2014 - 2015 breakthrough awards booklet

University of South Carolina / O� ce of Research

2014-2015 Breakthrough Awards

The Breakthrough “family” of awards has quickly become a University of South

Carolina research tradition, and this year, for the fi rst time, we are honoring

all of our Breakthrough awards recipients in one booklet. We devised these

awards — Breakthrough Graduate Scholars, Stars and Leadership in Research —

to celebrate researchers at every career stage, so it’s fi tting that all of the

2014-15 recipients should be presented together. The Breakthrough Graduate

Scholars are already ahead of the game, making their marks before the ink

is dry on their terminal degrees. Breakthrough Stars are relatively new in

their scholarly careers, but they’re making waves in the classroom, the lab

and beyond. Our Breakthrough Leadership in Research recipients are senior

researchers who excel not only in their research, but also go the extra mile

for their students and communities. Taken as a group, these outstanding

scholars are a refl ection of the innovation and research excellence happening

every day at South Carolina’s only Carnegie tier-one research institution.

Leadership in Research HonoreesBreakthrough StarsGraduate Scholars

2014-2015 Breakthrough Awards

PRAKASH NAGARKATTI, PH.D.VICE PRESIDENT FOR RESEARCHUNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINAWWW.SC.EDU/VPRESEARCH

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Leadership in Research Honorees

Seasoned faculty who have succeeded at

every level in their professions are a priceless

asset, especially those who lead by example.

At the University of South Carolina, the

O� ce of Research recognizes that leaders in

research make all the di� erence in mentoring

new generations of faculty and make the

institution a better place for everyone.

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ANA LOPEZ-DE FEDERESEARCH PROFESSOR, DIVISION OF MEDICAID POLICY RESEARCHInstitute for Families in Society

Ana Lòpez-De Fede’s research impacts real people every day, delving into the

population health of Medicare and Medicaid recipients. Her interdisciplinary

team’s research has become a model for other states and maintains one of

the longest working relationships with Medicaid. As head of the Division of

Medicaid Policy Research at the institute, Lòpez-De Fede works with health

policy researchers, lawmakers and agencies across the country. “We work on

providing data analysis and evaluation that frame discussions at the agency

level as it relates to direct services for this population,” Lòpez-De Fede says.

“The Medicaid population funds state agencies and from that perspective,

through the work that we do, we end up touching all state agencies providing

direct services to individuals.” Along the way, Lòpez-De Fede has demonstrated

to other faculty members and students an alternative to the traditional

academic career, she says. “I fi rmly believe that you can’t do e� ective public

health without this element that addresses policy and programs,” Lòpez-

De Fede says. “I feel that my contributions are around how one creates an

e� ective career, balancing the academics with community engagement.”

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DON EDWARDSPROFESSOR, DEPARTMENT OF STATISTICSCollege of Arts and Sciences

Don Edwards doesn’t wear a badge, but a fraud-busting statistical method

he’s helped develop is putting the squeeze on shady companies that bilk the

federal government. Edwards became aware of large-scale Medicare fraud

while consulting with Palmetto GBA, a Columbia insurance company. Standard

auditing methods didn’t work in detecting the true amount of fraud, which in

that particular case involved bogus billing for power wheelchairs. Working with

former students, Edwards brainstormed a new way for sampling large volumes

of data that’s proven e� ective in sni� ng out fraud. “Health insurance fraud is

a problem that’s badly in need of solving,” Edwards says. “The method we’ve

developed is still evolving, with a lot of back and forth with former students and

colleagues.” Edwards wants his students to become capable of “learning and

developing new ways to solve problems.” Michigan State statistics professor

Dennis Gilliland puts Edwards’ accomplishments in perspective: “All [statistics]

professors might ask the question, ‘Have I done something that has measurable,

positive impact on society beyond academia and the academic statistical

profession?’ In Professor Edwards’ case, the answer is an unequivocal ‘yes.’”

8

JAMES KNAPPPROFESSOR, DEPARTMENT OF EARTH AND OCEAN SCIENCESCollege of Arts and Sciences

James Knapp developed important perspective early in his career as a

geoscientist, working for several years as a geologist for Shell while earning

his doctorate. Working fi rst in private industry allowed Knapp to develop a

broad foundation for approaching scientifi c questions, and in his subsequent

24 years as a university professor, has honed the research skills that have

made him one of the country’s most visible academics in energy science.

Testifying before a House committee in 2014, Knapp was instrumental in

Congress’ decision to allow new geophysical surveys of the Atlantic coast’s

potential for conventional and renewable energy resources. That national

visibility came after years of service in the Carolina community. He has

been chair of the university’s Faculty Senate, chair of the Faculty Advisory

Committee, founded an industry-funded cooperative degree program with

the National University of Equatorial Guinea and helped assemble a team

from USC and throughout the southeastern U.S. that is developing a regional

center embracing an “all-of-the-above” approach to solving energy problems.

11

KIM CREEKPROFESSOR AND VICE CHAIR, DEPARTMENT OF DRUG DISCOVERY AND BIOMEDICAL SCIENCESS.C. College of Pharmacy

In the fi ve years since Kim Creek became vice chair of drug discovery and

biomedical sciences, he has recruited a SmartState chair professor plus four

more tenure-track faculty members and a bevy of research scholars. He’s

also spearheaded e� orts to renovate an entire fl oor of the pharmacy building

for new research space, co-led a grant that trains minority undergraduates in

cancer research and fostered a resurgence in faculty research funding.

“I believe that the interests of our faculty come before my own,” Creek says.

“When people feel appreciated, supported and stable, they give you their

best.” Before joining the S.C. College of Pharmacy, Creek was a long-time

professor at the university’s School of Medicine. He’s the author or co-author

of 88 peer-reviewed publications, but Creek’s administrative duties of the past

few years haven’t slowed down his research — he’s published nine articles

in the past two years and continues to mentor three postdoctoral fellows

and two Ph.D. students in his lab. “My students and I have contributed 132

abstracts to national and international conferences in my fi eld,” Creeks says.

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MANOJ MALHOTRAJEFF B. BATES PROFESSOR AND CHAIR, DEPARTMENT OF MANAGEMENT SCIENCEDarla Moore School of Business

In his 25 years at Carolina, Manoj Malhotra has considered the research

of his colleagues when planning his own work. He focused on operational

fl exibility in the service industry as a doctoral student, but began to look

at manufacturing when he arrived at the Moore School of Business, where

many faculty members were working on solving scheduling problems in

the industrial sector. Malhotra soon began focusing on resource allocation,

operations fl exibility and scheduling in manufacturing. “This stream of research

became one of the cornerstones of my scholarly reputation in the discipline,”

Malhotra said. “It was important for me to build bridges to faculty at USC

and other institutions and, in that process, both learn from and enhance the

research e� orts of my colleagues.” It was Malhotra’s reputation for research

and collaboration that attracted faculty member Sanjay L. Ahire to the Moore

School in 2006. “As far as I can tell, there is no other faculty member in our

fi eld who has collaborated with so many colleagues and doctoral students

to produce successful research over such a long span of time,” Ahire said.

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BRANKO POPOVCAROLINA DISTINGUISHED PROFESSOR, DEPARTMENT OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERINGCollege of Engineering and Computing

One clear manifestation of leadership is respect from one’s peers, and

Branko Popov has earned that on the international stage. Thomson Reuters

recently named him one of the world’s most-cited researchers — in the top 1

percent — in the fi eld of engineering. That’s just one measure of the success

Popov and his research group have achieved since he arrived at USC in 1993.

His students have landed positions at U.S. national laboratories, earned

tenure at universities worldwide and worked at top-tier companies such as

Apple, IBM, Intel, GM and Tesla Motors. Branko, director of USC’s Center

for Electrochemical Engineering, and his research group have garnered

more than $15 million in research funding. But he considers teaching future

electrochemical engineers to be just as important as research. This year he

will publish a new textbook in one area of his expertise, corrosion engineering.

“It is critical for students entering industry to be aware of the stability of

di� erent construction materials and of the new technologies and testing

methodologies in electrochemical and corrosion engineering,” he says.

17

MARK SMITHPROFESSOR, DEPARTMENT OF HISTORYCollege of Arts and Sciences

Mark M. Smith conducts research in two fi elds, Southern history and sensory

history, and has written or edited 17 books and numerous articles on one or

both subjects. He’s also a sought-after lecturer with academic and popular

appeal, having made invited appearances at Ivy League institutions and

on National Public Radio programs such as “Michael Feldman’s Whad’Ya

Know?” His latest book, “The Smell of Battle, the Taste of Siege: A Sensory

History of the Civil War” (Oxford University Press), is just one of several major

contributions to the fi eld. “I believe a senior professor of history leads by

example in his or her scholarship, producing a great deal of high-level work,”

Smith says. A past winner of the Mungo Graduate Teaching Award and a

mentor to dozens of doctoral candidates over the past two decades, Smith has

also worked with peers at the university to secure signifi cant external funding,

including a $640,000 grant from the Watson-Brown Foundation to develop the

debate series “Take On the South,” which was nominated for an Emmy in 2010.

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FRANCIS SPINALEPROFESSOR, DEPARTMENT OF CELL BIOLOGY AND ANATOMYSchool of Medicine

Holding a dual appointment in the Dorn Veterans A� airs Medical Center,

cardiothoracic surgeon Frank Spinale has been instrumental in opening new

avenues of collaboration with the research group there. His leadership in a

major e� ort to better align research programs of the USC School of Medicine

with Palmetto Health Systems has improved cooperation between the two

entities. And as director of the Cardiovascular Translational Research Center,

Spinale has propagated his success as a pioneer in swiftly moving biomedical

research breakthroughs into the clinic. In the battle against heart disease, he

is bringing together researchers from the School of Medicine, the College of

Engineering and Computing, the College of Arts and Sciences and the Arnold

School of Public Health. Spinale serves on the board of the International Society

of Cardiology and the Canadian Society of Cardiology and recently published

more than 30 papers in high-impact journals in a one-year span. “There is

nothing more important,” he says, “than engaging USC faculty to go above and

beyond in terms of developing translational research and directions to address

the leading cause of death and disability that a� ects South Carolinians.”

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Breakthrough Stars

Every cohort of junior faculty has them — the

rising stars whose research, teaching and

scholarly e� orts rise to the top. The University

of South Carolina’s 2015 Breakthrough

Stars represent the very best among the

ranks of the university’s assistant and

associate professors. Their success will help

propel USC forward for years to come.

23

NORTHROP DAVISASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, SCHOOL OF VISUAL ART AND DESIGNCollege of Arts and Sciences

The power of storytelling has helped defi ne Northrop Davis’ career — he’s sold

screen projects to Hollywood — and he’s intent on igniting the storytelling

passions of his students. Davis, who teaches screenwriting and TV writing, has

accomplished that by introducing them to the world of manga and anime — a

Japanese graphic art tradition whose global commercial success dwarfs the

American comics industry. On a website called wemakemanga.com, Davis’

students showcase their stories, some of which have earned critical acclaim.

“We are going on these storytelling journeys together,” Davis says. “I tell the

students to try something that really pushes their limits.” Davis has pushed

his own by writing “Manga and Anime go to Hollywood,” a book slated for

release this year that explores the relationship between manga/anime and the

Hollywood forms that go back to World War II. He also has a plan for involving

students in screenwriting projects to showcase their talents to industry insiders

— much like wemakemanga.com has paved a career path for several of his

former students. “Students are my partners — they bring so much energy.”

storytelling passion

24

JASON HATTRICK-SIMPERSASSISTANT PROFESSOR, DEPARTMENT OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERINGCollege of Engineering and Computing

Since arriving at USC a few years ago, Jason Hattrick-Simpers has worked

in diverse areas of advanced materials research, including development of

high-temperature alloys for turbine blades and the discovery of a catalyst

for converting syngas into fuel. That breadth of research is one reason he is

now an international leader with the Materials Genome Initiative. MGI was

organized by the White House’s O� ce of Science and Technology to combine

theory, big data science and experimentation to uncover the genomes of

material science. Applying new tools with high-throughput experimentation,

his group developed the ability to rapidly prepare and characterize hundreds

of samples in a single experiment. Hattrick-Simpers helped organize an

international workshop focused on identifying opportunities for incorporating

high-throughput experimental approaches to MGI. Its success helped enhance

the blueprint through which MGI will accelerate development of materials

for aerospace vehicles, petroleum refi ning, fuel cell development and

beyond. “Combining computational deposition screening, high-throughput

experimental data acquisition and big data minimization and analysis is

currently leading my fi eld into an exciting new direction,” he says.

accelerated discovery

27

AIDYN IACHINIASSISTANT PROFESSORCollege of Social Work

Since joining the College of Social Work in 2011, Aidyn Iachini has taken on

some of the toughest challenges in the fi eld — school dropout, youth mental

health and positive youth development. Her research and evaluation of the

national Girls on the Run initiative, a physical activity and girls’ empowerment

program, has led to signifi cant changes in policies and programming at

the national level, while a dropout prevention program she spearheaded in

Richland District 2 high schools has piqued national interest and inspired

other S.C. school districts to follow her lead. Through the Recovery Program

Transformation and Innovation Fund project, funded by the S.C. Department

of Health and Human Services, Iachini has also helped bring about statewide

change in service provision for youth and families with addiction issues. “In all

of my research projects there’s a real partnership between myself, as a faculty

researcher, and the community members who lead these projects,” Iachini

says. “I’m ultimately interested in how you bring people together in ways

that are meaningful and also promote positive change in the community.”

partnering for improvement

28

JASON O’KANEASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERINGCollege of Engineering and Computing

A robot might not have a heart, but it can sure show some when the

right person puts it together. Jason O’Kane is one such cyber-builder.

He collaborated with graduate student Laura Boccanfuso to create a

robot, CHARLIE, that helps developmentally challenged children learn

to better communicate. And CHARLIE does her work without needing

to be operated by an expert — by design, she’s inexpensive and tough

enough to be handled by kids. Practical results like that are the hallmark

of O’Kane’s young career. From developing new ways for teams of robots

to work together in disaster response and environmental monitoring

scenarios to automating the process it takes to design a robot’s most

e� cient use of sensor and computational power, he’s a leader in the fi eld.

Since arriving at USC in 2007, O’Kane has helped push the world closer to

the day when autonomous robots are commonplace in everyday life.

reliable robotics

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SARA SCHWEBELASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURECollege of Arts and Sciences

Sara Schwebel prides herself on bridging the gap between the academy and

the public with her research. In her recent book “Child-Size History: Fictions

of the Past in U.S. Classrooms,” Schwebel explores how popular children’s

historical fi ction could be taught in ways that provide today’s youth with

a clearer understanding of the past and how that history can impact the

future. As an historian, Schwebel has ventured into the study of children’s

historical fi ction, which she says she read voraciously as a child, to address

the limited narrative of U.S. history these books present. “I began to wonder

what, precisely, I had learned from consuming countless children’s books in

grade school,” she says. “Unquestionably, I learned to love history by reading

novels like ‘The Witch of Blackbird Pond’ and ‘The Long Winter,’ but given that

these books encourage identifi cation with frontier settlers, what else had I

absorbed?” Schwebel is currently working on a project with the Channel Islands

National Park that will link the National Park Service with children’s literature

through a multimedia website and cutting-edge interdisciplinary research

centered on the popular book “Island of the Blue Dolphins,” which has taught

generations of schoolchildren California history and the mythic trope of the

“vanishing American Indian.”

children’s literature

33

XUEMEI SUIASSISTANT PROFESSOR, DEPARTMENT OF EXERCISE SCIENCEArnold School of Public Health

Xuemei Sui was a physician in her native China, treating patients with blood

diseases, many of whom died from their illnesses. “It made me very depressed,”

Sui said. “I thought I should study more about prevention and teaching people

not to wait until they have a disease to see a doctor.” So in 2001, she moved to

the U.S. to study associations between physical activity, obesity and chronic

disease. She was working at the Cooper Institute in Dallas when she met physical

activity epidemiologist Steven Blair, who was president and CEO at the institute

before returning to USC as an exercise science professor. Since joining Carolina’s

exercise science faculty in 2007, Sui has written or co-written nearly 130 peer-

reviewed publications, including 16 fi rst-author and 36 student-led papers under

her direct supervision. Sui also earned her doctorate in exercise science from

USC in 2012. “There are still things we don’t know about why physical activity is

good for certain outcomes and the best approach to increase physical activity

across diverse populations,” she said. “There is still a lot of research to be done.”

healthy connections

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Graduate Scholars

Successful graduate students are the

lifeblood of every top-tier research

university, bringing energy and curiosity

that fosters a vibrant learning environment.

The University of South Carolina’s 2015

Breakthrough Graduate Scholars epitomize

these qualities. Their participation in the life

of the university raises the bar for everyone.

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SAMUEL ANTWIPH.D. IN EPIDEMIOLOGYArnold School of Public Health

CAROLINE BERGERONDOCTOR OF PUBLIC HEALTHArnold School of Public Health

This year’s cohort of Graduate Scholars include doctoral students from engineering, health, medicine and the sciences. A brief synopsis of each scholar’s accomplishments follow. • awarded postdoctoral

fellowship in cancer genetic epidemiology at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.

• selected to participate in New Investigator Workshop at the American Society of Preventive Oncology

• awarded a Support to Promote Advancement of Research and Creativity grant from the O� ce of the Vice President for Research

• awarded Canadian Institutes of Health Research Doctoral Research Award for Patient-oriented Research

• contributed to 11 publications, two as fi rst author

• appointed student representative on editorial board of American Journal of Public Health

37

YU CHENPH.D. IN MECHANICAL ENGINEERINGCollege of Engineering and Computing

TARYN CRANFORDPH.D. IN BIOMEDICAL SCIENCESSchool of Medicine

SUVARTHI DASPH.D. IN ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SCIENCESArnold School of Public Health

• contributed to 10 peer-reviewed journal papers; eight as fi rst author

• received Bernard S. Baker Student Award for Fuel Cell Research

• awarded Individual Predoctoral Fellowship from the National Institutes of Health at the National Cancer Institute

• named Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Minority Scholarship recipient

• served as president of the Medical Graduate Student Association

• contributed to nine peer-reviewed journals; three as fi rst author

• recipient of American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases travel award

• recipient of USC Graduate Student Day oral presentation award

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CRISTIAN MONACOPH.D. IN BIOLOGYCollege of Arts and Sciences

JENNIFER FILLPH.D. IN INTEGRATIVE BIOLOGYCollege of Arts and Sciences

• recipient of National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship

• fi rst author on six peer-reviewed publications

• contributed on six peer-reviewed publications; three as fi rst author

• presented research at the International Temperate Reef Symposium

2014 - 2015 breakthrough awards booklet

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