USC Media and Public Relations

Featured Stories

Hoy featured the USC Neighborhood Academic Initiative (NAI), an intensive college preparation program for public school students in the USC community. To date 695 students have graduated from the program, and 54 are headed to two- and four-year colleges this fall. NAI students who are accepted to USC receive full-tuition scholarships. "To date, 695 South L.A. students have graduated from the NAI program and gone to college — that's huge in our community," said Kim Thomas-Barrios, executive director of the initiative.

Daily Mail (U.K.) reported on a study by Marco Bortolato and Jean Chen Shih of the USC School of Pharmacy and colleagues, finding that pathological rage can be blocked in mice, which suggests potential new treatments for severe aggression. They found that both humans and mice with a congenital deficiency of a specific enzyme are prone to violent outbursts. "We want to find the tools that might reduce impulsive violence," Bortolato said. The research was also covered by Popular Science, io9 and GlobalPost.

Asian News International featured a study by the Center for the Study of Immigrant Integration at USC and the California Immigrant Policy Center, finding that more than a quarter of the state's residents are immigrants, and that these immigrants are becoming more settled over time. Roughly 61 percent of immigrants participate in the labor force, the study found, versus 57 percent of non-immigrants. "Their substantial contributions as workers and consumers help fuel the state's economy and are spread throughout many California regions," said Manuel Pastor of the USC Dornsife College, director of the Center for the Study of Immigrant Integration. The research was also covered by KPCC-FM, La Opinion, The Fresno Bee and Los Angeles Daily News.

U-T San Diego ran an editorial about a top 10 list of Californian charter schools compiled by the Center on Educational Governance at the USC Rossier School. The Preuss School, located on the campus of UC San Diego, was ranked the top charter school in the state.

Science Codex reported on a study by Natalie Leland of the Ostrow School of USC and colleagues finding that one in five short-stay nursing home patients sustained a fall after admission. Nursing homes with certified nursing assistants had lowered fall risk. "A fall can delay or permanently prevent the patient from returning to the community, and identifying risk of falling is essential for implementing fall prevention strategies and facilitating successful discharge back to the community," Leland said.

Fars News Agency (Iran) featured a robotic finger developed at the USC Viterbi School that can identify materials better than a human can. A study authored by Gerald Loeb of the USC Viterbi School and recent USC doctoral graduate Jeremy Fishel trained the finger on 117 common materials, including paper, wood and sponge. The work was also covered by Pune Mirror (India).

Ms. reviewed "Gaga Feminism: Sex, Gender and the End of Normal" by Judith "Jack" Halberstam of the USC Dornsife College. The book examines shifts in gender and sexuality, many of which are reflected through pop culture and pop-cultural figures like Lady Gaga.

Metro Weekly highlighted the AIDS Memorial Quilt 2012 Digital Experience Project, coordinated by Anne Balsamo of the USC Annenberg School. The project has digitized the quilt for its 25th anniversary, making it accessible to people using a mobile app called AIDS Quilt Touch, and online at aidsquilttouch.org. Site visitors can look at specific panels laid out on the National Mall and sign a real-time digital guestbook.