CAS Chronicles
Stories
USF Achieves Record Cohort of 15 United Nations Millennium Fellows
The ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ reached a new milestone with 15 students selected for the 2025 United Nations Millennium Fellowship, where they will receive leadership training and carry out social impact projects addressing UN Sustainable Development Goals.
September 10, 2025Accomplishments
How the high-speed tongues of salamanders and chameleons are helping USF unlock engineering breakthroughs
While studying salamanders and chameleons, USF researchers discovered the animals use the same biological mechanism to fire their tongues at extreme speeds. The research has opened the door to potential innovative engineering applications inspired by nature.
September 8, 2025Research
How USF researchers are leading the fight against MRSA
With new support from the National Institutes of Health and USF’s CREATE Award, USF researchers are unraveling how MRSA evolves and spreads, shaping new treatments, training future scientists and confronting emerging strains in Florida and beyond.
September 4, 2025Research
In the Parkinson Lab at USF, saving Florida's Coral Reef is a top priority
John Parkinson, an assistant professor in the Department of Integrative Biology, has long advocated for the need to test and implement new approaches to retain ecosystem function among coral reefs and prevent species loss.
August 28, 2025Research
USF will host free, multinational film festival
The Tampa Bay community will have an opportunity to screen Spanish and Portuguese-language films from the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Spain, Brazil and Mexico during a month-long film festival coming to USF.
August 28, 2025Events
Around the world in one summer: CAS students reflect on new skills and connections gained abroad
From Curaçao to Kyoto, students from USF’s College of Arts and Sciences spent the summer expanding their horizons through immersive study abroad programs that blended academic learning with cultural exploration.
August 28, 2025Community Engagement, Featured, Research
Expanding excellence: 31 new faculty members join the College of Arts and Sciences
The USF College of Arts and Sciences welcomes 31 new faculty members with a unique breadth of research and expertise in highly evolving specializations, reflecting the college’s continued commitment to comprehensive excellence.
August 27, 2025Accomplishments, Featured, Research
CAS alumna’s experiences fuel passion for mentorship
Gabriella Boykin, a first-generation college student and recent graduate from the College of Arts and Sciences, is dedicated to working with students and supporting their academic journeys.
August 27, 2025Alumni
Mist netting for malaria: professor uses birds to track transmission
Diego Santiago-Alarcon, an assistant professor in the Department of Integrative Biology and expert in disease ecology, studies patterns in the mosquito-borne pathogens carried by birds that can be used to understand changes in parasite transmission due to human activities.
August 27, 2025Research
Elevating Educators: USF celebrates next generation of STEM teacher leaders
Leadership from USF, the Coalition for Science Literacy and HCPS welcomed the recipients of the 2025 Noyce Master Teaching Fellowship and celebrated the accomplishments of the 2024 cohort, who earned their master of education in curriculum and instruction from USF this summer and completed a professional development series in mechatronic principles.
August 21, 2025Accomplishments, Alumni, Community Engagement, Events, Research
![Cuban sandwiches being prepared in a Tampa restaurant in the 1960s [Photo courtesy of Florida Memory Program]](/arts-sciences/chronicles/images/2025/august/cuban-sandwich.jpg)
The Cuban sandwich story: How USF played a surprising role in its rise to fame
The ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ has played a major role in shaping the Cuban sandwich's legacy — from researching its history and refining Cuban bread baking methods to inspiring the creation of National Cuban Sandwich Day, now celebrated worldwide every August 23.
August 20, 2025Community Engagement
Meet the new faculty helping power USF’s future
From AI-driven discovery to cutting-edge medical research, USF’s newest faculty are advancing bold ideas and preparing students for the future. Their arrival reflects the university’s continued momentum as a hub for world-changing innovation and academic excellence.
August 13, 2025Research