🎧 Predicting the future of sustainability at USC
To commemorate Earth Day 2021, Ellen Dux of the USC Office of Sustainability envisions the next 10 years of green upgrades, including the ones Trojans want to see most.
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Arts become a tool for climate action in the hands of USC students
The first round of 12 Trojan grant winners will pursue storytelling projects on sustainability and environmental justice through the Arts and Climate Collective.
USC’s Street Medicine team delivers COVID-19 vaccines to homeless clients
It’s not easy for people experiencing homelessness to find their way to a vaccination site. That’s why the Street Medicine team is focused on bringing the vaccines to them.
Environmental scholars guide students telling stories of ecology and conservation
Scientists at the USC Wrigley Institute are collaborating with students at the USC School of Cinematic Arts to convey scientific research through creative outlets like video games, animation and screenplays.
A seminal trial in American history, USC experts say after Derek Chauvin verdict
The guilty verdict in the killing of George Floyd is a relief to many — but experts in race, politics and more say it’s just the first step.
KPCC-FM
Is social media the key to California’s gubernatorial recall?
If a recall election happens, the frontrunners to challenge Gavin Newson might not be the candidates with the most political clout but those with the most social media influence, USC Annenberg’s Christina Bellantoni notes.
The Guardian
Study reveals alarming trend in U.S. death rates since 2000
USC’s Jessica Ho blames a combination of behavioral and structural factors, like poor health behaviors and patchwork access to health care.
USA Today
Have social platforms reached their peak? Survey shows little user growth since last year
Two exceptions: YouTube and Reddit, which USC Annenberg’s Karen North notes “has evolved into a really powerful set of communities where important conversations are happening.”
CBS Sacramento
The debate over COVID-19 vaccination passports
Jeffrey Klausner of the Keck School of Medicine of USC looks at the push for and against them: “The idea of vaccine passports is not new. You need vaccinations to go to school, to go to college, to travel certain places.”
NBC News
What to do to ensure that stroke victims get care quickly
The technology to effectively treat strokes exists, provided it’s delivered properly and quickly. But William Mack of the Keck School of Medicine of USC notes that nearly 20% of stroke patients die from their condition and many more are left permanently disabled.
The Sacramento Bee
‘Disappointing’ 2020 Latino turnout found in new analysis; youth voting also lagged
“We thought we’d have a story of a more representative electorate,” says Mindy Romero of the USC Price School’s Center for Inclusive Democracy.
The Hollywood Reporter
Golden Globes’ sponsor unveils plans for reforming organization
Grappling with diversity issues, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association has turned to USC’s Shaun Harper for help. The executive director of the USC Race and Equity Center will serve as the association’s strategic diversity adviser for five years.
The Guardian
Why has there been a rise in anti-Asian hate crime in the U.S.?
The increase during the pandemic is forcing the U.S. to reckon with a racism that goes back centuries, USC Dornsife’s Adrian De Leon explains.
The Washington Post
What really works to help an aging brain
If you’re a smoker, quitting is the No. 1 thing you can do, says Elizabeth Zelinski of the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology: “Smoking is probably the No. 1 risk factor. It affects your nervous system and vascular system.”
The New Yorker
The musicological zest of Switched on Pop
The popular podcast’s cohosts — Nate Sloan of the USC Thornton School of Music and his friend, songwriter Charlie Harding —were inspired by their own deep analysis of Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe.” They decided to record their conversations — and the rest is podcast history.
KCRW-FM
Some states are dropping mask requirements, but is now the right time?
California has made a dent in new COVID-19 cases after the winter surge, but people need to remain cautious. “This does not mean that we can throw our masks away and start attending large parties,” says Rita Burke of the Keck School of Medicine of USC. “We still have to be vigilant and practice what our public health experts have told us.”
The Conversation
Why repressive Saudi Arabia remains a U.S. ally
Holding considerable economic and strategic clout, Saudi Arabia is still considered an ally of the United States despite a track record of human rights violations, USC Dornsife’s Jeffrey Fields explains.
Fighting climate change by eliminating jargon
USC Price’s Wändi Bruine de Bruin investigates public perceptions of climate change, sustainability and other topics using insights from psychology.
To create a better California, these landscape architects design inclusive public spaces for all
The Landscape Justice Initiative unites USC students and faculty with community organizations to tackle big social and environmental challenges in Los Angeles and beyond.
Analysis of famous fossil helps unlock when humans and apes diverged
The USC-led study examined the shoulder assembly of Little Foot, an Australopithecus that lived more than 3 million years ago, and may have confirmed how our human ancestors used their arms.
WorldMed@UPC students make a local and global health impact
The group, with more than 100 student members, aims to make an impact in areas like food and housing insecurity.
Pandemic pushes California into new age of telehealth and telecommuting
New habits developed during lockdown are likely to continue, a USC study finds, which means less driving to work or medical appointments. That said, access to these opportunities still varies by race and income.
Professors Hannah Garry and Gerald Giaquinta set to go overseas as Fulbright scholars
Garry will study laws to enforce refugees’ rights and Giaquinta will teach cross-cultural communication and business.
The leaf blowers go quiet at USC, home of the country’s first campus green zone
Complaints sparked a change from noisy landscaping equipment to clean technologies on the University Park Campus, part of a major investment that’s earned the university green accolades.
Helena Yli-Renko, longtime leader of USC Marshall’s Lloyd Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies
A popular professor and accomplished entrepreneurship scholar, she spent 18 years at USC’s business school.
Recent killings in Georgia raise awareness of ongoing anti-Asian hate and spur calls for action
Asian, Asian American and Pacific Islander students, faculty and staff at USC urge their fellow Trojans to listen, acknowledge the pain inflicted by racism and help fight back.
As the world heats up, USC experts examine our early responses to climate change
Policymakers and scientists are pushing for — and in some cases, enacting — steps like lessening our reliance on fossil fuels and redesigning cities, but the question remains: Will it be enough?
AI expert Kate Crawford maps a world of extraction and exploitation
The new USC Annenberg research professor explores the human and environmental costs of artificial intelligence.
Exploring ‘Magic, Witchcraft and Healing’ in the classroom
USC Dornsife’s Thomas Ward of anthropology covers Vodou, witchcraft and shamanism, while focusing on “white magic” used for holistic healing.
Keck Medicine of USC launches USC Cardiac and Vascular Institute
The institute brings together cardiovascular services at the academic medical center under one unified structure.
Why a successful engineer left the career he loved to teach kids STEM
Once USC alum Darin Gray got his first taste of teaching, he couldn’t give it up. For decades, he’s helped educate Angelenos in science and math through USC Viterbi’s K-12 STEM Center.
L.A.’s legacy of oil drilling impacts lung function in residents living near active and inactive wells
The harm can rival that of secondhand smoke or living next to a freeway, USC researchers say.
Festival of Books to feature Zooey Deschanel, Don Lemon and USC authors including Viet Thanh Nguyen
The nation’s largest literary festival — sponsored by USC and the Los Angeles Times — will be held online for the second year in a row due to COVID-19.
Top student scholars honored at USC Academic Honors Convocation
The event, held online due to the pandemic, recognizes that USC is above all else a community of scholars. Part 1 on Monday honored faculty members.
USC Information Sciences Institute researchers using AI to decode unique cultures
Following a $2.2 million DARPA grant, researchers will use AI to better understand the social science that drives group behavior.
Computer model fosters potential improvements to the ‘bionic eye’
Researchers at the Keck School of Medicine of USC have developed signals that could bring color vision and improved clarity to future retinal prosthetic devices.
Live from … their homes: USC sketch comedy group preps for biggest online show yet
For the first time, a sketch show will be featured in the USC School of Dramatic Arts’ spring lineup. And no, it won’t be full of jokes about Zoom.
COVID-19: Out-of-state guests may attend commencement if fully vaccinated
Graduates are limited to two guests due to social distancing requirements, and must register by April 15 to participate.
USC Annenberg launches new online master’s program in digital media management
The program will prepare managers to better understand the evolving media landscape while making data-driven, ethical decisions and building a more equitable future through diverse teams.
Inspired by her Trojan mentor, first-gen student pursues physical therapy dream
Stephanie Contreras will be the first person in her family to attend college — and the leap doesn’t look so formidable, thanks to the mentorship of USC student Natalia Barajas.
Student-led think tank addresses problems that go beyond USC
Founded by an alum, the unconventional Novus Think Tank enables students to apply their lessons to real-world challenges while offering a place for Trojans to bond.