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Constraints On Inner Core Composition From Seismicanisotropy: The Importance Of Light Elements And Nickel, Jada Bollmeyer, Daniel A. Frost, Prajna Paramita Das

Faculty Publications

The inner core is seismically anisotropic, with PKIKP waves traversing the inner core parallel to the rotation axis faster than those in the equatorial plane. This anisotropy increases with depth into the inner core and may result from alignment of iron crystals deformed during inner core growth. Using previously calculated elastic properties of iron, we seek to determine the most likely iron-light element alloy (FeC, FeO, FeS, or FeSi). For each FeX alloy, we interpolate elastic tensors across the pressure and temperature range of the inner core and model the anisotropy resulting from flow during core growth. Lastly, we compare …

Perceived Risks, Reasons For Use, And Barriers To Cessation Among Youth Who Use Multiple Tobacco Products, Sierra L. Patterson, Isabellle Duguid, Sonia A. Clark, Seth M. Noar, Allison J. Lazard, Jim F. Thrasher Ph.D., Ma, Ms, Adam O. Goldstein, Sarah D. Kowitt

Faculty Publications

Background

Many interventions aim to reduce youth tobacco use, but few have focused on youth who use multiple tobacco products (MTPs). This qualitative study sought to understand how youth who use MTPs view tobacco product risks, describe reasons for MTP use, and perceive barriers and facilitators to cessation.

Methods

We conducted seven virtual focus groups with 30 US youth ages 14–20 years who reported using e-cigarettes and smoking a combustible tobacco product in the past 30 days. We used a semi-structured focus group guide to ask youth about perceived health risks of tobacco products, reasons for MTP use, and thoughts …

Personalized Resistance Exercise With Peer Support For Women With Pcos Using A Smart Home Video Device: Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial Guided By Self-Determination Theory, Pamela J. Wright Phd, Ms, Med, Rn, Cen, Cynthia F. Corbett Phd, Rn, Faan, Kesheng Wang

Faculty Publications

Background

Women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) report exercise barriers as stigma-related stress, lack of peer support, and facility issues. “Resistance exercise (RE) with peer support and bands/ball and digitally-based supervision” (REPS w/BANDS) was designed to help mitigate exercise barriers. Underscored by self-determination theory (SDT), the 12-week intervention was remotely delivered via digital technology and inclusive of peer support.

Purpose

The purposes of this pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) were to test the feasibility and acceptability of REPS w/BANDS and explore signals of within- and between-group differences on outcomes (e.g., depressive symptoms and fitness).

Methods

Participants (N = 25) …

November 5, 2025 Faculty Senate Minutes, University Of South Carolina

Faculty Senate

No abstract provided.

Exploring Di College Coaches’ Perceptions Of Holistic Coaching And The Factors Impacting Their Ability To Succeed In The Current College Sports Landscape, Deborah V. Hogan Phd

Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics

In the highly competitive Division I (DI) college sports system, coaches are expected to produce winning programs while developing their college athletes holistically. Recent changes in NCAA policies complicate the coach-athlete relationship, hindering coaches' ability to serve as effective holistic leaders. This study uses grounded theory to understand how DI coaches in high-profile sports perceive their roles as holistic leaders and manage external challenges to provide holistic college athlete experiences. Semi-structured interviews with 12 football and women’s basketball coaches revealed five main themes: 1) coaches are educators, 2) strategies for holistic coaching, 3) supporting Black college athletes, 4) college sports …

Ncaa Division I Senior Athletic Administrators' Perceptions Of And Experiences With Mental Performance Consultants And Their Services: A Qualitative Investigation, Morgan R. Eckenrod, Rebecca Zakrajsek, Johannes Raabe

Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics

At the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I (DI) level, senior athletic administrators (SAAs) play a critical role in hiring Mental Performance Consultants (MPCs). Researchers found that NCAA DI administrators generally believe MPCs are beneficial in helping student-athletes manage competition pressures and improve performance, the number of full-time MPCs in NCAA DI athletic departments is still limited. In this study, eleven NCAA DI SAAs with at least one full-time MPC in their athletic department that solely delivered mental performance services were interviewed about their perceptions of and experiences with MPCs and their services. Using reflexive thematic analysis procedures, three …

Supporting The College Athlete Amidst The Onset Of Name, Image, And Likeness, Brennan K. Berg, Michael Hutchinson, Janelle E. Wells, David W. Walsh, Andre Simmond

Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics

Athletic administrators often assume a distinct stakeholder role that has the most immediate and frequent impact on college athletes’ well-being and retention. The implementation of name, image, and likeness (NIL) represents a historic transformation in college athletics. Utilizing a sport development framework, particularly the retention stage, to examine elite athlete development, how athletic administrators socially support college athletes in the new context of NIL and its impact on administrators’ work experiences were empirically assessed. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 athletic administrators at nine universities. The themes of Implementation Challenges, Lack of Uniformity, Holistic Benefits to Athlete Well-Being, and Mostly …

Exploring Sport Leaders’ Sensemaking And Enactment Of Inclusive Leadership, Elizabeth Taylor, Sean Dahlin, Janelle Wells, Erika Gray

Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics

While diversity, inclusion, and leadership shape individual behaviors and organizational culture, historically they have been researched as independent theoretical streams. Examining these lines has been fruitful to advance our understanding of diversity, inclusion, and leadership separately; however, we lack an understanding of how leaders understand and engage in inclusive leadership. Thus, this study explores how college sport leaders make sense of and enact inclusive leadership. Through 16 semi-structured interviews with senior-level athletic administrators we constructed four themes: fostering employees’ uniqueness, strengthening team belongingness, learning centered development, and actioning values-based care. This work both bolsters and extends Korkmaz and colleagues’ (2022) …

House Rules: Athlete, Coach, And Staff Perspectives On The Shifting Ncaa Landscape, Daniel Springer

Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics

The House settlement is an inflection point in NCAA Division I athletics, ushering in a new model of institutional revenue sharing, roster regulation, and athlete compensation. While legal and financial analyses dominate public discourse, less is known about how these shifts are understood by those working and competing within athletic departments. This study draws on narrative analysis of interviews with 11 athletes, coaches, and staff across five anonymized Power 4 institutions to examine how the House settlement is being interpreted as it takes effect. Three narrative foci emerged: 1) financial prioritization and resource allocation, 2) shifting culture, relationships, and meaning, …

Crisis Observatory: Extracting Credible Signals During A Crisis In The Age Of Llms, Kuan-Chieh Lo, Pranav Maneriker, Sriram Sai Ganesh, Dominik Winecki, Kelly Garrett, Ayaz Hyder, Arnab Nandi, Valerie Shalin, Shannon A. Bowen Ph.D., Amit Sheth, Srinivasan Parthasarathy

Publications

Systems for crisis response have required several different models for the analysis of unstructured text, such as identifying needs, locations, topics, routing, and matching of needs with available responders. Large Language Models (LLMs) have replaced task-specific models across various language processing tasks. However, LLMs are known to be limited by their training data, collected before the crisis. In this demo, we explore the use of LLMs for crisis response scenarios with rapidly evolving information environments. We show how the augmentation of these models with external reliable sources of crisis-specific information can help build adaptive systems for response. The demonstration video …

Invisible Print? Reading Skill Predicts Children's Learning Of Novel Spoken Words, Taylor J. Bryant, Dawna Duff, Bethany Bell, Lisa Fitton, Suzanne M. Adlof

Faculty Publications

Research indicates that when literate children and adults hear a new word that they have never seen in print, they create an expectation for how the word may be spelled. However, studies have not yet examined the extent to which orthographic knowledge plays a role in children's spoken vocabulary learning when words are taught without print. The current study used structural equation modelling to examine the relation between children's word reading ability and their ability to learn novel words from spoken instruction. Children (N = 335; 7–9 years; 52% female; <  1% American Indian/Alaskan Native, 33% Black, 1% Multiracial, <  1% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, 2% Other; 57% White; 6% did not report race; 2% Hispanic/Latino, 97% Not Hispanic/Latino; <  1% did not report ethnicity) completed norm-referenced language and reading assessments and experimental measures of spoken word learning. Word reading ability and vocabulary knowledge uniquely predicted spoken word learning with respective medium-small and medium-large effects after controlling for phonological memory, general language ability, and nonverbal cognition. Thus, orthographic skill has important effects on vocabulary learning, unaccounted for in previous research, that should be addressed in current theory and practice.

October 15, 2025 Faculty Senate Minutes, University Of South Carolina

Faculty Senate

No abstract provided.

2025 Sc Teacher Exit Survey: Summary Of Results, Brian Cartiff, Angela Starrett, Svetlana Dmitrieva

Reports

Each year, SC TEACHER administers the SC Teacher Exit Survey to public PK–12 classroom teachers who are leaving their current classroom or district. The survey is designed to offer insights into how working conditions and other factors relate to teachers’ decisions to leave their positions and their plans moving forward. This report highlights the SC Teacher Exit Survey results for the 2024–25 academic year.

The Daily Gamecock: October 2025, University Of South Carolina, Office Of Student Media

2025

No abstract provided.

Garnet & Black Fall 2025, University Of South Carolina, Office Of Student Media

Garnet & Black Magazine

No abstract provided.

Everyday Norms Have Become More Permissive Over Time And Vary Across Cultures, Kimmo Eriksson, Pontus Strimling, Irina Vartanova, Brent Simpson, Minna Persson, Khalid Ahmed Abdi, Neta Ad, Alisher Aldashev, Habib Mohammad Ali, Maurizio Alì, Khatai Aliyev, Yasser M. Alrefaee, Alberth Estuardo Alvarado Ortiz, Per A. Andersson, Giulia Andrighetto, Gizem Arikan, John Jamir Aruta, Christian Lutete Ayikwa, Jonatan Baños-Chaparro, Davide Barrera, Justina Barsyte, Birzhan Batkeyev, Azma Batool, Elizaveta Berezina, Stéphanie Ngandu Bimina, Marie Björnstjerna, Sheyla Blumen

Faculty Publications

Every social situation that people encounter in their daily lives comes with a set of unwritten rules about what behavior is considered appropriate or inappropriate. These everyday norms can vary across societies: some societies may have more permissive norms in general or for certain behaviors, or for certain behaviors in specific situations. In a preregistered survey of 25,422 participants across 90 societies, we map societal differences in 150 everyday norms and show that they can be explained by how societies prioritize individualizing moral foundations such as care and liberty versus binding moral foundations such as purity. Specifically, societies with more …

Improving Universities Through The Use Of Ai & Transformative Technology: A Case Study Analysis At The University Of South Carolina, Cameron A. Caulk

Senior Theses

This thesis aims to give university leaders a practical guide to implementing AI, using lessons learned from the University of South Carolina’s experience as a case study. The project started with a review of literature and industry practices for the Finance & Administration division, which led to key deliverables like AI usage guidelines, DoIT’s position paper on AI systems, and the ParkUSC parking app. One ongoing project, Project Shuttlecock, even sets the stage for future AI initiatives at the university.

AI holds immense promise, but universities often hesitate due to concerns about ethics, costs, and the learning curve for staff …

The Psychology Of Collegiate Basketball: A Review Of The Literature, Paige Ashlyn Bordenkecher

Senior Theses

This literature review aims to further the understanding of the psychological factors that impact the performance of collegiate basketball players. Past reviews have focused on specific performance elements of basketball (e.g. free throws) or how a singular psychological factor affects sports performance; none have focused specifically on the collegiate level of play. The present review systematically collected thirty studies from the databases PsycInfo and SportDiscuss. The following psychological factors were the focus of the literature: player qualities, motivation, feedback, location of play, mood/emotional states, mental fatigue, preshot routine, momentum, sleep, self-talk, self-modeling, leadership, choking, flow, touch, and color. Performance was …

It Just Means More: The Cultural Bond Between The South And Sec Football, Ryan Stinson

Senior Theses

With the success of programs like Vanderbilt and Georgia Tech in the early 1900s, college football quickly became means of establishing Southern superiority over the northern U.S. Their success continued into the 20th and 21st centuries with the creation and rise of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). During and prior to the existence of the SEC, rivalries, traditions, and pageantry developed and thrived in communities across the southeast. These aspects created a unique environment that drew in fans of college football across the region. This resulted in a unique bond between fan, university, team, and community that has thrived within all …

Integrative Stem Approach Impact On Mathematical Acquisition And Mathematical Conceptual Understanding, Kayla Grace Eller

Theses and Dissertations

This mixed methods study investigates the impact of an integrative Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) approach on fourth grade students’ mathematical conceptual understanding and mathematical language acquisition. For the purposes of this research, mathematical language was defined as students’ comprehension and use of key mathematical terminology and concepts, while mathematical conceptual understanding was characterized as a comprehensive and practical grasp of mathematical ideas that goes beyond isolated facts and methods. The study was situated in the theoretical framework of situated cognition learning theory and informed by the conceptual framework of Wells PIRPSOAL model (2016), with particular attention to how …

​​​How Do Working Conditions Effect Teacher Job Satisfaction And Intention To Stay: Retaining Special Education Teachers​, Alyssa Michelle Raygoza

Theses and Dissertations

Teacher retention remains a leading area of focus in the United States. Recent research efforts have examined the effects of specific work-related experiences on teacher retention. In comparison to teaching in a general education classroom, special education teachers often face increased levels of job demands that can influence the ways in which existing resources may or may not balance out such challenges. The study is grounded in the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) Model, a theoretical framework that has been used widely in both occupational and, more recently, educational research focusing on the specific demands and resources situated within teacher working conditions. …

Influence Of School Climate On Comprehensive School Behavioral Health Effectiveness, Halle Rose Singer

Theses and Dissertations

Youth are experiencing a sharp rise in mental health concerns, which have reached critical levels. Schools have emerged as a key setting for delivering mental health services due to their accessibility, familiarity, and capacity to reach diverse populations. Comprehensive School Behavioral Health (CSBH) systems offer a multi-tiered, evidence-based framework for supporting the mental health of all students. However, the success of CSBH interventions varies across schools presumably indicating that systemic or school level factors, like school climate, may influence youth mental health outcomes. In this study, I investigate how school-level factors, specifically student-perceived school climate, influence the mental health outcomes …

Enhancing Engagement And Learning In Radiology: Integrating Game-Based And Case-Based Learning In Medical Education, Lisa Willson

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this mixed-methods action research is to integrate game-based learning (GBL), specifically an educational escape room, into case-based learning (CBL) and evaluate its impact on the engagement and academic performance of fourth-year medical students in an elective radiology course at a medical school in the southeastern United States. Sixteen students participated in the study; all identified as white. National trends indicate a significant decrease in student engagement and academic performance across various educational settings, including medical education (Kay & Pasarica, 2019). Locally, this trend is reflected in declining test scores and student feedback indicating disengagement and poor retention …

Exploring Student Perceptions Of Culture Within An Algebra Unit: A Qualitative Action Research Study, Alesha Marie Love

Theses and Dissertations

Many barriers exist when teaching and learning mathematics. Although the mathematics curriculum is rigid and rigorous by design it is often not culturally relevant for the students engaging with the content. As a result, many students of color do not have an appropriate amount of representation to connect to a subject area that already seems exclusionary. This qualitative action research study examines the effects of introducing culturally relevant references into an Algebra unit for students of color, exploring the influence of exposure to cultural references and the minimal display of cultural and racial identities within the mathematics curriculum on students …

The Expanse: Exploring Comparative Mythology In The Mediterranean Through Video Game Development, Michael A. Davis

Senior Theses

This web application, titled The Expanse, explores the arguments surrounding comparative mythology, specifically regarding those in the Mediterranean region. The Expanse is a turn-based role-playing game using the characters and gameplay format of the Shin Megami Tensei video game series. The game depicts the conflict between comparativists and particularists using mythological characters, creating situations in which the player takes sides in a debate that permeates the real world. This story seeks to inform players of the subjective nature of sciences by tying moral dilemmas into an overarching metanarrative specific to comparative mythology.

Fit For Success: Exploring Physical Activity Promotion And Effects On Students At The University Of South Carolina Through A Podcast Series, Maia Schwarzmueller

Senior Theses

College students face unique challenges when trying to maintain physical activity levels, such as time constraints, stress, and lack of proper facilities. The Fit for Success podcast will explore how physical activity is a powerful tool towards enhancing self-perception, academic success, and stress management as well as delve into the specific barriers that University of South Carolina students face to physical activity. The podcast will also explore different aspects of physical activity promotion including group fitness, competition, and built environment. The goal of the podcast is to help students to see physical activity as an important component of many facets …

Examining Choices Of Sarcastic Responses In Dialogue With Virtual Interlocutors, Samantha Langley

Theses and Dissertations

We report the results from three experiments examining people’s preferences for using sarcasm in conversation as a function of: 1. whether their interlocutor uses sarcasm during the conversation; 2. Their knowledge about whether the interlocutor has used sarcasm in a previous conversation; 3. The presence of prosodical and visual cues for interlocutors’ sarcasm. In each experiment, participants took part in two conversations, and we manipulated whether the interlocutors were sincere or sarcastic and whether they remained the same or changed from one conversation to the next. Experiment one used written conversations and experiment two and three used pre-recorded video clips …

Rethinking Gifted Education: An Improvement Science Study On Differentiation And Academic Growth, Mabra Herlong Wayman

Theses and Dissertations

This Dissertation in Practice addresses the problem of inconsistent academic growth among gifted and talented (GT) students in grades 3–5 at Riverview Elementary, where local STAR data show a persistent pattern of GT students falling into the Low Growth, High Proficiency category. Using improvement science as a framework, the study employed empathy interviews, a fishbone analysis, and a driver diagram to identify root causes and guide the development of a professional development (PD) intervention. The PD focused on building teacher capacity for differentiation through high-impact strategies such as problem-based learning, acceleration, independent study, curriculum compacting, and flexible grouping. The intervention …

Jute Mill Songs: Mary Brooksbank And Industrial Tradition In A Dying Industry, Erin Farley

Studies in Scottish Literature

This article outlines some key elements of Dundee’s industrial literary tradition, primarily associated with the city’s jute industry, as expressed in the songs and poems of Mary Brooksbank (1897-1978). It also explores ways in which writers working from the 1980s onwards have used the memory of the jute industry, Brooksbank herself, and associated verse traditions to imagine place and work in post-industrial Dundee.

Writing Loss, Culture And Change: Deindustrialisation And Community Writers’ Groups In Glasgow, Kate Wilson

Studies in Scottish Literature

No abstract provided.