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Power to the people »

Widespread usage of renewable energy — think solar panels and electric vehicles — once seemed like the stuff of science fiction, but today it’s a looming reality.

The U.S. Department of Energy projects that one in seven homes will have rooftop solar panels by 2030. By that point, electric car purchases could surpass more than 50 percent of total passenger car sales.
The world is poised to add as much renewable energy in the next five years as it did in the past 20, says the International Energy Agency.

Fueling the future: What will the transition toward cleaner energy sources mean for the job market? How can we harness hydrogen to make our transportation even greener? Could nuclear-powered rocket engines make interplanetary space travel more feasible? Researchers at USC are seeking the answers to questions like these, and their findings are actively influencing tomorrow’s energy landscape.

From clean energy policy to better batteries, read how USC scientists are plugged into the push for a new energy infrastructure.

Renowned entrepreneur returns for second semester as executive-in-residence »

Hospitality and sport and entertainment entreprenuer Sheila Johnson has returned to USC for the spring semester to teach a class in the College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management, focusing on leadership.

Johnson is the only Black woman with ownership in three professional sports teams.
She is also owner of Salamander Hotels and Resorts, co-founder of BET, and the first Black female billionaire.

What they're saying: “Being able to pick the brains of enormously successful industry leaders like Ms. Johnson is incredible. Courses like Leadership Development are great examples of what the College of HRSM has to offer and why I came to the university in the first place.” — Devin Arasa, sport and entertainment management sophomore

Alumnus, former mayor tapped for White House role »

Former Columbia mayor Steve Benjamin, a two-time alumnus of the University of South Carolina, has been named as a senior advisor to the White House and director of the Office of Public Engagement.

What it means: The Office of Public Engagement “works at the local, state, and national levels to ensure community leaders, diverse perspectives, and new voices have the opportunity to inform the work of the President in an inclusive, transparent and responsible way,” according to a White House press release.

From Columbia to national leadership: Benjamin served as mayor of Columbia from 2010 to 2021. He served as president of the African American Mayors Association in 2015-16 and president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors in 2018-19.

Arnold School faculty member wins national award for outstanding advising »

Exercise science instructor Caleb Morris has received an Outstanding Advising Award from the National Academic Advising Association.

Morris, who also serves as an undergraduate adviser, is a two-time graduate of USC and joined the advising center in 2019 after graduating with a master's in higher education and student affairs.

What he's saying: “I got started in higher education due to my involvement in admissions, the first-year experience and diversity peer education programs when I was an undergraduate student here at USC. I had a transformative experience and wanted to pay that forward to students.” — Caleb Morris

Learn more about Caleb Morris.

graphic with a trophy and the words: Do you know a remarkable Gamecock 2023 alumni awards nominate today

IN THE NEWS

“Philadelphia Police body camera footage is largely unmonitored” (feat. Seth Stoughton, law)
Axios

“Groundbreaking ceremony at South Main Street” (feat. President Michael Amiridis)
ABC Columbia

“Black women say products for Black hair are dangerously toxic – Why are we still not listening?” (feat. Marie Boyd, law)
Prevention

“’Turmoil and turnover’: How politics might be causing Midlands superintendents to leave” (feat. Barnett Berry, educational studies)
The State

“Dyslexia, dysgraphia, and academic philosophy” (feat. Tyke Nunez, philosophy)
Daily Nous

“USC professor’s movie starring WACH intern makes it to the big screen” (feat. Brandon Glover, media arts – adjunct)
WACH Fox 57

FACULTY AND STAFF NOTES

Theodoros Giannouchos, Elizabeth Crouch, Melinda Merrell, health services policy and management, Monique Brown and Sayward Harrison, South Carolina SmartState Center for Healthcare Quality, authored “Racial, Ethnic, and Rural/Urban Disparities in HIV and Sexually Transmitted Infections in South Carolina” in the Journal of Community Health.

John Doering-White, social work, presented “Rethinking Mobility Privilege: Humanitarian Aid, International Volunteerism, and the Return to Normal” at the 2023 Society for Social Work Research Annual Meeting in Phoenix.

Henry Tran, education, published “Revolutionizing School HR Strategies and Practices to Reflect Talent Centered Education Leadership” in Leadership and Policy in Schools.

Yi Wang, mechanical engineering, authored “A multi-sensor feature fusion network model for bearings grease life assessment in accelerated experiments” in Neural Computing and Applications.

Talal Alshehri, Jingjing Wang, Sheryl Singerling and Mohammed Baalousha, South Carolina SmartState Center for Environmental Nanoscience and Risk, authored “Wildland-urban interface fire ashes as a major source of incidental nanomaterials” in the Journal of Hazardous Materials.

Catesby Centre hosts talk on slavery in Colonial SC »

The Mark Catesby Centre is hosting history scholar Bernard Powers for a talk on “Racialized Spaces and Resistance in Early South Carolina Slaveholding Society.”

Powers is a history professor emeritus at the College of Charleston and director of the Charleston Center for the Study of Slavery.
The event begins at 4:30 p.m. Friday (March 3) in the program room of the Hollings Library.

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