The Idea Factory

RESEARCH THAT IMPROVES LIVES ACROSS THE GLOBE

Above: Engineering professorYogi Goswami inspects asolar array at USF Tampa.

UNIVERSITIES ARE IDEA FACTORIES. They attract talented problem solvers with the intelligence, passion and creativity to improve society, and support the work these people do.

A research university with an international view takes it to the next level, with breakthroughs that change the world for the better.

USF is committed to using its dynamic resources to turn research into patents and products, and it consistently ranks among the top universities worldwide for U.S. patents granted. Here are just a few of the faculty researchers whose inventions and innovations are improving lives across the globe.

ERADICATING MALARIA

John Adams, PhD, a Distinguished University Professor in the USF College of Public Health, has dedicated his career to eradicating malaria, one of the leading causes of death and disease worldwide.

The complex nature of both the malaria parasite and the human immune response have made it difficult to find a way to protect and treat those exposed. The research projects in Adams’ laboratory focus on host-parasite interactions and improving the understanding of the processes of infection and development of Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax, two species of malaria parasites that most commonly infect humans. By studying how the parasite invades, develops and exits human cells, researchers hope to find drugs and vaccines that will someday eliminate the disease.

Adams currently holds three patents for this work, and two more are in process. His patents cover his work developing a vaccine candidate for Plasmodium vivax (the major cause of malaria outside of Africa), a mutation method for the genome of Plasmodium falciparum (the more virulent form of malaria mostly found in Africa), and methods for cryopreserving malaria parasites.

Adams collaborates with the U.S. military and institutions in malaria-endemic regions of Southeast Asia and South America. He trains scientists from collaborating groups in research methods developed and optimized in his lab.

SOLAR ENERGY

Yogi Goswami, PhD, a Distinguished University Professor and director of the Clean Energy Research Center at USF, has spent a lifetime researching solar energy and developing applications to provide for the world’s environmental needs.

It began back in the early 1970s, when he saw long lines of cars waiting to buy gas. The more he thought about finding an energy source that would last forever, the more he was convinced solar energy was the answer. At first, there was some pushback; researchers didn’t think solar energy could ever provide for all our energy needs. But Goswami persisted, and he has played a part in today’s solar revolution.

In the early ‘90s Goswami testified before Congress