U.S. drug overdose death rates the highest among wealthy nations, USC study finds
The nation’s death rate is double that of the Nordic countries, which have the next highest rates, and more than 27 times higher than in Italy and Japan.
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U.S. Rep. Karen Bass named USC 2019 commencement speaker
Bass, chair of the Congressional Black Caucus and the first African-American woman to serve as leader of a state legislative body, returns to her alma mater for the May 10 festivities.
USC Kaufman dance students prepare for New York debut
The showcase at the historic Joyce Theater celebrates the first four years of USC Kaufman, which will graduate its first class in May.
Voice of America
Tech enables holocaust survivors to engage in conversations beyond the grave
Imagine speaking to a video image of a genocide survivor and getting answers back as if you’re having a conversation with the real person. That’s now possible thanks to the USC Shoah Foundation project Dimensions in Testimony.
Harvard Business Review
How to break down work into tasks that can be automated
In an op-ed, USC’s John Boudreau and a colleague argue that most organizations are missing the benefits of automation by not spending the time to deeply understand the work they want to automate.
Smithsonian
The complex role faith played for Japanese-Americans incarcerated during World War II
“Religious difference acted as a multiplier of suspiciousness,” writes USC’s Duncan Ryuken Williams, “making it even more difficult for Japanese-Americans to be perceived as anything other than perpetually foreign and potentially dangerous.”
PC Magazine
Sorry, very few things actually ‘break the internet’
Kristina Lerman of the USC Information Sciences Institute explains why it’s very hard to go viral and how our brains can’t truly process all the information we’re seeing on social media.
NBC News
California youth and Latino vote jumped last year
About 27 percent of young Californians voted in 2018, up from about 8 percent in 2014, while 36 percent of eligible Latinos voted, up from 17 percent. The numbers come from the California Civic Engagement Project at the USC Price School of Public Policy.
Pacific Standard
Will autonomous vehicles make us better people?
In a series of experiments, participants programmed their self-driving vehicles to act more economically — saving energy and helping the environment — than if they were driving themselves, according to USC researchers and colleagues.
CNBC
Twitter bots more active during the 2018 midterms than previously known
More than 15,000 Twitter accounts identified as robots used the #ivoted hashtag on Election Day, according to a study from USC’s Information Sciences Institute and a Swiss researcher. In virtually every state, more than a fifth of those posting about the elections were robots.
KNBC-TV
Football and concussions: Tracking every hit
About 40 Crescenta Valley players are part of the unique study that gives doctors a baseline to analyze players’ brains. “We don’t know if adolescent brains are more or less vulnerable to these repeated head impacts,” says USC’s Brad Peterson.
U.S. News & World Report
Study: Youth e-cigarette use increased odds of cigarette use
USA Today
Company hikes price of blood pressure drugs after competitor recall
Companies that hike prices significantly in response to market changes represent a small but growing segment of the generic drug market, according to USC research led by Geoffrey Joyce.
Voice of America
A virtual human teaches negotiating skills
Whether it’s haggling for a better price or a higher salary, there’s a skill to getting a good deal. Researchers at the USC Institute for Creative Technologies are looking at how a virtual negotiator may be able to teach the art of negotiating.
The Washington Post
Study says number of female filmmakers at Sundance improving
The study by USC’s Annenberg Inclusion Initiative and the Sundance Institute found that 28 percent of feature-length and episodic projects submitted were directed by at least one woman.
USC senior creates elementary school dance outreach program
Jackie Schiffner is helping 40 kids at an Orange County school learn a variety of dance styles.
Study sheds light on continued challenges facing women in music industry
The USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative report finds a shortage of women in all levels, from performers to producers and songwriters.
Student-built app takes novel approach toward reducing L.A. traffic woes
The award-winning app, goodmoov, rewards drivers for avoiding bottlenecks by taking slightly longer routes. The result: Bottlenecks move more freely.
Students get round-the-clock access to health products
The “wellness-to-go” machine is stocked with everything from ibuprofen and thermometers to pregnancy tests and emergency contraception.
Reducing gun violence in schools is top education priority for California voters
USC Rossier/PACE Poll finds strong support for expanding mental health and holding active shooter drills.
USC researchers use AI to detect early signs of Alzheimer’s
The work could help with earlier diagnosis and lead to non-invasive ways of tracking the progress of the disease in patients.
USC researcher builds better biometric security technology
Researcher Wael Abd-Almageed and an international team are building enhanced biometric security technologies to thwart would-be bad guys.
New ethics and compliance leader brings a focus on values
Stacy Giwa is helping the university reflect on and strengthen its culture, emphasizing ethical decision-making and transparency.
Shedding light on the short- and long-term effects of detention, deportation
USC doctoral student Blanca Ramirez researches how families cope when a parent is detained or deported by immigration authorities.
Fighting ageism at USC: How to create a more age-friendly campus
Think beyond the stereotypes to help Trojans of all ages feel welcome in classrooms and on campus, say USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology experts.
Making a game of speech therapy for kids with cerebral palsy
A USC physical therapy researcher teams up with computer scientist to develop a unique voice-assisted device that could help affected children.
Q&A: Everything you need to know about the new USC Office of the Ombuds
Katherine Greenwood and Thomas Kosakowski explain their new roles and offer examples of the kind of issues that might be brought to them as ombuds.
Two named to new USC Office of the Ombuds
In newly created roles, Katherine Greenwood and Thomas Kosakowski will provide independent, confidential and impartial support for the university community.
USC boosts prevention and outreach efforts to reduce sexual and relationship violence on campus
New training programs and prevention specialists emphasize a community approach to curbing sexual assault and promoting healthy relationships.
Monks create beautiful art at USC Pacific Asia Museum — then destroy it
The making of the colorful sand mandala and then its destruction is a ritual symbolizing the impermanent nature of life.
A walk into history: Archaeologist and old photos offer glimpse into USC’s historical past
🎧 The USC University Park Campus has a fascinating history: For one, it wasn’t always a campus. Listen in as USC archaeologist Ken Seligson takes USC News’ Joanna Clay on a walk into history.
In memoriam: Thomas Habinek, 65, longtime Department of Classics chair
The USC professor and author produced groundbreaking scholarship on Roman rhetoric, literature and philosophy.
Davies, Matarić and Pastor named Distinguished Professors; McMahon named University Professor
The four faculty members are recognized by interim USC President Wanda M. Austin for outstanding leadership in their fields.
Major National Cancer Institute award to support colorectal cancer research at USC
The $3.1 million grant will allow USC’s Stacey Finley and Shannon Mumenthaler to search for new cancer treatments using computer simulations.
Jimmy Kimmel named Keck School of Medicine commencement speaker
The late-night talk show host and comedian has a long history of work outside of entertainment and advocates for national health care for all.
Musicians, music fans help shape new composition
Composer Sarah Gibson’s warp & weft was developed through a unique collaboration with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and some key supporters.
Does air pollution make teens eat fattening foods?
A new USC study suggests that early exposure to traffic pollution may be linked to unhealthy diet in adolescence.
New drug may slow cancer’s circadian clock, halts its spread
USC scientists know that disrupting sleep and other elements of humans’ circadian rhythm can harm health. The same may be true for the circadian clock of cells themselves.
USC Leventhal alum funds scholarship in his grandmother’s name
Jake Davidson, himself the beneficiary of a full-tuition Mork Family Scholarship, knew he wanted to honor his grandmother, Selma Davidson, after she passed away.