USC Media and Public Relations

City News Service reported that Solomon Golomb of the USC Viterbi School and USC Dornsife College will receive the National Medal of Science from President Barack Obama tomorrow. The award recognizes Golomb’s work on mathematical structures contributing to cell phone and radar technology and communications from Mars. Golomb is celebrating his 50th year at USC. “USC is so proud to have been Professor Golomb’s academic home all these years,” said USC President C. L. Max Nikias. “My research has always been directed by working on problems that I found interesting and challenging, and that I believed I had a chance to solve,” Golomb said.

The Chronicle of Higher Education featured a study by Jerome Lucido of the USC Rossier School about the NFL as a model for college admissions reform. He suggested forming a league of member institutions that agree to common admission goals and practices, as well as the sharing of resources. “If we were to get together on some of these issues, my contention is that would result in greater inclusion and greater rates of success for students,” Lucido said.

Forbes featured a retinal prosthesis developed by Mark Humayun of the Keck School of USC and the USC Viterbi School and colleagues that can restore vision for some blind patients. “No one really thought it would be possible because the tissue around the eye is so soft and delicate,” Humayun said. “If we continue to develop this type of technology and begin to understand the new electrical language of pulses to the brain, to the eye, we can apply it to other parts of the body and we can change our world and how we relate to it.” The Argus II prosthesis, approved for use in Europe, is now awaiting approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

NPR News’ “Talk of the Nation” featured Elyn Saks of the USC Gould School, who wrote a memoir about succeeding despite her schizophrenia. Saks said that when she was diagnosed, doctors told her she would never hold a job. “It’s not one-size-fits-all, and I think it’s a mistake prematurely to tell people to lower their sights, lower their expectations,” Saks said.

Science Codex featured research by Sarah Feakins of the USC Dornsife College and colleagues on northeast African vegetation change over 12 million years. The study suggests that rainforests disappeared long before bipedalism developed in human ancestors, which is sooner than previously believed. ScienceDaily also covered the research.

Ventura County Star featured a prostate cancer presentation by Tanya Dorff of the Keck School of USC. “There has been a tremendous increase in new therapies being developed for prostate cancer in the last five years, making it a very rewarding time to be treating men with prostate cancer,” Dorff said. “My discussion will emphasize hope.”

The New York Observer covered a “netprov” acted out by Mark Marino of the USC Dornsife College and a colleague, using the Twitter account of USC student Spencer Pratt. The netprov — an improv scenario acted out through social media — made it look as though Pratt’s account had been hijacked by a British poet trying to attract attention to his own work. Marino said that the project was Pratt’s idea. “Spencer was introduced to netprovs when he took my writing class at USC,” Marino said.

Business Insider ran a column by Ira Kalb of the USC Marshall School about the Gatorade brand. Kalb wrote that the brand was “media hijacked” by an online petition calling for the removal of the chemical brominated vegetable oil from the beverage. “The branding of ingredients that create decidedly negative images is one of the hazards of doing business in the era of social media,” Kalb noted.

The New York Times quoted Gillian Hadfield of the USC Gould School about the demand for lawyers.

Los Angeles Times quoted Gary Painter of the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate about the housing market.

CBS News interviewed Benjamin Emanuel of the Keck School of USC about former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s coma.

NPR News’ “All Things Considered” interviewed Elizabeth Benjamin and Demetrios Demetriades of the Keck School of USC about advances in trauma care for gunshot victims.

KCET-TV’s “SoCal Connected” interviewed Sean Nordt of the Keck School of USC about the dangers of the drug bath salts.

KCRW-FM interviewed Jody Agius Vallejo of the USC Dornsife College about President Obama’s immigration reform proposal.

San Gabriel Valley Tribune quoted Astrid Heger of the Keck School of USC about a proposed law that would give victims of sexual abuse more time to sue abusers.

The New York Times published SAT study strategies by Keck School of USC student Shaan Patel, who is the author of “SAT 2400 in Just 7 Steps.”

ScienceDaily reported that the Food and Drug Administration approved a clinical trial for an auditory brainstem implant procedure developed by Mark Krieger and J. Gordon McComb of the Keck School of USC and colleagues, and quoted Krieger on the subject.

The Orange County Register noted that Wendy Mitchell of the Keck School of USC treated a pediatric patient with an autoimmune disease triggered by a form of cancer.

Los Angeles Times mentioned that City Councilmember Jan Perry is a USC alumna.

Bay Area News Group noted that the governing board of California’s stem cell agency includes a representative from the Keck School of USC.