Los Angeles Business Journal
Why L.A.’s green technology industry is growing
Two primary factors: the talented workforce and the supportive culture around clean technology, says USC Marshall’s Shon Hiatt.
Los Angeles Times
As L.A. ports fight gridlock, U.S. and global leaders pledge to curb shipping emissions
It’s difficult to predict how air pollution from idling ships affects port-area residents, says Ed Avol of the Keck School of Medicine of USC — but for people who suffer from asthma and other respiratory or cardiac problems, a monthslong increase in pollution could “push them over the edge.”
CNN
Zillow’s home-buying debacle shows how hard it is to use AI to value real estate
Algorithms tend to be good at making fine-grained, short-term predictions, but there isn’t enough data for an algorithm to learn about longer busts and booms, USC Marshall’s Nikhil Malik says. Zillow learned that the hard way: It’s unloading thousands of homes it bought after AI indicated it could profit from buying them.
NBC News
U.S. 2020 life expectancy drop was the second-highest among high-income countries, behind only Russia
The U.S. decline was fueled by more than disease, notes Bryan Tysinger of the USC Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics. Homicides and drug overdose deaths also rose, suggesting that the pandemic’s effects on social structures played a role. (NBC News)
Marketplace.org
Climate change is going to make buying a home even more expensive
With the risk of natural disaster seemingly growing, USC Dornsife’s Matthew Kahn wonders: Will banks still be willing to make 30-year fixed-rate mortgages?
Inside Higher Ed
A ‘loud and clear’ call to invest in Black men
College and university leaders are taking steps to counter the sharp decline in enrollment among Black men during the pandemic. Shaun Harper of the USC Race and Equity Center says we shouldn’t strive to get back to ”normal,” though, because “normal failed to deliver to us the kind of diversity we all say we want at our colleges and universities.”
NFL.com
NFL and Pepsi to launch school partnered with USC Iovine and Young Academy
NPR
What top film schools are doing to help diversity Hollywood
Attracting and supporting diverse students is just the start, says Dean Elizabeth Daley of the USC School of Cinematic Arts. The school’s efforts include a ”first jobs” program that helps graduates land their first paid jobs in the entertainment industry.
Los Angeles Times
Fed up with TikTok, black creators are moving on
It’s hard to know for sure whether the TikTok algorithm is biased against people of color, USC Marshall’s Kalinda Ukanwa said — but the perception persists.
The Wall Street Journal
Why was China’s biggest movie star was erased from the internet?
Zhao Wei was the Reese Witherspoon of China before she was censored by the Communist Party. “Zhao Wei is like a poster child for what the Communist Party sees as what’s wrong with celebrity culture in China,” USC Dornsife’s Stanley Rosen says. “It’s a demonstration that no one, no matter how wealthy or popular, is too big to pursue.”
The New York Times
One thing we can agree on is that we’re becoming a different country
The early 1990s were a turning point, notes USC Dornsife’s Dennis Chong: In the years since, college-educated and young people have become markedly less tolerant of hate speech pertaining to race, gender and social identity.
The Washington Post
The mystery of 9/11 and dementia
Marketplace.org
Challenges face the world’s largest container-shipping company as it tries to go green
The Danish company Maersk has ordered eight vessels that will run on methanol. But one key to the carbon-neutral strategy is ensuring that the methanol used is sustainable. As USC Dornsife’s Surya Prakash notes, China makes a lot of methanol from coal.
The Washington Post
China’s COVID lockdown led to an earlier, greener spring, study suggests
Vegetation across the country responded immediately to the change in conditions, a study by USC Dornsife’s John P. Wilson and colleagues found. It indicates that short-term changes in human activity can have a rapid ecological impact.
ABC News
California’s wildfires are already erratic, and the worst may be ahead
Los Angeles Times
Imagine an L.A. where the buses and subways are free
The MTA is considering eliminating fares, but would that increase ridership? “Unfortunately there’s not a lot of evidence that people will get out of their cars and into transit even if it were free,” says USC Price’s Genevieve Giuliano. “A trip by car often takes half the time it takes by transit.”
CBS News
Shoppers impacted by soaring consumer prices
Prices are rising across the board, says USC Marshall’s Nick Vyas: “We are buying more and more and more. And that creates this perfect storm for inflation.”
KCRW-FM
Vaccine mandate for health care workers will save lives, according to those on the front lines
Health care providers who come in contact with patients have an ethical responsibility to protect those patents — and their own colleagues — from COVID-19, says Brad Spellberg, chief medical officer at Los Angeles County+USC Medical Center.
NPR
Some claim migrants fueled a COVID-19 surge, but doctors say it’s not true
“This is a pattern we’ve seen for 150 years of medical scapegoating, of medical racism in which we blame disease outbreaks on immigrants in place of really looking at other factors — our own behaviors,” notes USC Dornsife’s Natalia Molina.
Los Angeles Times
Ways to save water during the drought — and whether it’s worth doing at all
About 80% of water used in the state goes toward agriculture, says USC Viterbi’s Kelly Sanders. The rest is urban usage, split roughly in half between indoor and outdoor use. So when we talk about shorter showers and turning off the tap when you brush your teeth, you’re playing with a pretty small slice of the pie.
The New York Times
Trojan Olympian Anna Cockrell has a special fan base: the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Cockrell’s brother, Ross, is a cornerback for the team. On Monday, the Buccaneers took a break from training to watch her advance to the 400-meter hurdle finals.
The Wall Street Journal
Social media manager — the most millennial of jobs — comes of age
Some social media veterans have been at their jobs for 15 years at this point and have unprecedented sway. “These jobs are way beyond entry-level positions now,” says USC Annenberg’s Daniela Baroffio.
KCBS-TV
Is it a cold or COVID? How to react to similar symptoms
Among vaccinated people, symptoms of a common cold and COVID-19 are similar, notes Anjali Mahoney of the Keck School of Medicine of USC: “So even if you have symptoms, mild symptoms, I wouldn’t assume that it’s a cold. I would assume you need to get tested and quarantine.”
Forbes
Why employee well-being in becoming non-negotiable
“Customization and personalization is how HR will evolve now and in the future,” says USC Bovard College’s Solange Charas. “Organizations that aren’t actively embracing an employee-centric business model will soon find that their competitive advantage will erode.”