College of Arts and Sciences News

Maria Membrila, '23 shares her MPA journey.

A student's journey from environmental engineer to public administrator exemplifies the transformative power of education in shaping careers and communities.

Professor Alessandra Cassar's research, in collaboration with IDEC alumni Emeka Ugwu, on "Maternal Depression: A Catalyst for Cooperation?" was featured in the Human Behavior and Evolution Society journal. Their work explores the hypothesis that perinatal depression can encourage mothers to elicit support from others in times of need. Additionally, the study suggests that depression triggers increased support from close family members and others, supporting the bargaining hypothesis for maternal depression.

During the past five years, Dr. Katz’s professional journey led her to the Global Center for Gender Equality (GCfGE) where she served as the Research Director. In this role, she led research and provided technical assistance to support GCfGE's global health and agricultural development initiatives. Her work focused on integrating gender considerations into these fields and ensuring that new policies address the needs of both women and men.

Professor Jesse Anttila-Hughes' recent research explores the evolution of cooperation, a field rooted in physical and biological parallels to economic organization. His work applies complex evolutionary game theory, network science, and biology to understand the clustered nature of complex production. By utilizing techniques from these fields, he seeks to uncover the mechanisms that drive fundamental expansions in economic capacity.

Elise Green ’26 and Mecedes Lindsay ’26 teamed up to win the championship in the Social Justice Debates tournament at Morehouse College in Atlanta.

Mentorship has played a crucial role in her journey.

Annie Hodge ’27, a critical diversity studies major with a minor in computer science, is a USF in DC student this semester and works as an intern in the office of Rep. David Kustoff, a Republican from west Tennessee.