USC Thornton Opera prepares a surreal Postcard from Morocco
Unconventional one-act work contemplates seven solo travelers as they encounter one another in a distant train station for the very first time.
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Viet Thanh Nguyen elected to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences
The Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist and USC professor joins Barack Obama, Sonia Sotomayor and Tom Hanks in being elected to the academy’s 238th class.
$10 million grant supports research on disease prevention, fasting and aging
USC Professor Valter Longo, an expert on dietary restriction and regeneration, leads team of USC and Harvard researchers looking to slow aging and prevent disease.
Angelus News
Twin, teacher and Trojan: Meet L.A.’s newest auxiliary bishop
Monsignor Marc Trudeau may not come with the average bishop’s resume, but that may be why Pope Francis chose him. He joins five other active auxiliary bishops in assisting Archbishop José H. Gomez with the spiritual care of the nation’s largest archdiocese.
Nature
Booze-busting nanopills help the liver
USC’s Cheng Ji and colleagues devised two miniature capsules that deliver enzymes and quickly cut blood-alcohol levels. The pills could reduce liver damage caused by alcohol.
PC Magazine
Killer robots, be gone! USC scientist’s androids come in peace
USC’s Maja Matarić thinks robots can help us understand and help people, and she’s producing androids that will do just that.
Columbia Journalism Review
Facebook, facts and the problem with ‘a marketplace of ideas’
USC Annenberg’s Mike Ananny interviewed members of one of Facebook’s most scrutinized projects: A fact-checking team made up of employees from six different newsrooms, assigned with identifying and debunking false or misleading stories on the social platform.
The Day
Equity report: Black Coast Guard cadets more likely than peers to face inequalities
The report by USC’s Center for Urban Education follows a yearlong process of examining academy data, disaggregated by race, ethnicity and gender, with a focus on equity.
CNN
USC football player: ‘OK, I’m blind … Now let’s deal with it’
“I think that sports have given me a platform … so I could prove myself to others,” says Jake Olson, who took part in his first regulation college game in September.
Los Angeles Magazine
How CHLA is using virtual reality to prepare staff for high-stress scenarios
The simulation debuted at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles in 2016 and marks the first time VR has been used to train doctors in pediatric medical resuscitation.
Los Angeles Times
In memoriam: Bonnie Reiss, director of the USC Schwarzenegger Institute, 62
A regent for the University of California, the lifelong Democrat was a key adviser to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and later served as California’s education secretary.
The Christian Science Monitor
Ivy degree – now what? Low-income grads struggle with careers, status
USC Marshall’s Sarah Townsend and colleagues interviewed 30 first-generation MBA students about the college-to-work transition. They found that low-income first gen graduates experience familiar economic, social and cultural barriers when they get to work.
Los Angeles Review of Books
Popular feminism: ‘We need a lasting, structural feminist rage’
USC Annenberg’s Sarah Banet-Weiser argues for the need to translate the rage and frustration felt from the #MeToo movement into structural changes for society. “We need … to be a kind of army,” she writes.
Time
Google has a striking history of bias against black girls
USC’s Safiya Umoja Noble describes systemic racism built into internet search algorithms.
Los Angeles Daily News
Can the pupils of your eyes control the lights in your office? USC professor says yes
Joon-Ho Choi’s work connects indoor climate controls with physiological data. His work is being watched closely by manufacturing giants as a way to advance high-tech home and office indoor climate systems.
Designing for seniors, students use ‘human-centered’ approach
Brittingham Social Enterprise Lab project tackles social issues and global problems with for-profit endeavors; this year’s focus is seniors’ unique needs.
Trojan has a grand vision for L.A.’s historic Grand Central Market
Adam Daneshgar, 34, says the iconic food hall showcases the city’s cultural diversity, and he wants “to keep that value instilled going forward.”
Low-cost science kits help African students conduct experiments
USC chemistry student joins an international team that supplies easily shipped equipment for lab work.
USC announces five honorary degree recipients for 2018 commencement
Recipients are a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, a visionary law enforcement leader, a member of the Astronaut Hall of Fame, a groundbreaking biochemist and an Academy Award-winning actor.
Practice drill preps Trojans for major disaster scenario
Mass feeding is part of the event for staff and local high school volunteers.
After life-changing injury, USC student uses sports to heal and thrive
A diving accident in high school left Zachary Pickett paralyzed just as he reached his prime. But that didn’t stop the Swim With Mike scholarship recipient from pursuing his athletic passions.
Computer science student sees Silicon Valley startup in his future
He’ll be part of a prestigious summer internship program offering U.S. college students experience and mentorship at a top venture capital firm.
Theater proves to be a Trojan’s guiding light
All-around technical whiz makes the most of his time as a Stamps Scholar at USC, including a launch of his own theater company.
Simple digital detox tips can curb phone addiction habits
Do you have an addictive relationship with your smartphone? Try these digital detox tips to avoid developing bad internet habits.
In memoriam: former USC basketball player Clint Chapman, 64
As a sophomore, the three-year letterman was the team’s leading scorer in 1973.
will.i.am named speaker for USC Jimmy Iovine and Andre Young Academy’s first commencement
The creative innovation adviser works with technology and consumer products companies from around the world.
High-deductible health plans raise risk of financial ruin for vulnerable Americans, study finds
Seemingly affordable plans with lower premiums could hurt low-income consumers or those who are chronically ill.
Using mathematical models to determine the best chemotherapy schedules
Two researchers at USC develop a tool that can predict how cancer cells will respond to a chemotherapy drug.
West Side Story showcases stellar work of USC’s actors, singers and dancers
The show marks a first-time collaboration among the USC School of Dramatic Arts, the USC Thornton School of Music and the USC Kaufman School of Dance.
Why a medical school professor studies fossils
An anatomical sciences expert looks back at the arm and leg bones of ancestors to gain insight on how they interacted with their environment.
Professor inducted as a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians
UK fellowship honors people who have made significant contributions to the practice or science of medicine.
Stem cell-based retinal implant tested for common cause of vision loss
It’s the first human trial, which is designed to replace a single-cell layer that degenerates in patients with dry age-related macular degeneration.
Hearing loss study at USC, Harvard shows hope for millions
Scientists develop method to repair damaged structures deep inside the ear.
Students who study, sleep more don’t just do better in school — they’re happier, too
Data collected from student volunteers reveals trends in well-being, academic performance and behavior.
USC senior rebounds from tragedy to help others with disabilities
A spinal cord injury in high school left Zack Wentz paralyzed. He turned that misfortune into a passion for breaking down barriers for himself and fellow Trojans with disabilities.
Would you bank with Amazon or Google? More than half of us say ‘yes’
USC study finds technology tops location as customer priorities shift — and many of us are fine banking with a company that has no banking experience.
How cellphones are killing gorillas, and other threats you didn’t know were endangering great apes
USC researchers such as primate expert Craig Stanford are working to understand how to better protect these animals, who could be gone in just 100 years.
Unique corps makes volunteering for scientific research easy, speeding studies
The Healthy Minds Research Volunteer Corps at USC enlists potential research participants of varying racial and socioeconomic backgrounds from across the greater Los Angeles area.
Paralyzed former police officer, on long road to recovery, finds hope at USC
Kristina Ripatti’s life was upended after being shot while chasing down a robbery suspect. Now she forges a new identity in social work at USC, with help from a Swim With Mike scholarship.