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 6/26/2012
Featured Stories
The Times of India (India) reported that USC will create the first chair of Hindu studies in the United States funded by the Indian-American community. A $3.24 million gift from the Dharma Civilization Foundation will establish the Swami Vivekananda Visiting Faculty in Hindu Studies and the Dharma Civilization Foundation Chair in Hindu Studies at the USC Dornsife College. The story noted that more than 1,800 Indian students are currently enrolled at USC and that the university boasts three Nobel Prize winners.
Los Angeles Times reported that the USC Shoah Foundation Institute for Visual History and Education has finished preserving more than 52,000 Holocaust survivor testimonies, the culmination of an 18-year project. The foundation became part of the USC Dornsife College in 2006, and turned its attention to conserving testimonies in new ways. The institute's chief technology officer, Sam Gustman, said that Oracle and Nirvanix helped create a system to move the video files to the newest future technology. "We'll be saving the files to newer media as they come out," Gustman said. The institute developed several technology patents around the preservation system's video search capabilities, he said.
BBC News (U.K.) featured work by researchers at the USC Viterbi School and other institutions, who found a way to transmit data at speeds up to 2.56 terabits per second using twisted beams of light. These beams have the capacity to transmit more than 66 DVDs per second. The beams were only able to transmit data for about a meter, with turbulence in the atmosphere still proving to be a challenge, said Alan Willner of the USC Viterbi School. "Of course, there are also opportunities for long-distance satellite-to-satellite communications in space, where turbulence is not an issue," he added. The study was also covered by a second BBC News story, Daily Mail (U.K.), United Press International, New Scientist, The Christian Science Monitor, Gizmodo, io9, The Verge, Gizmag, Wired, Deutsche Presse Agentur (Germany), Magyar Tavirati Iroda (Hungary), Fars News Agency (Iran), The Register (U.K.), PC Magazine, Times Union, GigaOm, TG Daily and ScienceDaily.
Inside Higher Ed featured a study by Tatiana Melguizo of the USC Rossier School and a colleague, finding that minority college students who majored in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields and took jobs related to their degrees earned at least 50 percent more on average than classmates who majored in humanities or education. "The premiums for majoring in STEM fields are huge," Melguizo said.
The Atlantic featured research by Kathleen Page of the Keck School of USC and colleagues, finding that images of sugary foods induce cravings for the same foods. Food advertisements could induce physical reactions that lead to overeating, Indo-Asian News Service reported. "This stimulation of the brain's reward areas may contribute to overeating and obesity, and has important public health implications," Page said. The study focused on Latino, adolescent and adult females, a key demographic at risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes. The research was also covered by Asian News International, Science Codex and ScienceDaily.
New Zealand Herald (New Zealand) 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.
Bloomberg Businessweek ran a column by Warren Bennis of the USC Marshall School about the importance of mentorship at business schools. "The word 'mentor' doesn't do justice to what a great one does," Bennis wrote. "They do so much more than share their wisdom. They put their reputations on the line with every good word dropped, with every letter of recommendation. In that sense, mentoring is an act of faith."
The Huffington Post ran a column by Lois Banner of the USC Dornsife College about Margaret Mead and Marilyn Monroe, describing them as feminist figures with much in common. Banner wrote that both had insatiable curiosity about the world around them, and held views about the role and value of sex that were at odds with their times. They even attended the same weekly salons held by psychiatrist Ralph Greenson. "Marilyn sat in a corner at the soirees and didn't enter into the conversations, but it's possible that she and Margaret were at a session together," Banner wrote.
NPR's "All Things Considered" featured "The Happiest Baby Guide to Great Sleep" by Harvey Karp of the Keck School of USC. Karp developed five principles for infant sleep. He said that sound plays a huge role for babies: "The womb is louder than a vacuum cleaner, 24/7," Karp said. "And so to put them in a quiet room and tiptoe around seems like it's the right idea — actually, it's sensory deprivation."
Detroit Free Press highlighted a digital accessibility project for the AIDS Memorial Quilt coordinated by Anne Balsamo of the USC Annenberg School. A team from the school's Innovation Lab is helping design a mobile app to find the physical locations of specific panels in the quilt, Balsamo said. "The quilt is a very important, but very fragile memorial," Balsamo said.
Experts Quoted
The Washington Post quoted Dan Schnur of the USC Dornsife College on the Supreme Court's impending ruling on President Obama's health care law and what it will mean for the 2012 presidential election.
Los Angeles Times quoted Richard Green of the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate about home prices climbing in April.
CBS News interviewed Dan Schnur of the USC Dornsife College about Republican Gov. Chris Christie's appeal as a presidential running mate.
Bloomberg Businessweek quoted Ange-Marie Hancock of the USC Dornsife College about women as a critical electorate for the Republican Party. ABC News Los Angeles affiliate KABC-TV cited Hancock.
Associated Press quoted Karen Sternheimer of the USC Dornsife College about media depictions of females in movies like "Brave."
KPCC-FM's "OnCentral" quoted Niels Frenzen of the USC Gould School about the Supreme Court ruling on Arizona's immigration law. A second KPCC story cited Frenzen.
KPCC-FM interviewed Jody Armour of the USC Gould School about the Supreme Court ruling against mandatory sentencing of life without parole for juveniles.
La Opinion quoted Sherry Bebitch Jeffe of the USC Price School about the ways in which President Obama and presidential hopeful Mitt Romney have approached the immigration debate.
La Opinion quoted Manuel Pastor of the USC Dornsife College about illegal immigrants working in the U.S. and their contributions the economy.
KFWB-AM interviewed Ira Kalb of the USC Marshall School about the use of sex in advertising.
Imperial Valley Press quoted William Vega of the USC School of Social Work about alcohol consumption habits in Latino communities.
News at a Glance
The New York Times mentioned that the newly elected president of Egypt, Mohamed Morsi, is a USC alumnus. CBS News Los Angeles affiliate KCBS-TV interviewed Josh Lockman of the USC Gould School about Morsi. "I don't know to what degree his time here will influence future U.S.-Egyptian relations," Lockman said. The news was also covered by The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Inside Higher Ed, Reuters, PBS News' "NewsHour," Nature, China Daily (China), Der Spiegel (Germany) and International Business Times.
The Washington Post, in an Associated Press story, stated that USC President C. L. Max Nikias will meet other university presidents to consider a college football playoff proposal.
Deccan Chronicle (India) highlighted a study by Sarah Feakins of the USC Dornsife College and colleagues, finding that ancient Antarctica was once much warmer and wetter than previously thought, and that climate change could return it to those conditions.
CNN cited a USC study finding that the more insular a neighborhood, the more likely individuals living there would copy or try to one-up their neighbor's car purchase.
Los Angeles Business covered a free digital moviemaking class created in a partnership between the USC School of Cinematic Arts and Crystal Cruises.
San Francisco Chronicle reported that USC purchased Bay Area classical music station KDFC-FM.