As labs reopen, USC researchers adjust to new campus guidelines
As part of USC’s Project Restart, many researchers have been allowed to return to their labs. Now, they’re figuring out how to conduct research in the COVID-19 era.
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USC and coalition of western schools sues federal government over international student visas
The lawsuit seeks an injunction against the federal government’s recent directive, which requires international students to take at least one in-person class to maintain their visa status.
More than 1.2 million Americans have lost a close family member to COVID-19
The price is more than just sadness, notes USC Dornsife’s Emily Smith-Greenaway: Family members might also come away with lasting health and economic consequences themselves.
Improved hate speech detection uses context to reduce racial bias
New USC research aims to reduce algorithmic errors in flagging hate speech on social media.
How colleges can overcome the digital equity gap
USC professors and their colleagues agree: Listening to students and understanding their learning environments can go a long way.
The Washington Post
What persuades Southerners to take down Confederate symbols? Hearing it’s good for business
Many in the South have come to see Confederate symbols as economic liabilities, according to an analysis by USC Dornsife’s Christian Grose and a college. One example: This year Mississippi’s Economic Council chamber of commerce backed removal of the Confederate emblem from the state’s flag.
The New York Times
How skateboarding can help fight racism
Research at USC by Zoë Corwin and Neftalie Williams found that skateboarding is how many young skaters first come in contact with the police or security guards — and it may lead to their first questions about who gets to use public space and why.
Today
When are you most fertile? How to tell when you’re more likely to get pregnant
Whether you’re trying to get pregnant or trying to make sure you don’t, Director Richard Paulson of USC Fertility says that understanding a few fertility basics is key.
CalMatters
How to bridge the digital divide: Take action to give everyone broadband access
It’s the only way to resolve the disparity in which 1 in 5 California students lack computers and Wi-Fi, argues Martha Escutia, USC vice president of government relations.
The Hill
Amid COVID-19, states need practical solutions to address health care costs
The pandemic will further exacerbate already strained state budgets, particularly as millions of Americans shift from commercial insurance to Medicaid, writes USC’s John O’Brien in an op-ed. That shift puts the onus on states to find savings without cutting benefits.
Los Angeles Times
How should L.A. be redesigned for coronavirus?
COVID-19 has changed everything about the way we live; it is bound to change architecture, too. And while many architects agree that needs L.A. to move forward on increasing density, Dean Milton Curry of the USC School of Architecture says, “We need to do it smartly.”
Los Angeles Times
Job hunting during the pandemic: Tips for recent graduates
Most people want to help you, says Lori Shreve Blake, USC’s senior director for alumni and student career services. If you ask for a job, you’re not going to get a response,” she says. “But if you ask for information, you’ll get that response.”
KNBC-TV
USC students leave behind a legacy with Trojan Shelter, a haven for homeless college students
Trojan Shelter in Koreatown would become a home that catered to those who had to prioritize tuition over housing. It is entirely run by students — some 60 volunteers — and it isn’t just for Trojans.
TheVerge.com
USC’s Garrett Reisman on creating a new manned ship for SpaceX: ‘We really were the underdogs’
The former astronaut says the upcoming launch will be “really intense” because he knows the people onboard.
USC Annenberg
Sisters support healthcare workers and restaurants with their new nonprofit
Unable to enjoy the normal rituals that surround senior year, Nila and Emila Tavangarian decided to create a new tradition: supporting their community during the crisis
KCRW-FM
What will happen to crime rates after stay-at-home orders end? Lessons from history
Typically, as economic hardship goes up, crime does too. But USC Marshall’s Ayse Imrohoroglu notes that criminals think rationally — and right now, it’s much too risky to attempt to commit a crime.
Salon
Feeling lonely? Here’s how to make friends and feel better
Cat Moore, director of belonging at the USC Office of Religious Life, spent 24 years battling loneliness — and has some tips for all.
Smartphone witnessing becomes synonymous with Black patriotism after George Floyd’s death
The form of observing, which documents human rights injustices against Black people, dates back to the days of Frederick Douglass, notes USC Annenberg’s Allissa Richardson.
Screen time that supports new parents and young kids can enhance family health
Technology can connect families to important parenting and educational opportunities — especially at a time when people are staying home, two USC experts note.
Design redundancy is in our DNA, and that affects genes’ behavior
The principle is at play in the regulation of the genes responsible for directing stem cells to multiply themselves in a developing embryo, USC research finds.
$4 million gift supports scholarships and student services at USC architecture and pharmacy schools
Retired architect and USC alumnus Edward C. Abrahamian and his wife, Sandra, honor his family’s legacy with their pledge.
A doctoral student’s suggested experiment may rewrite chemistry textbooks
Professor Stephen Bradforth took a chance on Ryan McMullen’s expensive and potentially dangerous student proposal. It’s led to a new understanding of what defines a metal — and the cover of Science magazine.
USC social work students and faculty impact law enforcement through internships
An initiative of the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work builds partnerships with law enforcement agencies, training them on officer wellness, mental health and social work practices.
The WHO often has been under fire, but no nation has ever moved to sever ties with it
The unprecedented U.S. pullout will leave the WHO without a major source of funding and marginalize the U.S. in the field of global health, USC Dornsife’s Andrew Lakoff says.
USC studio guitar students take online learning into the future
The USC Thornton School of Music saw COVID-19 and stay-at-home orders as an opportunity to show students how the music industry really works — remotely.
Keck School of Medicine of USC adds health justice to medical student curriculum
The Physician-Citizen-Scholar curriculum will be implemented in fall 2021 with the Class of 2025.
USC research pivots to meet the coronavirus crisis head on
The university’s six-team research task force brings together experts from across USC to better understand what COVID-19 is and how to treat it.
Socially assistive robot helps children with autism learn
USC researchers developed personalized learning robots for children with autism and studied whether the robots could autonomously gauge the child’s engagement in long-term, in-home therapeutic interventions.
‘Rock-breathing’ bacteria are electron spin doctors, study shows
Scientists at USC Dornsife determine that electrons traveling through proteins between bacteria and solid surfaces outside the cell tend to adopt a particular quantum spin. The finding that could impact future electronic technologies, including “spintronics.”
That chatbot may be chatty, but is it engaging?
Researchers at the USC Information Sciences Institute evaluate the chatbots that, increasingly, answer the world’s questions.
USC stem cell scientist named to newly endowed professorship
Justin Ichida has been named the John Douglas French Alzheimer’s Foundation Associate Professor of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine at USC.
5 COVID-19 myths politicians have repeated that just aren’t true
Are lockdowns unnecessary? Are we already in the second wave? Geoffrey Joyce of the USC Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics sets the facts straight.
USC joins amicus brief strongly supporting lawsuit filed by Harvard and MIT
The university also is working with legislators and our fellow educational institutions to find solutions to protect international students in the wake of this week’s ICE announcement, President Carol L. Folt announces.
COVID-19 | University message regarding international students
USC reiterates its support for our international students. The university’s deans and senior leadership are working tirelessly with the faculty to support their academic progress.
Mackenzie Postel’s years of USC excellence — and her voice — earn recognition
The doctoral candidate at the Keck School of Medicine is pursuing her third degree at USC and looking for her big musical break at the same time, even if she has to audition from a hospital bed.
Military student embraces change in USC pre-college summer program
Colin Roedl — a college-bound student who lives in Germany — presses forward during a wildly different summer session at USC, seeing opportunity in a time of upheaval.
Making 3D printing smarter with machine learning
Manufacturers, medical device companies and the general public will soon have access to powerful AI-driven 3D printing software, the result of six years of research.
‘Say it again’: Is this meme entertaining or belittling?
A USC Annenberg doctoral student discovers how social media can cut both ways.
What if cell service were portable?
USC students launch Beamlink to provide the first ultraportable, low-cost cellular base station for disaster relief and rural connectivity.
How art and culture can be a framework for diplomacy
A USC alumna explores culture and identity through a fusion of skateboards and traditional Iranian art.
New COVID-19 course details how medicine has responded to the pandemic
Nearly 200 USC medical students received a monthlong overview of epidemiology and population health, patient care and health delivery, and health policy.