FOR ALUMNI AND FRIENDS OF USC DANA AND DAVID DORNSIFE COLLEGE OF LETTERS, ARTS AND SCIENCES

spring / summer 2016 Magazine

The Identity Issue whowho arewe arewe?. From the cell to the pixel, explore how we understand ourselves in the modern world. CONTRIBUTOR

VIET THANH NGUYEN Associate Professor of English and American Studies and Ethnicity

Viet Thanh Nguyen’s 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction puts him in the illustrious company of such doyens of American literature as John Steinbeck, William Faulkner, Ernest Hemingway, Saul Bellow and Toni Morrison — all previous recipients. Nguyen won for his first novel, The Sympathizer (Grove Press, 2015), which explores the Vietnam War from multiple perspectives through the lens of his conflicted protagonist, an American-educated spy for the Viet Cong. “I went into this novel wanting to write without compromise, without worry- ing about what other people would think. The novel is meant to be provocative and critical of all sides in- volved in this war, so there is something here for ev- eryone to dislike,” Nguyen said. “It’s also meant to be as honest, truthful and painful a novel as I could write, and there was no way I could do that if I had to worry about what an audi- ence would think.” Nguyen said winning the Pulitzer felt like a victory. “I think this award marks the necessity in American literature for paying atten- tion to diverse voices that will illuminate American his- tory in important and chal- lenging ways for American audiences.” Nguyen hopes readers reflect on the idea that nurturing a single-sided viewpoint is what draws us into conflict and war.

Photo by Bob Chamberlin © 2016 Los

Angeles Times. Reprinted with Permission.

scan for extras 2 Details Page 5 spring / summer 2016 Our Un-labelable Selves 2 From the Dean As a linguist, I study the diverse ways that the world’s languages mark and identify Contents 4 attributes such as gender and social standing. Categorizing individuals, and the as- USC SLifehoah Foundation Line founder ASsociate dean for communication sociated labels we assign, is an inevitable part of our cognitive system as humans. honored by White House; Professor Emily Cavalcanti But labels do not immutably create, define or cement identity. named California poet laureate; EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Student wins big on Jeopardy!. Darrin S. Joy In this issue of USC Dornsife Magazine, we consider varied perspectives on identity. It’s art director AND PRODUCTION MANAGER important to recognize, as a counterpoint to this, that identity is not static. Discovering 5 social dornsife Dan Knapp our myriad identities as our lives unfold is a constant exploration rather than a problem Faculty member goes to the dogs. director of video production to be solved or a fact to be discerned. I identify as a teacher, a mediator, a mother, a wife, Mira Zimet a sports fan…. 6 from the heart of usc WRITERS AND EDITORS But more foundational than these multifaceted identities is the anchoring sense of Scientist questions El Niño models; Doctoral candidate wows the liter- Susan Bell self upon which they are built — an underlying system of core values and ethics. Or Michelle Salzman Boston what New York Times columnist David Brooks calls “a settled philosophy of fundamental ary community; Research finds the Laura Paisley things.” I believe we craft this sense of self through the human connections we forge with sexes age differently. DESIGNERS parents who profoundly shape our expectations and priorities, professors and mentors Letty Avila who expand our perspective, friends and partners who challenge our beliefs, or even (or 7 Curriculum Matthew Pla Savino perhaps especially) those we encounter through chance interactions. alumni news editor Young adults leaving home, perhaps attending college, are flooded with opportunities 8 Archive Lizzie Hedrick for these defining relationships, many of which are inspiring and even frightening. They videographer and photographer contemplate identities they have long carried, or to which they newly aspire. What can carry 10 Profile Mike Glier them through life’s momentous events and relationships is their underlying selfhood. 13 Coordinator I think that each of us is defined ultimately not by labels, but by this sense of self on Lexicon which our identities rest. It is that un-labelable “me-ness” that settles on our shoulders Letitia Franklin 16 contributORs as both a privilege and a responsibility, bolstering and sustaining us as our lives evolve. The Bench Lynell George, Emily Gersema, Rob Kuznia, Robert Perkins Dani Byrd 20 USC Dornsife administration Our World Interim Dean of USC Dornsife the identity issue Dani Byrd, Interim Dean • Charles McKenna, Vice Dean for Natural 54 Legacy Sciences • Peter C. Mancall, Vice Dean for the Humanities & Social Sciences • 22 Steven Lamy, Vice Dean for Academic Programs • Donal Manahan, Vice 55 dornsife family Dean for Students • George Sanchez, Vice Dean for Diversity & Strategic Alumna, actress and author Initiatives • Stephen Mackey, Chief Operating Officer & Senior Associate Defying the Labels Dean • Eddie Sartin, Senior Associate Dean for Advancement • Kathleen Millennials are stereotyped as lazy, entitled and narcissistic with a thirst for constant validation. Are these reflects on her life as a civil rights Speer, Senior Associate Dean characterizations justified, or are millennials just misunderstood? By Susan Bell proponent; Music aficionado solves USC Dornsife Board of Councilors century-old debate about origins 32 of the sousaphone. Jana Waring Greer, Chair • Robert Alvarado • William Barkett • Leslie Berger • Robert D. Beyer • Susan Casden • Richard S. Flores • Shane Foley • Lisa Goldman • Pierre Habis • Yossie Hollander • Janice Bryant The Transgender Moment? 55 Howroyd • Martin Irani • Dan James • Stephen G. Johnson • Suzanne In a culture of increasing awareness of — and openness toward — the transgender community, how can Faculty News Nora Johnson • Peter YS Kim • Yoon Kim • Samuel King • Arthur Lev • we better understand the nuances of gender identity and help to ensure equal rights for all? By Laura Paisley 56 Robert Osher • Gerald Papazian • Lawrence Piro • Kelly Porter • Michael Faculty Canon Reilly • Harry Robinson • Stephanie Booth Shafran • Carole Shammas • 38 57 Glenn A. Sonnenberg • Kumarakulasingam “Suri” Suriyakumar Alumni News usc dornsife magazine p hoto by Jon Fauer, Fauer, Jon by hoto Molecular You 58 Published twice a year by the USC Dornsife Office of Communication With genomic sequencing becoming increasingly affordable, researchers, clinicians and each of us have Alumni and at the University of Southern California. © 2016 USC Dornsife College. extraordinary access to our genetic blueprint — and the promise and problems that come with it. By Darrin S. Joy The diverse opinions expressed in USC Dornsife Magazine do not neces- Student Canon sarily represent the views of the editors, USC Dornsife administration 44 or USC. USC Dornsife Magazine welcomes comments from its readers to 62 Remembering [email protected] or USC Dornsife Magazine, 1150 S. Olive St. AS

T2400, Los Angeles, CA 90015 C © 64 in my opinion ForThe filmmaker EdoardoCraftsman Ponti, poetry was the key to unlocking his talents as a cinematic storyteller. Fil USC’s oldest graduate offers words By Michelle Salzman Boston m

and and of hope and encouragement.

D 50 igital igital on the cover Like the butterfly Limenitis T i

m Personal Net Worth

es Social media and other digital platforms are enabeling anyone’s voice to be heard, providing ample opportunity arthemis, human beings evolve for each of us to reap the rewards — or consequences — of our online identities. By Darrin S. Joy and transform throughout their lives. Social DORNSIFE

NEWS AND EVENTS Twitter Augmented Reality

@UnruhInstitute: Congrats to our research interns on a successful @AmericaFerrera: Super psyched to be receiving the Young Alumni 11.24.15 partnership w/ @GreenDotSchools @CAParksNow @WeAreRALLY Merit Award from my alma mater! Fight on! Life Line & CalStrat @CSII_USC: ICYMI: @ericgarcetti @Prof_MPastor & local leaders met NO @JodyAVallejo: So honored to be @USCDornsife #FrontlineScholars w/ Obama Admin. Task Force in LA 2 boost #citizenship efforts V

E Help us advance health, improve communities, & environment MB @Jeopardy: A big congrats to Sam Deutsch from @USC for winning USC Dornsife Magazine ER @BedrosianCenter: For #Native American Heritage Month, we the #CollegeChampionship and the grand prize of $100,000. read Rez Life by @USCDornsife Prof @DavidTreuer - check out the offers a great digital experi- #podcast! @USCSpeCol: When a professor talks about “pretty sexy vellum”, you ence using the Layar App. know the books in your library are truly appreciated @DebHarkness 11.30.15–12.4.15 @ZadoEsq: Just donated to FrontlineScholars @USC #GivingTuesday @USCHistory and #FrontlineScholars Student tutors from the Joint @BrutcheyGroup: Congrats to my colleagues Jahan Dawlaty and Educational Project’s @maxschwartztv: Tonight @BobShrum posted the syllabus for his Brent Melot for both being named 2016 Cottrell Scholars by RCSA! ReadersPLUS program distribute D 12.4.15 2016 In Real Time course. Im very excited for it. #USC @USCDornsife @USCChemistry @USCDornsife

600 books — donated by the Ella ECE “Steven’s films are marked Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation @DonnaSI51462949: @USCDornsife - Thoughtful articles. Particu- MB most importantly by a faith — to 300 students in kindergar- larly inspired with Sam Fisher’s Fellow Program. Love the action of

ER Download the free in our common humanity, ten through fifth grade at seven “It’s very emotional for me. ‘passing it forward.’ Layar App the same faith in humanity of USC’s Family of Schools. I was born in California. that led him to create the My place has asked me to Shoah Foundation, and lend serve my art.” Dana Gioia, Judge Widney Instagram a voice to the survivors of Benjamin A. Haddad Professor of Poetry and Public genocide around the world.” (B.A., philosophy, ’77) deliv- Culture, on his appointment by President Obama on presenting Gov. Jerry Brown as California Sp J

ers the keynote address at by Photo ielberg the Presidential Medal of AN poet laureate. Freedom to filmmaker and USC the 10th annual Herbert G. Klein Lecture in La U Trustee Steven Spielberg. AR Jolla, Calif. The lecture is find this symbol Y intended to promote civic throughout magazine, 1.29.16 engagement and community hold smart device

leadership. E Robin Coste Lewis, a doctoral van over the page and

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from her debut book, Voyage of Jeo Press; iated E

B the Sable Venus and Other Poems. R

U More information on page 12. 2.22.16 AR

10 Y The USC Dornsife Office of Discover p

Communication receives seven Sam Deutsch, a junior political ardy! interactive content regional 2016 Awards of Excel- economy major, wins $100,000 lence for the team’s work across during the p

Jeopardy! College hoto design, writing and video from 3.4.16 Championship. He is the fifth the Council for Advancement PUPPY love Trojan to represent USC in the c and Support of Education (CASE), Mark Thompson is installed as tournament since it began in 1988. o ourtesy Lisa Collins, assistant profes- CONNECT WITH USC DORNSIFE including it’s highest honor — the Ray R. Irani, Chairman of sor (teaching) of environ- Check us out on your favorite a Grand Gold award — for Occidental Petroleum Cor- M social media sites. We welcome

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mp Follow our tweets for the is recognized with the 2016 America’s newest pups. son son Tyler Prize for Environ- A latest USC Dornsife news. P p R p mental Achievement for 4.29.16–4.30.16 Meindl Matt by hoto hoto by steve steve by hoto outstanding development of IL dornsife.usc.edu/youtube economic theory to illumi- Jacob Soll, professor of Watch the latest videos from nate the interdependence history and accounting, leads the USC Dornsife community. between human and environ- a conference on the European Economic Crisis that includes dornsife.usc.edu/instagram

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4 Spring / Summer 2016 5 FROM THE HEART OF USC

Numbers GESM 130

first generation

For students who are the first in their families to attend college, Curriculum university life can pose certain challenges. An estimated 3,000 Royal Anthropologist Thomas MayaGarrison leads exploration Discovery of the El Zotz site in Guatemala. By Robert Perkins undergraduates at USC are first- generation. The university is committed to supporting inhabited the valley 1,500 these students. years ago, they deforested the whole region. Today, the jungle has reclaimed the valley, obscuring it with a thick canopy of 14% trees and vines. of freshmen at USC are the first in their families to In 2010, Garrison and attend college. his colleagues brought international attention to El Zotz when they un- covered the intact tomb of a Maya king beneath the 200+ Temple of the Night Sun. family members and first-gen USC students gathered in The tomb was in a pyra- Fall 2015 for The First in the mid known as El Diablo Family program, a welcome perched atop the royal hill. reception and workshop with National Geographic would resources and information later name the find one of addressing their needs. the “discoveries of the year.” Based on the design of On Feb. 6, more other, contemporaneous than 500 first- Maya temples, researchers gen students gathered with theorized that there might faculty, staff be a second tomb in front and alumni for of the original chamber, USC’s inaugural and Garrison spent the first First-Generation College Student part of the field season in Summit: Paths to search of such a tomb. An Success to share excavation of its theorized experiences and location ultimately found to connect as a nothing, but the team

2.6.16 community. continued searching the site. Thomas Garrison was four hours away from camp when he As in 2010, the tomb discovered last year was found GAMING CHINESE CAPITALISM economic history firsthand — The role-playing game He commissioned “China First-year students experience got the call from his co-director Edwin Román. “You’ve when least expected: A Guatemalan archaeologist was Instructor: Brett Sheehan, through a new seminar in the “China Times” spans four Times” for this class, selecting 200 years of Chinese economic got to get back here right now.” cleaning off a low platform when it gave way, opening a professor of history and East general education program. historical eras during which two game design majors, and social history through a Román, calling from El Zotz, a ruined Maya city hidden small void. Although untouched by humans, its contents Asian languages and cultures, Taught by Brett Sheehan, the rules of the political econ- Sean Wejebe of USC School new course that incorporates 89%of first-generation students and director of the East Asian professor of history and direc- omy changed considerably. of Cinematic Arts and Eric an online role-playing game. deep within Guatemala’s Maya Biosphere Reserve, had ex- had been looted by rats. earn their degrees at USC in citing news. One of Garrison’s archaeological teams work- The furry intruders consumed and destroyed everything Studies Center tor of the East Asian Studies Players transition through the Nelson of USC Viterbi School of six years or fewer. ing the site had hit pay dirt — a burial chamber that could organic, but they left intact four beautiful polychrome Center, the course is ground- late Qing Dynasty, the Repub- Engineering, to help him create contain the remains of royalty. bowls. One bore the name of a king: Bakab K’inich, which breaking in its use of a custom- lican period, the Communist the interactive digital game.

S designed online game that lets era under Mao Zedong and “Not only am I learning about Garrison, assistant professor (teaching) of anthropol- translates roughly from Maya as “the sun god who is first heehan p ogy and spatial sciences, is the principal investigator for the in the land.” hoto students put their classroom China’s rising economy in the modern Chinese history from learning into practice. post-Mao period. a refreshing perspective,” p exploration of El Zotz. Each year, Garrison brings USC With mere days left in the excavation season — before c hoto by Peter hoto by Peter 1972The year USC’s Norman o ourtesy “For a long time I had this “In the last 200 years said international relations undergraduates to explore the Maya ruins as part of his heavy rains transformed the already-muddy roads that lead Topping Student Aid Fund Problems Without Passports courses, “Maya Resilience” to El Zotz into an impassable sludge — Garrison and his idea of having a class that was China has experienced radical major Jenny Xu, “the game- was created. The fund offers run as a game,” Sheehan said. changes in the political econo- play experience has really

and “Field Research in Maya Archaeology.” Through crew worked feverishly to excavate the tomb. With the f

supplemental scholarships for R “I thought this would be a my, ranging from laissez-faire helped me to understand how these courses, as well as his classes at USC, he shares with clock ticking, they documented the tomb and preserved its Perkins obert first-generation students and Z haoyu Last Fall’s class of first-year great opportunity to experi- to agricultural economy, from people in China had to students from the surrounding students his love of exploration of the past. contents. USC neighborhood, though the El Zotz spreads out over roughly 2 square kilometers of “You never know what’s out there, and you never know students at USC had an oppor- ment with something new that strict socialism to the new constantly make choices Z scholarships are not limited to jungle that encompass a massive royal palace and temple what you’re going to find in any given year,” Garrison said. hou tunity to experience the tumult would help students engage millionaires of its current during these periods of those populations. on a hill overlooking the valley below. When the Maya “That’s the mystery, and part of the appeal, of archaeology.” of the last 200 years of Chinese with the material.” economy,” Sheehan said. turmoil.” —L.P.

scan for extras scan for extras Spring / Summer 2016 7 6 Details Page 5 Details Page 5 FROM THE HEART OF USC

folklore and popular culture Recognition

The Mothman dysfunctions are common in cancer cells. Our studies now Point Pleasant, W.Va., 1967 suggest how these dysfunctions can affect heterochromatin ArchiveIn the mid-1960s, whispers of a Nuclear Repair Agent repair and have a causative role in cancer progression.” 7-foot-tall humanoid creature Once thought to be only a boundary for the cell’s This study may help reveal how and why organisms be- with large wings and red eyes nucleus, the nuclear membrane actually repairs DNA. come more predisposed to cancer as they age — the nuclear m

began circulating in the com- e

m membrane progressively deteriorates as an organism ages, munity of Point Pleasant, W.Va. brane removing this bulwark against genome instability. Few residents gave the sight- SARAH GUALTIERI

p The scientists ultimately hope to understand how this ings credence. That was, until hoto mechanism functions in human cells and identify new Fellow, National Endowment the Silver Bridge collapsed. for Humanities c strategies to prevent their catastrophic failure and cancer On Dec. 15, 1967, 31 vehicles o ourtesy Gualtieri, associate professor of formation. —R.P. American studies and ethnicity, and 46 victims plunged into the history and Middle East studies, murky Ohio River. Engineers has been awarded a National f

I say the suspension bridge fell students Chiolo; rene Endowment for the Humani- due to a 2.5mm defect in a ties Fellowship for her research single eyebar; however, some project “Arabness Unbound: Cool Science for Kids Syrian Migrants in Southern witnesses contend they saw A workshop helps elementary school students embrace California and Their Transna- the creature — by then known science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). tional Imaginaries, 1880-1945.” as “the Mothman” — atop the bridge before it gave way. p Fourth-grader Lea Stevenson was proudly clutching her hoto by susan bell; gualtieri gualtieri bell; susan by hoto Tales of the Mothman first flash drive — a gift to each student participating in have spread widely and the the computer workshop organized by the Joint Educa- creature is now considered a Scientists have found a new function of the nuclear mem- tional Project’s (JEP) Young Scientists Program (YSP). harbinger of death. Mothman brane, the envelope that encases and protects DNA in the One of 50 fourth- and fifth-grade students from Lenicia sightings were reported after nucleus of a cell — fixing potentially fatal breaks in DNA B. Weemes Elementary School who participated in the the 1985 Mexico City earth- strands. workshop, Stevenson, who said she’d like to study science at quake, the 1986 meltdown at The nuclear membrane previously was thought to be USC when she grows up, was brimming with enthusiasm. SCOTT FRASER the Chernobyl Nuclear Power mostly just a protective bubble around the nuclear mate- Students learned how to write computer code, design National Academy of p Plant and the 2009 Swine Flu Peter by hoto rial, with pores acting as channels to transport molecules games and control robots through instructions sent wire- Inventors outbreak in Chihuahua, Mexico. Fraser, Elizabeth Garrett Chair in and out. But in a study published in Nature Cell Biology, lessly from a computer. They also listened to a talk by simu- in Convergent Bioscience and In addition to the museum a research team led by Irene Chiolo, Gabilan Assistant lation supervisor Claudia Chung Sanii from Walt Disney Provost Professor, has been and life-size statue along Point Professor of Biological Sciences, documents how broken Animation Studios, who explained how she uses computer elected a fellow by the National

Pleasant’s Main Street, the leg- Z Academy of Inventors. Fraser haoyu haoyu strands of a portion of DNA known as heterochromatin science to create realistic clothing and hair movement for was recognized for demon- end of the Mothman is alive in are dragged to the nuclear membrane for repair. animated characters. USC’s Digital Folklore Archives, strating “a highly prolific spirit Z

hou; hou; DNA exists inside of a cell’s nucleus in two forms: euchro- Tammara Anderson, executive director of JEP, said YSP’s of innovation in creating or which support USC Dornsife’s matin and heterochromatin. Euchromatin encodes most of most important mission is to help kids overcome fear of facilitating outstanding f interdisciplinary minor in folk- by Photo raser the genome. Heterochromatin, mostly composed of repeated science or math. “Our job is to make STEM subjects exciting inventions that have made a lore and popular culture. DNA sequences, has long been ignored as “junk DNA.” so they want to delve deeper. Then, when they get to college, tangible impact on quality of “USC showcases an innova- life, economic development “Scientists are now starting to pay a lot of attention to they’ll be ready to go; they won’t be afraid.” —S.B. and the welfare of society.” tive, open-access digital twist this mysterious component of the genome,” said Chiolo. on the classic folklore archive,”

j “Heterochromatin is not only essential for chromosome ohn livzey; livzey; ohn said USC’s resident folklor- maintenance during cell division, it also poses specific ist, Tok Thompson, associate threats to genome stability. Heterochromatin is poten- professor (teaching) of anthro- tially one of the most powerful driving forces for cancer pology and communication. H ondagneu- formation, but it is the ‘dark matter’ of the genome. We “USC’s folklore archives com- are just beginning to unravel how repair works here.” prise folklore collected mostly The reason why we don’t experience thousands of can- by USC folklore students, and I S llustration by by llustration

otelo Photo by by Photo otelo cers every day in our body is because we have incredibly includes examples of multiple efficient molecular mechanisms that repair the frequent Pierrette Hondagneu- Sotelo genres from all over the world damage occurring in our DNA. But, those that work in — from Ecuadorean riddles to Distinguished Career Award heterochromatin are quite extraordinary. Hondagneu-Sotelo, professor Taiwanese ghost stories … and “Repeated sequences tend to recombine with each of sociology and associate m E atthew atthew even stories and rituals that ri other during DNA repair,” said Taehyun Ryu, USC director of USC Dornsife’s Center c take place at USC.” —D.K. a Christiansen for the Study of Immigrant Dornsife graduate student and first author on the study. Integration, received the 2015 p

la savino la “This would lead to chromosome aberrations as frequently Distinguished Career Award According to legend, the observed in cancer cells. What prevents these outcomes in from the American Sociological Mothman was first spotted in normal cells was unclear.” Association’s Section on Inter- a West Virginia bog in 1966. As Chiolo explained: “We knew that nuclear membrane national Migration.

8 Spring / Summer 2016 9 FROM THE HEART OF USC

lauren santo domingo ’98

Unapologetically — the list goes on. in her current roles with Moda Glamorous Tall and slender with exqui- Operandi and Vogue. “I can Physics of El Niño Scroll through entrepreneur site style, Santo Domingo’s immediately recall images and Profile Julien Emile-Geay of earth sciences finds clues for and style icon Lauren Santo visage fits seamlessly among designers, and that extends understanding El Niño in ancient corals and clams. Domingo’s Pinterest page and these women. The alumna, now to rooms, houses, interior you will find an impeccably who earned a bachelor’s designers, paintings — you curated collection of images. degree in history from USC name it, I have a very strong On the social media site, Dornsife in 1998, is herself a visual library.” Santo Domingo’s assemblages model and muse for designers Santo Domingo lives in run the gamut of beauty, such as Proenza Schouler. In New York City, where Moda luxury, fashion and days gone 2011, she co-founded Moda Operandi’s corporate offices by. Her page has been praised Operandi, an online business are located, with her husband, by Time magazine’s style sec- that allows upscale customers Andrés, and their two children, tion, Mashable, Refinery29 and to pre-order designer looks Nicolas and Beatrice. So far, her other fashion and technology straight from the runway. business, now in its fifth year, publications. Somehow she also finds the has been incredibly successful. Among the dozens of collec- time to co-chair the Met Gala, “I love nothing more than tions with titles like “Beach one of the biggest annual a customer telling me how House,” “Voguepedia,” “Urban events in fashion, and to write she discovered her favorite An analysis of fossil corals and mollusk shells from the Garden” and “LSD’s Fashion about style as a contributing designer through Moda Pacific Ocean reveals there is no link between the strength Week Favorites,” you’ll find cat- editor at Vogue, where she pens Operandi,” she said. of seasonal differences and the climate pattern called El egories like “History 101,” with the column “APT with LSD.” “We pride ourselves on find- Niño. The finding contradicts the top nine climate models images of the Beatles’ last pub- “The first thing I think about ing the best designers around in use today, which associate exceptionally hot summers lic performance on the London in the morning is coffee — the world and presenting them and cold winters with weak El Niños, and vice versa. rooftop of their Apple Records immediately — and then, ‘Is my to our clients. Moda Operandi “The idea behind this link is based on very well-estab- headquarters and a photo of iPhone charged?’ ” she quipped. has introduced dozens of new lished physics, so it’s appealing to think that nature works Prince Charles and Princess After earning her degree, designers: Delpozo, Johanna this way. But our analysis shows that it’s not that simple,” Diana on honeymoon aboard she got an insider’s view of the Ortiz, Rosie Assoulin, Brock said Julien Emile-Geay, assistant professor of earth sciences. the royal yacht Britannia. fashion industry as a fash- Collection and M2Malletier, to Emile-Geay checked the models against data collected by Santo Domingo is drawn to ion market editor at Vogue, name a few. Our customers are his co-authors on shells and fossil corals spanning the last visual imagery. “When I see where she would pull looks for savvy and sophisticated 10,000 years. something I like for the first renowned stylists like Grace women. There is an earned Because shells form by crystalizing calcium carbonate time, some sort of synapse Coddington, Tonne Goodman trust between us and they from the surrounding water, they record information such fires,” she said. Her work in and Camilla Nickerson. know we are providing the as the prevalence of various isotopes of oxygen, which varies the fashion industry feeds her “That is where it really began most up-to-date, amazing with temperature. desire for fresh inspiration. for me,” Santo Domingo said. fashion, always.” Analyzing specimens taken from locations throughout “In fashion, we really crave “For three years, all I did all She credits her history degree the ocean, the team was able to reconstruct a detailed history newness. It’s an industry day was deal with clothes, and for providing a foundation that of climate in the tropical Pacific. where we see such change four I loved it.” has been essential throughout Emile-Geay then compared this data set to the predic- times a year — designers are She recalled, “My job was to her career. tions of nine state-of-the-art climate models. He found that putting out new collections, see all of the collections going “I was studying feudal the models generally fail to simulate lengthy periods of sub- different points of view. I think down the runway, every single Japan, Czarist Russia and the dued El Niños. The models that came close did so by relying that’s part of the thing that I’m look by every single designer. splendors of Versailles and Lauren Santo Domingo’s on an earth-sun configuration that ran contrary to observed drawn to. I’m always seeking I had to get those looks for the ancient Rome. All of these passion for style and her visual conditions. out something new. Some- fashion editors who would of- incredibly luxurious and acuity developed at a young age. “The causes for prolonged periods of weak El Niño are times, it’s almost like a visual tentimes just say, ‘I want the decadent periods of history,” Her mother, Judy, is an artist. either beyond the current models, or we’re missing an im- restlessness, always wanting, finale look from Marc Jacobs.’ Santo Domingo said. “That “I never envisioned myself portant piece of the puzzle,” Emile-Geay said. “This points craving, seeing things that are “When I started, I would have to knowledge serves me quite working in fashion, although, p to deficiencies in the way these models simulate various new and inspiring.” go back and look on Style.com well, having a business that hoto I was always attracted to it,” Witness her board of to see what that last look was,” caters to a world of luxury.”

c Santo Domingo said. “Growing

aspects of tropical Pacific climate, from average conditions I llustration by letty avila letty by llustration to the march of seasons to El Niño itself.” “Unapologetically Glamorous Santo Domingo laughed. “I Her own fashion philosophy ourtesy o up, I was surrounded by my Emile-Geay hopes his findings will be used to refine Women,” with images of iconic quickly trained myself so that I is that getting dressed should mother’s creativity, but I was ladies such as swinging ’60s could remember any look that be amusing, and not to over more attracted to creation then. climate models further, making them ever more accurate. f “Building climate models is like building a ladder to the “It” girl Charlotte Rampling went down the runway. I really think it. Moda In theory, modeling was my casually smoking a cigarette, was required to have a vast “The goal is to get the nod of first step into the fashion world” moon,” he said. “They are not perfect, but they are reaching Op Elizabeth Taylor as Cleopatra, catalogue of references, which approval from a girlfriend, but for the heavens. It’s a long process, and one in which the pa- erandi — she began as a high school leoclimate record can teach us a lot about the inner workings fashion muse Loulou de La Fal- changed at least twice a year.” not to get an eye-roll from my sophomore — “but in practice, of the climate system.” —R.P. aise reclining on a chaise lounge That talent comes in handy husband.” —M.S.B. it was when I started at Vogue.”

10 Spring / Summer 2016 11 FROM THE HEART OF USC

Word sociology in the news Quotables phubbing “If there were \fub-ing\, \fəbıŋ\, \’fəb-ing\ Lexicon verb 1. The act of snubbing a financially sound ways person in a social setting by to beat the lottery, LiteraryPh.D. student Robin Coste Lewis garners Triumph a National Book Award for her debut book of poems. By Susan Bell looking at one’s mobile phone hedge funds and the instead of paying attention rest of Wall Street and that I stand at the end to the person. would have been all of a long, long line of a Origin: This modern over it long ago.” remarkable and rich poetic neologism arose from a public- ity campaign by Australia’s Ken Alexander, professor of tradition that reaches back Macquarie Dictionary. In mathematics, in a Jan. 12 Forbes to the 18th century,” Lewis article on the odds of winning said, adding that personally 2012, McCann Melbourne, the the lottery. she was “overwhelmed with advertising agency behind the joy and incomprehension” campaign, selected a group at the honor, which has of lexicographers, authors “As an economist, gone to some of the nation’s and poets to coin a word to my training in how most celebrated poets. describe the behavior of ignoring Lewis’ book is a triptych someone in favor of interact- individuals invest ing with a phone. The term, during times of with the title poem, the 79-page Voyage of the Sable further publicized by the “Stop uncertainty leads me Venus, bookended by two Phubbing” campaign created by to a much different sections of autobiograph- McCann, has since appeared in prediction: America’s ical and ekphrastic lyrical media around the world. poems. She edited the book Usage: “The constant need coastal cities are going to check our phones is like to adapt, get ahead during her first year at USC Dornsife. the 21st-century version of of climate change “All three sections ei- daydreaming. People use it to and be just fine.” ther address visual culture stave off boredom or to allay Matthew Kahn, professor of and various projections anxiety about transient social economics and spatial sciences, onto black female bodies, interactions. In intimate so- in a Jan. 20 op-ed in Harvard or they deal with desire cial situations, such as family Business Review on why rising dinners or dates, ‘phubbing’ sea levels won’t doom U.S. and race — how history coastal cities. impacts or ruptures those can be even more detrimen- experiences,” Lewis said. tal, sending an implicit mes- Her poetry has received sage that we are uninterested widespread critical acclaim, or emotionally unavailable. “Prayer is a ritualized I’ve had friends return from way in which people including a glowing review from The New Yorker, which a date thrilled, telling me, are able to bring described her “arrest- ‘Wow! He didn’t look at his those four elements ing book” as “a many phone once.’ ” of religion together chambered and remarkable Photo by [community, rituals collection.” The book also received a coveted starred of hope, moments Am

USC Dornsife doctoral candidate Robin Coste Lewis review from Publishers Weekly. anda of personal tran- was named winner of the 2015 National Book Award David St. John, University Professor of English and scendence and deeper for Poetry — one of the nation’s most prestigious liter- Comparative Literature and chair of English, said the Sc hwengel, S purpose] and really ary prizes. A Provost’s Fellow in the Ph.D. in Creative intellectual edge of Lewis’ book “pares away at our cul- ternhei shape meaning and Writing and Literature program and a teaching assistant tural lies and those assumptions that have helped to frame m c in the Thematic Option program, Lewis won the award a historical justification and sustained tolerance of racial er Photo by create community ourtesy o when things feel out for her debut book, Voyage of the Sable Venus and Other injustice.” of control.” Poems (Knopf, 2015) — only the third time in the award’s Currently, Lewis is writing her doctoral dissertation on 65-year history that a debut collection has taken the top the visual representations of Oscar Wilde in the United f Karen Sternheimer, associate

E H ri Brie Loskota, executive a professor (teaching) of sociology,

prize. The last occasion was in 1974. States. She won the 2015 Anne Friedberg Memorial mp c director of the USC Dornsife a Christiansen Lewis said she was stunned and astonished by the award, Research Grant from the Visual Studies Research shire College studies media and social change. Center for Religion and Civic Culture, in a Dec. 3 KPCC-FM which was announced on Nov. 18 in New York City. Institute for the most outstanding and interdisciplinary Her research focuses on issues interview about why people “As a student of literature, and African American graduate student research proposal. She is also working related to popular culture and pray following tragedies such poetry specifically, I understand the historical significance on a new book on the intersection of the history of black youth, particularly anxiety as mass shootings. of this award. I understand that it is a very profound honor, photography and black poetry. surrounding both.

scan for extras Spring / Summer 2016 13 12 Details Page 5 FROM THE HEART OF USC

Viewpoint Spotlight expert opinions Needham and Fuhrman’s findings also have bearing “... stereotypes have on the causes of algal blooms, which remain shrouded in Algal Altercations mystery. Temperature and nutrient content of the ocean consequences for the Scientists find that algal blooms involve microbial mobility of young have been shown to help trigger the blooms, but they skirmishes, with the front lines shifting daily. remain unpredictable. —R.P. Europe’s Refugee Crisis Latinos, a growing As Europe struggles to cope with the largest flow of refugees since World War II, SCU Dornsife experts explore the segment of our issues surrounding this unprecedented migration. By Susan Bell population whose integration is critical More than a million refugees and migrants arrived in One worrying reason for Europe’s failure to follow Ger- China in Miniature Europe last year — most from the Middle East, particularly many’s lead is the rise of far right, anti-immigrant parties. to the social, political Doctoral student Di Luo is shedding light on mysterious and economic vitality war-torn Syria. They were the lucky ones: More than 3,400 “We’re seeing rising intolerance in even the most histori- miniatures used to ornament Chinese Buddhist temples. died attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea in 2015. cally tolerant societies,” said Steven Lamy, professor of in- Safiya Sinclair ’19 of the United States.” “One thing we know about migrants who make these ternational relations and vice dean for academic programs. Student, Ph.D. in Creative Jody Agius Vallejo, Di Luo, a Ph.D. student in East Asian languages and difficult journeys is that in many cases they simply reach If Western European countries are long accustomed to Writing and Literature associate professor of sociology, cultures, is studying some of the world’s tiniest build- the point where they feel it’s no worse to die than to remain multiculturalism, Eastern European countries like Hungary Program in an April 26 op-ed posted on The Conversation about the long- ings — the perfectly scaled wooden miniatures that adorn where they were living,” said Laurie Brand, Robert Grand- are not. term effects of racist rhetoric on the ceilings and walls of Chinese Buddhist temples and ford Wright Professor and professor of international rela- “They’re much more conservative and hew to tradi- Latino Americans. monasteries. tions and Middle East studies, and director of the Middle tional values, and they’re simply baffled and frightened,” “The award is an “They are made of wood, but they are not carved,” Luo East Studies Program. English said. affirmation that the “We have rituals said. “Instead they were built piece by piece, just like real “The starting point is fragile or failed states,” said Robert “This surge of ‘alien people’ is a gift to the far right, and work that I’m doing architecture.” English, associate professor of international relations, Slavic the backlash is enormous.” is resonating with the for birth, puberty, Measuring about 24 inches tall, the miniatures are as languages and literatures, and environmental studies, and These feelings are exacerbated by economic inequality. marriage and other people who read it. An unseen war raging among the ocean’s tiniest organ- enigmatic as they are beautiful. interim director of the School of International Relations. Hungarian and Croatian citizens earn well below a third of For me, a large part of important life transi- isms has significant implications for understanding the “We don’t know who made them, or why,” Luo said. Meanwhile, Europe is struggling to cope. the average income of their German EU partners. tions. Why don’t we ocean’s role in climate change. “Their makers never left a name.” Images of the continent’s woefully inadequate refugee “Understandably, leaders don’t want to welcome any new being a poet is making have rituals related Researchers David Needham and Jed Fuhrman sam- Luo came to USC in 2007 to study architecture but was camps are in brutal contrast with September’s heartwarm- burden,” English said. “And refugees strain these countries’ sure that what I’m to retirement that pled water off the coast of Southern California nearly drawn to Chinese architectural history. bloo algal ing footage showing cheering Germans welcoming weary resources to breaking point.” trying to say will have would launch us every day for five months after an algal bloom occurred. In 2014, thanks to a USC Graduate School Research and grateful refugees. Right wing commentators have blamed unwillingness a second life outside They found traces of a constant battle among dozens of Enhancement Fellowship and a doctoral grant from Some European countries offered to absorb limited num- to welcome refugees on fears of terrorist infiltration. Lamy of myself that blooms into what might be species of phytoplankton, with the fortunes of war favor- the Metropolitan Center for Far Eastern Art Studies, m bers, while others balked at taking any. Even Germany, noted that while this is a legitimate concern, it isn’t the main s Photo Courtesy o Courtesy s Photo to life in the readers.” the most productive ing different organisms daily. Luo spent three months visiting Buddhist temples and alarmed by migrant flow across its borders, made a U-turn cause of European reluctance. That lies in the competition and meaning-filled “We witnessed a daily boom and bust among the phyto- monasteries in China to research miniatures. last November. And in a move condemned by other for scarce — or perceived to be scarce — economic resources. Doctoral student Safiya Sinclair period of our lives?” plankton species,” said Fuhrman, McCulloch-Crosby Luo is aiming for a career in academe. European Union mem- won a prestigious 2016 Whiting Chair in Marine Biology and professor of biological “One of my future research directions would be to con- bers, Hungary erected Award for Poetry, given annu- Donald Miller, Leonard K. ally to emerging writers based Firestone Professor of Religion, sciences and senior author of the study. tinue with the topic of miniaturization, but concentrating barbed wire fences along on early accomplishments f

in a March 16 op-ed in Forbes Scientists concerned with global warming have a vested on finding it in non-Chinese art.” —S.B. D its borders to keep mi- and the promise of great work suggesting how one might use interest in studying phytoplankton, which perform roughly avid grants out. to come. Her poems have

the talents cultivated in the N appeared in several prominent

half of the world’s carbon fixation, converting carbon eedha “Ironically, the econo- decades of a working life to literary venues, including Po- create a meaningful experience dioxide from the atmosphere into organic compounds that mies of France, Italy and etry, Kenyon Review and Bos- m in retirement. other organisms can then use. Fuhr Jed and Germany have long de- ton Review. Her first full-length Different phytoplankton manage carbon dioxide to vary- pended on immigrant la- poetry collection, Cannibal ing degrees, however, making it important for researchers bor, and their birthrates (University of Nebraska Press), “Far from being to gain a more nuanced understanding of algal blooms if are so low that their econ- which is due out in September, won a Prairie Schooner Book years of ‘enduring they hope to measure their role in carbon fixation. m omies will actually shrink an; an; Prize in Poetry. failure,’ the last The authors were surprised not only by the sheer and become poorer un- For Sinclair, who grew up c 150 years have been diversity of phytoplankton in the bloom they studied, but orna hinese less they welcome immi- in Montego Bay, Jamaica, philosophy’s best.” also by the constant and abrupt shifts in which species grants,” English said. place has always been central dominated. “However, when refu- to her writing. “Without the Scott Soames, Distinguished landscape and language of my sin Also, as the phytoplankton varied, so did the species of m gees arrive in this fashion childhood, my poems don’t Professor of Philosophy and direc- ents c tor of the USC Dornsife School of other microorganisms that feed on the organic material lair — in one sudden surge and exist,” she said. “Even if I’m not

p physically at home, it’s always Philosophy, in a March 7 op-ed produced by them. On one of the sample days, the team hoto especially from an Islamic p in The New York Times on how was shocked to discover that the dominant species were in by hoto country — the political in the background of whatever specialization in philosophy makes c I’m writing.” a group called the Archaea — single-celled microorgan- o ourtesy pushback becomes intense.” communication and cooperation She is working on a memoir D among disciplines possible. isms once thought to live only in extreme environments iani This need for millions of about her childhood growing like hot springs. skilled workers to replace up in a strict Rastafarian family S f in See inside back cover for “Until the 1990s, nobody thought Archaea were even luo di its dwindling population and her experience of being a c details on the “Viewpoint” lair woman in a highly patriarchal present in the sea in appreciable numbers,” said Needham, partially explains Germa- society. opinion series. a postdoctoral fellow and lead author of the study. ny’s initial enthusiasm.

14 Spring / Summer 2016 15 FROM THE HEART OF USC

biological sciences

Cockburn, who also is director of the Division of Disease Prevention and Global Health at Keck School of Medicine, TheDemystifying sour Bench Making the cell Three Dimensions of noted that the course’s inclusion of spatial sciences is a unique Of the five basic tastes, sour more acidic, too and vital aspect. remains the most mysteri- Like strong acids, weak acids “We need a new generation of scholars who can work ous — to the point that the 2,000-10,000Number of taste buds humans have release hydrogen ions that Well-Being seamlessly across the population, spatial and health sciences tongue’s sour receptor still has pass through proteins in the A new interdisciplinary doctoral program addresses to improve that understanding.” —S.B. not been identified, and the cell membrane, triggering a modern health-care challenges. ways in which it receives sour sour sensation. However, weak stimuli remain the object of 10-14 acids can go even further, intense research. Number of days crossing the cell membrane on “Before 2006, we didn’t even taste buds live their own to acidify the fluid BUGS Launched know definitively which cells inside the cell. A new program launched through The Bridge@USC detect sour taste,” said Emily “Taste represents a fairly di- aims to train the next generation of scientists. Liman, professor of biological rect link between sensation and sciences, who recently discov- perception, so it’s an interest- In Summer 2015, The Bridge@USC initiative launched a ered a new way in which taste ing window into how our body program designed to train young students in science. The cells discern sourness. and mind are connected,” Liman Bridge UnderGraduate Science Program, or BUGS, wel- In 2010, Liman identified one said. “The mechanism that we comed 17 undergraduates and high schoolers to partici- of the molecular pathways by discovered not only explains pate in customized research projects in USC laboratories. which acidic substances trig- why weak acids taste more sour BUGS offered opportunities for the students to engage in ger the sour taste sensation. than strong acids, but it may cross-disciplinary research projects aimed at assembling an Hydrogen ions released by also explain how we can detect atomic-resolution model of man within a dynamic scientific acids directly enter taste cells relatively low concentrations community. on your tongue, triggering an of protons because it predicts “One of the dreams of The Bridge@USC is to train the electrical signal to the brain. that there would an amplifica- Spatial science has grown rapidly in recent years, becoming next generation of scientists and engineers to think in a more tion of the initial signal.” crucial to understanding the role and significance of place convergent or holistic way,” said Raymond Stevens, Provost More than pH in human well-being — a major research focus for the next Professor of Biological Sciences and Chemistry and director If that were the only way that The longest human tongue two decades. of The Bridge@USC. sour taste was produced, then ever to be recorded was To address those issues, the Spatial Sciences Institute BUGS works to instill in students a sense of curiosity and the lower the pH, the more sour in. 1 2 3 4 3.97 inches from back to tip. (SSI) at USC Dornsife launched an interdisciplinary Ph.D. infinite possibilities in school, science and life. Mentors from something should taste. How- The widest tongue measured program in population, health and place jointly with the several research labs at The Bridge@USC guided students ever, some substances — such 3.4 inches. Department of Sociology and Keck School of Medicine of through research methods and problem-solving techniques. as vinegar — taste more sour USC’s Department of Preventive Medicine. The scientists-in-training also participated in lab meet- than one would expect based “Our primary goal is to position our graduates among the ings, read and discussed scientific articles in a journal club, on their pH. leading scholars and practitioners working to clarify the role and heard several personal perspectives on the journey into A substance’s pH is just part and significance of place in shaping future human health scientific research in a special series of career symposia. of the answer. The concentration and well-being,” said SSI director John Wilson, professor of “We’re learning how to work in a lab and the day-to- of weak acids — such as acetic sociology, civil and environmental engineering, computer day life of a scientist,” said biological sciences major David acid found in vinegar — plays science, and architecture. Manahan ’18. a significant role in how sour The new doctoral program is designed to create scientists The summer program culminated in a final symposium they taste, according to a study with deep knowledge and skills in one discipline and excel- where students presented a summary of their efforts to their published in Proceedings of Monika by Photo bugs avila; letty by illustration lent working knowledge of the other two. peers, families and guests, as well as The Bridge@USC the National Academy of Each taste bud has 50 to “The multidisciplinary training and research provided by faculty, mentors and staff. Sciences by a research group 100 receptor cells. Sticking the program will produce cohorts of scientists ready to … led by Liman. out of these receptor cells are capitalize on the growing field of spatial science as it applies Previous studies also showed tiny taste hairs that assess to improving the public’s health,” said Myles Cockburn, that the concentration of a the food chemicals in your professor of preventive medicine and spatial sciences. weak acid, in addition to its pH, saliva then send a signal to The program capitalizes on the variety of world-leading determines its sourness. your brain. expertise in population, place and health that already exists By marking sour taste cells The five basic at USC. with a fluorescent protein, Liman tastes are: Liman’s co-authors include “This interdisciplinary approach provides the much- discovered that there’s another sweetness, sourness, saltiness, researchers from USC, the needed basis for new scholars in sociology and other related way to detect sour tastes. bitterness, and umami. In almost 1/2 University of Colorado Medical social sciences to work collaboratively with other research- There is a potassium channel Japanese, umami translates to Taste perception fades with School and the University of ers and policy makers grappling with issues in which the that makes sour taste cells “a pleasantly savory” taste — age; we lose almost half of Vermont. The research was life course and place influence human well-being,” said B extremely sensitive to changes such as that of a cheeseburger our taste receptors by the eal supported by the National Jennifer Hook, associate professor of sociology, spatial in the cell’s intracellular pH. or cream of mushroom soup. time we turn 20. 80%of what we experience as taste is actually smell. Institutes of Health. sciences and gender studies. scan for extras scan for extras Spring / Summer 2016 17 16 Details Page 5 Details Page 5 FROM THE HEART OF USC

Spotlight Numbers

the species as a whole even if it does ultimately shorten the Shakespeare at 400 individuals’ lifespans. Such genes would, against common Why do Shakespeare’s works Gender Inequality wisdom, be selected for. continue to resonate with each The mifespristone intervention appears to prevent such generation four centuries after Passion for Trash a trade-off between lifespan and reproductive ability — his death? USC Dornsife expert Bruce Smith points to writer Ben Joshua Goldstein of history and East Asian languages and cultures studies the underground recycling industry in Aging albeit a sex-dependent one. in China. John Tower of biological sciences finds evidence Johnson who said in 1623 that By Lizzie Hedrick Tower’s study supports the idea that sexual antagonis- Shakespeare was “not of an age, supporting the theory that the sexes age differently. tic pleiotropy — where a gene benefits one sex but has a but for all time.” A graduate student living in Beijing in 1995, Joshua recycling process for subsistence,” Goldstein said. “There detriment for the other — keeps genes in the genome that Explained Smith, Dean’s Pro- fessor of English: “Shakespeare Goldstein was fascinated by the throngs of people who were lines of stalls going on forever where people purchased shorten the life span of both sexes. —R.P. reveals a different face to differ- passed him every day on bicycles piled high with what different recyclable products, but in the ’90s the conditions ent cultures and different people AUSTIN REAGAN ’16 appeared to be every kind of trash. One afternoon, were abysmal. It looked as if they lived in giant trash heaps.” at different times.”S mith is the Environmental Studies and he hopped on his bike and followed them. The short trip led As time passed, Goldstein noticed a peculiar evolution editor of The Cambridge Guide Political Science Major to an erratically organized garbage heap, where vendors take place. to the Worlds of Shakespeare, published by Cambridge paid a pittance for paint cans and empty bottles sorted “The vendors were more and more well-off,” Goldstein Anxiety = Dementia? University Press in February. according to what they had once contained — soy sauce recalled. “The Beijing government — wanting to maintain Psychology researchers find that anxiety may be a “I think it’s funda- here, vegetable oil there. control — kept clamping down on them, but could never significant factor in memory loss. mental that given At the time, Goldstein — now an associate professor of stop them.” certain circumstances history and East Asian languages and cultures — was con- According to research, China’s underground recycling People who experienced high anxiety any time in their 400 and given the right ducting research for his dissertation on Peking Opera. But business is now among the country’s largest industries. lives had a 48 percent higher risk of developing dementia April 23 marked the 400th he has always been drawn to studying homelessness and “I argue that the government should work with the in- compared to those who did not, according to a study led by anniversary of William platform, we can all Shakespeare’s death. effect change. I’ve poverty, holding hope that he can raise awareness of this formal sector to help mitigate the health and environmental postdoctoral scholar Andrew Petkus of psychology. intractable worldwide problem. He has published several damage,” Goldstein said. “Because they have the materials The findings were based on an examination of more than always been fascinated articles on his research. and the labor, China is in an ideal position to set the stan- 1,000 twins from the Swedish Adoption Twin Study of by science policy — “I was interested in the situation of migrant workers who dard for the world on how to create a safe and sustainable Aging, overseen by the Karolinska Institutet of Sweden. 1st how people use, or came to cities from the countryside to participate in this recycling industry.” What helps her live longer might be harmful to him, People who have high levels of anxiety tend to have Shakespeare is often identi- according to a study that sheds light on how and why higher levels of stress hormones, including cortisol, which fied as the orginator of what don’t use, research to have become commonly used inform environmental organisms age. can damage parts of the brain responsible for memory and phrases such as “It’s Greek to legislation.” Analyzing years of research involving fruit flies and mice, for high-level thinking, according to Petkus. me,” “green-eyed jealousy,” John Tower, professor of biological sciences, and his col- The subjects with anxiety who later developed dementia “tongue-tied,” “hoodwinked” During a Problems Without leagues showed that aging interventions can have opposite are people who experience more than usual symptoms of and “in a pickle.” Passports (PWP) course in effects in males versus females. The findings appear consis- anxiety, said study co-author Margaret Gatz, professor of Belize two years ago, Austin tent with data gathered on humans as well, Tower said. psychology, gerontology and preventive medicine. “They Reagan visited a Garifuna The researchers found that treating flies with the steroid are frantic, frazzled people.” village. There much of the land 25 All but two of had been devastated by oil hormone mifespristone/RU486 decreased egg production The researchers also found that the anxiety-dementia Uranus’ moons drilling, destroying a century- in females while increasing longevity. Similar effects were relationship was stronger among fraternal twins of whom are named for old nature preserve. Since seen by tweaking the diets of flies and mice, but the effects only one developed dementia than it was among identical of Shakespearean then, he has leveraged virtually characters. every resource available to were sometimes opposite in males versus females. twins. They said this finding shows that there may be ge- pursue a career in environmental Increasing lifespan also increased the acceleration of netic factors shared by anxiety and dementia that account justice and advocacy. the age-dependent mortality rate of the population. In for the anxiety-dementia risk. —E.G. 27 aging aging In 2015, Reagan participated other words, a small number of individuals die here and in another PWP class, this

p there when the group is young, typically due to infections one in the Arctic to study the avila letty by illustration anxiety ruelas; gus by hoto effects of climate change on and pathogens. That’s non-age-driven mortality. Then, as 3.1.64 sea ice. He then returned to the population ages, the mortality rate rises exponentially To be or not to be? Hamlet’s Los Angeles to intern in Mayor until the last individual dies. This acceleration of mortal- famous soliloquy begins on Eric Garcetti’s office with a ity is thought to represent true aging — the inexplicable line 64 in Act 3, Scene 1 of the deepened passion to craft and reagan Folger Shakespeare Library enact effective environmental breakdown of the body over time. digital edition of Hamlet (2015). policy focusing on issues such “No one has really figured out what the cause of that p as the mayor’s climate agenda hoto acceleration is,” Tower said. “Our results show that di- and California’s drought. etary and genetic interventions sometimes have opposite c “At USC, I’m absolutely being o ourtesy effects on that acceleration in males versus females.” 1623 trained to address these bigger Tower says that the findings would also seem to sup- The year Shakespeare’s col- issues,” he said. “First and lected works, known as the foremost that comes from port the antagonistic plieotropy model for aging. In part, f First Folio, were published — austin reagan austin being taught how to think the model tries to explain why our bodies ultimately seven years after his death. critically.” break down and die, suggesting that natural selection might favor a gene that creates a fatal flaw later in life if it scan for extras scan for extras Details Page 5 offers some significant benefit earlier. That is, if a gene Details Page 5 helps individuals reproduce successfully, it’s beneficial to

18 Spring / Summer 2016 19 FROM THE HEART OF USC Our World

student Austria students Massachusetts alumni Japan staff Guatemala faculty Antarctica alumni California Sarah Dhanaphatana and A South East Pacific Ocean David Moreno want to let expedition may have found a fellow students know that crucial source of iron used by Between Coercion their voices matter and can sea microbes — a finding with Defending the Invisible make a difference. strong implications for global Human and civil rights lawyer Anna Walther ’04 defends those on the fringes of The two political science climate studies. society who are made more vulnerable by their social invisibility. and Resistance majors attended the 2015 The scientists journeyed Doctoral student Sari Siegel is pioneering research National Campaign for Political through the waters over the Grape pickers in California’s San Joaquin Valley say into Jewish prisoner-physicians in Nazi camps. and Civic Engagement confer- southern end of the East Pacific that for years, they were obliged by their employer ence at the Harvard Institute Rise, a tectonic ridge punctu- to arrive up to 30 minutes before their shift Deported to Auschwitz, obstetrician and gynecologist of Politics in Cambridge, Mass. ated by hydrothermal vents started and work “off the clock.” Maximilian Samuel was selected to become a prisoner- Selected by the Jesse M. Unruh emitting superheated, mineral- Alumna Anna Walther is representing physician and ordered to participate in barbaric Nazi- Institute of Politics at USC USC Shoah Foundation — The rich water. more than 20,000 of these farmwork- directed medical experiments on women. As a result, Dornsife, they represented USC Institute for Visual History and The scalding fluid rises and ers in a multimillion dollar class- historians labeled him a “Jewish medical collaborator.” as national campaign ambas- Education has teamed with drifts away on deep-water cur- action lawsuit against their Doctoral student Sari Siegel argues that Samuel and sadors. Their charge: Guatemalan forensics organiza- rents, forming a plume much employer for the unpaid work hundreds of other Jewish physician-prisoners in Nazi camps to increase political participa- tion La Fundación de Antrop- like smoke from a chimney, said they allege they were required cannot be characterized so simply. tion, particularly voter turn- ología Forense de Guatemala James Moffett, professor of to perform over a four-year Named a recipient of a 2015-16 Jack, Joseph and Morton out, among millennials. Superman School. That is the informal name for the rigorous (FAFG) to collect video testimo- biological sciences, earth sci- period. Mandel Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies Fellowship Dhanaphatana and Moreno training required to become a pararescueman. These U.S. Air nies of survivors and witnesses ences and civil and environ- A lawyer at Martinez for her groundbreaking research, Siegel’s dissertation aim to inspire voter participa- Force Special Operations Command and Air Combat Command of the Guatemalan Genocide. mental engineering. Moffett Aguilasocho & Lynch focuses on Jewish prisoner-physicians and the morally tion by developing plans that operatives undertake the recovery and medical treatment of From 1981-83, about 200,000 was chief scientist on the expe- APLC in Bakersfield, ambiguous position in which they found themselves. complement existing campus personnel in humanitarian and combat environments. civilians were killed at the dition, which included Professor Calif., Walther represents “The key to Samuel’s story is that in the absence of programs that engage students The training to become a pararescueman is among the longest hands of a military junta. The Doug Hammond and Associate agricultural workers in direct supervision it seems quite probable that — at least in politics. They hope to galva- special operations courses in the world. USC Dornsife alumnus partnership between USC Professor (Research) Seth John, class-action lawsuits and in a few cases — he did not follow Nazi orders but instead nize students around the 2016 Jamie Brisbin was up to the challenge. Shoah Foundation and FAFG both of earth sciences. also provides legal counsel helped fellow inmates and minimized harm,” said Siegel, presidential election. Prior to “I joined the Air Force specifically to be a pararescueman,” said marks the first academic oral The expedition found the to the United Farm Work- who spent six months as a junior fellow at the Vienna the conference, the two volun- Brisbin, who earned his bachelor’s degree in biological sciences history project connected to largest oceanic plume of ers of America, the labor union Wiesenthal Institute for Holocaust Studies in Austria. teered at the Unruh Institute’s in 2007. Now, he’s part of the 31st Rescue Squadron at Kadena this Cold War-era conflict. soluble iron ever measured, founded by activist César Chávez brisbin Photo by by Photo brisbin 2015 National Voter Registra- Air Base in Okinawa, Japan. USC Shoah Foundation and stretching some 2,500 miles in 1962. tion Day drive at USC, where “We are paramedics who are also trained in parachuting, sur- FAFG are collecting hundreds of from the East Pacific Rise. It Even at minimum wage, those grape more students registered to vival, confined space and collapsed structure rescue, swift-water video interviews from Guatema- was the first time dissolved pickers would have been shorted vote than at any other univer- and technical rescue, mountaineering, helicopter operations, lan survivors and witnesses. iron had been found to travel $3-$4 per day. sity in Los Angeles County. and marine rescue and diving.” All videos will be added to so far through the ocean. U “Over years, employers are accumulat- . S The conference also rein- Diving was certainly within Brisbin’s comfort zone. Growing up Cor . Marine USC Shoah Foundation’s Visual The finding reinforces previ- ing all this extra unpaid work, and these forced their goal of getting in Hong Kong and traveling up and down the Asian coast with his History Archive. ous research suggesting that it very small amounts become huge sums of students to take their political family, he was never far from the ocean. The two organizations are could be a major source of iron money they are basically stealing from some of participation beyond the polls. It seemed only natural that Brisbin should end up at USC Dornsife, raising funds to gather 500 for Southern Ocean organisms

p the lowest-paid and hardest-working people in

“Identifying an issue and where he devoted his studies to biology, marine science and s testimonies in total. such as phytoplankton. L this country,” said Walther, who earned bach- seeking active change on cam- diving. During his senior year, he spent a semester at the USC an Said Stephen D. Smith, Ocean microbes that rely on c elor’s degrees in international relations and German pus — by talking to students, Wrigley Marine Science Center on California’s Catalina Island, e C Andrew J. and Erna Finci Viterbi this soluble iron to grow play a

p from USC Dornsife. l. Mandaline Mandaline l. working with organizations participating in the Catalina Semester program. USC Shoah Foundation Executive key role in pulling carbon diox- Walther has now heard from San Joaquin Valley workers and pushing issues forward Brisbin said his career was heavily influenced by his experience Director Chair and UNESCO ide — a greenhouse gas — from that many local employers aren’t requiring off-the-clock work with local legislators — is at the USC Wrigley Marine Science Center and the professors and Chair on Genocide Education: the atmosphere, Moffett said. anymore. really going to have a signifi- fellow students he met there. “By capturing these stories, we Iron from these vents, there-

H “That case is ongoing,” she said, “but the fact that employers cant impact on the political “The semester I spent at Wrigley has had a huge impact on at are helping to prevent this his- fore, may be a significant factor The Nazis systematically confiscated personal belongings from their victims, including c have taken note is an improvement that cannot be measured in a h these shoes that once belonged to women at Auschwitz concentration camp. process,” Dhanaphatana said. what I am doing now.” tory from fading into oblivion.” in the overall global climate. damages win on a lawsuit.”

20 N arcissistic Young people throughout history, it seems, have felt unfairly judged by critical and uncomprehending elders.

Nowhere is that more the case than with the millennial generation. USC Dornsife scholars explore why this

population gets such a bad rap, describing what its unique strengths are and how many of its members are ... Defying Lazy the Labels Entitl ed By Susan Bell

The biggest generation since the boomers, U.S. millennials when you actually stop looking at millennials as a homoge- — those born between 1980 and 2000 — are the most nous or monolithic population and start examining hetero- technologically advanced and racially and ethnically diverse geneity within the millennial population,” she added. group in history. They are arguably also the most maligned, William Deverell, professor and chair of history and frequently depicted by older generations as disengaged, director of the USC-Huntington Institute on California Disengaged social–media–obsessed job hoppers with an insatiable thirst and the West, concurs but said generational stereotyping for constant validation. Are these characterizations justified, is nothing new. or are millennials just misunderstood? “We’re familiar with the greatest generation, baby “I think it’s very easy to stereotype and dismiss millen- boomers, generation X and now millennials, but genera- nials in this way because so much of their lives are tied tional assumptions probably existed in the broader culture in to social media, and this is also a trope that popular TV the 1920s, the Gilded Age and even as far back as the Civil Social-media-obsessed job hoppers shows generally rely on to characterize the millennial War era,” he said. “Some of these generational definitions generation,” said Jody Agius Vallejo, associate professor of speak to a certain nostalgia and incorporate naïve, if under- sociology. standable, assumptions that the past was simpler than the “But it’s also very easy to contradict these stereotypes present. And that’s never true.”

22 Spring / Summer 2016 23 While Deverell agrees that generations can be roughly misunderstanding that can lead to misperceptions of mil- identified by certain cultural predilections, he suggests that lennial laziness — their rejection of traditional business assumptions about generational identity may also reveal a lot rules in favor of working faster and, in their opinion, about the generations doing the identifying. smarter and more efficiently. “I believe we oftentimes write our greatest fears and ambi- “Millennials want to do things the way they’re used tions on the lives of those who aren’t us,” he said. “So in some to doing everything — fast. But, to older generations it respects we might actually be holding up a mirror.” makes millennials seem lazy because they don’t want to So let’s hold up a mirror now to those whom Time maga- take the long route,” Irani said. zine dubbed “The Me Me Me Generation” and take a critical “Millennials need to slow down,” he added, “be a bit look at the various epithets so widely used to describe them. more deliberate and thorough, and be willing to take on And while we’re at it, let’s get a glimpse of how that criticism any task they are asked to do, even if it’s menial, because sheds light onto their parents — the original “Me Genera- they won’t be perceived as team players if they don’t.” tion” — the baby boomers.

Lazy In a 1992 study by the nonprofit Families and Work Institute “As millennials, we want to enjoy cited by Time, 80 percent of people under 23 wanted one day to have a job with greater responsibility; 10 years later, every aspect of our lives.” only 60 percent did. It’s one of the most persistent criticisms directed at mil- Job hopping lennials, yet no one could accuse USC Dornsife alumnus Millennials are often denigrated for being “job hoppers.” and entrepreneur Adam Goldston of being lazy. With his The median tenure for millennials is 24 months compared twin brother, Ryan, Goldston worked tirelessly to bring their to seven years for a baby boomer. But Irani, who earned Athletic Propulsion Labs (APL) high-end sneaker to market his bachelor’s degree in economics in 1987, followed by an after launching the company in their dorm room. This year, MBA from USC Marshall School of Business in 1991, notes the brothers made Forbes “30 under 30” list for their achieve- that old taboos surrounding the practice are no longer valid. ments in retail and e-commerce. They now employ 15 people “The world has changed since I was younger, when — almost all millennials — while their shoes are sold around changing your job often was seen as a negative,” said Irani, the world in upscale retail outlets. who also serves on the board of the USC Alumni Goldston believes older generations’ perception of millen- Association. “Now it’s more acceptable and you see mil- nials as lazy stems from how technology has revolutionized lennials switching jobs every two years.” traditional business practices. Goldston believes one reason millennials switch jobs so “When we started the company, my dad said, ‘Go to the frequently is because they care so much about their day-to- office every single day, from 9 to 5. Get into a routine, you day work experience. That’s another reason his company don’t want to be seen as lazy,’ ” remembered Goldston, now fosters a fun work environment. “As millennials, we want to a globetrotting business executive. “Since then the world has enjoy every aspect of our lives. So when people come to work changed dramatically. Now I spend more time out of the for us, we want to make it enjoyable, not an arduous task.” office than I do in it. The old guard doesn’t necessarily Irani offers this tip to older generations who want to realize that the same thing you can do sitting at a desk, motivate millennial employees to stick around longer. you can achieve anywhere today on a cell phone.” “Millennials need to feel they’re making a difference. Goldston notes another reason his generation might be Older people need to show them what they’re doing is perceived as lazy by older generations is their preferred work important to the community. If the company has a purpose, environment. The APL office boasts a pingpong table and millennials may stay longer.” mini-basketball hoop, and employees pump up their adrena- To avoid friction with older generations at work, Irani line or let off steam with Nerf gun battles in the hallways. advises millennials to seek their advice, spend time with “From the outside looking in, older people may not take them, listen to their stories and give them respect. “Don’t some of the things we do seriously, but they contribute to the dismiss the older generation just because they don’t do company dynamic,” Goldston said. Snapchat,” he tells Gateway participants. “They have other “Ryan and I didn’t come up with our initial idea by being gifts to teach you that are just as valuable.” constrained to old-guard thinking. We were students who got our big idea playing basketball. So I think a lot of the Entitled great ideas we and our employees have come to us when we’re Millennials received so many participation trophies growing doing fun things. up that a recent study, cited by Time, showed that 40 percent The Me, Me, Meh “When we’re 60, it will probably be hard for us to under- believe they should be promoted every two years, regardless Generation? stand what the 20-year-old culture is like then, too,” Goldston of performance. Statistics like this feed into the cliché of mil- Millennials are often stigma- added with a laugh. lennial entitlement. tized as “slacktivists” who USC Dornsife Board of Councilors member and alum- But one need look no further than USC, and in particular prefer using a hashtag or nus Martin Irani is chair of USC Dornsife’s Gateway to first-generation students, to explode such stereotypes, signing a petition on social Internship Program, which aims to prepare undergrad- noted Vallejo. Her research investigates the mechanisms media to being truly engaged. uates for their careers by offering paid summer intern- that facilitate social and economic mobility, and entry into ships and mentoring from distinguished professionals. the middle and upper classes, for Latino and Asian American His experience with millennials, both through the pro- youth. Those mechanisms include policies, access to gram and as vice president of Hancock Park Associates, education, mentors, and family and community wealth. a private equity firm, has given him insight into another “Many first-generation students come from low-income or

24 illustrations by justin renteria for usc dornsife magazine Spring / Summer 2016 25 working-class families and they’re anything but entitled — shallow, and it makes us crave the same sort of constant or narcissistic, lazy or self-centered,” she said. “As education attention no matter what we’re doing. All of us are becoming costs have increased, not only are they working long hours in affected. And millennials, because they grew up with these addition to their studies and extracurricular activities, they’re platforms, are more affected than others.” also taking on a significant amount of debt and working Goldston, however, takes issue with how narcissism has numerous jobs to support their education and themselves been linked with social media. and contribute to the family income.” “Social media didn’t exist 15 years ago, so people didn’t Adrian Trinidad, who earned his bachelor’s degree have to worry about how they were perceived by the world. in sociology in December 2015, was among about 3,500 Now if you post anything online, you know you’re going first-generation students at USC. Growing up in a to be viewed and judged. So I don’t think it’s a narcissistic Los Angeles neighborhood plagued by drugs and gangs, view; I think it’s a conscious view.” Trinidad, at the age of 10, became the primary caregiver Disney channel actor and musician Laura Marano is for his father, who was diagnosed then with schizophrenia. a freshman majoring in politics, philosophy and law. As His mother began working up to 15 hours a day to support a social media maven who has chalked up more than the family. 7 million likes and followers on Facebook, Twitter and “Growing up in that environment gave me a vital sense Instagram, she sees the upsides and downsides of these of strength and perspective, and also helped me value every and other social media channels. opportunity I get. I know how to be humble, but also vali- She concedes that social media use springs from a desire dated for my own achievements and those of my family and for attention but says that it is not necessarily linked to community,” said Trinidad, who will begin his Ph.D. in narcissism. urban education policy at USC Rossier School of Education “I think it’s less about narcissism and more about utter in the Fall. insecurity and trying to convey some sort of image that others will like,” she said. “Social media makes people very vulnerable.” Arguing that every generation is faced with something “We have to remember that the generation before has not seen, Marano said millenni- als are doing exactly what they need to be doing: reacting social media is natural to millennials; to this huge societal and cultural shift that is social media. “We’re finding our identity and how it relates to this new change of social media, and in fact we’re not doing as they grew up with it.” terrible a job as everyone says,” she said. “I think everyone needs to give us a bit of a break here.” “I remember going to a movie theatre to collect aluminum Deverell notes that the degree of connectivity fostered, cans so my family could have a meal, and seeing my friends supported and demanded by social media among millen- there with their families,” he said. “That hit me really hard. nials not only marks a profound difference from previous I realized I was in a different position from them because generations, but obviously also brings its own burdens. I was trying to support my family in any way I could. My “It comes with an awareness of the great scale of the childhood experiences made me mature and grow at a global community and the great challenges of a worldwide world,” Marano said. “That makes them less inclined to over social media. Vallejo said her research on middle-class very young age and I had to work harder to get to where I sensibility of creation, obligation or opportunity, and that’s believe that if they donate money or time it’s going to create Mexican Americans and Latino elites and her experience wanted to be.” difficult to shoulder when you’re a young person emerging actual change.” mentoring numerous first-generation college students at Alex Culley, a graduate student in applied psychology from your teens into young adulthood.” Culley, however, said he feels the slacktivist label is not USC show that many millennials retain an ethos of giving whose research focuses on millennial engagement in media, Vallejo also defends millennials’ love affair with social representative. back to family and the community, and to remedying social agrees, noting that his generation has no desire to settle for media, reminding us that they are the most connected, “I know there are lots of hardworking people in my gen- and economic inequality. what their parents had. technologically adept generation yet. eration who break those stereotypes,” he said. “These cases completely contradict the one-dimensional “We want to be fulfilled,” Culley said. “For us, happiness “The stereotype of the selfie generation, the idea that mil- Vallejo agrees, citing USC Dornsife alumna and first- negative stereotypes about millennials,” she said. isn’t about getting a job, working at it for 30 or 40 years and lennials want to be famous, or that they revere reality TV generation student Christina Wilkerson, who graduated with Vallejo points to the Black Lives Matter movement, the retiring with a gold watch and that’s it. Does that mean we’re stars, or model those behaviors, is just that — it’s a stereo- a bachelor’s in sociology in 2012. “She attended Columbia DREAMer movement, and the ongoing rebellion on college entitled? Maybe in some sense that’s true. But to say millen- type,” she said. “We have to remember that social media is School of Social Work and she uses social media and digital campuses by many millennials who have been staging sit-ins, nials are not engaged politically, or not hardworking, natural to millennials; they grew up with it. It’s something storytelling to create community for black youth,” Vallejo protests and walk-outs to champion increased diversity in isn’t accurate.” they use not just to create social networks but also as a said. “She was a Fulbright finalist for research in the higher education. medium for social justice and civic engagement.” Caribbean who uses social media and digital storytelling “Let’s not forget that 44 percent of millennials are non- Narcissism: The pros and cons of the Selfie Generation to investigate the role of religion in women’s rights.” white,” she said, and they’re demanding greater diversity According to the National Institutes of Health, the incidence Disengaged Slacktivists? Elizabeth Shaeffer, a senior majoring in political science among universities’ faculty and staff. Breaking of narcissistic personality disorder is nearly three times as Indeed, when millennials engage on social issues they tend and sociology, admits her generation is constantly on social “We can’t say there isn’t still a sense of fighting for the Stereotypes high for those in their 20s as for the generation that’s now to do so principally through the Internet. Social media can media but she also defends the practice. “I know a lot of equality and rights in a way that’s been a common thread The selfie generation is accused 65 or older. effectively spread information and rally followers around a people argue that we’re disengaged with those around us, throughout American history.” of narcissism but many millen- Like many experts and millennials themselves, Morteza cause, but millennials’ reliance on it has given rise to accusa- but I think in fact we’re more engaged.” Deverell finds millennials’ regard for egalitarian points nials defend their social media Dehghani, assistant professor of psychology and computer tions of so-called “slacktivism,” where people share a Shaeffer recently participated in a research-based intern- of view regarding racial, sexual and gender identity inspir- obsession, arguing that they science, blames social media for the perceived increase in nar- status or use a hashtag and feel they’ve done their part. ship through USC Dornsife’s Jesse M. Unruh Institute ing. “Their vision on this is to be applauded,” he said. “It’s are the most connected and cissism and resultant need for validation among millennials. Marano believes this trend rises from feelings of insig- of Politics with advocacy firm RALLY and its client not perfect, but this generation has much to teach us about technologically adept genera- “We scroll through feeds and click on likes based on how nificance in such a vast and heavily populated world. California Parks Now. Using social media, she and her fellow our visions of one another and how we can, and ought to, tion yet. people present themselves. This trains our brains to focus “Millennials are engaged and love to spread awareness interns sought to increase funding and encourage activism build community, regardless of difference.” more on surface features rather than judging people on the about what’s going on, but social media has made them and awareness among millennials for parks in California. But while Culley, who was raised in a moderately af- relationships we have with them. It’s very superficial and more acutely aware of how small they are in this huge Of course, not all millennial engagement takes place fluent family, notes that there are student governments

26 Spring / Summer 2016 27 at every university around the country that are active and New challenges in an uncertain future involved, he also admitted that he’s familiar with millen- The rise of technology and student debt, and an uncertain nials who aren’t politically or civically active. economy, mean that millennials have to face additional “I know many people who simply aren’t engaged because pressures that their baby boomer parents did not. they feel they’re not listened to, and I think that’s a perception “We have to live up to these ideas that we should be that’s been propagated by older people in this country,” he millionaires at 18, that we should invent an app and strike said. “It’s a sort of self-fulfilling prophecy.” it rich, and that puts a lot of unfair pressure on our genera- As for her generation’s alleged unwillingness to rebel, tion,” Culley said. “These are all pressures that didn’t exist Maria Jose Plascencia, a senior majoring in American before the Internet, or not to this extent. studies and ethnicity and the daughter of a single mother “Many millennials feel they were dealt a bad hand. It’s who is a restaurant worker in Tijuana, Mexico, put it down hard to find anyone of my generation who doesn’t believe in to general contentment with the status quo. climate change and who isn’t scared by it on some level.” “We’re not as brave as previous generations and I think that comes from feeling we don’t have as much to lose because we’re at a privileged point in history,” said Plascencia, who plans to earn a Ph.D. in history. “My suspicion is that they will change ‘Helicopter parenting’ Much of the blame for millennials’ allegedly needy and that world significantly, and my hope entitled behavior has been laid at the feet of their baby boomer parents, widely accused of overparenting, over- is that it’s for the better.” scheduling and overpraising their offspring. Vallejo notes that in the last few decades there has been a Trinidad agreed. shift in parenting among middle- and upper-class parents. “Millennials are more outspoken than other generations, These so-called “helicopter parents” adopted what celebrated and they have a right to be because they’re the generation sociologist Annette Lareau termed “concerted cultivation” in that’s the most educated and the most underpaid,” he said. an attempt to foster their children’s prospects. “For the previous generation to criticize this generation is “As a result, many youth today from middle- and upper- faulty because they didn’t face the same challenges we do to class backgrounds have an enormous skill set that allows secure a job and an education. Being outspoken is necessary them theoretically to compete and have an advantage in and justified. I don’t think it should stamp us as a group that’s middle- and upper-class social and economic spaces that needy, narcissistic and demanding. That’s unfair.” some other students haven’t had the opportunity to experi- Goldston believes much of the criticism of millenials stems ence,” said Vallejo. “However, sometimes it can be difficult from older generations’ resistance to change. when they come to college and their parents aren’t there to “Change is uncomfortable but it’s a necessity. Whether or solve their problems. That’s why college can be an extremely not current or older generations like it, things are going to important growth experience for many students.” evolve,” he said. “Millennials are setting the tone for what the Shaeffer, who said her middle-class parents consciously future’s going to be because we’re going to control it.” chose not to be helicopter parents, has a certain sympa- Deverell stressed the importance of looking beyond thy for those students whose parents opted to follow that caricature and name calling in generational conversations. child-rearing style. “Older generations may say, ‘We created this world for “If you’ve been in an environment where you’re constantly you, why are you taking it for granted?’ and millennials may told where to be and what to do, when you get to college the respond, ‘Yes, you created this world for us and it has so many freedom must be almost overwhelming,” she said. “If this is problems.’ Yes, the world that’s being inherited now is utterly your first take at deciding whether to go to the movies with described by limits and finite boundaries of opportunity, friends or study for that exam, then it’s much harder to make resources or nature, but that’s true across generations. It’s not the right decision than if you’ve already tested that out in simply the generations that are coming of age that are frus- high school and experienced the consequences.” trated by that. Those challenges can bind us together, too, out Vallejo stressed that millennials from less affluent back- of a need to engage with not just one generation, but two or grounds are less likely to have been raised by helicopter three or four, in order to solve these problems. parents. “Let’s not forget that the world millennials are stepping “It’s a different parenting model from that occurring into is not a world they created,” Deverell concluded. “My in lower-income or working-class families who engage in suspicion is that they will change that world significantly, and what Lareau calls ‘natural growth,’” Vallejo said. my hope is that it’s for the better.” So Emoji-onal “Students who grow up in low-income or working-class Vallejo agreed, noting that because they represent so much So-called “helicopter families have a very different appreciation for the oppor- variety in terms of place, ethnicity and class, millennials parenting” has been blamed tunities they are given or experience because they don’t bring a multitude of experience and solutions to key issues for producing a generation see them as something that should be automatic. Students affecting our society. that is accused of being needy from lower-class and disadvantaged families are often “Millennials are civically engaged, optimistic and con- and unable to take criticism. more entrepreneurial because they frequently have to figure cerned about social and economic issues,” she said. “Older things out for themselves. generations tend to lament changes they see occurring in “Those kinds of responsibilities translate into all other attitudes and behaviors among the younger generation, aspects of their lives. They don’t have that sense of entitle- but many millennials are striving to change society for the ment, and I think that’s very important for people to under- better. Instead of dismissing millennials, that’s something stand when thinking about the millennial generation.” older generations need to validate.”

28 Spring / Summer 2016 29 One Generation to Another By Susan Bell More than Already the largest gener- 65% ation in the United States, Ge Generation Z (also called iGen) of millennials say losing their 40% millennials are poised to bama was born between 2001 and phone or computer would

O of millennials have

n 40% reshape the economy and the present. This generation is have a greater negative of the electorate will be at least one tattoo. era

to take over in the work- asha characterized by its widespread impact on their daily routine millennials by 2020. z S 1 place and at the ballot Maddie Ziegler Internet use from a young age than losing their car. box. Tech-savvy, the first ti and comfort with social media. inherently digital genera- o Growing up during a recession tion has never known what n may have made this generation in it is like to live without unsettled and insecure. having the world’s knowl- edge at their fingertips. Despite widespread criti- Millennials (also called s Just six in 10 millennials have 3 cism, millennials are also Generation Y), the first gen- al jobs; half work part time. adult Americans will be considered to be optimi- eration to come of age in the millennials by 2020. Justin Bieber

stic, motivated, confident new millennium, were born nni Malala Yousafzai Malala Mark Zuckerberg Mark and goal-oriented. between 1980 and 2000. lle i m 83.1 million Millennials will make up Ge Number of millennials in the United States as much as 75% of the

obain Generation X was born between U.S. workforce by 2025. n C Lisa Ling

era 1965 and 1979. Often dubbed Junot DiazJunot Kurt

X the MTV or latchkey generation, 1.8 billion Xers are often depicted as 81% percent of millennials Number of millennials worldwide ti savvy, entrepreneurial loners. have donated money, goods o or services. n

$ 1 1 $ 75% Baby boomers were born between 1946 and 1964. Their her 64% demography-driven name C s t was derived from the spike in ... but have amassed otomayor S y

births that followed the end of rIll $1 trillion in student debt.

World War II and ended almost onia S Jonathan Franzen Jonathan

as abruptly in 1964, around bab the time the birth control pill 64% of millennials boomer became available. don’t put a ring on it 50% of millennials do would rather make Millennials account for i 44% of millennials say that not believe that Social $40,000/year at a job they o

Ge more than $1 trillion in marriage is becoming obsolete, Security will exist when love than $100,000/year at The S

U.S. consumer spending ... n compared with 35% of boomers they reach retirement age. a job they think is boring. n rmstrong

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A tween 1925 and 1945, describes eil eil i le N children of the Great Depression Although we are all familiar ti

nt and World War II. with more recent genera- o Martin Luther King Jr. Jr. Martin King Luther tional titles such as the baby n

84% boomers and Generation X, of millennials say that helping Professor and Chair of to make a positive difference

History William Deverell, in the world is more important The Greatest Generation, born director of the USC- than professional recognition. n st

between 1913 and 1924, “saved e Huntington Institute on o

the world” — to use President t California and the West, Millennials were ti Billie Holiday Ronald Reagan’s memorable reminds us that the In 2015, millennials’ annual, world- a major factor in electing Louis Zamperini Louis phrase — by fighting and attribution of generational wide purchasing power is expected our president — SOURCES: BENTLEY UNIVERSITY’S CENTER FOR WOMEN AND BUSINESS; BROOKINGS winning World War II. era assumptions in the U.S. to be $2.45 trillion. 60% voted for Obama institution; CENTER FOR AMERICAN PROGRESS; THE INSTITUTE OF POLITICS AT HARVARD n stretches back to the in 2012; 66% in 2008. UNIVERSITY; MILLENNIAL WEEK; ORACLE; PEW RESEARCH CENTER; WALDEN UNIVERSITY AND HARRIS INTERACTIVE; ZIPCAR. STATISTICS SHOWN APPLY TO MILLENNIALS WITHIN THE

Ge Gilded Age, the Civil War By 2018, they will eclipse boomers The Grea The UNITED STATES. era and probably beyond. in spending power at $3.39 trillion.

30 Spring / Summer 2016 31

t’s a moment that most of us experience several times a day. brought the movement to mainstream public attention like And when we’re in public, most of us proceed almost with- never before. In June 2014, actress and activist Cox became out thinking to the nearest door bearing our corresponding the first transgender person to appear on the cover of Time gender signifier, the all-familiar A-line skirt or the pants. magazine. Popular television shows like Transparent and Simple, right? Orange Is the New Black have humanized the transgender Not necessarily. For transgender individuals — those who experience for new audiences. identify with or express a gender identity that differs from At times it feels like a breakthrough moment — like their sex at birth — the reality of using a public restroom is we’re at a “tipping point,” as Time put it. But how did we much more complicated. It can quickly become a minefield. get here and what lies ahead? USC Dornsife experts from Chris Cervantes, a senior at USC Dornsife double major- sociology, political science, history, gender studies and psych- ing in gender studies and sociology, knows this firsthand. ology offer a variety of perspectives on the transgender “Until recently, USC didn’t have many gender-neutral experience, from the belief that the transgender movement bathrooms,” said the Los Angeles native. “Often there are is rooted in civil rights to the conundrum of the transgender none where my classes are located, so when I need to use the athlete, how hormones relate to gender and social behavior, Transgender bathroom, where am I supposed to go?” and the controversy regarding gender neutrality. Taken Cervantes identifies as gender nonconforming. together, these perspectives — along with some of Cervantes’ “I feel like the traits I exhibit and the way I carry myself own personal experiences — offer us a deeper understanding can hold space both for masculinity and femininity without of what it means to be transgender. identifying as a man or a woman.” The Mo ment? Cervantes recalled instances of entering the women’s rest- A short history of 20th-century gender movements room and being questioned or harassed. Though much has been done to raise awareness and increase “People say things like, ‘You’re in the wrong bathroom,’ or acceptance of the transgender experience in recent years, In a culture of increasing awareness of — and openness toward — the transgender community, ‘Excuse me, sir, do you know this is the women’s room?’ And one thing is clear: The transgender movement is anything how can we better understand the nuances of gender identity and help to ensure equal rights for all? I’m thinking, ‘I’m not going to do anything to you or anyone but new. By Laura Paisley else — I just really need to use the bathroom.’ ” “There was a tremendous amount of groundwork laid These day-to-day challenges are part of a larger struggle before Caitlyn Jenner came on the scene,” said Michael for transgender people, one that is not always adequately Messner, professor of sociology and gender studies, and chair addressed amid the celebrity-centric representations in today’s of sociology. “The women’s and gay and lesbian movements media. Legal discrimination and violence remain serious over the past 40 or 50 years — all of that has created a fertile issues for the transgender community, and neither can the ground for greater acceptance of transgender people today.” impact of race and class on their experience be ignored. Jack Halberstam, professor of American studies and ethni- But lately, personalities like Caitlyn Jenner, Laverne Cox, city, gender studies, comparative literature and English, Chaz Bono, Janet Mock and teen advocate Jazz Jennings have agreed with Messner.

32 Spring / Summer 2016 33 “Change is slow, but when it happens it feels like it takes place overnight.” “Change is slow,” he said, “but when it happens it feels like California is currently working toward providing gender- it takes place overnight. Of course, the media loves the idea neutral facilities for public employees, allowing people to of ‘Once we were intolerant people and now we’re not.’ But choose the bathroom of the gender they identify with rather in fact, people have been working on issues around gender than their biological sex. justice for a very long time. The amount of attention has just “I think 10 years from now things are going to be quite reached a critical pitch where people in general are seeing different” regarding men’s and women’s bathrooms, said what people used to see only in queer communities — that Chris Freeman, professor (teaching) of English. He regularly there are multiple genders across the culture.” teaches the course “Transgender Studies” at USC Dornsife Our contemporary understanding acknowledges that and believes that having this subject matter in the curriculum gender identification doesn’t automatically correlate with is crucial. College is where students really think about and sexual orientation — gender and sexuality are separate. A discover these issues. hundred years ago, however, same-sex desire and cross- “Looking at transgender issues through the literary lens gender identification were thoroughly entwined, said removes it from the purely personal,” he said. “It lets you Alice Echols, Barbra Streisand Professor of Contemporary think about how an artist constructs that world, that identity Gender Studies and professor of history and gender studies. and those challenges.” Her research expertise encompasses the history of sexuality, Freeman sees an analogy between the push for second-wave American feminism, and the social and cultural gender-neutral bathroom access and the Americans With history of the 1960s and ’70s. Disabilities Act of 1990, a civil rights law designed to pro- By the advent of the ’50s, things were beginning to shift. tect against discrimination. It enforced architectural accom- The first gay rights groups began to emerge, and a growing modations in public buildings for disabled people, including number of gays and lesbians were presenting themselves in a wheelchair ramps, elevators and reserved parking spaces. gender-conforming manner. Moreover, 1953 witnessed the “Those did not exist 40 years ago — it was an architec- emergence of America’s first transgender celebrity, Christine tural accommodation of a law,” he said. “I think the whole Jorgensen, who in 1952 revealed to the world that she had concept of connecting gender to where you go to the toilet undergone a “rare sex-conversion” from man to woman. will soon be a thing of the past.” “What had been happening gradually is becoming more Another issue related to civil rights is violence. The obvious, this disaggregation of same-sex desire from cross- transgender community — particularly trans women of gender identification. By the time we get to the 1970s disco color — faces an epidemic of physical and sexual violence. era, this really ramps up,” Echols said. According to transequality.org, more than one in four In the ’70s, the women’s and gay liberation movements transgender people has experienced a bias-driven assault, were in full swing, though relations between feminists and and in the LGBT community the homicide rate is highest

A trans women were at times contentious. Some feminists were among trans women. rt and Pi and rt open and interested in thinking and talking about transgen- Messner’s book Some Men: Feminist Allies and the Move- der issues, said Echols, and others felt threatened by them, ment to End Violence Against Women (Oxford University Press, c

ture Colle ture questioning the validity of their claim to “womanness.” For 2015) discusses how the movement against gender-based some, these tensions persist even today. violence is now broadening to include transgender activists. “Ending violence against women remains the centerpiece Transgender: the new civil rights movement? c of the anti-violence movement,” he explained, “but the in- tion, tion, On June 26, 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled by a 5–4 creasingly popular term ‘gender-based violence’ reflects a T

he he vote that the Constitution guarantees the right to same- growing understanding of the need to recognize and con-

N sex marriage. For many in the LGBT movement, it was front LGBT violence.” Ending violence against transgender ew ew

Y seen as monumental — the hard-fought attainment of a people is a social justice issue at its core, and the laws must ork Publi ork civil right. reflect this. But legislative gains are only half the battle. “One thing that often occurs after a particular social “It’s not that California doesn’t have strong hate crime

c movement has gained a significant victory is a reflection, laws,” Hancock said, “it’s also about making sure they are en-

L ibrary (1833 - 1841). “ - 1841). (1833 ibrary a looking inward that asks, ‘What are the next sets of forced equally across different populations.” challenges?’ ” said Ange-Marie Hancock, associate professor of political science, gender studies and sociology. Transgender lives at the intersection In 2016, this means the push for transgender-friendly Intersectionality is a way of thinking about identity and its public policy, including gender-neutral public accommo- relationship to power. The subject of Hancock’s newest book, dations and protections against discrimination in housing, Intersectionality: An Intellectual History (Oxford University B utter employment and health care as well as transgender-based Press, 2016), intersectionality is a theoretical framework that violence. views race, gender, class and sexuality as co-constructing f lies lies “These kinds of policies are coming to the forefront agents rather than isolated factors that run on parallel tracks. A

nd Moths” Fro Moths” nd because we’re in the midst of this cultural shift,” Hancock “Talking about Caitlyn Jenner or Laverne Cox, there said, “but also because people within the LGBT movement are different combinations of privilege and disadvantage EQUAL RIGHTS are more open to hearing it now that the major milestone of based on how these categories co-construct each other,” Transgender issues are marriage equality has been achieved.” Hancock explained. “One of the things intersectionality often civil rights issues, as evidenced by the fight for

m Nationally, only 17 states have anti-discrimination laws for teaches us is that Caitlyn has a particular combination

L gender-neutral bathrooms arva arva housing and workplace protection, public accommodations or of privileges and disadvantages. Yes, she is transgender, both. California is one of the more progressive states in terms and this is a new experience she’s navigating. But there’s and antidiscrimination laws T

o related to work and housing.

A of advancing health-care, workplace and school policies that the additional privilege of being wealthy and white that dult support transgender people, and create precedents for the affords her a certain benefit of the doubt.” national policy agenda, Hancock said. As another example, because trans women were born

34 Spring / Summer 2016 35 biologically male, they have experienced a degree of male is a relatively new field, and one that many psychologists a complex and diverse privilege during their lives. But once they transition, they find intriguing. society, which means that may find themselves expecting or demanding privileges Wendy Wood, Provost Professor of Psychology and information circulates sepa- that are no longer structurally available to them as women. Business, researches the origins of gender differences in rately from self-determined Hancock also talks about intersectional invisibility, social behavior. Her work attempts to understand the rela- declarations. A lot of mean- a phenomenon in which certain subgroups — because of tionship between three components: hormones, our own ing is produced in society their race, gender or sexuality — don’t receive the attention understanding of ourselves as men and women, and societal apart from anyone’s agency. that the entire group receives. She cites the Black Lives expectations of our behavior. “Naming and categoriz- Matter movement as an example. It is known that gendered behavior — acting in commu- ing is just the tip of the ice- “[In the media coverage] we see it as only being about nal, supporting, feminine ways or dominant, assertive, mas- berg of a very, very deep set black, straight, cisgender men,” she said. “They don’t talk culine ways — is to some extent tied to hormonal processes, of embedded social struc- about the fact that women and trans women of color are also Wood said. tures. We can’t empty out subject to a lot of police violence.” “Some of the most interesting work [in psychology] right all meaning from the way now is showing how different social behaviors actually in which we move through Can the gendered playing field be leveled? influence hormones. We usually think of hormones as the world.” In the sports arena, the privilege shared by all athletes is drivers of behavior. In hormonal explanations for men’s Remaining mindful of their physical prowess. In competition, differences of race, greater aggression and dominance, people assume that social and gender catego- class and sexuality are in a sense transcended — and yet men have higher levels of testosterone, which facilitate ries may also be important gender remains all-important. these behaviors. But even the original animal models of to political efficacy.W hen Gender and sports are a significant focus of Messner’s testosterone derived from animal husbandry recognized thinking about the power research, spanning everything from sports media analysis that social behavior influences levels of the hormone.” of collectivities of people to children’s sports to masculinity and violence in sports. For example, if you’re an athlete getting ready for versus individuals, there are “The transgender athlete has become a really interesting a competition, testosterone levels rise — regardless of sex. clearly times when thinking issue, both politically and in terms of national and interna- And for both new mothers and fathers, levels of the hormone and organizing along group tional sports organizations,” he said. “Sports is one of a few actually decrease when they engage in nurturing, supportive lines is very important. institutions where you have a clear separation between male behaviors. “Once you start to and female — one that starts right at the beginning based “Biology and the social environment clearly interact in explode gender categories,” upon a dichotomous assumption that every individual fits guiding people’s gender identity and their understanding of Messner said, “there’s a sort into category A or B.” what it means to be a man or a woman,” Wood said. of liberation for individuals, Messner has studied Little League Baseball and the but you also might remove American Youth Soccer Organization. He notes that girls Let’s call the whole thing off: gender neutrality the potential for progressive and boys are allowed to play T-ball together, but higher levels If the dichotomous system of gender has the potential to organizing around those are separated, with boys routed into baseball and girls into create such inequality and oppression, why not do away categories.” softball. Some soccer leagues enforce a similar division. with it altogether and embrace gender neutrality? The Moreover, he added, if “The transgender athlete — and this is happening in genderqueer community has long espoused the ideal of gender categories disappear, we lose the ability to clearly Cervantes is deeply committed to gender justice. At USC, youth sports, high school and elite international competi- gender fluidity and exploding conventional gender catego- see the ways in which certain groups in society retain priv- the senior has been involved with the Women’s Student tions — throws a big monkey wrench into that dichoto- ries and expectations. Today, Facebook offers 56 custom ilege and others remain subject to economic inequality and Assembly, a student group that sponsors educational and mous organization of gender,” Messner said. gender and pronoun selections for its users. physical violence. Effectively addressing these problems community events while advocating for students around When the United States Tennis Association barred “For a lot of people there’s a sort of comfort in thinking then becomes much more difficult. gender issues. Renée Richards, one of the first openly transsexual about pink and blue, male and female, yin and yang,” Together with other student leaders on campus, Cervantes athletes, from competing in the 1976 Women’s U.S. Open Messner said. “But there’s a growing sentiment, especially Transgender on campus: one student’s experience formed a coalition called RISE: Reform, Inform, Speak Out Tennis Championships, Richards fought the ruling all the among young people, that it’s better not to think of gender The experience of being transgender and defining one’s iden- and Empower. way to the New York Supreme Court, which ruled in her as dichotomous.” tity is, by definition, incredibly personal. As Jenner recently “Our goal is to communicate with university adminis- favor. Many transgender athletes have followed her, but not Freeman agreed. “People are seeing that the gender told The Advocate, “The media has kind of labeled me as the trators about the issues we see on campus around sexual without obstacles. The recent controversy around South binary is an ossified model,” he said. “It’s not accurate or spokesperson for the trans community. That is not the case. I violence and gender-based harm, policy reforms, and how African Olympic runner Caster Semenya, who is intersex true, and people don’t fit into it. So it’s about getting out am only a spokesperson for my own journey.” resources are allocated and made available to students,” and doesn’t fit the binary definitions of male and female, of the binary and recognizing that social constructs of Messner puts it another way: “We have this big umbrella Cervantes said. was highly publicized. masculine and feminine are a fiction, the enforcement of we call transgender, but there’s a lot of different stuff going on For the senior, despite an expanding conversation around “Organizations like the International Olympic Commit- which is very damaging.” under that umbrella.” transgenderism, certain frustrations still remain. tee are in a quandary,” Messner said. “For a number of years Halberstam is the author of several books about contrary As a college student, one of Cervantes’ main struggles has “With the media coverage, people are only thinking they tried to enforce so-called sex tests for women athletes, gendering, including the award-winning Female Masculinity been finding a place to fit in. about binary trans identities — those who identify as a

“It’s a matter of balancing how much I’m going to work to take care of myself, myself, of care take to work to going I’m much how balancing of a matter “It’s be to going I’m or people to out be to going I’m means that whether and someone.” educate to and try difficult too it’s because misgendered but all that reveals is the huge range of biological differ- (Duke University Press, 1998). His most recent book, Gaga “It’s hard as someone who identifies as gender noncon- woman or a man. But to me, gender isn’t that simple.” ence within the category of what we call women. There are Feminism: Sex, Gender and the End of Normal (Beacon Press, forming, because that’s not something a lot of people are At USC and other universities, there’s also the issue of people with chromosomal differences, there are intersex 2012), is focused on “how everything has changed” in the familiar with. So it’s a matter of balancing how much I’m legal nomenclature. Transgender students face the question BREAKING THE BINARY people and you can’t simply measure testosterone because last 10 years, drastically transforming gender and sexual going to work to take care of myself, and whether that means of what name and gender will appear on their transcripts, While there is increasing some women’s levels are naturally high. Most organizations politics along the way. I’m going to be out to people or I’m going to be misgendered their student IDs and the roll-call lists in their classes. awareness of binary transgen- have now moved away from that as a standard practice.” “My recent work has been committed to trying to pro- because it’s too difficult to try and educate someone.” These legal identifiers might not correspond to a student’s der identities — trans women vide an accurate map for where we are now, recognizing Cervantes gained a better self-understanding after meet- gender identity. or trans men — people who The biochemistry of gender and social behavior that it is an incredibly volatile and shifting terrain.” ing and talking with other transgender people. Ultimately, it will take time for society to adapt to the idea identify as gender noncon- Hormones are frequently cited as an explanation for phys- People have been arguing for gender neutrality ever since “I have a friend who graduated from USC a couple of years that the existing system, the notion of gender as a binary, has forming face a unique set of ical abilities and social behaviors that are often associated the ’70s and the advent of the radical feminism movement. ago who identifies as a ‘trans boi.’ He’s been a mentor to me, set sail. This may be a “transgender moment,” but there are challenges. with a particular gender. But what is the interplay between But since gender is largely attributed, Halberstam said, the and we have a lot of conversations about gender and mascu- many moments still to come. At its core, the transgender hormones and gender and to what extent is one a function notion of absolute gender neutrality is problematic. linity, and what it means to be a masculine-presenting person movement is a social justice movement — and we are playing of the other? Endocrinology as applied to human behavior “Neutrality isn’t an option in human interaction. We’re of color and how that impacts [us] in society.” the long game.

36 Spring / Summer 2016 37 MolecularMolecular YYouou

DNA was first identified in the late 1860s by Swiss chemist Friedrich Miescher, but nearly a century would pass before the famous three-dimensional double-helix structure would come to the fore. Fast forward another six decades to the present day, and science has laid bare the human genome in its entirety, giving researchers, clinicians and each of us extraordinary access to our genetic blueprint — and the promise and problems that come with it. By Darrin S. Joy

38 Spring / Summer 2016 39 pbringing and circumstance — and the consequences touch on the knowledge within our genomes. of a lifetime of decisions — all shape us to vary- “Oh, I think we’re just scratching the surface,” Waterman UUing degrees. And the environment undoubtedly said. “We’ve learned so much compared to what we knew plays some role. But, at the core of it all is our genetics, 20 or even just 10 years ago, but compared to what there is the foundational biologic blueprint of our physical — and to learn, we are just babes.” psychological — being. The plummeting cost of sequencing a genome may Carried forward through the eons, each person’s DNA, quicken the pace. An astronomical $10 million in 2006, copied from the preceding generations’ template, conveys the price tag is only about $1,000 a decade later. This a host of traits — simple features such as eye and hair col- increased cost-efficiency, driven by evolving technol- or, and complex characteristics ranging from intellectual ogy, is allowing ever-increasing returns on the project’s “We’ve learned so acuity to predisposition to disease. initial investment of $2.7 billion, which was justified by “ And now, aided by unprecedented technology stemming the promise of near-unlimited improvements in human from the Human Genome Project, each of us has access health. — at least in part — to the living source code behind our Further, the technology is now within range of many much compared identities. consumers’ financial means, allowing them to catch a But are we ready to open this Pandora’s box? The map- glimpse of their molecular selves, including their risk of ping of the human genome has raised far more questions than disease. For many, this is the where the real payoff begins. to what we knew it has answered. And concerns about the uses and utility of a person’s genomic data, along with ethical issues, dull the The right to know — and heal — yourself shiny optimism that once cast a glow on this crowning Rick White is effusive.H is passion for the information scientific achievement. held within the human genome — and its potential for 20 or even just saving lives — is nearly palpable. “This is something that The code within we had to do,” he said. “This is something that we’re com- In humans, the genome comprises about 3 billion couplets pelled to get out into the world and champion to make it of information called base pairs. Distributed among happen.” 10 years ago, but 46 chromosomes — arranged in 23 pairs — they encode White, who earned his bachelor’s degree in anthro- the genes that control our biological processes, from the pology from USC Dornsife in 1989, is co-founder of cells up. SureGenomics, a start-up company launched in 2013 that TheH uman Genome Project, launched in 1990, gave offers genomic sequencing services. An entrepreneur who compared to what the first complete sequence of those base pairs in 2003. found success as an Internet software designer, he saw an More than a decade later, vast amounts of information opportunity to use his background not only to provide people — disease markers, common traits, even surprising links with information about their genome, but to educate them between humans and other hominids — have surfaced. and give them a useful system for understanding what the there is to learn, For example a multinational group of researchers pub- information means and how they might use it. lished surprising results in 2010 comparing the human “We run marker analysis, we put it on top of 3-D repre- genome to that of Neanderthals, and showing the two sentations of sections of the body, then as you browse are ” species interbred. The findings sparked interest among the different categories of health and wellness — whether it’s wewe are justjust babes.babes.” public and scientists alike, including Michael Waterman, kidney and urinary systems, lungs and breathing, immune Life’s Instructions University Professor and USC Associates Chair in Natural system, whatever it is — you’re able to drill down on that Genomic technology is Sciences. area and create this personalized education platform,” revealing our molecular blue- “I used to find human evolution really boring,” said White said. “The whole notion is that you don’t need prints, granting unprecedented Waterman, professor of biological sciences, computer to understand all of the science but you can understand insight into our ancient past science and mathematics. “I was just totally indifferent to it. what’s relevant to you.” while opening new doors to But getting the Neanderthal sequence and realizing we had While this approach seems at face value to be a boon our future well-being. these percentages of it floating around in our genomes, now to personal health, providing this kind of information I’m absolutely fascinated with this.” is not without controversy. The U.S. Food and Drug A founder and leader in the computational biology field, Administration has expressed concerns about companies Waterman co-developed the Smith-Waterman algorithm delivering genetic risk information without getting clearance for sequence comparison and the Lander-Waterman for- first, even going so far as to ban some firms from doing so, mula for physical mapping, two fundamental algorithms though they have since partially lifted the ban. used for the mapping of human sequence information in the White and his business partners remain convinced the Human Genome Project. information is important for consumers to have — and it’s Subsequent work suggests humans harbor genetic traces of their right to have access. a second or even third species, and despite striking findings “If you look in a marketplace of ideas, as Thurgood such as these, Waterman believes we are just beginning to Marshall put it, and the ideas provided are wholly truthful

40 illustrations by Janice Kun for usc dornsife magazine Spring / Summer 2016 41 representations, you can’t disrupt an individual’s ability to best, which may reflect the complexity of the genetics that look at that information. That’s called censorship. That’s a underlie behavior. First Amendment rights violation,” White said. “You heard “Most of the things that we look at in psychology are the same things when WebMD first came out: ‘Oh, people what we would call multifactorial,” Baker said. “If there shouldn’t really have this information.’ But they couldn’t are genetic factors involved, it’s probably many genes act- stop WebMD from putting that information out because ing in concert, maybe sometimes even interacting with doing so would be a First Amendment rights violation.” each other, maybe even interacting with the environment. Ralph Wedgwood, professor of philosophy, agrees with So genetic influences are not simple, they’re complex.” White’s position to some extent, but sees both sides of the Even so, Baker remains confident that eventually the issue. Though not a medical ethicist, his studies explore information will prove highly useful in the field. ethical theory as well as the implications of making ratio- “This emphasizes the reality of tailored interventions. nal decisions. We want to find what the genes are and how they work, “Let’s suppose, just for the sake of argument, that this and maybe there are certain treatments that work better really is pretty useful information that can make a big differ- for some than others in the same way that we think of ence to the kinds of treatments people can be given, to the certain drugs that are maybe more efficient or effective for kinds of plans people can make,” he said. “Then in general people of a certain genotype. Ultimately, we could think it looks like one simple point is just that this information is of doing genetic screening and tailoring treatments based good; we should get it.” upon those results.” At the same time, Wedgwood understands that humans This concept and its promise of better health care is in are not always prepared to cope with information appropri- part what drives White to continue his efforts. ately. “If they were the fantasy individuals of economics, who “From intelligence are perfectly rational and always judge the information with The ultimate answer? “ a cool, dispassionate eye, then it would be fine. But people White’s belief that genetic information can improve or might be vulnerable because we do panic and get anxious even save lives compels him to fight the current model of about our health.” what he calls “standardized medicine.” and cognitive abilities Part of the issue may lie in the inherent uncertainty “In standardized medicine, you get sick, you take a of most genomic information. The presence or absence of drug; you get a cut, we sew it up. It’s a reactive model. We genetic markers might motivate a person to make a medical started to think, ‘Hey, if you actually had some of these choice when in fact those markers do not ensure a given data points, you could start to re-route yourself around the to personalities and outcome — they only speak to a level of risk. problems.’ ” This uncertainty is especially apparent for markers asso- White in particular emphasizes concerns about adverse ciated with behavioral traits. drug reactions. For him, it’s personal. “My mom had an adverse drug reaction, and she passed attitudes, and whether Molecules to mind away. And the thing is, there is knowledge that exists that Laura Baker is professor of psychology and director of the could allow people to avoid that. There are 2.1 million USC Twin Project. She investigates how heredity as well adverse drug reactions in hospitals alone. It translates to as the environment affect individual differences in human 108,000 deaths every year. or not you’re conservative behavior as well as the genetic bases of reading disabilities, “If we have pharmacogenomic information that allows Coded Psyche attention deficit disorders and conduct behavior problems you to know how you metabolize drugs — data that could Genetics holds sway not just in childhood and adolescence. protect you — that should be something that everybody over our bodies, but also our According to Baker, a shift in the 1970s and ’80s turned has. So when you’re sick, they know what they can give minds. Information revealed or liberal in your attitudes, through genomic sequencing the psychology community toward recognizing the impor- you and what they can’t. It shouldn’t be, ‘Here, take this tance of genetic factors in shaping behavior. drug. Oh, it didn’t work? Okay, here, try this one.’ ” may soon improve psycho- “From intelligence and cognitive abilities to personali- White ultimately sees genomic data becoming part of logical therapies just as it has all medical treatment. it’s all influencedinfluencedby by ties and attitudes, and whether or not you’re conservative each person’s health record. “Absolutely. Centerpiece.” it’s or liberal in your attitudes, it’s all influenced by genetic Waterman agrees. “At some point our genome is just factors,” she said. “In fact, people have been hard-pressed going to be part of our health-care record. It’s inevitable.” to find any aspect of psychological function that is not influ- For White, that’s the ultimate power of knowing your- genetic factors.”” enced by genetics.” self at the genetic level. “That’s what turns standardized genetic factors. The advent of genomic sequencing technologies has medicine from a money sink into something that’s efficient amplified efforts to pinpoint behavioral genes. and personalized and terrific. But you have to start build- “Since the Human Genome Project and advances in ing it, and you have to give people access, and you have to molecular techniques, everyone has become focused on give them tools that allow them to comprehend and learn trying to discover genes for various traits.” about genetics. So far, however, the results have been inconclusive at “Ultimately, genomics saves us.”

42 Spring / Summer 2016 43 The Craftsman

For filmmaker Edoardo Ponti, poetry was the key to unlocking his talents as a cinematic storyteller. By Michelle Salzman Boston

44 Spring / Summer 2016 45 T aking a break from his work to talk about filmmaking, dream. At 18, he enrolled in the cinematic arts program at Edoardo Ponti’s eyes lit up. He leaned into his seat, a plush USC, ranked among the top in the nation. Immediately, he booth at the Soho House West Hollywood with a bird’s- felt that he had made a mistake. eye view of Los Angeles, where he had been typing intently “A month in, I realized that studying film so young on his laptop moments earlier. Looking out on the city en- wasn’t the best way for me to become a filmmaker,” Ponti gulfed in a dreamlike haze that unfurled into infinity, Ponti said. “Film was the tool I’d be using to tell stories, but in considered his own journey from Geneva, Switzerland, order for me to get the emotional and life ammunition to where he grew up, to the heart of the industry, which he be able to tell stories, I had to study writing and the great now calls home. Ponti, 43, felt Hollywood’s pull as far back authors.” as he can remember. Ponti switched his major from film to creative writing “When I was 4, my brother who is four years older and made poetry the focus of his studies. would practice piano in the living room,” Ponti recalled. “I’ve always written poetry, so for me it was a very natural He shifted in his seat and thoughtfully pulled at his closely mode of expression,” he explained. “Poetry is about getting trimmed salt-and-pepper beard. “I remember very specifi- at the core of things. It’s about the universe of the detail but cally. I was next to him playing with my cars and little toy also about rhythm. And film is also about rhythm, detail ships using his music as the musical score to my scenes. and finding the essence in every moment.” When he played a dramatic piece, I would use that to have Ponti eventually returned to study film, earning his mas- my ships sink; when he practiced something more high ter’s from the USC School of Cinematic Arts in 1998. But octane, I switched to a car chase.” studying poetry helped Ponti to build his toolkit. You could say filmmaking is in Ponti’s blood. His family’s “When I write poetry I’m at my freest,” Ponti said. “It has influence is most evident in his eyes, the same vivid hazel as become an amazing way to express anything I want without those of his mother, Oscar-winning actress Sophia Loren, the confines of a narrative. Whatever I want to say, I can and in his profile, which echoes that of his late father, say in poetry.” prolific movie producer Carlo Ponti. (His brother, Carlo Ponti described his earliest poems as incredibly long, and Ponti Jr., whose practice provided the score to Edoardo’s very personal. It was when he began to direct his writing playtime, is now a composer and orchestra conductor.) into short, focused narratives that a light bulb went on for However, Ponti, whose films have been shown and him as a storyteller. honored at the Cannes, Venice, Tribeca and Toronto film “It liberated me,” he said. “I could pack as much meaning festivals, has forged his own path in Hollywood. He has into a vehicle that was much shorter. And that really has to written and directed the feature films Between Strangers do with discipline and rhythm. Finding the right rhythm (2002) and Coming & Going (2011), and has also written, for the right message was something that I really learned in directed and produced several stage plays, as well as an poetry. And that, in film, is enormously important because opera. Most recently, Ponti adapted Jean Cocteau’s 1930 that’s one of the ways you start thinking of tone.” play La Voix Humaine into a short film starring Loren. Ponti counts David St. John, University Professor of When it comes to film- English and Comparative making, Ponti considers Literature at USC Dornsife, himself less of an artist and as one of his most esteemed words fit his vocal pattern — Ponti will keep it.H e called St. The time Ponti spent mulling over his words became an more of a craftsman. mentors. John his “aural litmus test of whether or not a poem works.” important blueprint for his creative process. “I’ve always approached Ponti recalled that in his “It’s about sharpening your ability to envision something film as a craft,” he explained. writing workshops, St. John The Magic in the Mundane before it exists,” he explained. “That period of gestation is “That means practice, disci- would be both very objective Studying poetry also reinforced for Ponti the fact that disci- very important because that’s how your inner life and your pline and not being afraid and sharp in his feedback pline is essential for success, especially for someone working experiences are allowed to merge.” to take risks.” but, at the same time, very in a creative field. That means tapping into inspiration as Between Takes Ponti credited his par- gentle and human about it. time allows, not just waiting for the muse to strike. Edoardo Ponti and his mother, ents for instilling in him a “You would allow your- “That’s what being a professional means. You can switch “I’ve always approached film Sophia Loren, on the set of strong work ethic that lends self to listen to his criti- on inspiration,” Ponti said. “If your schedule only allows you Voce Umana in 2013. Ponti itself to this apporach. cism,” Ponti said. “You were to write between the hours of 1 and 6 p.m., what happens as a craft. That means practice, directed the short film based “My parents taught me elevated by it. And that was if inspiration strikes at 6:30? You missed that train and that on Jean Cocteau’s 1930 play not to take anything for a wonderful way for all of us can’t happen, so you have to be able to access inspiration discipline and not being afraid La Voix Humaine. granted, nothing is owed to to come together to share almost at will. It becomes a muscle. The more you write, the you. You have to work hard our innermost feelings more you can access it.” for it,” he said. “You cannot in a safe, nonjudgmental As an undergraduate, he would “switch on” his inspira- to take risks.” reach your potential unless environment — an environ- tion using the commute from USC to his home 40 miles you work hard to sharpen ment that really helped us north of Los Angeles to write a poem every day.

your craft.” sharpen that skill through Photo “I had this self-imposed exercise in college. It’d take me However, Ponti embraces the moments when his creativ-

intelligent, constructive p around one hour to drive back home from USC and I would ity is sparked organically. After all, a storyteller’s antennae hoto by by hoto

The Universe c

criticism. o ourtesy use that time to compose a poem. I would create it in my are always up, he said. of the Detail “To this day, when I write mind as I was driving, repeating the lines I liked, and add- “If writing or telling stories is your passion, you don’t j Like so many other aspiring a poem, it is David’s voice livzey ohn ing to those verses. I never used a Dictaphone. And when even do it consciously. That part of you is always on, f

writers and directors, when that I hear,” he said. If it @ I got home, I had a poem that I would transcribe. I wrote seeking out the next story or image or moment from the

he was starting out, Ponti sounds like St. John could SG countless poems like this, in my head, stuck on the 101 free- most mundane detail in life. The trick is to uncover the moved to L.A. to follow his read his poem — that the P way. You could say that the 101 became my muse!” magic in the mundane.”

46 Spring / Summer 2016 47 A LifeLong Process Ponti had his adaptation translated from the original Ponti’s first term at USC’s film school was intense but incred- French to Neapolitan, the language of Naples, Italy, which ibly fruitful. he felt accentuated the protagonist’s strengths. He recalled fondly that he focused on “surviving because “Translating the text reinforced the female character,” they throw the camera at you and say, ‘Now, go make a explained Ponti, who is himself a polyglot fluent in English, movie.’ ” The emphasis quickly shifted to developing his French and Italian. “French is a very intellectual language, voice as a storyteller. a language of the mind, and Neapolitan is a very visceral “This is a lifelong process, finding your voice,” Ponti said. language, born in your abdomen — in your gut. So when “It’s about tone; it’s about the themes that interest you; it’s the character speaks Neapolitan, without changing the about where your eye goes in a room; it’s about what life mo- words she gains an inner strength that she really didn’t ments touch you, what music makes you cry. Finding your have in French. voice is understanding who you are.” “It was quite amazing seeing the transformation of a Revelation struck the first time he watched the Three Colors character just by shifting the language. Languages reside in trilogy — the films Blue, White and Red — by renowned different parts of you, and a language that resides in your art-house director and screenwriter Krzysztof Kieślowski. head is very different than a language that resides in your gut. It affects the power and the impact of a character enormously.” The film ends with the inscription: “per mamma” — “for “Poetry is about getting at the core my mother.” Ponti, who had previously directed his mother in the feature film Between Strangers, called working with of things. It’s about the universe of the her on such an intimate project an “amazing process.” “She was very nervous to do this movie because it’s detail but also about rhythm. And film really a litmus test for all the greatest actresses in the world,” he said. The two rehearsed the piece for six weeks is also about rhythm, detail and finding before shooting began. “It was me and her sitting in a hotel room, face to face going through every line, every nuance, every color of the the essence in every moment.” emotional journey that this woman was going through.” The piece garnered acclaim, screening at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival, the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival and the 2014 “Every filmmaker, every writer needs to find that per- HollyShorts Film Festival. Loren won a 2014 David Di son who speaks to the deepest part of themselves. For me, Donatello Award, Italy’s top film honor, for her perfor- Kieślowski was the one,” Ponti said. Kieślowski’s ability to mance. Last April, Voce Umana debuted on Turner Classic shoot a drama with the tension and suspense of a thriller, Movies as part of a five-movie tribute to the actress. coupled with his attention to human detail, inspired Ponti. “When I saw his films — in the humblest of ways — I Finding Balance saw myself in them; they gave me the courage to tell my Film school had another profound impact on Ponti’s life. own stories.” It’s where he met his wife, actress Sasha Alexander, who Ponti has since been exploring the themes that pique his plays chief medical examiner Maura Isles on the popular interest as a storyteller. The one theme that he sees reoc- TNT television series Rizzoli & Isles. At USC, the two curring throughout his own work is resilience — evident would run into each other in common areas on campus in his most recent film,Voce Umana (Human Voice), which between classes. captures a jilted lover’s fight for her unravelling relationship. “We were just friendly. And then, 10 years later, we “I’m interested in the stories of people fighting their battles bumped into each other and the rest is history.” Ponti against all odds, swimming as hard as they can against the smiled. They have now been married for nine years and have current of things but never losing hope. Faced with a wall of two children together. ‘nays,’ they are the only ‘aye,’ ” he said. Ponti is comfortable moving between the different roles he inhabits — writer, father, husband and filmmaker. Lights, Camera, Action Voce Umana “People think, ‘Oh, I haven’t allotted enough time to Clockwise: Ponti and Loren at With two staccato peals, a phone rings. A woman’s voice writing because I was busy being a father.’ But the truth is an airport in London in 1974; answers urgently: “Pronto? Pronto?” they’re not mutually exclusive. Being a father enriches you mother and son take a break So begins Ponti’s short film, Voce Umana. The story as a writer and vice versa,” he explained. His philosophy is from filming Aurora, a 1984 centers on a phone conversation between a widow and her that everything balances out. film the two co-starred in; on lover, who is leaving her for another woman. Viewers are “You’re not taking anything away from one part of you

the set of Aurora; Ponti and his p privy only to the woman’s side of the dialogue as she slowly when you focus on another facet of your life. Each facet feeds hotos wife, actress Sasha Alexander, breaks down while learning of his betrayal. into the other, deepens the whole. You take the lessons from

share a kiss in Capri, Italy; c

In Ponti’s adaptation, which was released in 2014, the every part of you and apply them to all of you.” o ourtesy with his father, film producer woman is played by Loren, who effortlessly embodies her Ponti reached for his computer. After all, it was the Carlo Ponti, at the USC character, sliding between anxiety, outrage, strength and middle of the work day. A cool breeze drifted through the

Commencement ceremony f desperation. open windows nearby. With the laptop open on the table i getty in 1994. “The dynamics between men and women have dramati- in front of him he leaned back in his seat and paused for a

cally shifted from the time Cocteau wrote the piece,” Ponti moment, ever the composed wordsmith. He concluded, “If m said, “so I had to make sure the piece spoke to a contemporary you understand that everything is connected in your life, ages audience but at the same time stayed true to itself.” you’ll be fine.”

48 Spring / Summer 2016 49 Social media and other digital channels are providing platforms such as YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Snapchat, where nearly anyone can make his or her voice heard. The result is ample opportunity for each of us to reap the rewards — or consequences — of our online identities. By Darrin S. Joy

For many parents, the inexorable approach of puberty and media, as well. The student soon began receiving all manner those awkward teenage years sends a clear signal that it is of hostile messages, including threats against her life. time for “the talk.” The conversation in mind, however, has Despite removing the video from the Web and apolo- nothing to do with birds or bees. gizing, the third-year political science major soon left the The discussion centers instead on the dangers their university to escape the negative attention. She has remained tweens and teens face from a near ubiquitous source; one (wisely, one might agree) absent from the Internet and the that they, having first encountered it as adults, are them- public eye ever since. selves struggling to navigate — the Internet. While her motivations for posting the rant in the first Aside from the more obvious sinister threats — bullying place were never confirmed, it may be that she, like many and cyber-stalking among them — incautious travelers of her peers, viewed YouTube as a platform for gaining some through the online world face the possibility of damaging level of celebrity, even if only among her friends. Pixelated Perils their own real-world reputations through missteps in the “There’s a whole layer of identity that people are encour- The virtual nature of the on- digital realm. aged to create online,” said Karen Sternheimer, associate pro- line world can lull users into fessor (teaching) of sociology. Sternheimer’s research includes a false sense of security. But For the record studies of the construction of celebrity culture and how the dangers are real, and cy- In 2011, a student attending a public university in California celebrity has been manufactured from the early 20th century berspace can leave a lasting found out just how swiftly a mistake can escalate to character- to the present. Her book Celebrity Culture and the American mark on incautious visitors. crushing levels when she posted a racist rant admonishing Dream: Stardom and Social Mobility (Routledge, 2011) Asian students for speaking on cell phones in the library. The considers how celebrity culture in the 20th and early 21st short and extremely cringeworthy YouTube video quickly centuries reflects and reinforces notions of social mobility. went viral, garnering extensive coverage through the news “I would guess that it’s not the majority of people who are

50 illustrations by matthew pla savino for usc dornsife magazine Spring / Summer 2016 51 really looking for fame,” she said. “I think there’s this instant And people are more likely to behave ethically when that gratification of posting something and being validated by happens, as well. others. ‘Oh, people are paying attention to what I have to “I think in some sense Facebook’s total record of your say. People like my picture.’ ” entire history as a person may give you the sense that you The student who created the so-called “Asians in the do exist across time and it’s worth investing in your future Library” video forgot or failed to realize that the World Wide exactly because you don’t only exist in the moment.” Web is, by definition, available to a global audience, friendly Ultimately, that insight draws people back to their “real- or otherwise. If she was, in fact, aiming to fashion for herself world” lives. an online celebrity identity, she would have done well to account for that extreme level of exposure. “It reminds me of the work of a seminal sociologist, Erving Goffman, who talked about what he called — and “Your backstage behavior is no longer just a this was in the middle of the 20th century, so he obviously was not talking about anything digital — but he talked ; it can live on forever.” about ‘frontstage behavior’ and ‘backstage behavior,’ ” said Sternheimer. Goffman, considered by many in the field as one of the Making connections most important sociologists of the 20th century, argued Alumna Erica Berger is a writer, journalist and entrepreneur that all actions are intended to present and maintain certain with extensive expertise in digital media. Named to Forbes impressions of one’s self. Humans are actors on a stage magazine’s “30 Under 30” list in 2012, she credits her use performing for an audience, he maintained, and the only of digital platforms for helping to build her career identity, time they can be themselves and get rid of their role or iden- though it was more a natural inclination than a plan of action. tity in society is “backstage,” where no audience is present. “I worked hard, I used Twitter early and was very strategic With the advent of the Internet, and social media in par- about the hashtags I would use, the beats that I would tweet ticular, backstage can more easily become frontstage rather about,” said Berger, who graduated in 2009 with a bachelor’s suddenly — and possibly permanently — according to degree in international relations. “But I never put out a digital Sternheimer. ‘Roadmap of Erica’ saying, ‘By this time I would have this “Your backstage behavior is no longer just a fleeting many followers; by this time I would like to change this job; moment; it can live on forever,” she said. At the same time, by this time I’d like to be here in my career; by this time I’d she added, it is possible that airing the more personal self like to launch a start-up.’ That’s never been the case.” may simply evolve to be the norm. Berger is clear that the real value of her online presence lies This evolution seems nearly inevitable as we become in solidifying in-person connections. entwined with our digital personas. “Of course, I’ve met a lot of the people whom I work with as well as friends online, but then it’s our offline experiences Identity in context together that create trust,” she said. “Somebody the other day Eric Horowitz is a graduate student working toward his said to me, ‘I don’t see you that often in person but I feel like Ph.D. in psychology. His research focuses primarily on how I know you because of the way that you share online.’ So it’s people view the connection between their current and a blend.” future identities and when, why and how that view In the end, she said, “the Internet is more human and face- influences behavior. Horowitz’s work, guided by Daphna to-face than a lot of people think or believe it is. There are Oyserman, Dean’s Professor of Psychology and co-director still so many relationships that are deepened offline.” It may of the Mind and Society Center at USC Dornsife, springs just depend on how much you put yourself out there online. from a theory called “identity-based motivation.” “The key element of [the theory] is that people have Fear of the new is nothing new all these different identities — you can be a mother and So then, are parents, as they prep for “the talk,” justified Hispanic and a student — but which identities come to mind in their fears about their children’s digital well-being? and what they imply for action is shaped by the context,” Sternheimer sees this as a new spin on an age-old question explained Horowitz. This “dynamic construction” of identity the ubiquity of social media likely shapes both the frequency identities. “In that sense it would be a good thing. that, as is usually the case, will take time to answer. determines how people behave. that your social identity is on your mind and what that social “It could go either way depending on exactly how you use “When we’ve had changes in communication technolo- For instance, if something in a person’s current context identity implies for behavior.” these social networks and when you’re using them. But they gies, and there have obviously been a lot in the last several cues that person’s school identity, the set of behaviors that But is social media’s influence on identity and behavior certainly, I think, have the potential to cue different identities decades, it produces anxiety and fear about what will become Tech-savvy feel right will likely be different from a situation in which the bad? and behaviors at different times in ways that may not have of young people today,” she said. “And then eventually this Savvy users are learning context cues a social identity. At the same time, the specific “It depends,” Horowitz said. “Obviously if you’re at work happened before they existed.” starts to diminish as people become accustomed to it. Seeing to turn the seemingly limit- behaviors associated with a given identity are themselves and you glance at your phone and see a Facebook notification, Horowitz suggests that some social media tools may actu- that something isn’t a threat takes a little while.” less reach of the Internet influenced by context. and that makes your work identity less salient, then that can ally prime people for success. He points to Facebook’s “On Sternheimer suggests that perhaps it is the older genera- to their advantage, building “For example, a school identity might lead one to view be negative. Similarly, it could be bad if checking Facebook This Day” feature, which prompts users to repost an entry tion whose identities feel threatened, but that is just an inexo- their skills — and reputa- studying as the right behavior when the context cues becomes an action that feels fitting for your work identity.” from the past, or the popular “Throwback Thursday” hashtag. rable part of the march of time. tions — in an increasingly academic excellence,” Horowitz said, “but if the context cues But the opposite is also true. “It creates this greater awareness of the past and that your “I think there’s a sense of people feeling obsolete; a time tech-oriented world. school spirit or school community, a salient school identity “I know for me, I’m on Twitter a lot, but the people I identity exists over time. It takes you out of the moment,” we knew and thought we understood is gone. Things don’t could lead one to feel that the right behavior is attending a follow tend to be academic, so that can have the opposite he said. operate in the same way they used to and in a way we basketball game against a rival — a leisure behavior rather effect,” he said. Glancing at Twitter and seeing a post from “There is research suggesting that seeing yourself exist- felt comfortable with, and maybe we think things were than an academic behavior.” a social psychologist could spur him from a restful state to ing more across time rather than in the moment is actually simpler then.” The near-overwhelming opportunities for interaction working or thinking about his research. It may allow this beneficial. When kids feel an inner sense of continuity with But as we all know, she added, “things were always simpler online weight this process, according to Horowitz. “I think kind of thinking to feel like a fitting behavior for non-work the future versions of themselves, they’re more likely to study. in the past — except they weren’t.”

52 Spring / Summer 2016 53 dornsife family

Joy Paul ( J.P.) Guilford, 1897-1987 HONORS

Faculty News DANA GIOIA, Judge Widney G. K. SURYA PRAKASH, Before joining the USC Dornsife Professor of Poetry and Public George A. and Judith A. Olah LegacyDepartment of Psychology in GIAN MARIA ANNOVI, Culture, was named California Nobel Laureate Chair in Hydro- 1940, Joy Paul (J.P.) Guilford assistant professor of French poet laureate. carbon Chemistry and profes- served as interim director of and Italian and gender studies, sor of chemistry, received the the psychology clinic at the received a grant from The Creative Andrew Lakoff, associate 2015 Henri Moissan Prize for University of Nebraska. There Capital/Andy Warhol Foundation professor of sociology, was excellence in fluorine chemistry. he administered intelligence Arts Writers Grant Program. awarded a fellowship at the tests to children. Having Center for Advanced Study in the OLEG PREZHDO, professor grown up comparing his own Andrew Bacon, assistant Behavioral Sciences (CASBS) at of chemistry and astronomy brothers’ unique skills and professor of philosophy, won Stanford University. and physics, was awarded a abilities, Guilford was curious the Sanders Prize in Metaphysics. Humboldt Research Award. about what, exactly, defines STEVEN LAMY, professor of intelligence. IQ is determined Professor Emerita of History international relations and vice REMO ROHS, associate by a linear model, but how is LOIS BANNER was awarded dean for academic programs, professor of biological that accurate when peoples’ the Fulbright Distinguished Chair has been named to the Academic sciences, chemistry, physics intellectual strengths vary so at the University of Uppsala in Advisory Board of the Warrior and astronomy, and computer tremendously? Sweden. Scholar Project. science, received the ACS Out of these questions OpenEye Outstanding Junior emerged Guilford’s “Structure LISA BITEL, professor of his- PETER MANCALL, Andrew Faculty Award in computational of Intellect” (SOI) theory, tory and religion, was elected W. Mellon Professor of the chemistry. which proposes a three-dimen- a fellow of the Medieval Academy Humanities, Linda and Harlan sional model of intelligence. of America. Martens Director of the Early NORBERT SCHWARZ, Provost “He had always believed that Modern Studies Institute, and Professor of Psychology and Double Distinction there are many important and YAO-YI CHIANG, assistant professor of history and Marketing and founding co- David St. John and Percival Everett are elected into relatively independent mental professor (research) of spatial anthropology, and vice dean director of the USC Dornsife the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. abilities,” wrote Andrew L. sciences, won first place at the for the humanities and social Mind and Society Center, has Comrey in his biographical Computing Community Consor- sciences, received a Dyason been awarded the 2015 Oswald David St. John, University Professor of English and memoir of Guilford (National tium-sponsored Blue Sky Ideas Fellowship from the University of Külpe Prize by the University of Comparative Literature and chair of English, and Academy of Sciences, 1993). Track Competition at the ACM Melbourne in Australia to support Würzburg in Germany. Percival Everett, Distinguished Professor of English, “Guilford was particularly SIGSPATIAL International Confer- a project titled “Culture Clashes have been named fellows of the 236-year-old American aware of the absence of creat- ence on Advances in Geographic in New Worlds: Exploration and JACOB SOLL, professor of Academy of Arts and Sciences, bringing the number of ivity measures in traditional Information Systems 2015. Encounters Between Europeans history and accounting, was USC Dornsife academy fellows to 23. intelligence testing.” and Indigenes.” named among The Accountant St. John is the author of 11 collections of poetry. Lauded During his tenure at IRENE CHIOLO, Gabilan magazine’s Timetric Accountancy for writing that is captivating and brutally honest, he has USC Dornsife from 1940-62, Assistant Professor of Bio- BRENT MELOT, assistant pro- Power 50. been honored with many of the most significant prizes for Guilford refined the SOI logical Sciences, was awarded fessor of chemistry, received a poets over the course of his career, including the Rome model, which he presented a Mallinckrodt Foundation Grant Cottrell Scholar Award from the JENNIFER SWIFT, associate Fellowship and the Award in Literature from the American formally in Paris in 1955. The to investigate the mechanisms of Research Corporation for Scien- professor (teaching) of spatial Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters, the O. B. current theory comprises DNA repair in heterochromatin. tific Advancement. sciences, was inducted into the Hardison Prize from The Folger Shakespeare Library and more than 180 intellectual 2015–16 VIP Woman of the Year the George Drury Smith Lifetime Achievement Award abilities organized along three c Gerald Davison, professor Michael Messner, professor Circle by the National Association o

mp from Beyond Baroque. His book Study for the World’s Body dimensions — operations, of psychology and gerontology, of sociology and gender studies, of Professional Women. osite osite (Perennial, 1994) was nominated for The National Book content and products. received the 2016 Distinguished and chair of sociology, was hon- Award in Poetry. Most recently he published The Window p The operations dimension researchers continued to invest- Mary Meeker, a USC graduate measure as a result of his Joy Paul (J.P.) Guilford’s byhotos Peter Scientific Contribution in Psy- ored with the Pacific Sociological DOUG CAPONE, William (Arctos Press, 2014). includes cognition, memory igate and uncover distinct researcher in education who research, intelligence has chology award from the Califor- Association’s 2016 Distinguished and Julie Wrigley Chair in p

“Structure of Intellect” theory hoto Everett, a former chair of English, has earned acclaim retention and evaluation. mental abilities, he became collaborated with Guilford. been shown to be incredibly proposes a three-dimensional nia Psychological Association. Scholarship Award. Environmental Studies, for lyrical prose and for balancing a sharp satirical eye

Content is concerned with convinced that children could Even now, SOI learning materi- complex. The hereditary c and professor and chair of model of intelligence, with added ourtesy o and hyper-literate sensibility with deeply felt exploration semantic and behavioral be trained to be smarter. He als are used in addressing limitations placed on human JAHAN DAWLATY, assis- Amy Ogata, professor and biological sciences; JED emphasis on creativity and Z of character and a fearless approach to controversial haoyu aptitude, such as one’s facility coined the phrase “intelli- learning disabilities in intelligence are seen now to be critical thinking. tant professor of chemistry, chair of art history, received the FUHRMAN, McCulloch-Crosby issues related to race, class and sexuality. He has worked

with language and one’s abil- gence education is intelligent early childhood education far less restrictive than previ- f received a Cottrell Scholar Award Society of Architectural Histori- Chair in Marine Biology and

Z US in a number of genres including the American western, hou and Philhou Channing

ity to pick up on behavioral education.” Guilford’s ideas and in screening students for ously assumed. Guilford’s send your memories to C from the Research Corporation ans’ Alice Davis Hitchcock Book professor of biological sciences;

U metafiction, children’s literature and reimagining the Greek cues. The products dimension have been implemented admission to gifted and special concept of intelligence, if USC Dornsife Magazine niversity for Scientific Advancement. Award for Designing the Creative and DAVID HUTCHINS, profes- myth. He has published 25 books with Graywolf Press contains the results of applying through an education system education programs. adequately heeded, will have a 1150 S. Olive Street, T2400 Child: Playthings and Places in sor of biological sciences, including Wounded (2005), for which he received the PEN operations to content — that emphasizes critical think- “When Guilford began his profound impact in the future Los Angeles, CA 90015 STEVEn FINKEL, professor of Midcentury America (University of were named sustaining fellows in USA 2006 Literary Award. His book Erasure (2001) earned A such as making predictions ing and creativity. career, intelligence was the on public perceptions about r biological sciences, was elected Minnesota Press, 2013). the Association for the Sciences c the Academy Award for Literature from the American hives or anticipating consequences. Guilford’s theory has also IQ, a monolithic table,” wrote individual potential and upon a fellow of the American Academy of Limnology and Oceanography’s Academy of Arts and Letters as well as the Hurston/Wright As Guilford and other been applied by the late Comrey. “Now, in large the education of children.” of Microbiology. inaugural class of fellows. Legacy Award. —S.B.

54 Spring / Summer 2016 55 dornsife family

FACULTY CANON American Studies and Ethnicity Alumni News 1980s and 2016 Pulitzer Prize winner STEPHEN HUBLER (B.A., inter- Viet Thanh Nguyen provides 1960s national relations, ’82; M.A., interpretations of the way DANIEL GARCIA (B.A., interna- international relations, ’86) memories of the Vietnam War tional relations, ’68) retired after is serving as senior coordinator, help to enable future wars or more than 47 years with the U.S. Office of Refugee and Internally struggle to prevent them. government including work at the Displaced Persons Affairs, at the Office of Management & Budget, U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. He House Government Operations oversees humanitarian assistance Committee, Peace Corps, Export- support for 3.2 million internally WRITING THE SOUTH SEAS: 99 POEMS: New & Selected Import Bank of the U.S., and the displaced Iraqis and refugee re- Imagining the Nanyang in Graywolf Press / In a career- International Broadcasting Bureau. settlement operations for Iraqi Chinese and Southeast Asian spanning collection by Dana Gioia, As his second public-service and Syrian refugees. Postcolonial Literature University Judge Widney Professor of Poetry career, he drives a school bus for of Washington Press / Assistant and Public Culture and California Fairfax County Public Schools in VA. Emmy Award-winning journalist Professor of East Asian Languages Poet Laureate, themes of mystery, PETER MUSURLIAN (B.A., and Cultures Brian Bernards remembrance, imagination, 1970s political science and broad- explains why Nanyang encounters songs and love work to remind BEN EUBANKS (B.A., history cast journalism, ’83) won an should be considered crucial to the reader of the pleasures of EQUITY, GROWTH, AND and social science, ’78) was ap- RTNA Golden Mike award for Life at the Intersection the national literatures of China lyrical verse. COMMUNITY: What the Nation pointed a 2016 state director for the editing for his Armenian geno- Through an authoritative new book, Ange-Marie Hancock offers a comprehensive and Southeast Asia. Can Learn from America’s Metro California Association of REALTORS cide documentary entitled The intellectual history of intersectionality. Areas University of California Board of Directors to serve on the 100-year-old Survivor. Press / Writing with Chris Benner, investment housing, legislative and The United States, though led by an African American president, Manuel Pastor, Turpanjian Chair public policy committees. He is The latest play written by and star- has witnessed the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement. In in Civil Society and Social Change a real estate officer and principal ring SANDRA TSING LOH (MPW, Scandinavia, known worldwide as a progressive, socially oriented and professor of sociology and From Free Love of Aloha Royal Hawaiian Realty in ’84), The Madwoman in the Volvo, and egalitarian region, violence against women still persists. How do American studies and ethnicity, Marina del Rey, CA. debuted in January at the South we reconcile these types of paradoxes? addresses issues of growing Coast Repertory Theater in Costa Intersectionality, a framework for thinking about the ways in which economic challenges, income to Well-Set Table In November 2015, DONALD Mesa, CA. The play was adapted inequalities related to race, gender, class and sexuality develop, is an WOODY GUTHRIE L.A.: 1937 inequality and political polarization The unlikely story of a well-known brand’s rise from LAPLANTe (B.A., political from her memoir of the same title. excellent place to begin to understand the different factors involved, to 1941 Angel City Press / in the United States. a 19th-century radical religious sect. science and journalism, ’76) according to Ange-Marie Hancock, associate professor of political William Deverell, professor DEMOCRATIC TRANSITIONS: was re-elected to his 10th term 1990s science, gender studies and sociology. and chair of history, and Conversations With World Oneida. For most Americans the name conjures up fine on the Board of Education of the EDWARD CHYUN (B.A., politi- Hancock, who has been exploring the subject for nearly 20 years, Darryl Holder, associate adjunct Leaders Johns Hopkins University silverware. Few are aware that behind this secular symbol of Downey Unified School District in cal science, ’99) was selected provides an in-depth look at the issue in her new book, Intersectionality: An Intellectual History professor of history, delve into the Press / Collaborating with Sergio middle-class respectability lies the story of a 19th-century Downey, CA. First elected in 1979, as co-chair of the National Asian (Oxford University Press, 2016). impact Los Angeles had on Dust Bitar, president of Chile’s Foun- religious community endowed with radical notions of he is now the longest-serving Pacific American Bar Association’s “I think one of the reasons intersectionality is compelling is because it gives us a contem- Bowl troubadour Woody Guthrie. dation for Democracy, Profes- equality, sex and religion. In Oneida (Picador, 2016), Ellen K-12 district board member in Los Labor and Employment Committee. porary language to talk about why so many things have changed and yet so many things sor Emeritus of International Wayland-Smith, assistant professor (teaching) of writing, Angeles County. He was also recently appointed to stay the same,” she said. Relations Abraham Lowenthal traces this extraordinary history through the community’s serve on the Ohio Supreme Court’s In our society, social and political power is conferred through categories of identity. interviewed 13 world leaders to founder, John Humphrey Noyes, from whom she is MARTIN MCDERMUT (B.A., Language Services Committee. Rather than simply looking at inequality as a relationship between those at the center and offer insight into how countries descended. economics, ’73) was named vice those on the margins, Hancock said, intersectionality maps the relative ways in which transition from authoritarian rule Amid the fervor of religious revival, Noyes attracted a president and chief financial LINDA JENKINS (B.A., art identity politics creates power. to democratic governance. PHOTOPOETICS AT group of followers seeking an alternative to Puritanism. In officer of Applied Micro Circuits history and journalism, ’97) In most popular usage, intersectionality is equated with a notion of individual identity, TLATELOLCO: Afterimages 1848, he established a revolutionary community in rural Corporation. was named editor of NWLawyer but Hancock said it’s also about how people in general interact with others and with of Mexico, 1968 University of New York that aimed to achieve a sin-free life through God’s Magazine, the official publication O institutions and structures. Identity politics is just the beginning. neida Texas Press / Examining artifacts grace, while espousing equality of the sexes and encouraging JOSEPH MORRIS (B.S., physical of the Washington State Bar “I wanted to start a conversation so we could really start to think about putting some ranging from documentary sex with multiple partners via “complex marriage.” sciences, ’79) retired on June Association. p boundaries around what is intersectionality and what is not,” she said. hoto photography and testimony to “Oneida tells the story of how a communo-capitalist, 30, 2015, after serving 31 years on TROUT’S LIE Red Hen Press / H poetry, essays, cinema and literary active duty in the U.S. Army Medical ROBERTO LARIOS (B.A., Hancock believes that intersectionality is a hopeful framework that contributes to soli- an free-love religious sect, over the space of a century, trans- c c Distinguished Professor of English o ourtesy texts, Assistant Professor of Corps. He retired as chief of the Spanish literature and linguis- o

darity among groups. c formed into one of the country’s premier silverware man- “When you start looking at combinations of privilege and disadvantage, you start to Percival Everett explores the k Photo by Spanish Samuel Steinberg ufacturers — Oneida Community Limited — the very Department of Medicine as well as tics, ’97) was named chief oper- overcome your own willful blindness that doesn’t see how other people might be in a semantic relationship between considers the broad photographic picture of middle-class propriety and the white-picket- chief of Infectious Disease Service ating officer at the City Employees f position to be in solidarity with you. You see that people you never thought you’d have sense and so-called nonsense, oneida and photopoetic nature of modern fence American dream,” Wayland-Smith said. “Oneida at Madigan Army Medical Center Club of Los Angeles.

questioning whether either is D witnessing as well as the specific at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in anything in common with are actually suffering substantively from the same kind of issue, enise was very much a product of its time. In my book, I place the

actually possible. NOTHING EVER DIES: c elements of light (gunfire, flares, Tacoma, WA. At his retirement

and it starts to reveal unlikely allies.” o community in the context of the Second Great Awakening mm Vietnam and the Memory of W camera flashes) that ultimately ceremony, he received the distin- Continued on page 60. inters

Hancock’s book is the first in a series of two. The second book, Scaling up Stories for unity and the expansion of American capitalism, while high- Justice, will explore the use of stories and narrative in building social movements for War Harvard University Press / defined the 1968 paramilitiary lighting Noyes’ incorporation of communism, utopianism, guished Legion of Merit honoring change. —L.P. Associate Professor of English and Mexico City student massacre. eugenics and spiritualism.” —S.B. his exceptional career.

56 Spring / Summer 2016 57 dornsife family

alumni and student canon

AThrillerlumnus, professor and authorKing discusses how his psychology career helped his success as a writer.

In 1974, Jonathan Kellerman, then a doctoral student in psychology at USC Dornsife, had an epiphany. Driving to his internship at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, he passed an antique store advertising cheap books. THE SECRETS OF LOVE AND VERTICAL REEFS: Life on Oil For a dime, he bought a used copy of Ross Macdonald’s A CATALOGUE OF COMMON A CURIOUS MIND: The Secret to AMERICAN STUDIO CERAMICS: THE REST OF US JUST LIVE HERE DEATH White Whisker Books / and Gas Platforms in the Gulf of The Underground Man. “I thought, ‘This is what I want to PEOPLE Roots and Branches / a Bigger Life Simon & Schuster / Innovation and Identity, 1940 to Harper Teen / In his satiric sci-fi In this ghostly thriller — co-written Mexico Texas A&M University Press / do, write crime novels,’ ” said Kellerman, clinical professor Mark Darrah (B.A., interdisciplin- For decades, film and television 1979 Yale University Press / Martha exploration of the “chosen one” with Sal Conte — E. Van Lowe Mary K. Wicksten (Ph.D., biologi- of psychology. ary studies, ’79) explores what it producer Brian Grazer (B.A., Drexler Lynn (M.A., art history, ’89; genre, Patrick Ness (B.A., English, (MPW, ’84) shows that first love cal sciences, ’77) explores how life In February, Kellerman, who earned his Ph.D. in 1974, means to be human(e) in America psychology, ’74) has scheduled a Ph.D., art history, ’00) explores how, ’93) pokes fun at far-fetched futur- can be murder. arrives on industrial structures. published Breakdown (Ballantine Books, 2016), the latest in- today. weekly “curiosity conversation” in the mid-20th century, ceramics istic fantasies while emphasizing the stallment in his best-selling series featuring Alex Delaware, with accomplished strangers; his evolved from a utilitarian craft or important victories of merely living. a child psychologist who helps police solve crimes. resulting book (co-written with therapeutic hobby into a well- Kellerman, who also trained as a child psychologist, pub- Charles Fishman) is a salute to recognized fine art that continues to lished the first in the series in 1985. It became a best-seller. Soul of the Machine the power of curiosity. occupy a place in today’s art world. Since then he’s written 47 books and says he has ideas for Poet and English alumna Barbara Duffey explores the 60 more. intersection of literature and science. Kellerman never intended for fiction to be his career. It wasn’t until 1990, with five best-sellers under his belt, that Writer Barbara Duffey ’02 has long been mesmerized by he decided to give up his successful psychology practice and machines — both the gears and levers sort as well as the concentrate on writing. mortal, warm-blooded kind. VIABILITY Penguin Books / WONDER WOMAN AT SUPER “As a psychologist, I was interested in developing predic- Her work explores both the universe of the body and the In the sixth work of poetry by HERO HIGH Random House / tive rules about human behavior. As a crime novelist I’m larger cosmos. Her essays and poetry have been a way both PREFIGURING POSTBLACKNESS: UNDERDAYS University of Notre National Poetry Series winner Lisa Yee (B.A., English/humanities, interested in people who transgress those rules.” to pose and to explore incisive life questions. Cultural Memory, Drama, and Dame Press / Taking inspiration and current creative writing and ’81) imagines the high school life of Kellerman’s novels mostly take place in L.A. — some “The things that tend to inspire me often come from the African American Freedom from pop culture, politics and literature Ph.D. student Sarah the iconic DC Comics character as scenes are even set at USC. science,” she said. Struggle of the 1960s University THE TSAR OF LOVE AND social media, Martin Ott (MPW, Vap, the author braids together Wonder Woman tries to harness her “People come to L.A. to reinvent themselves, making it a Duffey studied with Professor of English and former Press of Mississippi / Carol Bunch VOYAGE OF THE SABLE VENUS TECHNO: Stories Hogarth / ’97) combines global concerns several kinds of language strands powers and master the fundamen- fascinating place to be a novelist,” he said. California Poet Laureate Carol Muske-Dukes, an experi- Davis (Ph.D., English, ’07) explores and Other Poems Knopf / Anthony Marra (B.A., English/ with personal ones in his search in an effort to understand the tals of what it means to be a hero. One reason the city is the setting for so many iconic crime ence she characterizes as transformative. the tensions between cultural Provost’s Fellow in the creative creative writing, ’08) introduces for what drives us to love and bodies (and minds, and maybe Also by Lisa Yee novels, Kellerman argues, is its legendary climate. “Even “I learned that poetry can be beautiful at the sonic level. memory of the African American writing and literature Ph.D. program a cast of characters whose lives hate each other. even souls) that are owned by SUPERGIRL AT SUPER HERO criminals stay indoors when it’s cold outside,” he said. “In You can use simple words and put them in the right order freedom struggle and representa- Robin Coste Lewis presents a intersect in ways both life-affirming capitalism. HIGH / Random House L.A., you can get into trouble 365 days a year.” —S.B. and it will be beautiful, and people will have a transporting tions of African American identity meditation on the black female and heartbreaking in stories about LEA DIVES IN / American Girl experience.” staged in five plays from 1959-69 figure throughout time. family, sacrifice, the legacy of war Now assistant professor of English at Dakota Wesleyan during the civil rights era. See p. 12 for more details. and the redemptive power of art. University, her recent book, Simple Machines (The Word Works, 2016) won the Washington Prize. She earned a National Endowment for the Arts’ Creative Writing du ff

Fellowship in 2014. Matt by Photo ey Duffey plans to use some of the fellowship time to start a new project, one inspired by her struggles to have a child. “Right now, I imagine that [the book] is going to be CODE OF CONDUCT Atria/Emily called ‘Cultivar.’ A cultivar is a particular species of plant Bestler Books / In his latest Scot DREAMS OF AN AMERICAN

G Harvath series thriller, Brad EXILE 1888 Center / Deported to CONSUMING SURREALISM IN that exists only in cultivation,” Duffey said. “So, I’m using ade Thor (B.A., creative writing, ’92) a country from which she fled as a AMERICAN CULTURE: Dissident that as a kind of a metaphor for my son. I had this son in K c eller cultivation, instead of in the wild. So it’s largely about my SYRIA BURNING: ISIS and THE ROSE SOCIETY Putnam YOGA FOR BEGINNERS: 35 o ourtesy draws the reader into a drama of baby with her parents, an undocu- Modernism Ashgate / Sandra the Death of the Arab Spring Juvenile / Once upon a time, a girl Simple Yoga Poses to Calm Your international intrigue, duplicitous mented college senior struggles to Zalman (Ph.D., art history, ’08) imaginations of all the things that can go wrong with my m an Photo by Joan Joan by Photo an son and trying to control my imagination.” Verso Books / Charles Glass (B.A., had a father, a prince and a society Mind and Strengthen Your Body political gamesmanship and the survive on the streets while search- offers a history ofS urrealism, pars- f The first poem will contemplate “all of those many philosophy, ’73) melds reportage, of friends. Then they betrayed her, Althea Press / Cory Martin (B.A, the most clandestine fears of the ing for a way back to the only home ing the intersection of art and com-

analysis and history of the Syrian and she destroyed them all in this creative writing, ’01) guides readers D espionage world. she has ever known in this debut merce that characterized America’s

different universes out there — you know, the quantum aily mechanics idea of the multiverse,” she said. “But that stalemate between the government fantasy from Marie Lu (B.A., politi- through everything needed to start Also by Brad Thor novella by Eric Weintraub (B.A., embrace of European modernism’s R

of Bashar al-Assad and the Islamic cal science, ’07), the second install- enjoying the benefits of yoga. e FOREIGN AGENT / Atria/Emily narrative studies, ’13). most expansive movement. tell us about your book Write to USC Dornsife Magazine, p

poem is sort of a poem of thanksgiving. I am thankful I A ubli fundamentalist groups ISIS and the ment in the Young Elites series. Also by Cory Martin llen Bestler Books 1150 S. Olive Street T2400, Los Angeles, California 90015 or lived in this version of the world. The one in which I get [email protected] the baby.” —L.G. Nusra Front. LOVE SICK / Write Out Publishing c

58 Spring / Summer 2016 59 dornsife family

TROJANALITY TROJANality

ANN LEBEDEFF (Ph.D., social marginalization impact student mentorships and paid Weddings and Leslie Louise Danelian School in 1950; practiced law for physical education, ’90), a health outcomes and access to summer internships to sophmores Births (B.A., English, ’81) Santa Monica, 35 years, which included serving A Sousa-phony Exposed Activist Actress professor of physical education public health services. in city high schools. GILLIAN E. ANTELL (B.A., CA (9/18/15) at age 56; started a as pro tem judge on the Board Alumna Denise Nicholas’ involvement in the civil rights and athletics and women’s tennis psychology, ’10) married Paul J. catering company, which led to of Governors of the State Bar of Alumnus Dave Detwiler ’84 solves a century-old movement led to a career as an actress and writer. head coach at Pomona-Pitzer BICH NGOC CAO (B.A., VICTORIA SANCHEZ (B.A., Balanoff on Sept. 26, 2015, at the her opening her own restaurant, California, as a vice president of debate about who created the first sousaphone. Colleges, was honored with the political science and print political science and broad- Silverado Resort in Napa, CA. Sweet Butter Kitchen, in Sherman the State Bar and as a member of 2015 Intercollegiate Tennis Associ- journalism, ’04) was elected cast journalism, ’07) joined the Oaks, CA. the Judicial Council; taught law Vacationing at the Interlochen Center for the Arts in ation Meritorious Service Award, president of the Board of Library KUSA 9NEWS team in Denver, CO, CHIE CHRISTINE HAYASHI from 1965-95 at several California Michigan, tuba player Dave Detwiler noticed that the presented by Conant Leadership. Commissioners for the city of as a reporter. She is a four-time (B.A., political science, ’97; DANNY DELBIANCO (B.A., law schools. music school claimed to have the original sousaphone, Los Angeles. Radio and Television News J.D., ’00) and John Mueller political science, ’15) Ocean- made by C.G. Conn. SILVIA MAIER (M.A., political Association Golden Mike winner welcomed their first child, a side, CA (4/5/16) at age 24; born ROBERT D. RYAN (B.A., Through curiosity-driven research, Detwiler — who science, ’99; Ph.D., political EMMANUEL CAUDILLO (B.A., and a three-time Emmy- daughter named Tsuyako Grace in Arlington, VA; graduated with international relations, ’39) earned a bachelor’s degree in social sciences and commu- science, ’01) clinical assistant political science, ’06) was nominated journalist. Mueller, on Dec. 7, 2015. honors from USC; was training Santa Rosa, CA (8/19/15) at nications — found another sousaphone believed to be the professor at the Center for Global named a 2015 “40 Under 40” to be a Navy SEAL; remembered age 98; worked for the General first. Made by J.W. Pepper, a bitter rival of Conn’s, the Affairs at New York University, honoree by Leadership Arlington. DALLAS WOODBURN (B.A., JOHN LAMBERT (B.A., his- for his determination, gentleness Steamship Corp. in Los Angeles new contender was housed in California — not Michigan. co-launched Women Across 40 Under 40 recognizes emerg- creative writing, ’09) had her tory, ’13) married Kristen Schiltz and love. for 42 years, retiring in 1981 as So, which came first? Frontiers, a quarterly digital ing leaders who demonstrate one-act play, Woman, Running on Sept. 12, 2015, at Dos Pueblos vice president of the Southern Detwiler discovered two pieces of evidence pointing to magazine dedicated to furthering impact personally and/or profes- Late, in a Dress, selected as a Ranch in Santa Barbara, CA. JAMES HEDRICK HARMON District; served as president Pepper’s horn. gender equality around the globe. sionally through their exceptional winner of the inaugural Word- (B.A., political science, ’62) of the Junior Foreign Trade The first: A Pepper Journal from 1895 referenced the leadership in the Washington, Wave Playwriting Competition. It MARY ELIZABETH SMITH El Centro, CA (12/2/15) at age 74; Association, Los Angeles sousaphone built by Pepper — years before Conn’s instru- Kindergarten teacher FRANCEIL D.C., metropolitan region. was performed at the Boathouse (B.A., English literature and president of his class; served in Steamship Association and the ment existed. The other was a quote from John Phillip MASI (B.A., English and Theater in South Lake Tahoe, CA, political science, ’96) and Jeff the Air Force Reserves; worked Los Angeles Transportation Club; Sousa saying the sousaphone received its name through a creative writing, ’97) partnered Afghanistan combat veteran in October 2015. Giron welcomed daughter Emma in the offices of Los Angeles served in the U.S. Merchant suggestion made by J.W. Pepper. with a student’s parents to form NIC DANNA (B.A., political Grace on July 22, 2015, in San and Riverside County Counsels; Marine during WWII. After making the discovery, Detwiler published a paper a business called Indy Plush, science, ’02), 650th Regional 2010s Diego, CA. named County Counsel and at 29 in the International Tuba Euphonium Association Journal and which designs and creates Support Group deputy command CRISTINA GROSSU (B.A., became the youngest person in JOHN N. STEWARD (B.S., appeared in a front-page feature in The Philadelphia Inquirer. stuffed animals and donates a judge advocate, was named sociology, ’12) was recognized ORADY SOUKSAMLANE (B.A., California to hold that position; biological sciences, ’48) “My whole life is devoted to leading people to truth,” Denise Nicholas was 19 years old portion of the profit to wildlife director of the Office of Military as one of Charlotte, NC’s “rising mathematics, ’94) and MARK voted president of the California Torrance, CA (11/2/15) at age 90; said Detwiler, who is now a pastor. “I’m thrilled to have when she interrupted her studies at advocacy groups. Legal Assistance for the Nevada stars for real estate brokers.” SNOW (B.S., psychobiology, County Counsel Association; ran general surgeon in Torrance with helped clarify the truth about this often-maligned member the University of Michigan to travel Attorney General’s Office. ’95; Ph.D., molecular biology, for judge in 1988 and served for 15 affiliations at several hospitals in of the tuba family.” —L.H. to the Deep South to join the civil The American Institute for Medical DIEUWERTJE “D.J.” KAST ’00) welcomed twins, daughter years; had the distinction of pre- CA’s South Bay area in addition to rights movement. and Biological Engineering will Youth on the Move International (B.S., biological sciences, ’11; Kaitlyn Allison and son Brayden senting a case before the United his private practice; served in the The year was 1964 — Freedom induct MICHAEL REGNIER Educators inducted ALTHEA M.S., marine environmental Connor, on June 28, 2015. States Supreme Court. U.S. Navy; two-term chief of staff Summer — and she joined the fledg- (Ph.D., biology, ’91), Washington IBERALL (MPW, ’01) and five biology, ’11; M.A., teaching, at Torrance Memorial Hospital; ling Free Southern Theater to act Research Foundation Endowed other members of her family into ’14) was selected for the 2016 KATHERINE DESILETS MARTHA LIVINGSTON HARRIS founder of the Torrance Memorial with the company as it performed all Professor of Bioengineering at its Hall of Fame. Forbes “30 Under 30 in Science” WESTON (B.S., exercise sci- (B.A., history, ’43) San Pedro, Hospital Independent Physician’s over Mississippi and Louisiana. the University of Washington, list honoring her STEM education ence, ’99) and GARY WESTON CA (12/15/15) at age 93; gradu- Association. Her experiences gave rise, years later, to her novel to its College of Fellows. ISAIAH LESLIE (B.A., politi- career at USC Dornsife’s Joint (B.A., political science ated at 16 from Los Angeles High Freshwater Road (Agate Publishing, 2005), which tells of cal science, ’02) was recently Educational Project. She was and American studies, ’99) school with honors and from USC ARLINE SCHNEIDER SUSSWEIN a young woman who volunteers to register voters in the STACIE STRONG (MPW, ’90) appointed chairman of the Irvine also accepted to the PolarTREC welcomed son Henry Thomas as a member of Phi Beta Kappa, (B.A., history, ’48) Los Angeles, 1960s South. was named the Manley O. Hudson Chamber of Commerce. program, through which she will Weston on Nov. 2, 2015. Mortar Board and Phi Beta Phi CA (11/17/15) at age 89; passionate “The idea to write something focused on the civil rights Professor of Law at the University travel to the Arctic to conduct sorority; obtained her high about her family as well as fund- period started a long time ago,” Nicholas said. “I was so of Missouri. Strong specializes in The National Association of research on the microbial ecol- In Memoriam school and elementary teaching raising for Israel, the arts and international and comparative Professional Women inducted ogy of the tundra. Burr James Dalton (B.A., credentials while raising her children; avid swimmer and Life

branded by my experiences and all I learned while living N i

law, with a particular focus on JESSIE MAHN (B.A., history, c sociology, ’60) Newport Beach, family; taught 35 years for the Master duplicate bridge player. down there.” holas Nicholas had previously enjoyed a decades-long career international arbitration. ’03) into its VIP Professional GREG WOODBURN (B.A., CA (8/23/15) at age 77; graduated Los Angeles City school district Woman of the Year Circle. history, ’12; MBA, ’15) became from the University of Louisville at South Shores and Point Fermin PATCHES QUAINTANCE p

in television, theater and film, including roles on the pop- hoto ular TV shows Room 222 and In the Heat of the Night. 2000s a Clinton-Orfalea-Brittingham Photo School of Medicine in 1965; elementary schools. WILLCOX (B.A., psychology,

A School of Public Health TYLER MAINS (B.A., biologi- Fellow at the Clinton Global c served his internship and resi- ’47) Pasadena, CA (12/14/15) Despite these achievements, Nicholas was committed o ourtesy c to finishing the college degree she had started two decades assistant professor of community cal sciences, ’09), a fourth-year Initiative (CGI), serving as a o ourtesy dency at Los Angeles County-USC GERT HIRSCHBERG (B.A., at age 90; graduate of Los earlier. health sciences at Boston Univer- medical student at Johns Hopkins Working Group Manager with CGI Medical Center; major in the U.S. political science, ’48) Los Angeles High School and a Phi

sity, ANGELA ROBERTSON University, was recognized by the America. He works to empower f Army at the 29th Evacuation Angeles, CA (7/17/15) at age 88; Beta Kappa graduate of USC;

In 1985, she enrolled at USC Dornsife, earning a degree SAH f

BAZZI (B.A., international Baltimore Ravens football team youth through education, athletics D Hospital in Can Tho, Vietnam; born in Berlin, fled Nazi Germany member of Alpha Chi Omega and Produ in humanities with an emphasis in drama two years later. ave relations and art history, ’04) for his work as founding director and access to opportunity. physician and surgeon at Hunting- with his parents in 1939; served the Assistance League of Arcadia

“One day in class the Free Southern Theater was D

was awarded a Peter Paul of Medical Education Resources etwiler ton Beach Hospital, Pacifica Hos- as a master sergeant in the and numerous other civic and c

mentioned in our textbook, so I got to stand up and tions talk about it. The students’ jaws were dropping — I was Professorship. Her research Initiative for Teens, which pital and Hoag Memorial Hospital Philippines during WWII; gradu- charitable organizations. the oldest person in the class!” —L.P. examines how relationships and provides courses, medical Presbyterian for 28 years. ated from Southwestern Law

60 Spring / Summer 2016 61 dornsife family

REMEMBERING

the Earth Sciences Department specializing in early American National Academy of Sciences, analysis and made recommenda- from 1981-85. Douglas’ research political thought and gender could lead to diagnostic tests to tions to United States leaders.” focused on marine paleoenviron- studies who joined USC Dornsife indicate who is at risk and in need After reading Swearingen’s ments, paleoclimates, ocean in 1975. A recognized expert in of preventive treatment. book The Soviet Union and

history, biostratigraphy and S the field, he consulted with the “Stephen was one of the most Postwar Japan (Hoover Institution a micropaleontology. mp United Nations Department of knowledgeable and serious Press, 1978), President Nixon le Photo by Phili by Photo le “Bob was ahead of his time as a Economic and Social Affairs and scholars on human memory in praised it as “an indispensable ‘quantitative’ paleoceanographer was a monthly columnist for the America,” said David Walsh, analysis for policy makers.” Nixon and is recognized as someone who Los Angeles Herald Examiner in associate professor of psychology. bought copies for every member helped the field expand and thrive,” the mid-1980s. Emphasizing Madigan’s delight in of Congress to read.

said Chair and Professor of Earth p Revered as an instructor, teaching, Walsh added, “Stephen Channing; Channing; Sciences and Environmental Kann received several of USC’s worked harder than anyone I know Associate Emeritus Professor of Studies William Berelson. Elizabeth Garrett, provost most prestigious teaching honors to provide students with cutting- English Robert Dilligan, died Douglas made a positive impact and senior vice president of USC during his 38 years at the university. edge courses on whatever topic D on Jan. 11, 2016. He was 75. on his colleagues and the lives of from 2010-15, died on March 6, illigan, He was deeply involved in he covered. He made a significant An expert on Victorian poetry, many students and collaborators. 2016. She was 52. the Thematic Option and Gender contribution to the education of

Dilligan helped pioneer the appli- “Bob provided an outstanding Garrett joined USC in 2003 as D Studies programs, and he founded many of USC’s smartest students.” ouglas, ouglas, cation of technology to literary example of how excellence can be vice provost and Frances R. and the Center for Excellence in research. He taught classes in accomplished at a university,” said John J. Duggan Professor of Law. Teaching, serving as its director K

science fiction and seminars on David Bottjer, professor of earth As provost, Garrett recruited and ann, for three years. He also estab- Keats and Tennyson, while spear- sciences, biological sciences and transformative faculty members lished an academic culture initia- heading the university’s expan- environmental studies. in fields such as neuroscience, the tive aimed at showing students S

sion into digital humanities. humanities and the social sciences. wearingen and faculty that “learning has no “His love of science manifested The USC Strategic Vision, “Match- boundaries.” Zdenek Vorel, professor of itself in the pioneering role he ing Deeds to Ambitions,” was Said his son, Simon Kann ’95: mathematics, died on March 3,

played in connecting the study developed under her leadership. p “My father started something that 2016. He was 86. hotos hotos of literature with computers to Most recently, Garrett served will continue to expand and assist Vorel began teaching at analyze writers and texts,” said as the first woman president of people well beyond his time.” USC Dornsife in 1969 as a visiting c Leo Braudy, University Professor Cornell University. o ourtesy associate professor of math- Larger than Life Visionary Leader and Leo S. Bing Chair in English and “Beth served on my senior lead- ematics. He joined the faculty full Sinologist Eugene Cooper inspired students with his American Literature. ership team for over a decade and time in 1972 and was promoted

USC President Emeritus Steven B. Sample helped f fierce intellect and outspoken personality.

place USC among the nation’s elite institutions. “Bob saw the potential of proved herself to be a remarkably US Professor Emeritus of International to professor in 1985. He retired C U computers to do things that in dynamic leader with a singular gift niversity Relations Arthur “Rodger” in 2014. Eugene “Gene” Cooper, professor of anthropology, died on Steven Browning Sample, who served as USC’s 10th presi- the past had been done by hand. for inspired, innovative thinking,” Swearingen died on Aug. 27, “He was an excellent colleague, Oct. 18, 2015. He was 68. dent, died on March 29, 2016. He was 75. What was remarkable was that he said USC President C. L. Max Nikias. 2015. He was 92. with a particularly gentle per- In a career at USC Dornsife that spanned 35 years, A

did this at a time when most of us Phyllis Franzek, associate “So many of us recall her remark- r Swearingen founded a USC sonality,” said Francis Bonahon,

During Sample’s tenure from 1991 to 2010, USC became c “Coops,” as he was affectionately known, won the respect hives; Franzek Franzek hives;

had rudimentary or nonexistent professor (teaching) of writing, able energy, her tenacious com- V institute devoted to research on professor of mathematics. a highly selective undergraduate university, recruited many orel and affection of numerous students to whom he generously prominent faculty, completed what was at the time the larg- computer skills.” died on Jan. 3, 2016. She was 65. mitment to her work and her deep communist strategy and propa- Vorel’s research focus lay in devoted his time, vast knowledge and unrelenting honesty. p est fundraising campaign ever in higher education and built Franzek joined the USC Dornsife passion for our community.” hoto ganda and brought his expertise mathematical theory of electric A sinologist who specialized in Chinese folk custom, Writing Program in 1997 and was to national television during the circuits, nonlinear ordinary differ-

partnerships in local communities. c he was also an expert on Chinese civilization; the Chinese ourtesy o ourtesy instrumental in developing its cur- p Cold War, moderating the docu- ential equations, control theory, “So many of USC’s successes, so much of our university’s by hoto diaspora; economic anthropology/political economy; mar- current stature, can be traced back to Dr. Sample’s dynamic riculum. She also coordinated ori- Stephen Madigan, associate mentary series, Communism: differential equations in Banach riage, family and kinship; peasant society; popular culture; entation sessions for new teaching professor of psychology, died on Myth vs. Reality. spaces, functional differential A

leadership, keen foresight and extraordinary prudence,” f and American folklore. He consulted with businesses, zdena zdena said USC President C. L. Max Nikias. “Dr. Sample stood faculty members and mentored lexandra Oct. 13, 2015. He was 73. A former World War II intel- equations and continuous depen- industry leaders and legal professionals on Chinese rural over our university — and led our Trojan Family — as it and advised continuing faculty. Throughout his 46-year career at ligence corps officer and top dence of fixed points of nonlinear industrial production, the import/export sector, and Chinese p began its singular transformation, and for this we should Writing Professor William Feuer, Coo avlova; USC Dornsife, Madigan was an avid aide to Gen. Douglas MacArthur, operations. habit and custom. B all be grateful.” met Franzek in 1988. issonette; scholar in the areas of cognition Swearingen held the rank of “USC gave him a professional Cooper spoke fluent Mandarin and Cantonese and was John Mork, chair of the USC Board of Trustees, noted “From the outset she pos- and memory and in the study of captain and served as an inter- home wherein he could share and among the first foreigners to enter China after the Cultural sessed in abundance qualities human intelligence. He is remem- rogator of prisoners of war. grow his work in mathematics, Sample’s visionary drive. “If there were a tag line for his p Revolution. er er

that academics and teachers G bered for his fierce dedication, Steven Lamy, vice dean for which he found to be a beautiful arrett arrett leadership style, it would be ‘Never let up.’ And the results p Gary Seaman, associate professor and chair of anthro- hoto by Peter Peter by hoto were nothing short of spectacular.” usually take years to develop,” he critical mind and dry wit. academic programs and professor and challenging language,” said pology, described Cooper as the lodestone of USC Dornsife’s Robert Guy Douglas, said. “She was fiercely intelligent, Madigan helped revitalize of international relations, said, his daughter, Veronika Vorel. After he retired as president, Sample and his wife, p Department of Anthropology for 35 years. hoto by Chris Chris by hoto Kathryn, remained active in the university’s life. Professor Emeritus of Earth uncommonly articulate, hard- Professor Emeritus of Political the field of verbal learning and “Rodger was an expert on the Professor of Mathematics “As the poster tacked up outside his office door with the “For Kathryn and me, the presidency of USC has been Sciences, died on Jan. 26, 2016. working, brave and kind.” Science and History and Associ- memory. His recent research Soviet Union and was part of a Robert Sacker knew Vorel for 48 triumvirate of Sozialistischer Deutscher Studentenbund Z far more than just a job,” Sample said when announcing his He was 78. Added Writing Program Director ates Chair Emeritus in Social haoyu on deficits in visual memory community of scholars that years. “He will be remembered founding fathers proclaimed: ‘Everyone talks about the Dean of natural sciences and John Holland: “Phyllis was a Science Mark Kann died on storage in individuals who later included the likes of Henry as a true old-world gentleman,

retirement in 2009. “It has been a calling, an all-consuming S weather: NOT US.’ Cooper never talked about the weather. Z hinn passion to move this university ahead further and faster mathematics at USC Dornsife from remarkable teacher, colleague Jan. 5, 2015. He was 68. hou developed Alzheimer’s disease, Kissinger who watched every polite and charming and always He was a serious man and a serious thinker. Our delibera- than any another university in the United States.” 1986-94, Douglas was chair of and friend.” Kann was a political theorist reported in Proceedings of the Soviet move, wrote thoughtful there when needed.” tions in the department will be less profound without him.”

62 Spring / Summer 2016 63 IN MY Opinion

New Perspectives

Beach. I’ve lived there, in the same house, for the last 86 Launched in Spring 2016, the “Viewpoint” opinion series both years. At night, I lie in bed and reminisce about my life. supports and showcases USC Dornsife faculty members’ Growing up, because of racism, I suffered a persecution insights and expertise. Explore the opinions and personal complex. That’s very injurious to a human being so I over- observations of these frontline scholars as they consider came it. Thankfully we’re making progress on racism. some of the pressing and complex issues facing our I look at my own descendants, who are American, Spanish, communities, nation and world. New columns are posted Mexican American, German, Irish, Salvadorean, Native regularly on the USC Dornsife website and have garnered American and indigenous. It’s a wonderful mix. placement in such major news outlets as the San Francisco I was 12 when I got my first summertime job picking strawberries grown by Japanese gardeners in Torrance. Chronicle, The New York Times and Forbes. I saw the gardeners taken away to internment camps after Pearl Harbor. Some were my friends. All that land is built Read the columns at dornsife.usc.edu/viewpoint over now. I joined the U.S. Navy in 1942 and trained as a medic, serving at Okinawa in 1945. After the war, I attended evening classes at USC. I was the first in my family to go to college. The old Red Car line ran along Vermont, and when we came to campus we wore suits and neckties. During the day I worked in my brothers’ excavation business, but then I had the idea of preparing soils for nurseries and landscapers. Where did I get the knowledge? At USC. I took courses in chemistry, physics, botany and bacteriology because initially I wanted to be a doctor. Instead, I built a successful business supplying soil through- out the South Bay. I could’ve gone into construction, but I never wanted lots of money, just enough to support my mother and for my old age. Returning to USC makes me feel good. Seeing young students from different countries has changed me from being a pessimist about the state of the world to being an optimist. There weren’t many Latinos when I first came to USC. But now there are lots, and many foreign students, too. That makes me happy. Universities are about leadership, and USC students will become the leaders, not only of the United States, but NeverAlfonso Gonzales reflectsToo on being aLate member of the of the world. Class of 2016 and becoming USC’s oldest graduate.

I’ve seen many changes in my lifetime, the biggest being Mark by Photo gonzales the advent of computers. We didn’t have them when I was Here he tells his story to Susan Bell. a student the first time around. We had to take notes and use a dictionary. When I first saw cell phones, I said, “This My first memory is of my grandmother. I’m 4 years old isn’t going to last, it’s a fad.” But it wasn’t a fad. I made a big and she’s wearing a long dress and cooking tortillas in the mistake. Now you kids have the world’s knowledge at your boarding house she ran in the Lompoc, Calif., mining fingertips. The technological revolution is amazing. And it’s

camp where I was born. just beginning. I’m excited to be here to witness this. V rahas; los los rahas; Now, I am four years shy of my 100th birthday. I hope seeing me at 96 years old trying to complete my But — unexpectedly — I’m a student again. I thought “elusive college degree” will inspire younger students to keep I graduated in 1953, but when I recently discovered I was on learning; it’s never too late. If you have knowledge, no one A one unit short of my degree I was excited. Learning has can take it away from you. That’s worth more than money. by Photo skyline ngeles always been important to me, and this meant I could return Youngsters are optimistic, but older folks sometimes to USC. aren’t. We grew up in a different time when there was I’m what they called a “Depression Kid” — I grew up always an enemy. The only real enemy is ignorance. But during the Great Depression. My parents had fled the thanks to USC students, I’m optimistic about the world. I Mexican Revolution for California. My father worked on know it’s in good hands. the railroads before joining the mining camp. We lived T o

there until I was 8, then moved to Boyle Heights. That’s A firm believer in lifelong learning, Alfonso Gonzales completed m

B

where I first tasted spaghetti and saw the first talking pic- his degree in zoology by taking a specially crafted one-unit ri c ture in East Los Angeles. Then we lived in Redondo Beach, elective: a guided autobiography in which he explored self- ker and when I was 10, we moved into a cottage in Hermosa identity while writing his personal story.

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