DIY braces? USC orthodontists say to think twice before straightening your teeth solo
People are attracted by the do-it-yourself price, but experts say other issues should be considered to avoid high costs over the long run.
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Sharks in the sky? It’s not a bad movie; it’s natural history
USC researchers, studying bones at the L.A. County Natural History Museum, find evidence of a fearsome shark taking to the sky to take down a pterosaur, a formidable flying reptile.
How to win at gift-giving this holiday season
The quality of the gift matters, USC experts say; the size or cost of the item isn’t as important.
USC women’s basketball team takes the lead on community service
The hoops team uses its platform to inspire local kids and help others in need as part of Trojan Outreach, USC’s community volunteer program for student-athletes.
USC tackles ‘loneliness epidemic’ in a world of social media
Feeling alone at college, especially as a freshman, is nothing new. But in an era of Facebook friends and Instagram followers, Trojans consider: How do you encourage real friendships?
The Huffington Post
Newly uncovered 1898 film is milestone of black intimacy on-screen
The less-than-30-second clip, featuring actors Saint Suttle and Gertie Brown, was recently brought to light by USC archivist Dino Everett and a colleague.
The Chronicle of Higher Education
Educators take a groundbreaking racial equity course
Shaun Harper‘s USC Equity Institutes, as the course is known, cover everything from basics like defining race and racism to more complex problems, like navigating moments of crisis after a racist incident.
CNN
Eczema patients at 36 percent higher risk of suicide attempts, study says
The study by researchers at the Keck School of Medicine of USC notes that the condition affects more than 7 percent of adults and 13 percent of children in the U.S.
Voice of San Diego
San Diego is a city of transplants — but that’s changing
USC’s Dowell Myers estimates that less than half of San Diegans were born in California. Only a handful of the nation’s 20 largest cities — including L.A. — had smaller homegrown populations.
The Conversation
This Christmas, tell your children the real Santa Claus story
USC historian Lisa Bitel warns against reading accounts of saints’ lives as factual history — but she notes that the earliest stories of St. Nicholas seem to correlate with histories and church documents of the period.
Voice of America
Cars might soon start monitoring drivers’ vitals
Many car companies are looking at adding sensors to monitor your vital signs while you drive. USC’s Center for Body Computing brings together experts to look at the benefits and dangers of this next step in automotive design and technology.
The New York Times
Drink or breathe? Babies have to do both
Emily Rose, an assistant professor of clinical emergency medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, is the co-author of an article on the management of dehydration in children. She said children can get dehydrated from the standard gastroenteritis, but also from any ailment that makes drinking painful.
KNBC-TV
USC administrator looks ahead
USC interim President Wanda A. Austin discussed finding a new permanent president for the university and how it can move forward from recent incidents. “We’re making changes that are going to strengthen the university,” she said.
Inside Higher Ed
How to run a meeting
Meetings are a great equalizer: They subject nearly everyone to needless suffering, writes USC’s Stephen J. Aguilar, who offers advice for making them more productive.
The Conversation
Why the Pilgrims were actually able to survive
The Pilgrims repeatedly thanked God for their good fortune, but without two earlier developments, the entire undertaking at New Plymouth would have likely failed, writes USC’s Peter Mancall.
KPCC
On the road with California’s poet laureate, Dana Gioia
The USC professor wrapped up his two-year term as the state’s poet laureate in October. During his term, he visited all 58 counties in the state.
Time
Who gets to be American?
In an essay featured on the magazine’s cover, USC’s Viet Thanh Nguyen argues for a more inclusive vision of America that allows for the fact that criticism can coexist with a love of country.
Grant supports USC Viterbi research into more efficient cellphones, computers
Han Wang receives coveted Army Research Office Young Investigator Award.
Think you’re getting less sleep? You’re not alone
A new study finds more Americans are getting less sleep. Find out what you can do about it.
Disease risk seen in disrupted biological clock, USC study shows
A clash between modern lifestyles and circadian rhythms can lead to the development of obesity and breast cancer, USC scientist says
Ellis Meng, Michael Waterman elected fellows of the National Academy of Inventors
USC faculty members were two of 148 academic inventors selected this year.
3D-printed rocket engine built by USC students succeeds in first test fire
Their experience with this smaller engine will help Trojans prepare for another launch this spring.
USC interim president offers encouraging words at Neighborhood Academic Initiative visit
Wanda M. Austin praises parents for their support and recalls the importance of academics in her own life.
Arieh Warshel’s vision led to the future of biochemistry — and a Nobel Prize
The chemistry professor figured that the dawning computer revolution in the late ’60s and ’70s might push biochemistry beyond the limits of the lab. It led him on a trail to the Nobel Prize, awarded five years ago Monday.
USC Kid Watch turns attention to street and traffic safety
Once it was all about keeping kids safe; now the program seeks to create a safe environment in designated drop-off locations.
E-scooter companies should consider safety on social media, USC study finds
Research suggests that the vehicles aren’t promoted with protective gear in mind.
USC Shoah Foundation plays major role at commemoration of UN genocide laws
Director Stephen Smith’s presentation includes testimonies from Pinchas Gutter, the only member of his family to survive the Majdanek concentration camp, and Eva Schloss, the last living relative of Anne Frank.
In memoriam: Tim Rossovich, USC and NFL standout-turned-actor, 72
One of the true characters in the world of football, he also spent two decades as an actor and stuntman, primarily in tough-guy and villain roles.
USC student-athletes a force for good in L.A. through outreach work
Trojans teach kids about sustainability, help veterans and take on tough issues like homelessness.
Rules to boost fuel economy for passenger vehicles will do more good than harm, new study shows
Findings by USC and other universities contradict claims by the Trump administration, which aims to roll back fuel economy standards.
In memoriam: USC educator and mentor Michael Wincor, 72
The USC expert in sleep and anxiety disorders contributed to the field of pharmacy for more than 35 years.
Two siblings with a lot in common at USC Viterbi
Freshman Evie and sophomore Miles Kay, a sister and brother who earned the Presidential Scholarship, are studying to be mechanical engineers.
Rain’s no relief to fire-ravaged regions, but why?
USC Earth sciences expert Joshua West explains why weeks of wet weather across the state could double the trouble for residents in the steep hills and mountainsides scorched by the recent wildfires.
Student-led USC group aims for diversity among physical therapists
USC responds to national inequity in the field by forming an organization that explains the profession to minorities in the community.
USC research could help protect children’s health in the Imperial Valley
Environmental experts are leading a study on the shrinking Salton Sea and its possible effect on children’s respiratory health.
How health care policy can affect patient well-being
Economist and USC Leonard Davis faculty member Mireille Jacobson finds fascination and frustration in the health care market.
USC men’s water polo team wins 10th national championship
The team holds off a furious Stanford rally in a 14-12 victory on the road in Palo Alto.
Better drug to save mothers’ lives during childbirth may be on the way
Scientists at the USC Michelson Center for Convergent Bioscience and Stanford University take first step toward a safer drug for reducing postpartum bleeding.
Two USC professors elected AAAS fellows
Eric Friedlander of mathematics and David Hutchins of biological sciences join the prestigious organization with lifetime fellowships.
Reginald Tucker-Seeley puts policy research into practice during D.C. fellowship
USC Leonard Davis School faculty member spent the past year as a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Fellow in Washington, D.C.
Culturally tailored text messages improve Alzheimer’s education among African-Americans
The work is critical: Older African-Americans are far more likely to have the disease or other dementias than their white counterparts; they’re also diagnosed later, after the disease has progressed.