Summer 2004 - Trojan Family Magazine

Imitation of Life By Carl Marziali
Starry-eyed ophthalmologists, nanotech-minded neurosurgeons and big-thinking biomedical engineers dream the impossible dream: to make the blind see, the paralyzed walk and the memory-impaired recollect.

Strength in Numbers
They don’t make interdisciplinary centers like they used to. A decade or two ago, a center like the Biomimetic MicroElectronic Systems would have been called interdisciplinary if it straddled two departments, or even just two specialties. These days, it takes a lot more to earn NSF-center status.
Nipping Blindness in the Bud
Most people don’t need a retinal implant, and, if the Doheny Retina Institute has anything to do with it, they never will.

Leap of Faiths By Diane Krieger
No fewer than 57 religious groups are now active at USC. And the list goes well beyond the various flavors of Protestantism, Catholicism and Judaism as growing numbers of Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, Jains, Bahá’ís, Pagans and even Atheists are standing up to be counted.

Postcards from the Peace Corps By Christen O’Brien ’01
More than 500 Trojans have served in the Peace Corps since its inception in 1961. The world has grown smaller since then, but the rewards and sacrifices of volunteering in a developing country still hold a powerful lure for USC graduates.





	Summer 2004 FEATURES Imitation of Life By Carl Marziali Starry-eyed ophthalmologists, nanotech-minded neurosurgeons and big-thinking biomedical engineers dream the impossible dream: to make the blind see, the paralyzed walk and the memory-impaired recollect. Strength in Numbers They don’t make interdisciplinary centers like they used to. A decade or two ago, a center like the Biomimetic MicroElectronic Systems would have been called interdisciplinary if it straddled two departments, or even just two specialties. These days, it takes a lot more to earn NSF-center status. Nipping Blindness in the Bud Most people don’t need a retinal implant, and, if the Doheny Retina Institute has anything to do with it, they never will. Leap of Faiths By Diane Krieger No fewer than 57 religious groups are now active at USC. And the list goes well beyond the various flavors of Protestantism, Catholicism and Judaism as growing numbers of Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, Jains, Bahá’ís, Pagans and even Atheists are standing up to be counted. The Quest for Religious Literacy Regardless of one’s faith, in a globalized, massively integrated, post-9/11 world rocked by sectarian strife, it behooves a college-educated person to have a basic understanding of the major world religions. Postcards from the Peace Corps By Christen O’Brien ’01 More than 500 Trojans have served in the Peace Corps since its inception in 1961. The world has grown smaller since then, but the rewards and sacrifices of volunteering in a developing country still hold a powerful lure for USC graduates. A Day in the Lives Meet six Trojans now serving in the Peace Corps: Jeff Dubyn '01 (Kazakhstan), Matthew Romsa '00 (Malawi), Anna Schleicher Joyce '00 (Guyana), Amy E. Gannon '97 (Tanzania), Tom Sire '01 (Guyana) and Patrick J. Wilson '98, '01 (Honduras). About the Peace Corps The Peace Corps has deployed more than 170,000 Americans to more than 137 countries worldwide since its creation in 1961. COLUMNS Editor’s Note President’s Page What’s in a name? Much indeed! Last Word Earth: the penultimate frontier. DEPARTMENTS Mailbag Your turn to talk back. What’s New - Shelf Life - People Watch The USC Viterbi School unveiled, action-packed language learning, cybercrime crackdown and more. Inside the life of Woody Guthrie; bracing for election 2004. Doctor Gadget, space law man, Graham Bell of the cosmos. Alumni & Friends Town and Gown at 100, “Trojans Day in L.A.,” The O.C.’s wunderkind. Class Notes A running record of Trojan lives. • Glimpses of History Class Notes Marriage, Births and Deaths Alumni Profile Lawyer Without Borders: Siriporn Chaiyasuta MPA ’86 Alumni Profile Through a Lens, Naturally: David Hamlin MFA ’94 Alumni Profile Seeing Red: Jennifer Trosper MS ’99 In Memoriam James Pursell ’24