University Beat

When the hull of a ship believed to be from the 1700's or 1800's washed up on shore on Ponte Vedra Beach Easter weekend, one of the first groups to be called in to help preserve it was the University of South Florida Libraries Digital Heritage and Humanities Collections.

As gubernatorial candidates start ramping up their primary campaigns, Democrat Philip Levine made a stop in St. Petersburg to gauge students' priorities.

Levine sat in a circle with about a dozen students at St. Petersburg College on Thursday, fielding questions about gun control, environmental protection and student debt.  He calls these intimate events "campus conversations."

Levine touted his record as the former mayor of Miami Beach, telling students he has acted on the issues that matter most to young people.

About three years ago, Kristin Steffen was in a car being driven by her husband when he suffered a seizure and drove off the road.

The opioid epidemic has become so severe it’s considered a national public health emergency, and a recent report suggests it could be linked to a higher rate of children in foster homes.

In 2010, Ryan Justice was a University of South Florida student whose short film, "Scoops," was named best movie during USF's version of the Campus Moviefest. 

Fast forward eight years, and Justice's newest creation, a full-length feature film called "Followers," is currently out in theaters worldwide and is also available on all digital platforms. 

Are you a ‘dog person,’ yet you own a cat? Is there a way to increase the emotional connection with your pet? Can overindulging your pet encourage them to misbehave?

A researcher at USF Sarasota-Manatee is looking at how the interactions between humans and their animals contribute to the physical, social and psychological well-being of both sides of such a relationship.

J. Michael Francis spent nearly a decade combing through thousands of scribbled notes, ship logs and dusty relics to chronicle Florida’s Spanish past. He hoped that one day he could bring that once hazy picture into sharp focus.

For the chair of the Florida Studies program at University of South Florida St. Petersburg, that day is Thursday, when the website, La Florida: The Interactive Digital Archive of the Americas, is formally unveiled. (Editor's Note: The website will go live 3/15)

More than 10,000 writers will be gathering in Tampa this week as The Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP) holds its annual conference downtown.

A recording from 1972 has been uncovered in the University of South Florida Libraries Special Collections.

With the help of this recording, the USF Center for Visualization and Applied Spatial Technologies (CVAST) is building a virtual gallery that will bring Pablo Picasso’s vision of a 102-foot tall sculpture to life.

Karen Holbrook may have been new to the job when she became regional chancellor of the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee last December, but she wasn't new to USF - and she certainly wasn't new to leading a college. 

While social media platforms like Facebook use algorithms to push users towards people and groups that share the same ideas and beliefs, a new platform co-created by a University of South Florida alum encourages communication between people of different mindsets. 

"It's breaks you out of that echo chamber, that bubble," said Will Cohen, one of the brains behind the website Bridges. "You're actually able to connect with others and experience other different forms of opinions and ideologies."