University of South Carolina
September 20, 2012
uscTIMES
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USC Times
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Getting to the heart of it BY LIZ
Lasers, radar, synthetic insulin, blood thinners, computers, rocket fuel: For more than 50 years, university research has propelled the United States to the forefront of technology. Considering the myriad challenges we face as a nation — from an aging population to mounting environmental threats and the search for new fuels to power ourselves sustainably into the future — research and development of new technologies is more critical than ever. Despite drastic reductions in federal grants that fund 70 percent of research at universities across the country, USC researchers stand out as strong national competitors, garnering more than $200 million in external funding each of the past six years. But the important work of our faculty and student researchers has value beyond the financial bottom line. We can all take pride in USC’s distinguished position as the state’s only university to receive the Carnegie Foundation’s top ranking as an institution with very high research activity. And, with our nationally renowned research centers answering the call for innovative solutions in key areas like health sciences, advanced materials, energy, environment and sustainability, we can take even more Gamecock pride in knowing that research at USC is helping to secure a better quality of life and a brighter future for all. — Prakash Nagarkatti vice president for research
MCCARTHY
P
ayal Shah’s research isn’t conducted in a lab or by looking at statis-
much more than one could possibly give back.” That experience gave Shah more insight into the
tics. For two years, Shah lived her
data she studied. It gave her the ability to understand
research — eating, sleeping, talking
the nuances of why and how, she said.
and studying alongside her young subjects in rural India. Shah, an assistant professor in
the College of Education, has spent
significant time in India over the past 10 years to better understand problems facing young
“You can make a lot more sense of the problems that rural, marginalized girls experience when you see how they live,” she said. “Girls’ voices are largely absent from academic and policy debates. The experiences of the girls are important and can help us understand what’s happening on the ground.”
girls and their education. She wanted
Shah made it a point to include local,
to understand how education can
state and national lawmakers in her
empower girls there and how edu-
work, keeping them up-to-date so
cation impacts social issues in the
that the data could have a realworld application.
country.
“I’d like my research to have
“I look at the ways in which
multiple impacts. So of course, the
the formal education system in
academic component is very im-
India can or cannot promote a
portant to me, but my professional
greater orientation toward over-
engagement with India started in
all gender equality. In particular, I look at programs that explicitly try to promote girls’ empowerment and try to understand how the girls internalize these programs by listening to their experiences,” she said. Living in the rural village — with no consistent electricity or running water — was challenging, Shah said, but it allowed her to experience the difficulties
2003 working with these populations firsthand,” she said. “I want my research to be helpful as policymakers think about developing policy. ” This research could have a broader impact beyond India’s borders, Shah said. “I think it’s just as important for us to know how marginalized girls in India are living as we know how
facing the girls. “It was one of the most impactful experiences in
children in the inner city and rural America are living,”
my life because I developed deep, real relationships
she said. “If we truly want to understand what these
with the girls and the teachers,” she said. “They really
problems look like and come up with locally appropri-
welcomed me into their world. I learned much more
ate solutions, the more examples we have the better
from them than one can imagine, and I took away
equipped we will be to address these issues.”
!
This is the last issue of USC Times this year. The next issue comes out in January, and with it, several important changes. Times will have a new look and feel, and the way you get it will change. Instead of arriving in your mailbox every two weeks, Times will be available once per month in 25 newspaper racks around campus. If you have any questions about USC Times, contact Liz McCarthy, 803-777-2848, lizmccarthy@sc.edu. Thanks for reading!