USC Media and Public Relations

The Wall Street Journal ran an op-ed by Costas Synolakis of the USC Viterbi School about the conviction of several Italian seismologists. Synolakis wrote that it would have been impossible to predict earthquakes with the precision necessary to save the 300 people who died during the L’Aquila quake in 2009. “Scientists’ role is not to make operational decisions for policy makers, but to inform of best practices,” he wrote. “If the information scientists provide is inexact, incomplete or contradictory, this is because our current understanding does not allow for anything better.”

Los Angeles Times ran several stories on the USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times Poll, which found that Gov. Jerry Brown’s Proposition 30 has lost support among California voters. Support dropped among Democrats, young voters, public employees, and voters with children. Total support stands at 46 percent. The poll found that Proposition 30 has experienced opposition from both major parties. “Proposition 30 has been under attack from the left and the right,” said Dan Schnur of the USC Dornsife College. The poll also found that 44 percent of voters support Proposition 37, while 42 percent are opposed. The poll found that 66 percent of voters support a proposition modifying California’s “three strikes” law, while only 38 percent support a proposition replacing the state death penalty with life without parole. The survey found that 53 percent of voters support Sen. Diane Feinstein for reelection, while only 38 percent support Republican challenger Elizabeth Emken. The poll was featured by another Los Angeles Times story, Time, The Weekly Standard, KPCC-FM, The Fresno Bee and East Bay Express.

Wired featured research by Moh El-Naggar of the USC Dornsife College and colleagues, finding that certain bacterial organisms are capable of linking together and channeling electrons through themselves as though they were cable wires. The Scientist reported that the bacteria, found in oxygen-starved mud, transfer the electrons through the mud to the surface, passing energy from one cell to the next along the way. “You have feeder cells on one end and breather cells on the other, allowing the whole living cable to survive,” El-Naggar said. The research was also covered by Smithsonian, Discover, The Press Association (U.K.), O Globo (Brazil) and RedOrbit.

CBS News’ “CBS This Morning” highlighted “The End of Illness” by David Agus of the Keck School of USC. Agus spoke about a recent study on vitamins and cancer risk, noting that — as his book explains — it’s better to eat fresh, local food and avoid taking pills. Agus was also highlighted by ABC News and “The Dr. Oz Show.”

Voice of America featured the “China Watching” segment of the USC U.S.-China Institute’s “Assignment: China” documentary series. Mike Chinoy of the institute explained that American reporters had to rely on Chinese news reports and other sources to learn what was going on in China in the 1950s and ’60s, before they could travel there themselves. Clayton Dube of the institute said that the most important political deals in China still happen behind closed doors. Murray Fromson, professor emeritus of the USC Annenberg School, spoke about a screening of the documentary series.

National Journal featured a report by the Tomas Rivera Policy Institute at USC and Mexico’s Colegio de la Frontera Norte, finding an apparent rise in the number of migrants crossing illegally into the United States. The study found that immigrants deported from the interior of the country, such as those caught during workplace raids, are likely to have resided in the U.S. longer, to be the heads of households, and to be 35 or older. Those caught closer to the border are typically younger and have been in the U.S. for a shorter period of time. The report was also covered by KPCC-FM.

The Chronicle of Higher Education quoted Adrianna Kezar of the USC Rossier School about advancement within higher education.

Xinhua News Agency (China) quoted Sherry Bebitch Jeffe of the USC Price School, who said Californians are resigned to being “not part of the national dialogue except in so far as our position as the ATM of American politics.”

NPR News Stillwater, Okla., affiliate KOSU-FM interviewed Dan Schnur of the USC Dornsife College about the role of newspaper endorsements in presidential campaigns.

Hispanic Business quoted Anthony Dukes of the USC Marshall School about Amazon’s increasing presence in California.

Sacramento News & Review quoted Dan Schnur of the USC Dornsife College about Gov. Jerry Brown’s acumen as a politician.

Latinos Post cited Thomas Jordan of the USC Dornsife College about the conviction of several Italian seismologists.

KPCC-FM quoted Sherry Bebitch Jeffe of the USC Price School.

Los Angeles Times mentioned that New York Philharmonic Concertmaster Glenn Dicterow is leaving at the end of next season to join the USC Thornton School.

China Times (Taiwan) noted that Clayton Dube of the USC U.S.-China Institute and Stanley Rosen of the USC Dornsife College participated in a Taiwan conference examining the ongoing dispute over the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands. The story was also covered by NOWnews (Taiwan) and United Daily News (Taiwan).

World Journal noted that Clayton Dube of the USC U.S.-China Institute spoke at a public symposium on Chinese investment in California.

South Florida Sun-Sentinel mentioned the USC Shoah Foundation Institute for Visual History and Education’s archives include interviews with Jews who survived a daring escape from a train bound for Auschwitz.

Los Angeles Times mentioned that director John Carpenter is a USC alumnus.