USC Viterbi students developing AI-based Alzheimer’s diagnosis tool
The team is using machine learning tools to detect early-onset Alzheimer’s disease by examining speech patterns.
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What do athletics and acting have in common? Quite a lot, it turns out
Athletes are performers, too, but they face challenges in letting go of the structure sports creates. The USC School of Dramatic Arts has welcomed its share of athletes in its Master of Fine Arts in Acting program.
Stroke drug shows promise in treating Alzheimer’s and dementia
Mouse study of human stroke medication reveals potential defense against Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.
The Wall Street Journal
What happens to service when you raise the minimum wage?
A wage hike in San José seemed to improve customers’ perceptions of wait staffs’ friendliness and courteousness, USC Marshall’s Dinesh Puranam says.
Los Angeles Times
U.S. and Mexico leaders far apart on energy, but migration challenge could push that aside
The U.S. president needs to make sure that Mexico continues to cooperate on migration, notes USC international relations expert Pamela Starr: “He doesn’t want to call Mexico out.”
Los Angeles Business Journal
Why L.A.’s green technology industry is growing
Two primary factors: the talented workforce and the supportive culture around clean technology, says USC Marshall’s Shon Hiatt.
Los Angeles Times
As L.A. ports fight gridlock, U.S. and global leaders pledge to curb shipping emissions
It’s difficult to predict how air pollution from idling ships affects port-area residents, says Ed Avol of the Keck School of Medicine of USC — but for people who suffer from asthma and other respiratory or cardiac problems, a monthslong increase in pollution could “push them over the edge.”
CNN
Zillow’s home-buying debacle shows how hard it is to use AI to value real estate
Algorithms tend to be good at making fine-grained, short-term predictions, but there isn’t enough data for an algorithm to learn about longer busts and booms, USC Marshall’s Nikhil Malik says. Zillow learned that the hard way: It’s unloading thousands of homes it bought after AI indicated it could profit from buying them.
NBC News
U.S. 2020 life expectancy drop was the second-highest among high-income countries, behind only Russia
The U.S. decline was fueled by more than disease, notes Bryan Tysinger of the USC Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics. Homicides and drug overdose deaths also rose, suggesting that the pandemic’s effects on social structures played a role. (NBC News)
Marketplace.org
Climate change is going to make buying a home even more expensive
With the risk of natural disaster seemingly growing, USC Dornsife’s Matthew Kahn wonders: Will banks still be willing to make 30-year fixed-rate mortgages?
Inside Higher Ed
A ‘loud and clear’ call to invest in Black men
College and university leaders are taking steps to counter the sharp decline in enrollment among Black men during the pandemic. Shaun Harper of the USC Race and Equity Center says we shouldn’t strive to get back to ”normal,” though, because “normal failed to deliver to us the kind of diversity we all say we want at our colleges and universities.”
NFL.com
NFL and Pepsi to launch school partnered with USC Iovine and Young Academy
NPR
What top film schools are doing to help diversity Hollywood
Attracting and supporting diverse students is just the start, says Dean Elizabeth Daley of the USC School of Cinematic Arts. The school’s efforts include a ”first jobs” program that helps graduates land their first paid jobs in the entertainment industry.
Los Angeles Times
Fed up with TikTok, black creators are moving on
It’s hard to know for sure whether the TikTok algorithm is biased against people of color, USC Marshall’s Kalinda Ukanwa said — but the perception persists.
The Wall Street Journal
Why was China’s biggest movie star was erased from the internet?
Zhao Wei was the Reese Witherspoon of China before she was censored by the Communist Party. “Zhao Wei is like a poster child for what the Communist Party sees as what’s wrong with celebrity culture in China,” USC Dornsife’s Stanley Rosen says. “It’s a demonstration that no one, no matter how wealthy or popular, is too big to pursue.”
Aaron Rodgers dropped the ball on critical thinking; with a little practice, you can do better
The Green Bay Packers quarterback claimed his decision to skip COVID-19 vaccination is based on critical thinking, but there are some flaws in his approach that we can learn from.
USC Kaufman alums turn their interdisciplinary college experience into a full-fledged art business
Young entrepreneurs learn how to start a small business and thrive while helping today’s USC Kaufman students make their media mark.
Why we’re using filmmaking to encourage vaccination by Black and Latino Angelenos
Recognizing the power of storytelling, three university professors across multiple disciplines assembled two crews to make short films to counter vaccine hesitancy.
University Park Slow Jams collaboration raises awareness of local traffic dangers
USC’s Kid Watch joins Public Matters to improve pedestrian safety. With Giving Tuesday upon us, learn about one of the many ways the university’s Good Neighbors Campaign helps the community.
The long road from USC architecture project to Joshua Tree National Park
USC School of Architecture faculty and students design and build an iconic public pavilion for Joshua Tree visitors.
Lincoln Riley named new USC football head coach
Riley is one of college football’s most successful young coaches. He has won 85% of his games in five seasons at Oklahoma and led the Sooners to four Big 12 titles and four New Year’s Six bowls with three College Football Playoff appearances.
Prayer apps are flooding the market, but how well do they work?
A scholar of Christian spirituality argues that prayers are meant to bring together a faith community — something apps aren’t likely to achieve.
Trojans combine journalism and design expertise to help news organizations thrive
Students in the new News and Information Innovation minor combine USC Annenberg’s journalism expertise with the USC Iovine and Young Academy’s entrepreneurial approach to design and technology.
USC Schaeffer maps state and federal responses to the opioid crisis during COVID-19 pandemic
When in-person therapy became too dangerous, every state adopted at least one policy related to treatment access for patients suffering from opioid addiction. But no state did everything that was necessary, the USC study found.
A new ratings industry is emerging to help homebuyers assess climate risks
Using big data, a new industry is assessing the risks of flooding and wildfire to an area due to climate change and government standards should be put in place to ensure reliable and accurate information.
Vaping — not prior smoking — is associated with genetic changes linked to disease
The latest vaping study from Keck School of Medicine of USC shows that, like smoking, use of e-cigarettes is linked to dysregulation of mitochondrial genes and immune response genes.
Why is America so divided? Researchers find fake news about controversial topics contributes to political polarization
USC researchers dig deep into America’s polarization problem: a data-driven tool measures discord on controversial topics; computer scientists study who spreads fake news; and policy experts examine why polarization is different today.
Journey from foster care to academia drives his effort to improve public transit
Zakhary Mallett used local transportation as a child, then set policy as the youngest-ever member of the Bay Area Rapid Transit board. Now he’s doing doctoral research on whether all transit users pay their fair share.
Good Neighbors Campaign grantee returns home to fight diabetes in Lincoln Heights neighborhood
Donations from university faculty and staff help Cristina Carlos and New Familia fill the void in prenatal and post-partum care for women, particularly those in traditionally underserved communities.
Keck Medicine of USC and Methodist Hospital take next steps toward affiliation
The organizations submitted a signed agreement to the California attorney general for review. Following regulatory approval, Methodist Hospital will officially join the university’s clinical enterprise as USC Arcadia Hospital.
The first Thanksgiving is a key chapter in America’s origin story — but what happened in Virginia 4 months later mattered more
In the settlement of Jamestown, a more typical incident of distrust, displacement and repression can tell more about the colonial era than the Pilgrims’ experience.
A look at evolution of stand-up comedy, from vaudevilles to sold-out arenas
Trojans get an in-depth look at the art and how it has become so popular, thanks to USC School of Dramatic Arts faculty member and comedian Wayne Federman.
Tips on staying safe during your Thanksgiving holiday amid the COVID pandemic
Getting a booster shot is your best bet, say USC Student Health’s Sarah Van Orman and Deona Willes of USC Environmental Health and Safety.
How to reclaim more water — and save money, too
In Southern California, desalination facilities and wastewater reclamation plants are often near each other. That presents opportunities to provide the most water possible, while minimizing energy usage and keeping the environment in mind, USC Viterbi researchers say.
USC researchers develop tracking method in high-powered jet engines, paving the way for optimal combustion
Have you ever watched liquids mix together? There’s an art to how mixing occurs. USC Viterbi researchers share breakthroughs that will send a shock through your cup of coffee and cream and optimize supersonic and hypersonic flight.
Vaccine incentives don’t work — and may actually backfire, USC Marshall research finds
To address vaccine hesitancy, many governments, employers and health systems turned to public messages and financial incentives — from gift cards and savings bonds to $1 million lotteries. They didn’t work.
Work-from-home survey reveals pandemic’s impacts upon employees
Workers reported new physical and mental health issues. They also were spending 90 more minutes a day at their workstations
Historic campus building to be renamed in honor of alumnus Joseph Medicine Crow
The Center for International and Public Affairs will now bear the name of the late Native American historian and renowned chief of the Apsáalooke (Crow) Nation, who earned his master’s degree at USC.
Professor brings academic research to life in L.A.’s underserved communities
John Wilson is working to improve the well-being of Angelenos through two USC Dornsife Public Exchange projects — one involving urban trees, the other ensuring people have enough to eat.