sponsored award activity executive summary research and

Research and

P O W E R F U LP A R T N E R S H I P SSponsored Award Activity

Executive Summary

Dear Friends:

I am pleased to present this executive summary of the University of South Carolina’s Annual Report of Sponsored Awards Activity for FY 2005.

During this period, our faculty attracted $166.2 million in funding from external sponsors in support of a variety of research, public ser-vice, and training projects. This 11.3 percent increase over last year’s $149.3 million total continues the pattern of growth we have experi-enced over the past three years and reflects USC researchers’ persistent embrace of innovation in their investigations and problem-solving across disciplines as diverse as the physical and health sciences, the liberal arts, and engineering.

Their achievements in these fields, sustained by the work of USC staff and students, are steadily moving South Carolina’s economic development into the knowledge arena while propelling progress on the University’s research goals and the realization of our research campus.

To learn more about USC’s research programs and how we’re making “what if?” what is, I invite you to visit us online at www.sc.edu/ research. As always, if you have any questions or comments regard-ing this executive summary or the research underway at USC, please contact me at 803-777-5458 or via e-mail at [email protected].

Sincerely,

Harris PastidesVice President for Research and Health Sciences

Research and

USC SPONSORED AWARDS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1

Biomedical ResearchUSC’s biomedical research was buoyed by

Health Sciences South Carolina’s award of its

first endowed-chair matching grant—$5 mil-

lion—toward the establishment of the South

Carolina Brain Imaging Center of Excellence.

The center will serve as the impetus for an

industrial cluster in the multidisciplinary

field of brain imaging, integrating the intel-

lectual resources of USC and MUSC with

new physical resources so the two universi-

ties can jointly compete internationally for

funding, people, and projects. The research

projects will target neuro-degenerative

diseases such as stroke, Alzheimer’s, and

Parkinson’s disease. The award will also

provide for the purchase of a 3 Tesla MRI

scanner, which will be located in a facility on

the campus of Palmetto Health Richland and

linked through the Brain Imaging Center to

two other scanners located in the state.

Additionally, a USC cancer research team

received a $2.5 million grant from the

National Institutes of Health (NIH) as part of

a $95 million national effort to reduce cancer

among minorities and the poor—people who

have higher rates of the disease.

This achievement was complemented by the

award of a $9 million National Science Foun-

dation (NSF) award to USC and partners

Clemson University, MUSC, South Carolina

State University, and Claflin University to

boost collaborative research in biomedicine.

The grant, which is being matched with $4.5

million in nonfederal funding was received

through South Carolina EPSCoR—Experi-

mental Program to Stimulate Competitive

Research—a federal-state-university partner-

ship. USC will focus on measuring, modeling,

and controlling biochemical, biomechanical,

and cellular phenomena to develop specialized

A Y E A R O F A C H I E V E M E N T

USC capped its research achievements in FY 2005 with the South Carolina Budget and Control Board’s final, unanimous approval of the University’s research campus initiative, which cleared the way for the state’s issuance of $58 million in bonds. As proscribed by the Research University Infrastructure Improvement Act, these state monies will be matched by funds from the private sector, as well as funds from the city and county to build parking garages, and funds from the federal government in the form of grants totaling more than $65 million.

With the total value of the Phase 1 projects (scheduled for completion in 2007) expected to exceed more than $142 million, the University of South Carolina is marking a significant milestone in its history as we move forward to connect our state’s economic development to the potential of our scientific research in four primary areas: biomedical, environmental, future fuels, and nanotechnology.

2 P O W E R F U L PA R T N E R S H I P S

gating the societal implications and ethics

surrounding nanoscience technology was

awarded a $1.3 million NSF grant. Spanning

four years, the grant is among the largest ever

awarded by NSF to explore the consequences

of an emerging science. USC’s research covers

the philosophy of science, the depiction of

nanoscience, the concepts and ethics of risk,

and the public perception of nanoscience.

An EPA grant of $334,750 awarded to three

USC researchers will determine how some

common nanomaterials interact in biological

and ecological settings.

In addition, USC’s NanoCenter hosted a

spring symposium on the future of nano-

science and plastics that attracted many

of the nation’s top scientists and leaders

in that industry. With a focus on polymer

nanocomposites and their role as a value-

added competitive advantage, participants

examined how researchers and business

can further develop South Carolina’s largest

manufacturing activity. Earlier in the year, a

USC-hosted international conference on the

ethics of nanotechnology attracted speakers

from 10 countries and 35 universities to

address nanomedicine, military applications

of nanotechnology, patents and intellec-

tual property, and utopian and apocalyptic

visions of nanotechnology.

FY 2005 also witnessed a license agreement

between the University of South Carolina

Research Foundation and Ometric Corpora-

tion to commercialize Multivariate Optical

Element technology which enables applica-

tion-specific measurements of chemical

compositions at the speed of light. This

technology is based on research by Dr. Micky

Myrick in USC’s Department of Chemistry.


cells and tissues, with special emphasis on

cardiovascular tissue.

Environmental ResearchWhere human activity intersects with the

natural environment, problems invariably

arise. To address those problems, USC’s

environmental research explores pollution

prevention, bioremediation, sustainable

development, and other important topics

in the environmental arena through an

interdisciplinary approach that draws upon

the help and expertise of a variety of faculty

and facilities.

In FY 2005, USC joined the national network

of Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units

(CESUs), an important partnership focused

on connecting federal agencies—including

the National Park Service, the U.S. Forest

Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,

and the Natural Resources Conservation

Service—with universities engaged in envi-

ronmental research. Through the 17 regional

CESUs, participating agencies can award

contracts to the participating universities

for mutually agreed-upon research projects

on a no-bid, noncompetitive basis. USC’s

participation aids environmental research,

thanks to a streamlined means of obtaining

funding from the partnering federal agencies.

It also adds visibility for USC’s environmental

research at the federal level.

NanotechnologyA “new frontier” in scientific exploration,

nanotechnology entails the actual manipula-

tion of individual atoms and molecules to

create unimaginably small structures and

devices. Bespeaking nanotechnology’s new-

ness, USC researchers’ interest in investi-



Future FuelsUSC’s research on nontraditional energy

sources focuses on the Electrochemical

Engineering Center and the National Science

Foundation Industry/University Cooperative

Research Center for Fuel Cells, recipients of

some of the largest grants in USC’s College

of Engineering and Information Technology.

The research spans new materials for bat-

teries and capacitors, fuel cells, and gaseous

solids.

Home to the nation’s only NSF-funded

Industry/University cooperative fuel-cell

research center, USC has now entered into an

agreement with the Korea Institute of Energy

Research (KIER), one of that country’s most

prestigious energy research institutes, to

strengthen hydrogen fuel-cell development

efforts already underway at each institu-

tion and to address the alternative energy

issues Korea and the United States have in

common. A separate but similar agreement

with Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute for Solar

Energy Systems expands the University’s

fuel-cell initiative to a third continent, raises

its global research stature internationally, and

establishes a research partnership for energy

alternatives including fuel cells, hydrogen

storage, hydrogen production, chemical

energy conversion, and other electrochemical

storage devices

FY 2005 also witnessed the cities of Aiken,

Columbia, and Greenville joining forces

with the University and the Savannah River

National Laboratory on researching fuel

cells and nontraditional energy sources. This

cooperative effort—the South Carolina Next

Energy Initiative—will join together state-

wide research and economic development

efforts on hydrogen, fuel cells, and other alter-

native energy sources. The impetus behind

the initiative is the creation of an economic

cluster that, in combination with Clemson’s

International Center for Automotive Research

and Aiken’s Hydrogen Coalition, can trans-

form the economy of the entire state.



Humanities and the Professions

College of Arts and SciencesThe Baruch Institute was awarded a $2.4

million National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration (NOAA) grant for the Carolinas

Coastal Ocean Observing and Prediction

System (Caro-COOPS), a partnership among

the University of South Carolina, North Car-

olina State University, and the University of

North Carolina at Wilmington. Caro-COOPS

information, based upon an instrumented

array of coastal and offshore moorings, will

be used to monitor and model estuarine

and coastal ocean conditions and to develop

predictive tools (and ultimately forecasts)

for coastal managers. Future applications of

Caro-COOPS information will include water

quality and transport of pollutants, sediment

transport and shoreline stability, and the state

of the fisheries. The Baruch Institute was also

awarded $889,000 from the Office of Naval

Research for SEA-COOS Initial Implementa-

tion and $544,275 from NOAA for research

on Urbanization and Southeastern Estuarine

Systems.

How people become terrorists, what moti-

vates them to strike, and how communities

cope with their threat became the focus for

faculty researchers Susan Cutter (USC Prin-

cipal Investigator), David J. Cowen, Michael

Hodgson, Marcia de Castro, Diansheng

Guo and Frank Hardisty, geography; Walter

Piegorsch, statistics; John Rose, computer sci-

ence; and Ann Bowman and Mark Tompkins,

political science; as they began collaborating

on a $12 million federal grant to the Home-

land Security Center of Excellence on Behav-

ioral and Social Research on Terrorism and

Counter-Terrorism located on the campus of

the University of Maryland.

School of LawThe Children’s Law Office (CLO), a statewide

resource center that also performs research-

based projects, promotes increased knowl-

edge of children’s legal issues, and seeks

to improve the administration of justice in

children’s cases, successfully completed its

Status Offender Project in FY 2005 through

a Juvenile Accountability Block Grant of

$155,000. CLO was also awarded an ad-

ditional Juvenile Accountability Block Grant

of $200,000 to assess the juvenile detention

process and develop interventions. Addition-

ally, CLO entered into outreach and training

contracts totaling $772,879 that included

legal training to child protection casework

staff, training for professionals required to

report child abuse and neglect, coordination

of the South Carolina Children’s Justice Act

Task Force, and development of a Truancy

Guide for education and legal professionals.

The South Carolina Bar Foundation provided

CLO another $65,000 to provide training

and technical assistance to attorneys and

guardians ad litem in child protection and

juvenile justice cases.



School of Music

With a focus on music’s important role in

human life—a focus that resonates with

the greater USC focus on economic, social,

cultural, and aesthetic research and develop-

ment, the School of Music is simultaneously

preparing new professional musicians with

the skills and knowledge to be successful in

their careers and championing music’s power

in all our lives. In FY 2005, these efforts were

recognized with grants totaling $33,000 from

the American Music Center Aaron Copland

Recording Grant Fund, National Endowment

for the Arts, Lila Wallace-Readers Digest

Foundation, and Philip Morris Companies for

faculty and student recordings in the School

of Music.

In addition, grants totaling $25,000 were

awarded by the Bostik Family Trust, Strings

Magazine, RPS, Columbia Junior Service

League, and the Cultural Council of Lex-

ington and Richland Counties for enhance-

ment of community outreach programs

and research projects associated with these

programs in the School of Music.

Meanwhile, the Presser Foundation, Friends

of Music, Merrill Lynch Corporation, and

Kahn Construction provided $22,650 to sup-

port scholarships for students specializing in

music performance research.

Moore School of BusinessThe Moore School of Business (MSB) Center

for International Business Education and Re-

search (CIBER), through its annual $360,000

award from the Department of Education,

funded over 25 faculty research projects in

FY 2005 including the Economic Impact of

Latin American Workers in South Carolina

and Sub-Saharan Africa Emerging Markets.

The faculty research projects produced more

than a dozen journal articles, 14 CIBER

Working Papers, and additional curricula in

the international MBA and undergraduate

international business major programs.

CIBER also leveraged its funds to serve as

both member and co-sponsor (along with

Duke University, the Wharton School, and

other CIBER schools) in the Intercultural

Edge Research Teaching Consortia and

the Journal of International Business Studies/

Academy of International Business / CIBER

Conference on Emerging Research Frontiers

in International Business Studies. A co-spon-

sor of four overseas Faculty Development in

International Business programs with several

other CIBER schools, the MSB CIBER also

sent 13 USC faculty members — and one

sponsored HBCU (Historically Black Col-

leges and Universities) faculty — to South

America, Eastern Europe, India, and China

to gain expertise in business activities and

academic research opportunities in those

emerging markets.

School of Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism ManagementFaculty members Drs. Charles Partlow and

Betsy Bender worked with faculty from the

Moore School of Business to study corporate


strategy in multinational hotel firms, an

$80,000 research project funded by the Al-

fred P. Sloan Foundation Industry Center for

Travel and Tourism at the University of South

Carolina. Visits to corporate headquarters of

four major hotel companies and interviews

with top executives are used to identify

strategic drivers for success and other issues

impacting the global hospitality industry.

Areas that attained significant research

funding in FY 2005 include USC health sci-

ences, $60.1 million (the colleges of nursing,

pharmacy; and social work; the School of

Medicine; and the Arnold School of Public

Health); the College of Arts and Sciences,

$44.2 million; the College of Engineering and

Information Technology, $25.3 million; and

University Libraries, $14.2 million. Notable

awards included:

n $3.9 million from the Department of

Energy and $3 million from the South Car-

olina Commission on Higher Education’s

Centers of Economic Excellence program

to researchers in the College of Engineer-

ing and Information Technology to develop

hydrogen energy alternatives.

n $5.2 million from the South Carolina

Department of Social Services (DSS) to

researchers in the Center for Child and

Family Studies, College of Social Work,to

develop training for DSS staff and agents.

n $883,019 from the U.S. Department of

Education to researchers in the College of

Education to develop teacher preparation

programs.

n $700,000 from the U.S. Department of

Defense to researchers in the Department of

Mathematics to develop defense applica-

tions for nonlinear methods for supervised

learning.

n $2.5 million from the National Institutes

of Health and $662,969 from National

Institute of Diabetes to researchers in

the Arnold School of Public Health to,

respectively, reduce cancer among South

Carolina’s minorities and the poor (who

experience higher rates of the disease); and

to bridge barriers to diabetes control with

telemedicine.

n $1.5 million from the Centers for Disease

Control, $958,824 from the National

Institute on Drug Abuse, and $467,175

from the National Institute of Child Health

& Human Development to researchers in

the Research Consortium on Children and

Families to enhance parenting skills.

n $444,705 from the National Science Foun-

dation to researchers in the Department of

Biology to investigate genetic expression in

food crops.

n $4.9 million from the U.S. Department of

Education for the enhancement of programs

provided by the Strom Thurmond Wellness

and Fitness Center.

Looking ahead, USC faculty will continue to

embrace innovation in their investigations

and problem-solving efforts across disciplines

as diverse as the physical and health sciences,

the liberal arts, and engineering. As a result,

their achievements in those fields can be

expected to steadily move South Carolina’s

economic development into the knowledge

arena while initiating meaningful changes in

society that improve our quality of life.



S P O N S O R E D A W A R D A C T I V I T Y F O R F I S C A L Y E A R 2 0 0 5

The Office of Sponsored Awards Manage-ment (SAM) is responsible for assisting the University community with externally funded research and other related initiatives. SAM’s mission is to provide a wide range of services to help faculty and staff identify and obtain funding for research and other sponsored projects from a variety of sources including government agencies, non-profit organiza-tions, and private enterprises. The office serves as the central administrator for the submission of proposals and as the overall manager of grants and contracts for USC and the USC Research Foundation.

This report provides an overview of proposals and awards handled by SAM for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2005.

Award ActivityThe University of South Carolina achieved

a record high in extramural funding to sup-

port its research, public service, and training

projects during the past fiscal year. The total

funding, $166.2 million, represents an 11

percent increase over the previous year’s

total of $149.3 million. The ten-year annual

increase of 116 percent represents a strong,

sustainable growth rate.

Proposals Submitted ......................... 1,530

Dollars Requested.................. $254,582,831

Dollars Awarded .................... $166,157,617

Total Direct Expenditures ..........$65,048,307

Total Reimbursed Indirect Costs.$17,229,291

Additional Donated Assets............. $367,200

Projects Active During Fiscal Year ....... 1,246

Faculty Receiving Awards...................... 531

Sponsors............................................. 317

Summary FY 2005 Data

10

1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

110

120

130

140

150

160

$170

Funding Sources (in Millions)PrivateState/Local/OtherFederal

2005

Ten-Year Funding History


A W A R D S D O L L A R S B Y S O U R C E A N D P U R P O S E

Awards Dollars by SourceThe federal government continues to provide

an increasing proportion of the overall sup-

port for sponsored projects, accounting for

83 percent of total award dollars. Federal

funding increased 14 percent from $121

million in FY 2004 to $138 million this year.

The major portion of that amount is divided

among four agencies. Health and Human Ser-

vices is the University’s single largest sponsor

(providing $53 million) with The National

Institutes of Health (providing $26 million),

the Department of Education ($13 million),

and the Department of Commerce ($12 mil-

lion) following in descending order. Support

from business and industry increased by 34

percent ($3 million) while non-profit orga-

nizations’ support decreased by 5 percent

($14 million). Funding from state and local

government agencies decreased 2 percent

from $9 million in FY 2004 to $8.9 million

in FY 2005.

Awards Dollars by PurposeAs appropriations for higher education con-

tinue to shrink, extramural funding provides

a valuable source of support to areas of the

University’s mission that extend beyond in-

struction, including research, public service,

and training. As in the past, the majority of

this year’s awards support research activi-

ties. Research awards increased 17 percent

to $111.1 million, representing 67 percent

of total sponsored program dollars. This

proportion of overall funding has remained

relatively constant over several years. Simi-

larly, funding for service ($39.7 million) and

training projects ($15.5 million) increased

and accounted for roughly the same propor-

tions of total funding as in recent years.

All Sources

Industry 2%

Non-Profit 9%

State/Local/Other 6%Federal 83%

Federal Sources

HHS (Excl. NIH)16%

DOD 5%

NIH 16%OtherFederal 18%

NSF 7%

DOE 5%

Justice 1%

Commerce 7%

Education 8%

Purpose

Research 67%

Training/Graduates Assistants 9%

Service/Equipment 24%

Service

Training

Research


A W A R D S F O R F I S C A L Y E A R 2 0 0 5

Award Activity by CollegeDivisions experiencing significant growth

in Awards in FY 2005 were the College of

Engineering and Information Technology

(29%), School of Medicine (20%), College

of Pharmacy (18%), and Arnold School of

Public Health (9%); The College of Arts and

Sciences, School of Medicine, College of En-

gineering and Information Technology, and

Arnold School of Public Health accounted for

70 percent of total funding.

Proposal Submission by CollegeDuring the year, faculty submitted 1,530 pro-

posals requesting $254.6 million. This is an

increase of $246.3 million from the previous

year’s requested dollars. The overall trend for

the prior 10 years has been one of consistent

growth in both proposal submissions and

award dollars.

3% Education

6% Social Work

3% Senior and Regional Campuses

16% Medicine

13% Arnold School of Public Health

9% Libraries

15% Engineering

26% Arts and Sciences

9% All Others

Award Totals (in Millions)Senior & Regional Campuses $4.8Social Work $9.6Libraries $14.2Engineering $25.3Education $5.0

Arnold School $22.0Medicine $25.8All Others $15.5Arts and Sciences $44.0

Proposal Requests (in Millions)Senior and Regional Campuses $8.5Education $4.9Arts and Sciences $80.9 All Others $53.4

Engineering $34.9Arnold School $37.5Medicine $34.5

14% Medicine

15% Arnold School of Public Health

14% Engineering

21% All Others

31% Arts and Sciences

2% Education3% Senior and Regional Campuses

Proposal and Award Trends (in Millions)

0

100

150

200

250

300

75

125

175

225

275

AwardsProposals

2005200420032002200120001999199819971996

$77.1

$81.7$91.9

$97.3

$121.3

$123.0$109.2

$130.9

$149.3

$166.2

$113.7

$128.7

$153.9

$145.6

$205.9

$190.9

$175.8

$244.2

$246.3$254.6


M A J O R F U N D I N G S O U R C E S , F I S C A L Y E A R 2 0 0 1 – 2 0 0 5

Five–Year Agency Trends

Source Fiscal Years 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

National Institutes of Health $12,809,669 $12,844,875 $20,378,696 $24,167,953 $26,363,107

U.S. Department of Defense $22,245,481 $9,081,977 $15,104,885 $16,515,952 $17,391,176

Health and Human Services (Excl. NIH) $16,577,397 $19,120,857 $27,633,314 $25,267,111 $26,774,085

National Science Foundation $9,212,075 $11,410,230 $11,847,156 $12,545,285 $11,553,696

U.S. Department of Education $9,896,524 $9,065,511 $9,362,411 $16,127,291 $13,162,744

State and Municipalities $16,655,788 $9,075,874 $8,739,275 $8,522,533 $8,906,519

U.S. Department of Commerce $2,194,688 $3,950,062 $8,476,268 $6,204,028 $12,224,478

Non Profit Organizations $7,775,579 $8,230,609 $6,143,961 $15,024,856 $14,343,362

U.S. Department of Energy $5,950,407 $7,714,250 $5,377,217 $5,372,130 $7,539,056

Business and Industry $4,369,668 $2,977,915 $3,630,833 $2,536,458 $3,408,075

U.S. Department of Agriculture $3,170,992 $2,141,225 $1,932,881 $2,045,086 $1,602,326

U.S. Department of Justice $2,331,242 $2,067,957 $1,855,834 $2,303,637 $1,617,188

Environmental Protection Agency $601,699 $1,097,147 $359,854 $1,415,126 $1,057,785

Five–Year Agency Trends (in Millions)

$10

$15

$20

$25

$30

National Science FoundationHealth and Human Services (Excl. NIH)

U.S. Department of Energy

U.S. Department of Education

National Institutes of Health

U.S. Department of Defence

20052004200320022001


M I L E S T O N E S

JUNE 2005

14 State Budget and Control Board gives USC final OK for research campusThe S.C. Budget and Control Board gave final, unanimous approval to the University of South Carolina to begin Phase 1 of the USC research campus initiative.

17 USC, Korea Institute of Energy Research sign agreement for fuel cell research collaborationThe University of South Carolina announced an agreement to collaborate with one of Korea’s most prestigious research institutes on fuel cell research.

17 USC instrumentation better able to predict coastal flooding, storm surgeCaro-COOPS technology offers useful, potentially life-saving information to beachcombers, rescuers, and Web surfers.

21 City of Columbia, USC Help Launch S.C. Next Energy InitiativeCooperative effort involves Aiken, Columbia, and Greenville in leading state’s research and economic development efforts on hydrogen, fuel cells, and other alternative sources of energy.

22 USC receives DOJ grant to conduct AMBER Alert trainingDepartment of Justice award calls for USC to conduct 25 one-day training sessions at its innova-tive Newsplex.

MAY 2005

6 Cancer researchers’ $2.5 million grant part of major NIH effort to reduce cancer among minoritiesUSC cancer research team awarded $2.5 million grant from NIH as part of $95 million national effort to reduce cancer among minorities and poor.

10 USC honors student research at Discovery DayMore than 100 undergraduates honored; top research poster award, given by Milliken & Co., presented to Kelvin Moore of Columbia.

13 USC Research Foundation Licenses Antiviral Agent to Medical Enzymes AGDiscovery from researchers in College of Pharmacy.

17 Stem cell, cloning researcher delivers Townsend Lecture at USCPublic lecture features Rudolf Jaenisch, founding member of Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research in Cambridge, Mass.

APRIL 2005

2 Marion County team No. 1 in FIRST RoboticsThe “Technical Terminators” from Marion County Technical Education Center take top honors in finals of FIRST Robotics Palmetto Regional com-petition. Forty-three teams of high-school students from eight states, including 22 teams from South Carolina, participate in the event.

5 USC nursing studies on domestic violence highlight nurses’ role in providing inter-vention, careEarly intervention is essential to curbing psycho-logical and physical effects of domestic violence on women and children, according to USC nursing research.

22 USC students celebrate Earth Day Event is organized by Students Allied for Greener Earth (SAGE), in cooperation with West Quad, USC’s new “green dorm” and its Learning Center, and USC’s School of the Environment.

MARCH 2005

2 Nano Ethics Conference at USC draws speakers from 10 countriesEthics of nanotechnology is subject of international conference that attracts speakers from 35 universi-ties and 10 countries.

3 USC, Intel collaboration forges “missing link” in computer engineeringA top Intel corporate executive announces USC’s Signal Integrity (SI) laboratory and program that offer graduates entrée to electronic engineering careers.


M I L E S T O N E S

JANUARY 2005

8 USC hosts 2005 FIRST Robotics Kickoff More than 200 high-school students and teachers from throughout South Carolina attend 2005 FIRST Robotics Competition Kickoff.

10 Hazards expert to lead anti-terrorism research center for Department of Home-land SecurityGeographer Susan Cutter tapped by U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge to co-lead U.S.-sponsored social and behavioral research center dedicated to reducing worldwide terrorism.

12 MUSC, USC to expand pharmacy program in UpstateUSC President Dr. Andrew Sorensen, MUSC President Dr. Ray Greenberg announce additional location—Greenville Hospital System—to South Carolina College of Pharmacy.

26 USC study reports $347 million economic impact from South Carolina’s public libraries

USC study reports South Carolina’s public libraries yield 350-percent return on investment, total economic impact of $347 million.

27 Super Bowl ads lead to super stock jumps, says USC finance researcherStock prices of advertisers who run multiple ads can expect a big boost, too, says a USC Moore School of Business finance professor.

3 USC researcher sheds light on African American consumer behavior African Americans who have limited access to retail goods and services in their own inner-city communities make buying decisions that are largely influenced by their political beliefs.

21 USC symposium addresses role of nano-science in state’s plastics industryPolymer Nanocomposite Symposium at Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center attracts nation’s top scientists and industry leaders in plastics.

FEBRUARY 2005

2 USC biologist’s research: Swallows offer insight into Chernobyl disasterScientists studying the Chernobyl nuclear disaster find common barn swallows in Ukraine might hold significant clues to long-term effects of low-level radiation on human health.

11 South Carolina colleges launch virtual academic libraryFaculty, students at colleges throughout state to have increased access to books and academic materials, thanks to partnership that involves more than 50 academic libraries around state.

18 USC host site for SCAS Region II Science and Engineering FairMiddle-and high-school students from nine Mid-lands counties compete for more than $30,000 in scholarships, savings bonds, and trip awards.

23 Health Sciences South Carolina first Endowed Chair Award goes to Brain Imaging CenterHealth Sciences South Carolina announces award of first endowed chair matching grant, committing $5 million toward establishment of South Carolina Brain Imaging Center of Excellence.

P O W E R F U L P A R T N E R S H I P S

Cover image: USC faculty members in art, cell and

developmental biology and anatomy, chemistry, and mechanical engineering

collaborated to create “Light Scattered by Gold Nanorods.” To make the

image, gold nanorods were embedded in a collagen gel; light was scattered

by the nanorods and made visible using a dark-field microscope. The setup

is used to model the intricate responses involved in wound healing.

Research and

To take a closer look at the research efforts of the

University of South Carolina, visit our Web site.

www.sc.edu/research/05711 University Publications 11/05

sponsored award activity executive summary research and

Documents