Marc Ballon
Marc Ballon is the senior editor and managing editor for the USC Viterbi School of Engineering. He has worked in higher education for seven years. Previously, he was a journalist, including stints at Forbes, Los Angeles Times and Inc. magazine.
Stories by Marc Ballon:
USC researchers know what you did on Venmo — and they’re not alone
The popular social payments app makes user profiles, payment notes and friend lists public by default. That’s laid the groundwork for millions of privacy leaks.
Graduating senior Bryan Huang feels a moral imperative to help those in need
COMMENCEMENT 2022: A spirit for volunteering and an attentive ear serve the Trojan well, whether its as president of USC Code the Change or through social entrepreneurship.
USC Viterbi startup is the No. 1 virtual cardiac rehab program in the U.S.
Moving Analytics, cofounded by three USC Viterbi alumni, seeks to be in all 50 states by the end of 2023.
USC Viterbi associate professor is a warrior for people with disabilities
Growing up, Rob Parke spent a lot of time in hospitals or at home recovering from operations, finding solace in computers. Now he’s become a powerful advocate for making the field of computing welcoming and accessible to all.
USC Viterbi puts focus on creating trustworthy engineers
The Engineering in Society Program aims to equip USC Viterbi students with the ethical and communication skills to flourish in an ever-accelerating world.
Yannis C. Yortsos receives top education award of the National Academy of Engineering
The dean of the USC Viterbi School of Engineering is co-recipient of the prestigious Bernard M. Gordon Prize for his role in founding the Grand Challenges Scholars Program.
Three USC professors elected fellows of the National Academy of Inventors
USC Viterbi’s Andrea Armani and Cyrus Shahabi and USC Dornsife’s Sri Narayan join a distinguished class of 175 inductees who demonstrate “a prolific spirit of innovation.”
George Ban-Weiss, 40, USC Viterbi researcher and Renaissance man
A world-class environmental researcher and virtuoso bassist, he influenced public policy and touched lives.
Crashing the old boys’ club
Nivedita Bhasin, a certificate recipient at USC’s Aviation Safety and Security Program, was recently named Air India’s chief of flight safety, the first female pilot to hold that position.
How AI and health care records could lead to faster and better treatments
An algorithm developed at USC Viterbi could comb through millions of electronic medical records, suggesting diagnoses and tests to improve patient outcomes and lower costs.
What happens to all of those COVID test swabs? It’s complicated
Alumnus Manoj Gopalkrishnan and his research team have developed an algorithm that would allow several tests to be screened at the same time. It could dramatically change COVID testing procedures.
Celebrating a new hub for student innovation, the Baum Family Maker Space
USC faculty, university leaders and even the Trojan Marching Band gathered for a virtual ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the completion of USC Viterbi’s new multipurpose design and fabrication center.
Transforming oil wells into batteries for the sun and wind
USC researchers want to convert idle oil and gas wells into much-needed storage for sustainable energy, making California blackouts a thing of the past.
Trojan grad Kailey Breyer brings joy — and some coding skills — to girls all over the world
The USC Viterbi alumna and founder of Kailey’s Queens organizes events for young women that foster friendship, learning and fun.
Newly graduated engineer blends her love of research and the sea
Hannah Walker, a winner of the USC Discovery Scholar Prize, spent a chunk of her undergraduate career creating a device to inexpensively map the ocean’s underwater topography.
USC Viterbi team wins Min Family Engineering Social Entrepreneurship Challenge
The business model competition, which encourages would-be social entrepreneurs to build businesses that benefit the underprivileged, honors the group AgriCulture’s vision to improve the diets and health of low-income, urban residents.
The computer science student who shines on the pitch
Soccer standout Penelope Hocking attacks her sport and her classes at USC Viterbi the same way: with intensity. Does a U.S. Women’s National Team spot lie in her future?
As AI moves into content creation, researchers aim to battle its biases
AI systems like natural language generation are only as good as the data that trains them, and USC Viterbi experts want to uncover why and how that data can be biased against women and minorities.
Women make up a record 50% of USC Viterbi’s entering undergrad class
At the graduate level, the engineering school leads the nation with almost 2,000 women in its master’s and doctoral programs.
USC student-led startup will help the Marines 3D print spare parts
Atomus, an emerging USC Viterbi startup, is developing technology that will make it easier for the Marines to print replacement parts for ships, military vehicles and planes.
USC Viterbi startup wants to expand underwater exploration through wireless communication
A team of USC Viterbi undergraduates will bring their underwater wireless communication technology to the finals of a global student competition.
A new weapon in the battle to protect endangered animals: predictive AI
In tandem with nine animal conservation groups, a USC research team’s AI software is being deployed in wildlife parks worldwide to thwart poachers and protect species at risk.
USC professor envisions a cheaper, fairer marketplace for digital goods
What is the future of e-commerce? Bhaskar Krishnamachari believes he has the answer: a system using “smart contracts” and game theory that benefit both buyers and sellers.
How the ideas of engineers can help the homeless
A provider of homeless services in Los Angeles has an unlikely new partner: the USC Viterbi School of Engineering.