Each year, USC programs and faculty research are highlighted in print, broadcast and online stories throughout the world. Highlights of recent news coverage are compiled by USC Media Relations.
USC in the News 4/24/2012
Featured Stories
United Press International featured research by Adam Rose of the USC Price School about the potential effects of a dirty bomb on Los Angeles. The study found that such a terrorist attack could have a decade-long impact and cost the city nearly $16 billion. The research focused on the psychological effects of a dirty bomb attack. "The economic effects of the public's change in behavior are 15 times more costly than the immediate damage in the wake of a disaster," Rose said. The study was also covered by The Huffington Post, KPCC-FM, a second KPCC story, NBC News Los Angeles affiliate KNBC-TV, KNX-AM and Science Codex.
The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that more than 50,000 Holocaust survivor testimonies compiled by the USC Shoah Foundation Institute for Visual History and Education are now accessible via the University of Pennsylvania library system. University of Pennsylvania is one of 37 schools to offer access to the collection, said Stephen Smith, the institute's executive director. Smith said the collection offers material for multiple disciplines of study. "In psychology, students might look at the issue of trauma and the long-term effects on people who went through this," he noted.
National Geographic featured USC's Center for Dark Energy Biosphere Investigations, which studies life at the bottom of the ocean. The center researches microbial life in ocean floor sediment and how that biosphere is related to other life. "We expect to find branches on the tree of life that have not been seen before and are only distantly related to known species," said Jan Amend of the USC Dornsife College. He added that study of the subsurface ocean floor could also enhance understanding of the planetary carbon cycle and climate change.
Forbes featured work by Francois Bar of the USC Annenberg School that analyzes social media phenomena like Twitter. Data is being analyzed by the Annenberg School's Innovation Lab and the USC Viterbi School in an effort to study how public opinion is formed. The researchers assign data an emotional "sentiment" — positive, negative, neutral or unsure — in order to determine how the public feels about different topics.
Time highlighted research by Lisa Aziz-Zadeh of the USC Dornsife College finding that the brain is not cleanly bifurcated into a rational side and a creative side. She scanned the brains of architecture students performing visual-spatial tasks and found that both sides lit up to different degrees. The regions that were active depended on the task at hand, Aziz-Zadeh said.
The Huffington Post featured the USC Institute for Creative Technologies and virtual reality research conducted by Mark Bolas of the USC School of Cinematic Arts. The story reported that the institute's Mixed Reality lab recently won an award for its 3-D viewer that turns smart phones into virtual reality devices.
Business Insider ran a column by Ira Kalb of the USC Marshall School on creating a personal brand. He noted that if you don't create your own brand, others will create one for you. "More often than not, the image they create will be unflattering or harmful because too many people have a negative agenda, lack branding expertise, or have a natural inclination to compete with you by highlighting your weaknesses," Kalb wrote.
Experts Quoted
The Wall Street Journal quoted Roberto Suro of the USC Annenberg School and John Pitkin of USC's Population Dynamics Research Group about immigration policies in the United States.
Los Angeles Times quoted Selma Holo of the USC Dornsife College, director of the USC Fisher Museum, in a story on fundraising at the J. Paul Getty Trust.
American Public Media's "Marketplace" interviewed David Ginsburg of the USC Dornsife College about Whole Foods' ban on certain kinds of fish.
KPCC-FM's "Patt Morrison" interviewed Manuel Pastor of the USC Dornsife College about the economic revival of South Los Angeles since the 1992 riots.
KNX-AM interviewed Jeffrey McCombs of the USC School of Pharmacy about a Medicare competitive bidding demonstration.
KNX-AM "KNX Business Hour" interviewed Anthony Dukes of the USC Marshall School about Best Buy's retail future.
The Sacramento Bee quoted Dan Schnur of the USC Dornsife College about decline-to-state voters.
The Fresno Bee quoted Dowell Myers of the USC Price School about home ownership among immigrants.
Daily Journal quoted Clare Pastore of the USC Gould School about lawsuits filed against state employees for discretionary decisions.
News at a Glance
Los Angeles Times reported that Mardik Martin of the USC School of Cinematic Arts will receive the 2012 Parajanov-Vartanov Institute Award, presented annually to underrated artists.
California Watch cited a speech given by USC Provost Elizabeth Garrett, commissioner of the California Fair Political Practices Commission, at a campaign finance reform symposium co-hosted by the USC Price School.
Bloomberg Businessweek cited research by David Agus of the Keck School of USC indicating that inflammation caused by wearing ill-fitting shoes could weaken the body's ability to prevent cancer.
Entertainment Tonight mentioned that reality show personality Bethenny Frankel participated in the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books at USC.
The Washington Post noted that it produced a story as a project for the California Endowment Health Journalism Fellowships, which are administered by the USC Annenberg School.