The next step in the evolution of communication? Digital avatars
Two apps from a USC Viterbi professor and his team allow users to create digital versions of themselves, an idea that could make waves in health care and entertainment.
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USC Viterbi startup wants to expand underwater exploration through wireless communication
A team of USC Viterbi undergraduates will bring their underwater wireless communication technology to the finals of a global student competition.
Gift helps USC Price School support real estate education, sustainable communities
Real estate firm FivePoint’s $1 million donation from will help the public policy school attract senior faculty.
New USC medical students give back on Volunteer Service Day
Follow along as one group of first-year Keck School of Medicine students visits the Downtown Women’s Center to serve healthy meals and embrace members of the local community.
Settlement notice for patients of former USC gynecologist George Tyndall
Voice of America
Scientists study whether virtual reality can prevent cognitive decline, dementia
Judy Pa is part of a USC team studying the effects of virtual reality on the brain and cognition related to aging. She explained that, unlike 2D games, VR provides a first-person, 3D immersive experience that is critical to spatial memory training.
The Baltimore Sun
2020 campaign warning: more humanlike bots, better deep-fake videos and wall-to-wall disinformation
A study by researchers at USC’s Information Sciences Institute bots and fake accounts enabled by artificial intelligence have become even more skipped at copying human behaviors — and avoidindg detection.
La Cañada Valley Sun
Hospital cafe entices seniors with healthy options, sweet discount
By expanding its menu, the USC Verdugo Hills Hospital has turned its cafeteria into a dinner destination for seniors. “You can come down here and eat cheaper than you’d buy the stuff from the store, and maybe you’ll run into another old senior and have a nice meal,” said diner Phil Downs.
The Orange County Register
Innovation and planning reform key to fixing housing market
In an op-ed, Gary Painter of the USC Price School of Public Policy argues that there are many common sense planning reforms that could be enacted to bring much needed housing to the market.
CBS Los Angeles
Health experts: Poor summer air quality putting Angelenos at risk
Professor Ed Avol of the Keck School of Medicine of USC notes one way to limit the damage: Walk through a neighborhood rather than along a busy thoroughfare.
Deadline.com
‘First Jobs’ program: 200 jobs in 2 years
The program provides paid entry-level jobs to USC School of Cinematic Arts alumni within five years of their graduation. TV producer Aaron Kaplan hatched the idea during a lunch with the school’s dean, Elizabeth M. Daley, and helped launch it.
The Hill
How voting becomes a habit
When you think of habits, you probably think of nail biting, tooth brushing and coffee drinking. USC’s Wendy Wood and a colleague are in an op-ed that voting seems habitual, too: Whether you voted in the past affects whether you’ll turn out for the next election.
The Washington Post
Why Amnesty International’s travel warning about the U.S. is a mistake
In an op-ed, USC doctoral candidate Suzie Mulesky says the human rights group mischaracterized the nature of gun violence here, and that its advisory could be counterproductive.
NPR
How to talk with kids about violent attacks in the news
Advice from USC’s David Schonfeld, director of the National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement: “The last thing you want is for your children to find out about this from someone else, and for them to think you either will not or don’t feel able to tell them important things.”
Forbes
Infinite Children asks difficult questions about life and the future
The philosophical new video game, from USC’s Peter Brinson, concerns controversial life extension and speaks through time as long-dead family members communicate in an attempt to shape the player’s decisions.
Los Angeles Magazine
How rude virtual humans are helping veterans re-enter the job market
The USC Institute for Creative Technologies developed lifelike interviewers to help prep veterans for what they might encounter in the real world
USCTrojans.com
Olympic gold medalist Dain Blanton named USC beach volleyball head coach
Blanton was previously a member of the Trojans’ staff as an assistant coach and helped lead USC to three national titles.
USC researchers discover how to reprogram cells, potentially unlocking new treatments
The technique involves uncoiling twisty DNA molecules, and it could have a major impact on understanding disease development at a cellular level.
Through dandelions and fireflies, artists try to make sense of climate change
A USC Dornsife professor describes how exploring the work of artists and poets can spur us to embrace and protect the environment.
Poll: Democratic voters want a Medicare-like program, gun restrictions
The latest USC Dornsife/L.A. Times national poll also shows Joe Biden holding a steady lead ahead of the third Democratic primary debate, though many voters remain undecided.
Gymnast, dancer, pole vaulter and now engineer: Talented freshman embraces new challenges
When USC mechanical engineering major Judy Loyd discovers a vexing problem, she pursues its solution with stubborn intensity.
Al Carmichael, star of USC’s victorious 1953 Rose Bowl team, 90
He went on to score the first touchdown in American Football League history and also set an NFL kickoff return record.
Longtime supporters’ gift benefits USC engineering, dance and film schools
USC Viterbi alumnus Patrick Fuscoe and his wife, Bonnie, have donated $12 million to advance programs at three USC schools that shaped their lives.
Scientists propose new approach to Alzheimer’s research to address environmental risks
USC and Duke researchers propose the Alzheimer’s Disease Exposome to address gaps in understanding how environmental factors interact with genetics to increase or reduce risk for the disease.
USC scientist and colleagues identify new species of giant flying reptile
The creature is similar to the largest pterosaurs known. Key characteristics were gleaned from a cache of bones unearthed in Canada.
Dave Roberts, national athletics compliance leader, named interim director of athletics
He replaces Lynn Swann, who resigned after a historic three-year tenure.
Why your employer-sponsored insurance may ultimately not be good for you
USC health policy expert Dana Goldman notes that we ended up with the current system in part by accident.
Tiny region of the brainstem has big effects on brain aging
USC Leonard Davis Professor Mara Mather, co-author of a new study on the locus coeruleus, explains its role in the onset of Alzheimer’s disease and cognitive decline.
USC Shoah Foundation redoubles efforts to collect testimonies of Holocaust survivors
Hundreds of Holocaust survivors have contacted USC Shoah Foundation to express a desire to tell their stories. The Last Chance initiative will give them the opportunity.
Good Neighbors Campaign awards $1.4 million to community partners
Donors, volunteers and community partners came together to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the campaign that has generated over $25 million for more than 900 community-based programs.
Frank Alfano, star of USC’s 1970 and 1971 NCAA champion baseball teams, 69
The three-year starting infielder made the All-College World Series team both years.
Oz Simmons, member of USC 1977 NCAA champion volleyball team, 62
After leaving USC, he went on to be a successful, longtime high school coach in Orange County.
The power of podcasting: How Trojans are making their voices heard
USC Annenberg faculty, alumni and students are among the podcasters helping to evolve and expand the concept of audio-on-demand.
USC ranks No. 18 nationally in Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education survey
The university posted especially strong scores for engagement, a measure of student interaction with faculty and of the range of courses offered.
2018 was a more inclusive year in film, but additional work is needed
A new study from Stacy Smith and the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative found more inclusion in film in 2018, including a rise in female leads, but noted that more progress is needed.
1 billion tons of lava spark algae bloom in North Pacific Ocean
Not only did the Kīlauea volcano pour tons upon tons of lava into the ocean last year, but its eruption set off an unusual effect: an algae super bloom. USC Dornsife researchers found out why.
Keck Medicine of USC hospitals earn LGBTQ Healthcare Equality Leader designation
Both Keck Medical Center — which includes Keck Hospital of USC and USC Norris Cancer Hospital — and USC Verdugo Hills Hospital received the maximum score from the Human Rights Campaign Foundation.
A community’s support helps USC student and single mom earn her doctorate
Dezetta Burnett’s hometown of South L.A. has rallied around her as she pursues an advanced degree at USC. She plans to return the favor by advocating for her community.
USC gerontologist to help develop California’s master plan on aging
Donna Benton, a research associate professor at the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, has been named to California’s Master Plan for Aging Stakeholder Advisory Committee.
Efforts to minimize opioid use after surgery appear to be working
A major step in reducing reliance on opioids is empowering surgical patients to make informed, educated decisions about their health, a USC expert notes.
Emotion-reading algorithms cannot predict intentions via facial expressions
Though algorithms are increasingly being deployed in all facets of life, a new USC study has found that they fail basic tests as truth detectors.