two or more miniature satellites, called CubeSats, connected via a tether from an E-Sail. More CubeSats means more tethers and more thrust, but also more chances of tangling.

E-Sailing to the Edge of Space
September 27, 2018

An engineering professor and his students want to find a way to propel spacecraft 12 billion miles from the sun using solar wind. ...

Above is a rendering of the Flight Works Alabama aviation experience center to be built next year. The University of South Alabama is partnering with Airbus to provide support in several areas.

USA to Collaborate on Flight Works Alabama
September 20, 2018

An aviation experience center, to be completed in 2019, aims to bolster workforce development and launch aerospace careers. ...

Meredith Diskin, a doctoral student in USA's marine sciences program, tethers shrimp to fishing line and puts them out in the mangroves for her research on the interactions of predators and their prey and how they differ in ecosystems such as salt marshes and mangroves.

Fulfilling a Lifelong Dream in Marine Biology
September 17, 2018

Ph.D. student Meredith Diskin spent her summer on a fellowship at the Smithsonian Marine Station in Florida. ...

Dusty Norris, a graduate of the University of South Alabama’s anthropology program, is using an archaeology tool to record information about one of the artifacts found at the sites of the shotgun houses in areas of downtown Mobile. This preliminary work is being done as plans for the Mobile River Bridge and Bayway project moves forward.

Modest Homes, Rich History
August 14, 2018

A USA archaeology team is conducting fieldwork at the site of several shotgun houses; 'These tend to be the forgotten people.' ...

Dr. Jonathan Rayner, associate professor of microbiology and immunology and director of the Laboratory of Infectious Diseases, said a new mosquito testing collaboration with the Mobile County Health Department is an extension of a longstanding program centered on sentinel chickens.

South, County Partner in Mosquito Control
August 10, 2018

USA researchers are collaborating with the Mobile County Health Department to screen for viruses including Zika. ...

Research News Archive

How Did People Live 4,500 Years Ago? July 23, 2019

South Awarded $3.8 Million for Ionic Liquids July 18, 2019

Examining the 'Disclosure Experience' July 18, 2019

Fifty Years After 'One Small Step' July 17, 2019

How to Forecast the 2019 Hurricane Season June 7, 2019

Protecting the Gulf's Underwater Nurseries May 31, 2019

Erosion: Keeping a LID on It May 20, 2019

When Storms Approach, Balloons Go Up May 5, 2019

South Supporting NASA's Deep Space Ambitions April 15, 2019

South Professor Awarded Fulbright April 5, 2019

What's the Rainfall Count? It Depends February 21, 2019

Developing a Printer Worth Its Salt February 5, 2019

Survey Says ... USA Polling Group January 25, 2019

No Taste, No Smell and No Effective Treatment January 25, 2019

In Search of Making Blacktop Green January 24, 2019

Marine Sciences Students Earn Top Awards October 4, 2018

Jackson to Receive Geological Research Award October 4, 2018

NSF Funding Creates Undergraduate Research Experiences October 3, 2018

English Department to Host 'Chaucer: Sound and Vision' October 3, 2018

Gaining Knowledge on Losing Weight October 3, 2018

E-Sailing to the Edge of Space September 27, 2018

USA to Collaborate on Flight Works Alabama September 20, 2018

Fulfilling a Lifelong Dream in Marine Biology September 17, 2018

Modest Homes, Rich History August 14, 2018

South, County Partner in Mosquito Control August 10, 2018