Wellness tip of the week
As we continue to support our students and the communities we serve, it is also important for each of us to focus on our own wellness. For the next several weeks, Communiqué will include wellness tips, starting with this one:
Set clear boundaries between work and personal time. Start with boundaries. When you’re working from home or have an overpacked to-do list, it can be tempting to continue working long after your standard business hours. Set clear limits for when your workday begins and ends.
Find the full list from Mental Health First Aid at Tips for a Healthy Work-Life Balance.
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YongJei Lee and team awarded Cyber Florida phaseZERO seed funding for AI-powered human trafficking prevention project
YongJei Lee, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Criminology, and his team have been selected as recipients of the Cyber Florida at USF phaseZERO: Innovation Incubator Seed Fund Program. Lee serves as a co-principal investigator on the project led by Tingting Zhang, PhD, associate professor in the Muma College of Business. They aim to safeguard teenagers from online human trafficking threats in gaming and social media environments. Read more.
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George Burruss and team receive funding to develop AI chatbot to assist older adults concerned about cybercrime
George Burruss, PhD, and colleagues from the School of Information—Loni Hagan, PhD; Ly Dinh, PhD; and Lingyaa Li, PhD—have received a $14,000 grant from Cyber Florida to develop an AI chatbot designed to assist older adults who have experienced or are concerned about cybercrime. Students from the Department of Criminology's Cybercrime Interdisciplinary Behavioral Research Laboratory are helping to train the chatbot using validated information on cybersecurity best practices and victimology.
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Documentary filmmaker speaks to criminology classes
Charlie Minn, a "victim-driven" documentary filmmaker who has made 45 documentaries with a focus on true crime, corruption, and the police visited the St. Petersburg and Sarasota-Manatee campuses on Feb. 11. Minn showed clips from his films, which include his trilogy about the fentanyl crisis in the U.S. He also spoke about mass shootings, Mexican cartels, and unsolved cases in the criminology classes of Cary Hopkins Eyles, MA, (pictured with Charlie Minn) and Rustu Deryol, PhD.
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Nominations open for CBCS Recognition Award Program
The CBCS Recognition Award Program recognizes the contributions of two administrative, staff, and/or OPS/temporary employees within the College of Behavioral and Community Sciences for their extraordinary achievement in the workplace.
Two individuals will be selected to receive an award of $750 each. The honorees will be presented at the 2025 Spring CBCS Faculty and Staff Assembly. Nominations are due no later than Saturday, March 15, and may be submitted using this form. (An employee who has been a recipient within the past two years is not eligible.) Any supporting documents should be emailed to Elizabeth Correia (eccorreia@usf.edu).
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USF faculty honor mothers with scholarship program
The Oracle
“'The project came about because the three of us all have moms who, at the time, were alive and we were taking care of them at one level or another,' said Batsche, who came up with the idea for the endowment project."
Breaking Barriers in crypto crime: USF's M.S. in Cybercrime powers career success
USF Innovative Education News
"Lauren Smith is passionate about curbing cybercrime ... that passion led her to pivot from a pre-veterinary college track to one in criminology and, most recently, USF’s fully online Master of Science in Cybercrime program."
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USF Future of Education Think Tank aims to ‘shift the paradigm'
USF Research and Innovation News
"The challenges facing education, said Dane Minnick, an assistant professor of social work at USF Sarasota-Manatee who specializes in substance abuse and addictions, need to be addressed by all faculty members, not just those who prepare students for future careers as teachers."
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Burruss, G., Weber, C., Fisk, N., & Giovannetti, F. (2025). Pandemic and predation: an analysis of economic stressors and online scam susceptibility during COVID-19. Journal of Crime and Justice, 1–16, 0735648X.2025.2464015.
Gerhardt, T. F., Carlson, M., Menendez, K., Moore, K. A., & Rodill, Z. (2025). Parent Perspectives on Youth Cannabis Use and Mental Health: Impacts, Challenges, and Recommendations. The Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research, 1-14. s11414-025-09932-8.
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Lee, Y., & O, S. (2025). Redefining Recidivism Prediction: The Impact of Race and Geographic Location in Machine Learning Models. Crime & Delinquency, 00111287251316515.
Peeler, G., Pieri, Z. P., Grosholz, J. M., & McCullough, M. (2025). Straight Outta 4chan: Exploring the Album Art of the White Supremacist “Moon Man” Music Project. Race and Justice, 21533687241299786.
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Upcoming Events & Deadlines | |
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Building Community in a Post-COVID Era for Older Adults and Their Families
March 27 | 8:30 a.m. - 2 p.m. | Registration required
Embassy Suites (3705 Spectrum Blvd)
Older adults in the community in need of care and support struggle with loneliness and social connections post-COVID which can affect their health and well-being. Attend this one-day conference to understand the problems facing older adults and their caregivers across the care continuum (community, assisted living, nursing home, and hospice) from health and aging service professionals and learn about services and resources to address issues related to loneliness, social isolation, grief, and bereavement.
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Fiesta by the Bay for Autism
April 26 | Doors open at 6 p.m.
USF Alumni Center | Registration and sponsorships
The Center for Autism and Related Disabilities at USF (CARD-USF) will host its annual fundraiser Fiesta by the Bay for Autism on Saturday, April 26 at the USF Alumni Center. This family-friendly event provides an evening full of fun, entertainment, food, and a silent auction. Funds raised from the event support CARD-USF's Autism Services Fund. Facebook event page: 2025 Fiesta by the Bay for Autism Fundraiser
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Adding News, Events, and Publications to the CBCS Website and Newsletter
If you have news/events or recent/upcoming publications you would like posted on the CBCS website and/or in the Communique newsletter, send the details and any attachments to CBCS Marketing (CBCSMarketing@usf.edu). Please send all newsletter submissions no later than Thursday for inclusion in the following week's newsletter.
Be sure to include all pertinent information (title, date, times, location, event description, and contact information) in editable digital text format. Articles included in the CBCS Communiqué may be disseminated to USF Media outlets and/or beyond.
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