To help robots learn, give them a human adversary
According to a team of USC computer scientists, showing robots “tough love” can help them succeed at new tasks.
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Undergraduate Student Government launches affirmative consent campaign
#GetConSCent aims to educate and raise student awareness about sexual assault and USC resources.
USC experts shine light on myths of sunburn and skin cancer among Hispanics
Worried about serious conditions like melanoma among older Hispanics, researchers and student volunteers teach the importance of sun protection to children in Los Angeles schools.
At the forefront of Alzheimer’s research
As the nation marks Alzheimer’s Awareness Month, learn about how USC researchers are leading the efforts toward finding a cure for the devastating disease.
5 things to know when a loved one is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s
USC social work expert answers questions to help you succeed at caring for a family member with dementia.
USC scientists map brain region linked to Alzheimer’s and other diseases
Researchers show structures, nerve connections and functions in vivid detail as part of the most detailed atlas yet of the brain’s memory bank.
USC Alzheimer’s researchers find new culprit and potential treatment target for disease
Brain changes associated with leaky capillaries suggest new, potential drug targets as well as a way to diagnose the disease sooner.
USCTrojans.com
USC hosts crosstown foe UCLA in football regular-season finale; kickoff set for 12:30 p.m.
USC, winner of four of its last five games and now back home after a victorious two-game road trip, hosts UCLA this Saturday for the 89th version of the nation’s most famous crosstown rivalry.
Los Angeles Times
July Ridgecrest quakes — state’s biggest in decades — ruptured on at least 24 faults
USC’s James Dolan notes that lessons learned from Ridgecrest, which occurred in an area of many small faults that criss-cross one another, could help scientists determine how future earthquakes might behave.
NBC News
How to get more muscle definition (and what you should know about why you’re not)
USC’s Todd Schroeder explains that it’s not just your workout that makes a difference, but things like what you eat , how you rest and even where your body stores fat. And don’t forget about genetics.
CNN
Why Disney is staking its future on Disney Plus
There’s one big reason the company is going all-in on the streaming service, according to USC Annenberg’s Jeffrey Cole: Disney needs to adapt to the rapidly changing media world.
Bloomberg Businessweek
America’s biggest problems are intensified in California
The state is on the front lines grappling with income inequality, housing affordability and climate change. “The sheer difficulty, if not intractability, of these challenges seem of a scale that frightens me,” says historian and USC Professor William Deverell.
The Washington Post
Is the clock ticking on daylight saving time?
USC’s Jeffery Jenkins and a colleague look at the politics behind why Americans love/hate turning back the clock, and what it would take to bring and end to the practice.
Spectrum News 1
The quest to find a cure for blindness
USC’s Mark Humayun discusses his lifelong quest to find a cure for blindness: “This idea of putting a computer chip in the eye to restore sight was truly science fiction, but we made it science fact.”
ForeignPolicy.com
Humanity can’t afford to keep space pristine
In an op-ed, USC’s Greg Autry and a colleague argue that colonizing space is more than just an academic or scientific exercise: Humanity, they write, needs a backup plan to our home planet.
Forbes
How Asia is leading the way in aging initiatives
In an op-ed, USC’s Paul Irving observes that the continent — home to a majority of the world’s population — is ground zero for the age shift that is impacting societies across the globe.
The Hill
It’s hard to lower drug prices if you don’t know what they are
USC’s Neeraj Mood notes the difference between what manufacturers receive and what consumers and insurers pay is shrouded in mystery. That makes it difficult for legislators to figure out how to make prescription drugs more affordable.
The New York Times
How to give people advice they’ll be delighted to take
USC’s Leigh Tost notes that when people ask for advice, they’re agreeing to be influenced by them. So when people don’t take advice, they’re essentially rejecting the idea of being controlled by the advice-giver.
The Wall Street Journal
How to build robots people can relate to
As robots take on bigger service roles, it’s crucial that users both trust and like them. As USC’s Maja Matarić notes, that can be tricky.
Vern Bengtson, 78, professor of gerontology, social work and sociology
In a USC career that spanned over 50 years, Bengtson explored the roles of faith and family across generations.
Charles Zukoski officially installed as USC provost
The former University at Buffalo provost lays out his vision for USC as “the place where one must go to be educated or one is simply not at the leading edge.”
After 10 years in the Air Force, USC grad student wants to serve his fellow Californians
Once Matthew Quan finishes his master’s degree at the USC Price School, he wants to help solve the problems facing his home state.
Students report on the forgotten stories of Puerto Rico’s Hurricane Maria recovery
USC Annenberg students spent two weeks in Puerto Rico conducting face-to-face interviews on how the island is bouncing back from the devastating hurricane.
Google grant supports USC’s effort to protect elections from cyberattacks
The USC Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership & Policy will launch a training program in all 50 states to prepare election officials for digital attacks.
Treatment for leading cause of blindness generates billions in value to society
USC researchers’ economic analysis shows the enormous benefits of treating wet age-related macular degeneration.
Research into machine-learning specialty finds new home at USC Viterbi
A $1.5 million grant from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency will help USC build a foundation in the burgeoning field of transfer learning.
This soldier-scholar operates at the intersection of computer and social science
As a USC Viterbi PhD student, Lt. Col. Ashok Deb is training to combat deep fakes while teaching students about cyber threats.
Students of color gain a helping hand in navigating PhD admissions
A new workshop, led by PhD students at USC Rossier, promises to open up the often-difficult application process for scholars of color.
Facebook Live: The state of Alzheimer’s research
Christian Pike of the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology and USC health policy expert Julie Zissimopoulos as they discuss the latest research into the disease.
Navy veteran believes in mixing engineering and humanitarian work
As USC celebrates Military Appreciation Week, veteran Kevin Moran explains how he wants to use his engineering skills to make the world a better place.
Foundation that supports USC receives $260 million to fund research and teaching
The Lord Foundation of California, which received the funds after the sale of the LORD Corporation, is expected to distribute the proceeds to USC in 2020.
How does music affect our brains? USC researchers use AI to investigate
A team of computer scientists and psychologists teamed up to investigate how listening to music impacts how we act, feel and think.
Nutrition or pathogen? Balancing healthy metabolism and stress resistance
A study led by the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology indicates that the negative long-term effects of fighting off infections could be mitigated by tweaking how a specific gene directs cells to respond to stressors.
What’s it like to bike to work in Los Angeles?
An editor at USC University Communications shares the risks and rewards of his daily, eco-friendly commute from downtown L.A. to the University Park Campus.
Inaugural Row Run puts focus on mental health resources at USC
More than 200 Trojans took part in the 1.8-mile run, a joint effort of USC’s Greek councils, Undergraduate Student Government and USC Student Health.
Mike Scarpace, 74, earned All Pac-8 honors as a USC blocker
After a stint in the NFL, he went on to coaching positions at schools including UCLA, Glendale Community College and Long Beach Poly High.
Peace advocates and American veterans can be one and the same
A USC Dornsife professor describes the history of American veterans becoming outspoken war critics after experiencing its horrors.
What lessons could modern politicians learn from Catherine the Great?
USC Dornsife’s Kelsey Rubin-Detlev argues that the 18th-century Russian empress offers an example of how modern leaders could use wit, reason and science to advance a nation.
Navy Reservist stands out as Trojan squad’s senior Spirit Leader
At 26, Erdavria Simpson has earned a master’s at USC, started an empowerment organization for communities of color, and stands ready to deploy.
The forgotten mass destruction of Jewish homes during ‘Kristallnacht’
USC Dornsife research reveals more about the damage caused to Jewish homes during an infamous night of violence in Nazi Germany.
USC football player inspires Los Angeles kids to read with personal story
Wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. told young students at an elementary school near USC that he wasn’t always the big man on campus, until reading helped him gain confidence.
Mike Bohn named USC director of athletics
The veteran administrator, who is joining USC from the University of Cincinnati, is known for his integrity and student-centered focus.
Poll: More than 1 in 4 Americans say ‘too soon to tell’ on impeaching Trump
The latest USC Dornsife/L.A. Times poll also finds that, if the House does vote to impeach the president, 45% of Americans support the Senate removing him from office.