USC Media and Public Relations

Los Angeles Times featured a new international business degree program uniting the USC Marshall School, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and Bocconi University in Milan. Starting in fall 2013, roughly 45 students will be able to study business in all three locations as part of the World Bachelor in Business program. “The program will allow students to explore diverse cultures and challenge them to think and learn from broad perspectives,” said USC Provost Elizabeth Garrett. James Ellis, dean of the USC Marshall School, told Bloomberg Businessweek that the program will give the students opportunities to speak with employers in three regions of the world. “The kind of student who will take this knows that he or she wants to be an executive in a global world,” Ellis said. Financial Times (U.K.) reported that this is one of the first multi-partner programs to target undergrads. “It’s not your usual 18-year-old that is going to do this program. We’re really trying to get a global mindset at a very young age,” said John Matsusaka of USC’s Initiative and Referendum Institute.

Associated Press reported that Carmen Puliafito, dean of the Keck School of USC, was part of an international team that won the Champalimaud Foundation’s Vision Award. The Portuguese award is one of the world’s largest scientific prizes and is given to those who advance eyesight research. Puliafito and his colleagues were recognized for the development of optical coherence tomography, an imaging technology that helps clinicians diagnose and treat blinding diseases. The news was also covered by RTP (Portugal), Expresso (Portugal) and Vanguardia Liberal (Colombia).

The Washington Times featured the USC Schwarzenegger Institute for State and Global Policy’s inaugural symposium, which will take place September 24. The institute, announced at the USC Price School last month, is a think tank dedicated to finding bipartisan solutions to civic problems. “During my time as governor of California, I learned that the best solutions to the challenges we face come only when all sides are willing to meet in the middle and engage respectfully,” former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said. The story noted that participants will include Sen. John McCain, former Govs. Charlie Crist and Bill Richardson, former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle and director James Cameron. The event was also covered by Deadline Hollywood.

Sing Tao (China) ran an editorial about USC’s distance education programs, reporting that the university has increased its selection of online courses, making education more accessible for those with families and jobs. Positive feedback from the student community has encouraged USC to continue expanding its online offerings, the story stated.

Popular Science featured Moh El-Naggar of the USC Dornsife College in its Brilliant 10 list of innovative young researchers. El-Naggar’s research focuses on bacteria that can move electrons to solid rock and create a small electrical charge. “For a biological molecule to do that, that’s pretty unusual,” El-Naggar said. He discovered how the bacteria do this: by growing protein nanowires to move electrons to their surroundings. El-Naggar hopes to use this knowledge to develop nanostructures such as semiconductors for solar cells.

The Huffington Post ran an op-ed by Manuel Pastor of the USC Dornsife College highlighting an immigrant integration scorecard created by USC’s Center for the Study of Immigrant Integration. The scorecard rated different counties in California using metrics like economic advancement, school performance and how welcoming the region was. Pastor wrote that economies thrive when they welcome immigrant workers. “In California, where a third of the labor force is immigrant, promoting immigrant success is the right thing to do to promote our economic future,” he wrote. Asian Journal reported that the scorecard was created by Pastor with Vanessa Carter, Rhonda Ortiz and Justin Scoggins of the USC Dornsife College and Anthony Perez of the Keck School of USC. KQED-FM covered the scorecard and interviewed Pastor.

The Huffington Post ran an op-ed by Michael Goran of the Keck School of USC and a colleague, on how obesity and liver disease affect the Latino community. “Obesity is a growing problem among Hispanics, especially children and adolescents,” Goran and colleague wrote. A study by the USC Childhood Obesity Research Center found that 38 percent of obese Latino children and adolescents in Los Angeles were at risk for fatty liver diseases. The story reported that one problem is the consumption of high-fructose corn syrup found in processed foods.

KPCC-FM’s “OnCentral” featured research by Eric Rice of the USC School of Social Work finding that teens who practice “sexting” are more likely to engage in actual sex. Seventy-eight percent of teens who sexted were sexually active, compared with 38 percent of those who didn’t sext. The study was also covered by The Standard (China), Univision Los Angeles affiliate KMEX-DT and Relaxnews.

The Economist included Richard Green of the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate in a debate on whether home ownership should be discouraged. Green argued that the social benefits of home ownership outweigh the costs. “How much negative equity has affected labor mobility in America is a matter of some controversy, but in any event, this is not an argument against home-owning, but an argument against excessive leverage,” Green wrote.

The Huffington Post highlighted the USC Marshall School’s USC Silicon Beach conference, a gathering focused on the Los Angeles startup scene. The story described the conference as an excellent example “of creative disruption in communication and business and very inspirational.”

Ventura County Star featured Mark Howard, a prostate cancer survivor who was treated at Keck Medical Center of USC. Howard shared his story at the third annual LA Prostate Cancer 5K at USC. “He is a very positive, upbeat and active person, which certainly helped speed up his recovery,” said Inderbir Gil of the Keck School of USC, who was Howard’s surgeon.

Associated Press quoted Jody Armour of the USC Gould School about the challenges surrounding the First Amendment and freedom of speech.

Bloomberg Businessweek quoted David Carter of the USC Marshall School about the potential sale of sports and entertainment company Anschutz Entertainment Group. The Orange County Register also quoted Carter.

Chicago Tribune highlighted research by Michael Goran of the Keck School of USC and Emily Ventura, who was with the Keck School when the research was conducted, finding that some of America’s most popular soft drinks are made with corn sweeteners that contain nearly 65 percent fructose.

The Christian Science Monitor cited the USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times Poll, which found that 80 percent of California voters support doctor-recommended marijuana prescriptions for severe illnesses.

McClatchy Newspapers covered a study by Thomas Valente of the Keck School of USC and colleagues, finding that popular high school kids are more likely to smoke.

Technorati covered research by Victoria Cortessis of the Keck School of USC and a colleague, finding that young men with certain types of testicular cancer were more likely to have smoked marijuana. San Francisco Chronicle cited the study.

LiveScience covered work by Laurent Itti of the USC Viterbi School and colleagues, who developed a low-cost method to detect neurological disorders using eye-tracking.

Hispanic Business mentioned that the Keck Medical Center of USC is a sponsor of a fundraiser promoting pediatric cancer awareness.

Taipei Times (Taiwan) mentioned that representatives from USC’s John C. Hench Division of Animation and Digital Arts will attend the Kuandu International Animation Festival.

The Patriot-News mentioned that the Reporting on Health collaborative is an initiative of the California Endowment Health Journalism Fellowships, a program of the USC Annenberg School.

Science Codex mentioned that Keenan Cheung, USC director of housing, had a successful kidney transplant in 2009.