Gary Polakovic
Gary Polakovic is the former manager of research communications at USC University Communications.
Stories by Gary Polakovic:
USC hires its first chief sustainability officer
Mick Dalrymple fills a cornerstone role for a university that’s aiming for zero waste and carbon neutrality by 2028.
Water dispute on the Nile River could destabilize the region
The rapid filling of a giant dam at the source of the world’s longest river could reduce the water supplies going to Egypt and increase tensions with Ethiopia, a new USC study finds.
Ishwar K. Puri named USC vice president for research
The scientist, engineer and scholar will oversee the office that guides the university’s leading research programs.
Tracking anti-science views via social media could help shape public health strategies
Anti-science attitudes and political ideology often go hand in hand, a USC study finds, which means machine-analyzed data could offer clues as to where diseases like COVID-19 might spread.
President Folt, Mayor Garcetti and UK climate envoy talk sustainability
At the Los Angeles Business Council’s annual Sustainability Summit, President Carol L. Folt emphasized the role of universities in helping to combat a global warming emergency.
USC plans dramatic expansion of sustainability curriculum
The Sustainability Across the Curriculum program aims to educate the university’s 20,000 undergraduate students in how sustainability intersects with their major field of study.
Photonics research harnesses the power of light
Mercedeh Khajavikhan of USC Viterbi studies the intricacies of reshaping light, a field of science that could have an immense impact on communications and computing.
USC meets goal for greenhouse gas reductions
The achievement is the first time the university has set — and met — a target for carbon-based emissions.
USC and Cedars-Sinai to jump-start young scientists’ efforts to cure cancer
Peter Kuhn of the USC Michelson Center for Convergent Bioscience will serve as deputy director of a new virtual cancer center, funded by a grant from the Department of Defense.
USC experts say tree planting could double shade across L.A.’s Eastside
University scientists, working with the city of Los Angeles, have developed a plan to grow an urban forest in communities vulnerable to heat waves and air pollution.
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.
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?
L.A. could be powered entirely by renewable energy in 25 years
The effort could achieve dramatic reductions in greenhouse gases without significant disruption to the economy or people’s lifestyles, according to USC research.
People affected by COVID-19 are being nicer to machines
The pandemic has forced many to increasingly rely on machines. According to USC research, it’s also led people to like them a little more.
USC scientists may have unlocked kelp’s potential as a major biofuel source
Using a “kelp elevator,” researchers at the USC Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies were able to grow the biofuel crop in large quantities in the open ocean.
USC ups commitment to sustainability with new, fossil fuel-free investment strategy
The university will freeze dedicated investments in fossil fuels and liquidate its existing holdings.
USC biologists devise new way to track carbon buildup in the ocean
The universal accounting method measures how carbon-based matter accumulates in the ocean and can also model past conditions to predict what may be in store for the warming Earth.
USC and other leading universities launch joint technology licensing program
Fifteen research universities have joined forces to create the University Technology Licensing Program, which will make it easier for companies to acquire bundled tech from multiple institutions.
Artificial intelligence aims to outsmart the mutating coronavirus
How do you develop vaccines and therapies that keep up with the ever-changing virus that causes COVID-19? USC Viterbi engineers turned to AI.
USC and the city of L.A. launch urban forest project on the Eastside
A consortium of experts and students will help determine which communities would benefit the most from more trees. It’s part of a widening environmental partnership between the city and the university.
The inauguration of Joe Biden: Can he bring together a fractured America?
With COVID-19 spreading, unemployment rising and insurrection in our nation’s capital, the 46th president will have his work cut out for him. USC experts examine the many challenges Biden will face.
Earthquake prediction becomes a top priority for USC-based research center
As the new director of the Southern California Earthquake Center, Yehuda Ben-Zion wants to advance quake forecasting to a place where we can see the “big one” coming.
To better understand diabetes, scientists gaze inside insulin-producing pancreatic cells
A USC-led team has developed advanced imaging techniques that allow for a uniquely detailed glimpse inside the body’s insulin factories.
California appears to be in for a dry, warm winter
La Niña conditions in the Pacific Ocean may lead to sandals and sunglasses at Christmastime. USC experts explain what such warm weather means for the state’s water supply and wildlife.