{"id":302608,"date":"2026-06-10T14:20:32","date_gmt":"2026-06-10T14:20:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/302608\/"},"modified":"2026-06-10T14:20:32","modified_gmt":"2026-06-10T14:20:32","slug":"bulls-in-the-burg-june-2026-community-relations-roundup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/302608\/","title":{"rendered":"Bulls In The Burg June 2026 Community Relations Roundup"},"content":{"rendered":"

USF St. Petersburg aims to integrate seamlessly into the fabric of the Tampa Bay region,
\n enhancing opportunities for students, businesses and the public. This community roundup
\n series highlights the ways that USF faculty, staff, students and administration are
\n active in the community. If you\u2019d like to engage with USF St. Petersburg, or are a
\n campus staff, faculty or student interested in engaging with the community, please
\n contact Kelci Lancsarics<\/a>.<\/p>\n

OCEAN OF SUPPORT RAISES FUNDS FOR COLLEGE OF MARINE SCIENCE\u00a0<\/p>\n

More than 370 people came together on May 15 at the Maritime Defense and Technology
\n Hub to support the USF College of Marine Science, raising significant funds for recovery
\n efforts from the fire at the Marine Science Lab that occurred earlier in the month.
\n Since the incident, nearly $500,000 has been raised for the marine science operating
\n fund. Hosted by the St. Petersburg Innovation District and City Councilmember Gina
\n Driscoll, the event was attended by some of the firefighters who battled the blaze.
\n Current elected officials were also in attendance, including Representative Lindsay
\n Cross and City Councilmember Brandi Gabbard, as well as former elected officials Ed
\n Montanari, Darden Rice, Leslie Curran and Charlie Crist. The “Ocean of Support” theme
\n was evident with local organizations and businesses participating such as the Downtown
\n Partnership, the Alyssa Marie Gallery, ZuluPainter, Ocean Road Band, 3 Daughters Brewing
\n and Paciugo Gelato & Cafe.\u00a0<\/p>\n

FAMILY STUDY CENTER SPRINGS INTO SUMMER WITH COMMUNITY BLOCK PARTY\u00a0<\/p>\n

USF St. Petersburg\u2019s Family Study Center<\/a> welcomed local families to its Spring Into Summer Family Block Party on April 25,
\n bringing together fun, connection and valuable resources to support the transition
\n from school into summer. Generous support from the Juvenile Welfare Board, Foundation
\n for a Healthy St. Petersburg, Thrive by Five, USF and United Way Suncoast helped make
\n the event possible, alongside a wide network of community partners dedicated to family
\n well-being. The day featured a vibrant mix of activities and services for all ages.
\n Families explored interactive experiences like a mobile aquarium, bounce houses, pony
\n visits, music, arts and crafts and live entertainment.<\/p>\n

A dedicated early childhood zone highlighted resources from Thrive by Five, the United
\n Way, the Juvenile Welfare Board’s “Turbo Babies,\u201d WEDU PBS, the Early Learning Coalition,
\n R-Club, HIPPY, Lutheran Head Start, Pinellas County Schools, the Florida Department
\n of Health and USF’s Infant-Family Center. Additional vendors appealed to children
\n of all ages as well as older adolescents and adults.<\/p>\n

Dozens of more visitors joined along 3rd Street South for attractions like the City
\n of St. Petersburg\u2019s Bookmobile. Within the Family Study Center, guests participated
\n in story-time, sing-alongs and creative play. Memorable moments included a read-along
\n with community leaders and a lively kids\u2019 soccer match with the Rowdies.<\/p>\n

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE EXPLORES MICROBES IMPACT ON GLOBAL HEALTH<\/p>\n

The St. Petersburg World Affairs Council<\/a> (SPWAC), in partnership with the USF-Global Virus Network<\/a>, hosted \u201cMicrobes Without Borders\u201d on May 11, at the University Student Center. This
\n half-day international conference brought together leading scientists, medical professionals
\n and policymakers to explore the profound impact microbes have on global health and
\n society. The event opened with a keynote address from world-renowned biomedical researcher
\n Dr. Robert Gallo, director of the USF Health Virology Center, whose groundbreaking
\n work pioneered research on the role of viruses in human cancers and in 1984, co-discovered
\n that HIV causes AIDS.<\/p>\n

The program featured two expert panels examining critical issues \u2014 from the far-reaching
\n threats and economic consequences of pandemics to emerging research on microbiomes
\n and their role in cancer, infectious disease and overall health. Attendees gained
\n insight into how global collaboration drives advances in prevention, treatment and
\n public health response.<\/p>\n

15th ANNUAL CHAMPIONS FOR ACT BREAKFAST HIGHLIGHTS ARTS FOR TEENS<\/p>\n

USF St. Petersburg sponsored and hosted the Arts Conservatory for Teens<\/a> 15th Annual Champions for ACT Breakfast on May 7th. It was a lively morning filled
\n with red carpet moments, inspiring student performances and artwork, uplifting remarks,
\n scholarship presentations, delicious food and a live auction supporting ACT\u2019s mission.
\n Each week, ACT serves more than 1,500 students across 28 program locations throughout
\n Pinellas County and Hillsborough County. They offer classes and programs focusing
\n on theater, music dance, visual arts, music production, game coding, fashion design
\n and more.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"USF St. Petersburg aims to integrate seamlessly into the fabric of the Tampa Bay region, enhancing opportunities for…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":302609,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[202,204,203,199,201,200],"class_list":["post-302608","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-st-petersburg","tag-st-pete","tag-st-pete-headlines","tag-st-pete-news","tag-st-petersburg","tag-st-petersburg-headlines","tag-st-petersburg-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/302608","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=302608"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/302608\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/302609"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=302608"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=302608"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=302608"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}