USF St. Petersburg is an urban university that aims to integrate seamlessly into the fabric of the city and 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 Caryn Nesmith, Community Relations Director.
Bulls Racing Showcases Cars at Firestone Grand Prix
Bulls Racing, USF’s Formula SAE team, participated in the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, displaying its F24 and F25 race cars. Team members engaged with race fans, students and community members, offering an inside look at their student-built competition vehicles. Founded in 2005, Bulls Racing competes annually in the Formula SAE series, where student teams from around the world design, build and race high-performance, open-wheel vehicles. In 2024, the team achieved its best competition results yet, placing 20th overall and securing third place in the acceleration event at the Formula SAE Michigan competition. As a student-led organization, Bulls Racing provides hands-on experience in engineering, marketing, business, and project management. The team welcomes students from all disciplines to collaborate in a high-performance motorsports environment. Beyond competitions, Bulls Racing is active in the community through outreach events, STEM workshops, and university recruitment fairs. The team connects with students of all ages, sharing its passion for motorsports and engineering while inspiring future innovators. For more information, visit www.bullsracing.com.
Bulls in Nature
The Judy Genshaft Honors Student Council has developed a series of volunteer events happening all spring, designed to get students out in nature while also helping the community. The series kicked off on January 26, with a clean-up of the Deuces Food Forest. Students helped with mulching, picking up litter, composting, planting and other tasks to help this homegrown community organization execute their mission of teaching edible gardening and providing a local fresh food source for the neighborhood. On February 22, the series continued with a clean-up of Crescent Lake Park, in partnership with Keep Pinellas Beautiful. These events - and more to come - align with the Judy Genshaft Honors College's commitments to engaged citizenship, healthy humanity and sustainable futures.
Open House launches USF St. Petersburg OllI program
About 150 people attended the inaugural open house for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute on February 12, which coincided with the annual Conference on World Affairs, and launched OLLI programming for the first time at USF St. Petersburg. Keynote speaker, Dr. Jennifer O’Brien, discussed what the research shows on keeping our aging brains as healthy as possible. Her keynote was followed by faculty offering descriptions of their OLLI courses this semester, including Dr. Gary Mormino who is teaching “Ten Foods that Define Florida” and “Florida and WWII;” Dr. Catherine Wilkins, who is teaching an immersive course called the “Experience the Healing Arts,” and Dr. Deby Cassi, who is teaching, “Ants Reveal That Cooperation, Not Competition, is What Makes Us Human.” Classes begin on March 17. Learn more and sign up here.
FDOT Invites Public to Reimagine I-175
In January, the Florida Department of Transportation launched a long-term study on how I-175 affects the community around it, and began conducting open houses to ask for community input to figure out the best course of action. USF St. Petersburg served as host of its first open house on March 3. St. Petersburg residents showed up to mark maps with suggestions and share their thoughts with transportation leaders. FDOT will host multiple community input workshops in the coming months, but none have been announced yet. The project is still in the planning phase and is expected to be complete in April 2026. Read more about public opinion on I-175 in this WUSF story by USF St. Petersburg Journalism student Mahika Kukday.
Embracing Our Differences Opens in Poynter Park
Embracing Our Differences, Inc. (EOD) art exhibit at Poynter Park opened on March 8 featuring 50 educational and creative works selected from more than 10,000 entries from 122 countries and then blown up to billboard scale. During the community event, thousands of people came to the park adjacent to campus to tour the art, listen to live music and visit with the many aligned organizations. On March 10, EOD leadership, including Patrick Arthur Jackson, Sarah Wertheimer and Christina Fraser, led a USF group through the exhibit. For 21 years, EOD has been promoting kindness and respect.
Zion Cemetery Honored with Historical Marker
Just north of Downtown Tampa, beneath roads, businesses and homes, lies Zion Cemetery—a long-forgotten burial ground that has now received long-overdue recognition. Dr. Antoinette Jackson, faculty at USF St. Petersburg, has played a crucial role in the research and documentation of Zion Cemetery’s past. Through oral histories and community engagement, Jackson and her team are helping to restore dignity to those forgotten, ensuring their stories are finally told. On February 25, a historical marker was placed along North Florida Avenue to honor those buried there, bringing public awareness to a site erased from the historical record for nearly a century. Founded in 1901, Zion Cemetery was Tampa’s first African American burial ground. By the 1920s, the land had been repurposed, its history nearly lost until 2019, when forensic experts discovered human remains. Since then, over 300 gravesites have been located with efforts ongoing to identify descendants.
Faculty commemorates Black History Month
In an interview with 83 Degrees Media, USF St. Petersburg professor of English and Frank E. Duckwall Professor of Florida Studies Julie Buckner Armstrong discussed Florida’s Black literary history. A civil rights and Southern literature scholar, Armstrong’s research interests include literary engagements with segregation, the Civil Rights Movement, and other justice issues. Armstrong has been with USF for 24 years, and is the recipient of the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Research and Creative Activity at USF’s St. Petersburg campus. Read her interview here.
Summer camp registrations
Experience the beauty of USF St. Petersburg’s waterfront campus! With stunning bay views and a vibrant atmosphere, our summer camps offer a fun and enriching environment for all children. Join Campy Rocky for a summer packed with adventure. With daily activities, themed weeks and exciting field trips, we offer fun, learning and lifelong memories for your child. Unlock coding with USF. Grades 4-6 will explore Minecraft and Swift Playgrounds at our St. Petersburg campus, mastering the basics and unleashing creativity through hands-on coding activities. Unlock the future at USF’s Ultimate STEM Camp! Designed for grades 5-8, campers explore coding, robotics, AI and more in a hands-on journey into emerging technologies. Or, boost your SAT scores at USF’s SAT Summer Institute. High schoolers sharpen math, reading and writing skills with expert guidance, practice tests and proven strategies for success! Finally, dive into the exciting world of law and technology at Mock Trial Camp. Step into the shoes of an attorney as you investigate digital breaches, build compelling cases and refine legal skills. Through interactive activities and engaging mock trials, you'll explore the fascinating intersection of cyber law and cybersecurity. Experience the thrill of courtroom procedures while developing critical thinking, public speaking and teamwork skills. Check out all the camp options today!
USF Supplier Development and Engagement Mentor Protégé Program applications open
The USF Supplier Development and Engagement 2025 Mentor Protégé Program is excited to announce the application process for this year. This program actively engages small construction-focused subcontractors in the Tampa Bay area in a comprehensive training and development initiative, aimed at fortifying businesses and enhancing their capacity. The 10-week initiative features instruction from USF faculty and staff, Skanska USA, and other USF strategic industry experts. The application period is open from April 14, 2025 to May 23, 2025, with the first session starting on July 24, 2025, from 3:00 pm to 5:30 pm. For more details and to apply for the program, please visit: USF Mentor Protégé Program.