USF St. Petersburg aims to integrate seamlessly into the fabric of the Tampa Bay region, enhancing opportunities for students, businesses and the public. This community roundup series highlights the ways that USF faculty, staff, students and administration are active in the community. If you’d like to engage with USF St. Petersburg, or are a campus staff, faculty or student interested in engaging with the community, please contact Kelci Lancsarics.
Operation Skyfall at Orlando Health Bayfront
USF St. Petersburg joined Orlando Health Bayfront Hospital to support the largest
medical surge exercise in the nation, coordinated by Central Florida Disaster Medical
Coalition. More than 100 hospitals, law enforcement, EMS and first response agencies
across West and Central Florida participated in Operation Skyfall on April 9th.
Approximately 2,200 student volunteers acted as victims of a mass casualty scenario
to help these agencies improve emergency response coordination and prepare for an
actual disaster. The training scenario simulated a plane crash at a sporting event,
resulting in a surge of patients seeking emergency medical attention. USF student
volunteers were given simulated injuries and transported through the intake and triage
process at Orlando Health Bayfront Hospital.
Innovation District 10x10 Celebration
USF St. Petersburg was proud to be named an honoree at the 10x10 Celebration, an evening recognizing the people, partnerships and projects that have driven a decade of innovation in the St. Pete Innovation District. The event highlighted USF St. Petersburg’s transformational growth over the last decade, including the university’s achievement of R1 research designation and Association of American Universities status, as well as major campus expansions such as a new business school and residence hall. These developments have strengthened campus life while expanding research capacity and educational opportunities that benefit the broader Innovation District and the Tampa Bay region.
The celebration also honored the University of South Florida’s Florida Institute of Oceanography, a 34-member consortium advancing coastal and ocean science throughout Florida, recognized for its leadership in scientific discovery and ocean stewardship. Additional honorees included the St. Pete Innovation District Founders, Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, Duke Energy, the Maritime and Defense Technology Hub, the City of St. Petersburg, Kimley-Horn, Orlando Health Bayfront Hospital, The Dalí Museum and Spark Labs by ARK Invest.
Ruff and Rowdies Night
The Tampa Bay Rowdies celebrated Ruff and Rowdies night on April 25th, where pups and their humans came together to cheer on the Rowdies. The Bayshore lounge at Al Lang Stadium was converted into a dog friendly area for fans to enjoy the game with their pups.
USF St. Petersburg’s campus comfort dog Snowbird and his handler Officer Mark Lickenfelt served as the honorary captains for the night, joining the team on the field. Snowbird was trained by Dogs Inc. to be a facility therapy dog, which means he provides comfort, support and therapeutic benefits to our campus community.
National Civics Bee
On April 28th, USF St. Petersburg hosted the Regional Civics Bee, brought to the community by the St. Pete Chamber of Commerce. The Civics Bee is a national tournament where sixth, seventh and eighth grade students compete to test their knowledge on civics related topics.
At USF St. Pete, 15 scholars faced off answering 20 multiple choice questions about the U.S. Constitution, civil rights and democracy. The five students with the highest score at the end of round two moved on as finalists to the third round, where they presented on a community issue and solution they submitted via essay prior to the competition. They had to summarize what the issue is, why it is an issue and what their proposed solution is in front of a panel of judges who engaged them in further questioning. The scores from all three rounds were tallied to produce the top three finalists who will advance to the state level competition in Tallahassee this summer. Congratulations to finalists Dwarakamaye B., Viacheslav B., and David M., and all of the other scholars who competed in the Civics Bee!