Solomon Golomb Enjoys a Golden Evening
The occasion was USC Hillel’s annual L’Chaim Award Dinner, a fund-raising occasion for the benefit of the Jewish student group, which, according to its mission statement, “provides the foundation for Jewish student life at USC, offering a secure, inclusive and nurturing environment for all Jews who are part of the USC community.”
President Steven B. Sample, USC Viterbi School of Engineering donor and trustee Andrew J. Viterbi and USC Leventhal School of Accounting donor Kenneth Leventhal spoke, while Provost C. L. Max Nikias, Viterbi School Dean Yannis Yortsos and Nobel Prize winner George Olah joined more than 220 well-wishers filling the Skirball Center.
Sample pointed out the dimensions of Golomb's distinctions during the introduction.
“The title of university professor is the highest recognition USC can bestow on a faculty member,” said Sample, noting that out of more than 3,000 faculty, only 17 held the distinction. And, the president continued, “With his ceaseless curiosity, his thirst for learning across the academic landscape and his extraordinary accomplishment, Sol Golomb is the very embodiment of the concept of university professor.… I often turn to Sol for advice and assistance, and I know I can always count on him.”
Sample also referred to Golomb as a “triple threat” – a member of the National Academy of Science, the National Academy of Engineering, as well as the American Academy of Arts and Sciences; and a winner of the Shannon Prize, the highest award in signal processing.
Viterbi recalled how he had met Golomb years before at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and how generously Golomb had helped him in academic matters and such personal things as helping find a place for his parents to live.
Golomb’s daughter Beatrice could not attend the dinner – she had booked tickets more than a year earlier for a cruise to Patagonia. But on video, she presented a slide show of her father's life.
No tribute to Golomb would be complete without a review of the memorable photograph of the bearded professor sitting in the Hoose library in a USC football uniform – an image used for the cover of the USC recruiting brochure that got the largest response in the history of the publication, so striking that it was reprised a second year.
Professor George Chilingar presented two new awards – plaques from the Russian academy of sciences and the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences honoring Golomb for lifetime achievement.
Hillel also offered its own testament: “Sol Golomb has been a significant part of USC Hillel and the Jewish community for 30 years. We are so proud to honor him for his work on the board and executive committee and for being such a strong supporter of Jewish life at USC,” said Robert Gach, board chair of the USC Hillel Foundation.
Latest stories
- Professor's Analysis Followed in Prop. 8 Court Ruling February 9, 2012 7:52 AM
- Two USC Schools Go Mobile February 9, 2012 7:42 AM
- MSW Student Takes Leadership Role February 9, 2012 7:36 AM
-
For Journalists »
-
USC in the News
for 2/8/2012 »-
The Chronicle of Higher Education mentioned USC’s $6 billion fundraising campaign. The story noted that USC had already raised $1 billion in a “quiet phase,” including the $200 million naming gift from USC Trustee and alumnus David Dornsife and wife Dana Dornsife to the USC Dornsife College.
The Guardian (U.K.) highlighted two major gifts to USC in a list of the 10 biggest philanthropic benefactors in America. The list included the $200 million naming gift from USC Trustee and alumnus David Dornsife and wife Dana Dornsife to the USC Dornsife College, and the $110 million gift from USC Trustee and USC Viterbi School alumnus John Mork and wife Julie to create the USC Mork Family Scholars Program.
The New York Times featured the USC U.S.-China Institute documentary “Assignment: China — The Week that Changed the World.” The documentary, part of a series, examines media coverage of the 1972 Nixon trip that reshaped U.S.-China relations after a quarter century of isolation and hostility. “People look back now and take it for granted that the outcome was preordained,” said the institute’s Mike Chinoy, who produced the documentary. Voice of America also featured the story.
Los Angeles Times featured the Oscar Senti-meter, a tool developed by the USC Annenberg School, Los Angeles Times and IBM that analyzes thousands of tweets about the Academy Awards nominees. The story noted that Mexican actor Demian Bechir received an enormous boost on Twitter the day of the nominations, with a total of 6,893 tweets mentioning him, a 47-fold increase from the day before. The story noted the tool uses language-recognition technology developed in collaboration with USC Viterbi School’s Signal Analysis and Interpretation Lab.
The Times of India (India) featured a three-day medical emergency training workshop organized in association with USC. At the workshop, held at GCS Medical College in India, 50 doctors and more than 100 paramedics learned how to improve emergency support systems. William Mallon of the Keck School of USC said that discussion topics included the use of portable ultrasonic devices to scan patients. “The ultrasound applications help physicians make accurate and timely decisions,” he noted. Daily News & Analysis (India) also featured the workshop.
-
-
Campus News
- Capital Connections
- USC faculty, staff and alumni in Washington, D.C., and Sacramento
- In Print
- New and recent books written or edited by USC faculty and staff
- Family Matters
- Achievements and awards
- Obituaries