USC Media and Public Relations

Featured Stories

The New York Times highlighted research by Joseph Nunes of the USC Marshall School and colleagues, finding that ostentatious displays of wealth thrived during the recession. The research examined products from high-end consumer goods companies like Louis Vuitton and Gucci, and found that logos were far more prominently displayed on products introduced during the recession than on those going out of circulation.

Asian Journal reported that USC alumnus Wilfred "Fred" Uytengsu donated $8 million to fund USC's new Uytengsu Aquatics Center. "The USC community takes such profound pride in its student-athletes, and Mr. Uytengsu's gift sends a strong message of support," said USC President C. L. Max Nikias.

The Atlantic featured research by Darius Lakdawalla of the USC Price School and colleagues, finding that the majority of 150 cancer patients were willing to chose a "hopeful gamble" treatment option that came with some risk. When offered a choice between a "safe" option and one that carried some risk, 80 percent chose the gamble. "Some patients are willing to take significant risks with their own lives in pursuit of a major gain in survival; others want to play it safe," Lakdawalla said. "The health-care system should respect those differences."

U.S. News & World Report ran an op-ed by Ibrahim Busnaina of the Keck School of USC on the need for medical students to study cultural diversity. The U.S. is growing increasingly more diverse, and thus medical professionals will increasingly encounter language or cultural barriers, Busnaina wrote. He recommended that medical professionals prepare by identifying the languages spoken in the population they serve. "Familiarize yourself with language charts, which list languages that patients can point to in order to identify their native tongue, so that you can call in an interpreter," Busnaina wrote.

The Huffington Post featured Paul Debevec of USC's Institute for Creative Technologies and his work with digital movie characters. The story highlighted Light Stage X, a system that captures movement to create photorealistic digital characters. "We're getting to the point where these digital puppets of people that you can drive with real actors' performances are going to look totally photoreal, even in close-up, and relevant to the video game industry, even in real time," Debevec said. In 2010 Debevec won an Academy Award for the technology.

China Economic Review (China) ran an op-ed by John Van Fleet, assistant dean and executive director of the USC Marshall School's Global Executive M.B.A. program in Shanghai, about Chinese students in the United States. He wrote that Chinese students studying in America could be an excellent way to reduce future geopolitical strife. "Surely some of the million-odd Chinese who have lived in the U.S. have by now gained affection for the place," Van Fleet wrote. "As they become leaders of families, businesses and perhaps government, that affection should translate into an incremental reduction in potential friction."

L.A. Weekly featured research by Mary Helen Immordino-Yang of the USC Rossier School indicating that students shouldn't be disciplined for daydreaming. "Diminishing opportunities for young people to look inward and reflect could have negative effects on their well-being, morality and academic success," Immordino-Yang wrote.

The Docklands & East London Advertiser (U.K.) featured the USC Trojan Marching Band, which is giving an evening performance at London's Canary Wharf. The band appeared in the opening Olympic ceremonies in 1932, 1984 and 1996, as well as at the 2002 Winter Games. The band has also played for five U.S. presidents and been featured in a Fleetwood Mac video.

Whittier Daily News highlighted a study by Hugh Hurt, USC professor emeritus of safety science, studying motorcycle accidents in Los Angeles. Hurt found that riders involved in accidents were overwhelmingly without training, with 92 percent having taught themselves or learned from family members or friends.