USC Kaufman alums return to teach dance in a virtual world
Three alumni find themselves in a unique scenario: teaching a piece they learned as freshmen to current USC Kaufman students, only this time it’s through Zoom.
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USC biological imaging innovator Scott Fraser elected to National Academy of Medicine
Provost Professor Fraser is recognized for developing technology that provides “unprecedented views of … live organisms, from embryonic development to old age.”
New clinical trial will test deep brain stimulation as Alzheimer’s treatment
Keck Medicine of USC is now enrolling individuals in a phase 3 clinical trial that will implant electrodes into subjects’ brains to potentially stop the progression of the disease.
Health care and COVID-19 top voter concerns as 2020 election begins
Will Congress eliminate surprise medical bills? Who will be the first to receive the COVID-19 vaccine? USC experts examine pressing health issues amid the 2020 election.
USC faculty members named University Professors and Distinguished Professors
The very selective awards recognize significant accomplishments by leading scholars in their fields.
Time
Women are deciding not to have babies because of the pandemic — and that’s bad for all of us
Birth rates were already on the decline. If hundreds of thousands of millennial women choose to delay pregnancy even longer, “we’re looking at a fundamental and unprecedented change to our population,” says demographer Dowell Myers of the USC Price School of Public Policy.
CNBC
Shopping online too much? How you can cut back
Shopping could be a way of coping with being alone, USC Marshall’s Lars Perner says. To reduce your impulse purchases, he suggests a “cooling off” period after you spot something you want — even just overnight.
U.S. News & World Report
Economy and pandemic overshadow climate for young U.S. voters
Even for voters who are concerned about climate change, the issue is often eclipsed by other topics of greater immediate concern, notes Joe Arvai, director of the USC Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies: “Our attention span is limited.”
USA Today
Health experts doubt NBA can begin next season with fans in arenas
Los Angeles Times
She read 40+ books to study a divided nation. These are her picks
Los Angeles Times
The danger in postponing cancer screenings during the pandemic
Since the COVID-19 outbreak, cancer screenings have dramatically decreased across the country. Caryn Lerman, director of the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, notes that early detection of cancer can improve the chances of survival — and that by delaying screening, patients are also delaying treatment and putting their health at risk.
Los Angeles Times
No place to study, hunger and inadequate computers hurt Eastside and South L.A. kids
About three-quarters of families surveyed by researchers from USC and the Partnership for Los Angeles Schools had experienced a pandemic-related loss of income and food insecurity. Yet 1 in 3 families made investments to support online learning, including paying for internet access. “This isn’t a trivial amount of money for our families,” USC Rossier’s Stephen Aguilar says.
CNN
Wildfire-weary Californians consider uprooting their lives
Movement in the U.S. has traditionally been based on economic opportunities. USC Viterbi’s Bistra Dilkina, who has modeled migration patterns from sea-level rise, thinks that’s going to change as the intensity of climate-driven disasters increases.
NBC News
L.A. nurse treats the virus ‘that knows no boundaries’
“We’ve seen so many lives lost, so many families hurting,” says Monica Escobar, an ICU nurse at Los Angeles County+USC Medical Center. “But not coming to work is not an option for me.”
Popular Science
The best thing for back pain is actually more movement
The traditional advice — to rest and not stress your back — actually runs counter to what we now understand to be the best course of action, says Eric Robertson of the USC Division of Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy.
The Washington Post
Uncertainty fuels anxiety — and the pandemic can magnify the angst
Some people view uncertainty as a threat or a loss, while others seem more inclined to view it as a challenge, says USC Dornsife’s Beth Meyerowitz says. But the aspects of the pandemic that can be met as challenges may also provide opportunities for personal growth, she says. (The Washington Post)
Los Angeles Times
As wildfires foul L.A.-area air, is it safe to exercise outside?
If you can see and smell smoke outdoors, “it’s probably not a good idea to be exercising outside,” says Ed Avol of the Keck School of Medicine of USC. That’s because exerting yourself outside when the air quality is poor has potential short- and long-term risks.
Low-income families are struggling to keep up with distance learning
Though many of the issues stem from a lack of technological proficiency at home, a USC study has found that multigenerational efforts can help overcome barriers.
Restricted blood flow in the brain could be tied to Alzheimer’s
A USC research team has found strong evidence that keeping blood vessels healthy can help prevent cognitive decline.
A new approach to determining whether child abuse magnifies COVID mental health risk
The result could increase understanding of who is at greater risk in the context of the pandemic and who may benefit most from enhanced and targeted interventions.
Transfer students’ community provides support system during COVID-19
Despite the distance caused by the pandemic, Trojans who started higher ed elsewhere are building community and encouraging each other to succeed.
Trojan tries her hand at politics with two D.C. internships
As an intern for Nancy Pelosi last spring and the EPA this summer, Kelley Xuereb has watched how laws get made from two different branches of government.
USC joins lawsuit opposing H-1B visa changes
Two proposed rules would restrict career opportunities for H-1B visa holders and make it more difficult for them to retain critical jobs they already hold, with serious consequences for international scholars.
Digital recording uses today’s tech to bring music students together
Lecturer Jason Yoshida shares his expertise in a special USC Thornton class that helps students learn essential skills in a rapidly evolving music world.
Religious identity and Supreme Court justices — a brief history
Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation process has put focus not only on the would-be Supreme Court justice’s faith but the religious makeup of the court itself, a USC Gould legal expert notes.
What it’s like to intern — and live — in a retirement community during COVID-19
Nelson Rubio Argueta’s internship couldn’t go virtual during the pandemic; he was living and working in Kingsley Manor Retirement Community in L.A. The gerontology student discusses his unique experience.
Student-run organization provides free child care to medical workers during the pandemic
Trojans Olivia Frary and Sana Abbaali were among the students who created COVID Child Care, which offers care and other services for essential medical workers — at no cost to them.
Exploring the evolution — and contradictions — of an early female ad exec
USC’s Ellen Wayland-Smith chronicles the life of Jean Wade Rindlaub, who used her influential career on Madison Avenue to advocate that women stay in the kitchen.
Celebrated female artists remind USC music students to defy expectations
In a series of virtual master classes, guitarists Molly Miller and Ari O’Neal and USC Thornton’s Patrice Rushen shared how they’ve succeeded in a male-dominated industry.
Social work students bring awareness to the conflict in Armenia
Three Armenian students are using the skills they learned at the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work to shed light on the conflict and spark meaningful change.
As few as 1 in 10 homeless people vote in elections — here’s why
The lingering idea that a person must have a residence works against homeless people’s ability to vote, a USC Price survey finds.
The USC alumni who aim to make voting cool
USC Gould alumni boost civic participation with Rock the Vote and I Am a Voter.
Fall 2020 and spring 2021 updates: Fall grading policy adjustment, new info on spring classes
The university extends the fall Pass/No Pass deadline and provides spring updates, including slight calendar changes and the majority of classes remaining online.
Kids are exercising less and sitting more during the pandemic
USC research indicates a widening of the exercise gap between younger schoolchildren and adolescents.
What happens when senators die or are incapacitated?
With three senators infected with COVID and another seven in their 80s, USC experts look back to 1954. That year, senators’ deaths meant control of the chamber changed parties — twice.
One-third of young people in low- and middle-income countries have lost a sibling
USC researchers studying sibling bereavement in 43 countries note that such deaths raise risk factors for health and social issues in the surviving children.
L.A. Times Festival of Books kicks off Sunday with compelling discussions — and the Trojan Marching Band
The festival — usually held on the USC University Park Campus — features more than two dozen online events over four weeks.
Voter confidence in Trump’s mental and physical fitness dropped after first debate
USC Dornsife’s Daybreak Poll also reveals a staggering two-thirds of voters plan to vote before Election Day and the way people will cast their vote is associated with their political leaning.
🎧 Latinx, Latino/a or Chicano: Students share what they call themselves and why
USC students talk about which labels they prefer, the stories behind them and the significance of self-identifying the way they do.
Certain stem cells can hurt bones instead of healing them
According to USC research, Sox9-positive cells can lead to painful bone spurs developing at the edge of joints in many arthritis patients.
Could your tech devices have emotional intelligence, too?
New computer science alumna Shreya Gupta hopes to bring humanity to deep learning by developing empathetic robots that can attune to your emotions.