Welcome to the daily email for media members that includes news and notes from The University of Southern Mississippi (USM). Today's message includes a news release about recent psychology graduate Tiara Watson earning the Psi Chi International Honor Society's Regional Research Award and a reminder about USM's opening game of the Conference USA Baseball Tournament on Wednesday.

Media inquiries can be directed to Van Arnold at 601.266.5568 or van.arnoldFREEMississippi or David Tisdale at 601.266.4499 or d.g.tisdaleFREEMississippi.

Today's Top Story

Watson Earns Prestigious Psi Chi Research Award at Conference

Tiara Watson, a spring 2019 graduate of The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) Honors College with a degree in psychology, received the Psi Chi International Honor Society's Regional Research Award for her research project, “Perfectionism and Alcohol Use: Moderating Effects of Protective Behavioral Strategies” at the Southeastern Psychological Association conference in Jacksonville, Florida.

http://news.usm.edu/article/watson-earns-prestigious-psi-chi-research-award-conference

Special Coverage Opportunity

The Conference USA Baseball Tournament gets underway Wednesday at MGM Park in Biloxi with USM set to play the second game of the opening round at 12:30 p.m. against Rice. The Golden Eagles finished the regular season with a 38-18 record and a second-place finish in the conference race making them the No. 2 seed in the C-USA Tournament. Florida Atlantic enters the tournament as the top seed having captured the C-USA regular season title. USM is the defending tournament champion.

Photo/Video Opportunity

The University of Southern Mississippi's (USM) School of Social Science and Global Studies and School of Criminal Justice, Forensic Science, and Security are co-sponsoring a Forrest County sheriff election candidate forum Tuesday, May 21 at 5:30 p.m. The event will be held on the USM Hattiesburg campus in the Liberal Arts Building, room 108 (Gonzales Auditorium), and is open to the public. To schedule coverage, contact David Tisdale. 

Did You Know?

The University of Southern Mississippi's Marine Research Center is located at the Port of Gulfport, situated along Highway 90. The research center is the centerpiece for a new maritime blue economy in South Mississippi. The center provides shoreside support to USM's 135-foot oceanographic research vessel, the R/V Point Sur, and to a number of academic programs. The facility includes classrooms, laboratories, an 8-foot-deep in-ground testing tank, administrative offices and storage areas.

About The University of Southern Mississippi

The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) is a comprehensive public research institution delivering transformative programs on campuses in Hattiesburg and Long Beach, at teaching and research sites in central and southern Mississippi, as well as online. Founded in 1910, USM is one of only 130 universities in the nation to earn the CarnegieClassification of Institutions of Higher Education's "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity” designation, and its robust research enterprise includes experts in ocean science and engineering, polymer science and engineering, and sport venue safety and security, among others. USM is also one of only 40 institutions in the nation accredited in theatre, art and design, dance and music. As an economic driver, USM generates an annual economic impact of more than $600 million across the state. USM welcomes a diverse student body of approximately 15,000, representing 71 countries, all 50 states, and every county in Mississippi. USM students have collected four Truman Scholarships and 36 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships, while also leading Mississippi with 24 Goldwater Scholarships, an honor that recognizes the next generation of great research scientists. Home to the Golden Eagles, USM competes in 17 Division I sports sponsored by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). For more information, visit usm.edu.