USC Media and Public Relations

The New York Times ran an op-ed by Edward Kleinbard of the USC Gould School about the political fight over the debt ceiling. He suggested that President Obama issue scrip — a kind of IOU for claims holders — which would not constitute new borrowing. “It would be the least awful way to defang the most extortionate demands of Congressional hard-liners — and one that would not permanently damage America’s fiscal standing in the world,” Kleinbard wrote.

Los Angeles Times ran an op-ed by Lucy Hood of the USC Marshall School about Silicon Beach as the future of L.A.’s economy. She wrote that Los Angeles has become a hotbed for the tech industry, noting that USC graduates high numbers of the area’s engineers and attracts entrepreneurial international students. “A postgraduate year at a university-connected or stand-alone tech start-up ... would give these students an opportunity to apply their entrepreneurial and intellectual skills and benefit the growth of L.A. as a tech hub,” wrote Hood, who is executive director of the USC Marshall School’s Institute for Communication Technology Management.

The Telegraph (U.K.) featured research by Dowell Myers of the USC Price School finding that declining migration and falling birthrates have led to a drop in California’s child population. “These trends are not yet widely recognized, but they should be a wake-up call for policymakers,” Myers said. The research was also covered by Reason, NPR News San Diego affiliate KPBS-FM, NBC News San Diego affiliate KNSD-TV and World Journal.

PBS News’ “Newshour” featured research by Maja Mataric of the USC Viterbi School on socially assistive robotics. She explained that robots can serve a range of functions, from helping autistic children to caring for the elderly. “A very interesting area to explore is to interact with machines one-on-one to bridge the care gap,” Mataric said.

United Press International featured research by Eileen Crimmins of the USC Davis School finding that Americans are more likely to die before age 50 than residents of many peer countries. “The problem is not limited to people who are poor or uninsured,” Crimmins said. “Even Americans with health insurance, higher incomes, college education and healthy behaviors such as not smoking seem to be sicker than their counterparts in other countries.” The study was also covered by L.A. Weekly.

The New York Times quoted Judith “Jack” Halberstam of the USC Dornsife College about a new generation of LGBT university students.

Los Angeles Times quoted David St. John of the USC Dornsife College about poet Richard Blanco.

Bloomberg Businessweek quoted Michael Barr of the USC Viterbi School about a fire on a Boeing airplane.

NBC News Los Angeles affiliate KNBC-TV interviewed Jody Armour of the USC Gould School about overcrowding in California prisons.

ABC News Los Angeles affiliate KABC-TV interviewed Kathleen Page of the Keck School of USC about her research on the health effects of consuming sugary drinks.

KCET-TV’s “SoCal Connected” interviewed Andrew Lih of the USC Annenberg School about this year’s Consumer Electronics Show.

CBS Radio Los Angeles affiliate KFWB-AM interviewed David Carter of the USC Marshall School about players Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Sammy Sosa being denied entry into baseball’s Hall of Fame.

Los Angeles Times reported on the proposed Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum lease agreement between USC and the state of California. The story was covered by three more Los Angeles Times stories (additional links here and here), Associated Press, KPCC-FM and Fox News Los Angeles affiliate KTTV-TV.

KPCC-FM’s “OnCentral” covered new security measures at USC.

Truthdig ran a column by Richard Reeves of the USC Annenberg School about Hollywood’s influence on American politics.

National Review cited a USC biography of 19th century outlaw Tiburcio Vasquez.