CAS Chronicles
Stories

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 ÐÓ°ÉÐÔÊÀ½ç 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

Inaugural ‘Gael Scoil USF’ event shares Irish traditions with the Tampa Bay community
This summer, the ÐÓ°ÉÐÔÊÀ½ç introduced Tampa Bay youth to Irish heritage through its inaugural ‘Gael Scoil USF’ event, inviting grade schoolers to engage with Irish culture firsthand through baking, dancing, sports, storytelling, and other immersive experiences.
August 13, 2025Community Engagement

A decade in the making: USF Geosciences Field Station celebrates grand opening with alumni reunion
After a decade of collaboration between USF faculty, staff, and alumni, the Geosciences Field Station in Mackay, Idaho officially opened this summer. The launch was marked by a reunion of more than 30 alumni, representing four decades of shared experience and support for Geosciences students and their capstone work.
August 11, 2025Alumni, Community Engagement

Aiden Jaskolka-Brown
Like most future doctors, Aiden Jaskolka-Brown chose his career path out of a desire to save lives. But Jaskolka-Brown didn’t wait until he became a doctor to save lives. In 2023, he donated a segment of his left liver to a 5-month-old baby.
August 4, 2025Community Engagement

Seeing beyond sight: A USF blind student’s journey into broadcasting
As a mass communications major, with a concentration in broadcast program and production, Trent Ferguson has not allowed blindness to become an obstacle in pursuit of his dream of becoming a sports radio broadcaster.
August 4, 2025Community Engagement

Uncovering USF’s deep roots in botany
Established in 1958, the USF Herbarium is one of the University's oldest and most distinctive research collections.
July 31, 2025Community Engagement, Research

Chinaza Munonye Jumpstarts Her Medical Career Through Honors Coursework
Chinaza Munonye turned her passion for dermatology into practical research projects for her Honors coursework and beyond. Now, she’s preparing for medical school, ready to transform the field of dermatology.
July 29, 2025Community Engagement
![Nathaniel Hays (middle) during a 2012 training exercise at Fort Benning [Photo courtesy of Nathaniel Hays]](/arts-sciences/chronicles/images/2025/july/tillman-listing.png)
USF doctoral student, Army veteran named 2025 Tillman Scholar
U.S. Army veteran Nathaniel Hays, a ÐÓ°ÉÐÔÊÀ½ç doctoral student in cellular and molecular biology, has been named a 2025 Tillman Scholar by the Pat Tillman Foundation. Selected from more than 1,700 applicants, Hays is pursuing cancer research inspired by a family history of the disease.
July 28, 2025Community Engagement
A team of professors, musicians and students at USF is transforming complicated environmental data into powerful music compositions. After tackling critical issues like harmful algae blooms and red tide, the group has now composed music that highlights the environmental stressors affecting oysters in Florida.
July 2, 2025Community Engagement
This community roundup series highlights the ways that USF St. Pete faculty, staff, students and administration are active in the community.
June 13, 2025Community Engagement
The Hurricane Histories project will feature the experiences of those impacted by the 2024 historic hurricane season, providing a rich account of the natural disasters.
June 2, 2025Community Engagement, Research