USC Student Earns Rhodes Scholarship
Photo/Dietmar Quistorf
Doucette is one of only 32 Americans to be awarded the honor for 2008. He will join his fellow Rhodes Scholars in study at the University of Oxford in England next year, pursuing a master’s degree in engineering science.
Doucette, from Acampo, Calif., is majoring in aerospace and mechanical engineering at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering and has a minor in business at the USC Marshall School of Business. In addition, the 6’5” Doucette played small forward on the USC Trojans men’s basketball team for four years, joining the team as a walk-on.
Michael Kassner, chair of the USC Viterbi School’s aerospace and mechanical engineering department, called him “a truly remarkable individual” working in the area of nano-porous materials that have mechanical engineering applications.
In his studies at USC, Doucette has been a presidential scholar, achieving a grade point average of 3.97. He is currently conducting research involving chemistry, physics, engineering and biology to optimize the efficiency of solar cells.
“He’s got that team spirit and he’s intellectually gifted,” said Andrea Hodge, a USC Viterbi School assistant professor who was Doucette’s mentor at the Livermore Laboratory in the summers of 2005 and 2006. Doucette worked with Hodge on methods to improve the efficiency of catalytic converters and the effectiveness of medical implants.
“I call him Sen. Doucette because he is so incredibly focused and has such keen time-management skills,” Hodge said.
As part of his USC Marshall activities, Doucette co-founded Los Angeles Community Impact, an organization that has provided consulting services to more than 30 community projects.
“Reed excels at everything he does and has been a joy to work with,” said USC Viterbi School of Engineering Dean Yannis C. Yortsos. “We are very proud of his accomplishments in engineering and on the basketball court.”
Doucette becomes the ninth USC student – and the fourth Trojan student-athlete – to win the highly competitive scholarship.
“I’ve always had great educational ambitions and am proud to accept such a prestigious scholarship,” said the 22-year-old Doucette. “It’s a great honor to represent USC and the basketball team in particular. Playing sports is something the Rhodes Scholarship committee values, and my Trojan athletic career will serve me well at Oxford.”
Doucette, the son of Tom and Barbara Doucette, has a sister, Lauren, a junior majoring in business at USC. He said he chose USC not for athletics – “I wasn’t recruited and I had no definite way of knowing if I would make the team” – but for its blend of academics and extracurricular activities.
“I also really liked USC’s emphasis on pursuing several fields of study,” he said. “I don’t know if other schools would have been as willing to work with me on my academic goals.”
The fifth-year senior has never visited England. His first trip to Europe was last summer, on a family trip to Italy and France.
Doucette plans to pack his basketball shoes and tennis racquet in his bags for Oxford, as well as the banjo he recently acquired. Inspired by comedian Steve Martin, he’s teaching himself to play “as a fun way to relax.”
USC has done well in highly competitive scholarships in recent years. Five USC students have won Marshall Scholarships since 2000, and there have been 38 USC student Fulbright Scholars during that time, including a record of nine awarded last year.
USC’s Academic Recognition Programs office supports students interested in international fellowships. Information on applications and deadlines can be viewed at www.usc.edu/arp/fellowships
The Rhodes Scholarships were established in 1903 by Cecil Rhodes, a British-born South African businessman, mining magnate and politician. He was the founder of the diamond company De Beers. Rhodes hoped that bringing students to study at Oxford would promote international understanding and peace. The scholarship provides two years of postgraduate study.
The California competition for a Rhodes Scholarship is considered to be one of the most difficult, due to the size of the state and the number of top universities here. California’s other Rhodes Scholar this year is Asya J. Passinsky from the University of California, Berkeley.
A complete list of this year’s Rhodes Scholars is at www.rhodes scholar.org
A list of this year's Rhodes Scholars is at http://www.rhodesscholar.org/
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USC in the News
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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.
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