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

SPRING / SUMMER 2019 MAGAZINE

The Climate Issue A BRIGHTER

AsFORECAST our familiar world starts behaving in new and unexpected ways, our scholars find opportunities and hope where many see only obstacles. FacultyClimate find optimism in our changing climate. of Hope “We all have hopes for our future, and for our childrens’ future. Take a moment to consider: What are your hopes, priorities and values? All of us here at USC are looking forward, striving for new knowledge — pursuing higher education is the ultimate expression of hope for the future “I have to admit it’s hard to find hope amidst and dedication to evolve our thinking. Knowing that we the many changing climates we face daily, be it climate change itself, or the shifting collectively prioritize personal growth and learning gives tenor of political and public discourse, me hope. The science is clear, and our students know it: especially around race and gender politics. Our actions (e.g., driving, flying and consuming relentlessly) A sense of equilibrium, let alone futurity is difficult to see on the horizon. But every time are damaging our environment. We owe it to ourselves, I fear things may be irreparable, I find hope our students and our children to adopt better ways of in the optimism, tenacity and commitment of my students. Their sheer force of effort, being in the world right now, while our students, faculty the power of their desires and their capacities and alumni work on understanding problems and pursuing to transform the world, punctures my solutions for a better future. Our climate depends upon it.” own cynicism. They are ready to do the SARAH FEAKINS, associate professor of Earth sciences difficult work — and to fight, if necessary, for restorative justice. In turn, we have to remember that our role is to give them the tools to perform this transformative work, both intellectually and spiritually.” KAREN TONGSON, associate professor of English, gender studies and American studies and ethnicity

“What brings me hope is that Americans overwhelmingly believe that climate change is a threat, and that we have to deal with it. That’s true especially for Democrats, but independents largely share that view, and so do a plurality of Republicans. The support for a rational climate policy grows steadily, and that gives me hope. Two other things also give me hope. First, we’re seeing states and cities act on their own even as the federal government rolls back some of the policies designed to deal with the climate crisis. Many of them have independently signed up to do their part to observe and fulfill the Paris Agreement. Second, the private sector now perceives real economic opportunity in coming up with solutions on climate. Today there are far more people employed in the solar energy industry than there are in coal mining.” ROBERT SHRUM, Carmen H. and Louis Warschaw Chair in Practical Politics and professor of the practice of political science, director of the Center for the Political Future “I am not sure ‘hope’ is the word I would “It makes me hopeful when I see military veterans “What gives me hope use. I would say I derive strength from the organizing for peace, especially when their actions is that our talented places where climates of resistance exist: against militarism forge connections with efforts to students are taking In the region I study, Palestinians continue end Islamophobia, violence against women, racial much more interest in to struggle against a brutal Israeli military injustice and destruction of the natural environment. political participation. occupation; Algerians and Sudanese in the When groups and coalitions connect the dots between They are increasingly hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions, what might seem on the surface to be separate issues, speaking out about have protested peacefully over months to they shift the political climate in ways that point to a the injustices they bring down corrupt systems; Egyptian more peaceful and just future.” observe on campus, MICHAEL MESSNER, professor of sociology and gender studies defenders of human rights continue to resist in the United States the repressive Sisi regime. and across the Closer to home, many of the 2018 class of “I believe we are living in an era of rapidly globe. Our students U.S. congressional representatives have set changing climates that are competing for are principled and a new standard of tenacity and fearlessness political space and for our attention. One is they truly have the in confronting structures of oppression and a climate of fear. This is a pessimistic view of courage of their injustice. humanity that invites hatred and violence. It convictions. Our These examples, both at home and abroad, promotes authoritarianism and the interests of brilliant Trojans demand of us all not to hope, but, each in a few at the expense of freedom, liberty and will help effect the her/his own way, to accept the responsibility, human rights for all. This rather Machiavellian changes that are so as part of a common humanity, to act — climate seems to be dominant at this time. urgently needed. to engage in the struggle for social, economic The good news is that the climate may Their commitment and political justice.” be changing. The successor generation is to human rights LAURIE BRAND, Robert Grandford Wright Professor and promoting a climate of change that encourages and global justice is professor of international relations and Middle East studies open societies, innovation, creativity, social inspiring.” ALISON DUNDES RENTELN, justice and respect for all humankind. They say professor of political science, the world is not a dangerous place. It is a place anthropology, public policy to encourage cooperation and problem solving. and law This climate promotes courage and hope not fear and despair. “Fossil fuels (coal, oil and natural gas) on Earth are based on stored The words of St. Augustine carbon derived from the sun’s energy and synthesized over eons and can be broadly characterized as ‘fossilized sunshine.’ The sun is capture this climate of change: going to be around for the next 4.5 billion years. Therefore, Earth, per se, does not have an energy problem (plenty of solar and wind Hope has two beautiful energy is available to produce electricity), but rather energy storage and energy carrier problems. daughters. … anger at the All living things on planet Earth are invariably tied to carbon. way things are, and courage Renewable methanol made through carbon dioxide capture and to see that they do not conversion using water and renewable energies is a simple solution to a very complex climate change conundrum. Liquid methanol remain the way they are. is a versatile fuel to replace gasoline and diesel and is a chemical feedstock to make petroleum products. Therefore, if carbon is considered the problem (excessive A climate change cannot

atmospheric CO2 concentrations causing climate change), carbon come soon enough.” has to be the solution.” STEVEN LAMY, professor of G.K. SURYA PRAKASH, George A. and Judith A. Olah Nobel international relations and Laureate Chair in Hydrocarbon Chemistry and professor of spatial sciences chemistry SENIOR ASSOCIATE DEAN FOR STRATEGIC INITIATIVES AND COMMUNICATION Lance Ignon EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Darrin S. Joy MANAGING EDITOR Susan Bell ART DIRECTOR / PRODUCTION MANAGER Letty Avila WRITERS AND EDITORS Michelle Boston Margaret Crable Emily Gersema Jim Key Stephen Koenig DESIGNER Dennis Lan VIDEOGRAPHER AND PHOTOGRAPHER Mike Glier COMMUNICATIONS ASSISTANT Deann Webb

CONTRIBUTORS Joanna Clay, Lilly Kate Diaz, Eric Lindberg, Laura Russell, Annamaria Sauer USC DORNSIFE ADMINISTRATION Amber D. Miller, Dean • Stephen Bradforth, Divisional Dean for Natural Sciences and Mathematics • Steven Finkel, College Dean of Graduate and Professional Education • Lance Ignon, Senior Associate Dean for Strategic Initiatives and Communication • Andrew Lakoff, Divisional Dean for Social Sciences • Peter Mancall, Divisional Dean for the Humanities • Renee Perez, Senior Associate Dean and Chief Operating Officer • Eddie Sartin, Senior Associate Dean for Advancement • Andrew Stott, College Dean of Under- graduate Education USC DORNSIFE BOARD OF COUNCILORS Robert D. Beyer, Chair • Wendy Abrams • Robert Alvarado • Richard S. Flores • Shane Foley • Lisa Goldman • Jana Waring Greer • Pierre Habis • Yossie Hollander • Janice Bryant Howroyd • Martin Irani • Dan James • Stephen G. Johnson • Suzanne Nora Johnson • Bettina Kallins • Yoon Kim • Samuel King • Jaime Lee • Arthur Lev • Kathy Leventhal • Rodger Lynch • Robert Osher • Gerald Papazian • Andrew Perlman • Lawrence Piro • Edoardo Ponti • Kelly Porter • Michael Reilly • Harry Robinson • Carole Shammas • Kumarakulasingam “Suri” Suriyakumar • Rajeev Tandon USC DORNSIFE MAGAZINE Published twice a year by the USC Dornsife Office of Communication at the University of Southern California. © 2019 USC Dornsife College. The diverse opinions expressed in USC Dornsife Magazine do not necessarily represent the views of the editors, USC Dornsife administration or

USC. USC Dornsife Magazine welcomes comments from its readers to ECKHARDT THOMAS BY PHOTO [email protected] or USC Dornsife Magazine, SCT-2400, Los Angeles, CA 90089. SPRING / SUMMER 2019 1 CLIMATE OF HOPE Faculty find optimism in our Contents changing climate. 4 FROM THE HEART OF USC Mother follows kids to school; Yoga helps young’uns; Poet laureate completes state tour; Cancer’s clock may be unwound.

5 Curriculum 6 Profile 10 In The Field 12 Our World 40 SMOKE SIGNALS Earth scientist Julien Emile-Geay links wildfires to inequity.

THE CLIMATE ISSUE 42 Legacy 14 43 Faculty News 43 Alumni News ApocalypseMatters fatigue got you of down? DegreesThe remedy may be found in a different climate change narrative emphasizing the vast potential for a thriving planet. By Stephen Koenig 44 DORNSIFE FAMILY Top science academy elects two 20 more members; Technology alters the search for love; Young rancher becomes genomics pioneer. ThGute science is clear:Reaction Microbes living within us hold great sway over our well-being. But how much do they control our internal climate, and can we manipulate the microbiome to adjust the thermostat? By Darrin S. Joy 44 Faculty Canon 24 46 Alumni Canon 47 It’sBaby, our beliefs, even Can those that are I unmoored Change from objective reality, My that determine Mind? what to us is true and false. Remembering And that’s why it’s so difficult to change your mind, much less someone else’s. By Lance Ignon 48 IN MY OPINION Geology alumnus S. Julio Friedmann 28 gives the recipe for energy and climate success. ScholarlyMaking leaders from USC Politics Dornsife’s Center for theCivil Political Future Again discuss the forces driving Americans apart ON THE COVER and explore how those same forces could bring them together. By Emily Gersema Much more than the weather is changing. 32 Cover illustration by Dan Stiles for USC Dornsife magazine.

SteveThe Fabijanski’s holisticMustard approach to climate Seed change tackles twoMan major contributors to greenhouse gases: CONNECT WITH USC DORNSIFE PHOTO BY PHILLIP COLLA PHILLIP BY PHOTO airline travel and meat production. His solution? A mustard-like oilseed called carinata. By Susan Bell dornsife.usc.edu/facebook 36 dornsife.usc.edu/twitter dornsife.usc.edu/youtube

dornsife.usc.edu/instagram CarsEnvironmental that run on kelp. Cosmetics from waste products. Ingenuity Energy fueled by clean chemicals. USC Dornsife scholars are creating new products and businesses to mend the planet and create a strong economy. By Michelle Boston dornsife.usc.edu/magazine FROM THE HEART OF USC

Viewpoint

EXPERT OPINIONS

“Cultural repre- sentation is about After home-schooling eight children, Margarita Lopez set her sights on a psychology degree. something deeper Back to School By Joanna Clay than parity for the Margarita Lopez is getting her son ready for the day. It made me so sad. Here she was, encouraging me.” sake of parity – that Emilio, 22, has cerebral palsy. That day, when Emma was pushing her to pursue her everyone needs to be She turns on the Channel 5 news, his favorite, and gets dream, Lopez felt like it was time to see it through. mirrored in the public him dressed before using a lift to hoist him from the bed “I felt it was my daughter [Milanca] urging me on,” she sphere in order to into his wheelchair. She buckles him in before wheeling said. “That it was my turn. That I could do this.” him into the kitchen for breakfast. Lopez not only got into USC, which gave her a partial exist and to count as “It’s like one of those pit stops at a race,” she said. “You scholarship, but also Columbia University, UCLA and a fully dimensional just do it fast.” UC Berkeley. She wants to be a counselor for young human being.” Lopez, 58, has to leave for school soon. It’s her first people from marginalized communities and is considering DORINNE KONDO, professor of semester studying psychology at USC Dornsife. Lopez a master’s degree. American studies and ethnicity transferred from Santa Monica College and is now a “This is a dream,” she said of going to USC. and anthropology, in a Feb. 21 op-ed in The Conversation on her junior. If it weren’t for her kids, she’d be the first in her For her kids’ college graduations, Lopez made T-shirts research that shows the impor- family to go to college. and themed leis. She remembers her own from Santa tance of people seeing their own “I can’t believe I’ve done what I’ve done,” said Lopez. Monica College. experiences and lives mirrored in “It’s surreal.” “Everyone showed up at my graduation and they had popular culture. Education was always a priority in the Lopez household. T-shirts,” she said. “I see ‘Margarita’ [on the front] and Even though she only completed eighth grade, Lopez home- they turn around and it said ‘badass’ on the back. I was schooled her eight children for the bulk of their child- laughing so hard.” “The huge widespread hoods, then did whatever she could to get them into elite Her family stacked her neck with leis — made from success of the Black private and public high schools. In between jobs cleaning candy, money and flowers — so high she could barely see. Panther movie, homes and working at the craft store Michaels, Lopez Next year, she knows her family will be there to root volunteered at her children’s schools. Many went on to for her again. showcasing T’Challa, PHOTO BY DOROTHEA NATIONAL LANGE, ARCHIVES AND RECORDS ADMINISTRATION; PERL-ROSENTHAL PHOTO BY PETER ZHAOYU ZHOU four-year universities, including the University of California, It’s her turn. Shuri and other San Diego and the Univer- Wakandans as highly sity of California, Berkeley. accomplished scien- Now, for probably the tists, remains one of first time in Lopez’s life, the most significant she’s doing something just for herself. boosts for science It started five years engagement in recent ago, when her daughter, times.” Emma, told Lopez she CLIFFORD JOHNSON, professor was enrolling at a commu- of physics and astronomy, in a nity college. Feb. 21 op-ed in The Conversation about the movie’s ability to inspire At the time, Lopez was future generations of scientists. reeling from the death of her daughter Milanca, a high school valedictorian “I don’t know any who had a child at 16 and went on to graduate from other way to tell UC Berkeley. Milanca was Indian history than about to start graduate through Indian school at UCLA when she and her 6-year-old son were voices.” LAN DENNIS BY ILLUSTRATION DAVID TREUER, professor of killed in a car accident. English, in a Jan. 22 Los Angeles Milanca had encouraged Times Q&A about his new book, her mother to chase her Heartbeat of Wounded Knee, which he says offers a counter- dream of higher education. narrative to Native American “I found a message on history, which often focuses on Facebook. She said, ‘It’s tragedy and is told from non- your turn,’ ” Lopez said. native perspectives. “I never responded to her.

4 Curriculum HIST-210gw

BackAfter home-schooling to eight children,School Margarita Lopez set her sights on a psychology degree. By Joanna Clay PHOTO BY DOROTHEA NATIONAL LANGE, ARCHIVES AND RECORDS ADMINISTRATION; PERL-ROSENTHAL PHOTO BY PETER ZHAOYU ZHOU

HOW TO BE AN AMERICAN: of immigration and citizenship granted or denied, compiled Japanese American and laws and policies that result GLOBAL HISTORIES OF U.S. policies in the United States and retold by students for became a jewelry store owner in inequitable access to CITIZENSHIP by exploring their own family their final essays, demonstrate in Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo. citizenship. —E.G. Instructor: Nathan Perl- history, enabling them to not only the evolution of U.S. She was forced into an intern- Rosenthal, associate professor understand the hurdles that citizenship and immigration ment camp during World War Children recite the Pledge of of history their own ancestors faced to policies, but the enduring II, only gaining citizenship Allegiance at San Francisco’s become American citizens. trauma caused when citizen- in 1952. Raphael Weill Public School in “I wanted to give students ship rights are stripped away “My great-grandmother the early 1940s. Those of Japanese a civics lesson — to get them or held out of reach, and for faced many barriers obtaining ancestry and their parents, along thinking about how the commu- some, the joy of citizenship citizenship,” said Yee. with thousands more throughout nity of Americans came to be,” when it’s finally granted. In some ways, she argues, the country, were sent to War Perl-Rosenthal said. Psychology major Nathalie Yee immigration policy isn’t very Relocation Authority centers — As students interviewed traced the citizenship struggles different today. Certain groups internment camps — where they relatives and friends they of her great-grandmother, Chiyo of immigrants continue to remained until the end of World Perl-Rosenthal challenges discovered painful experiences. Machikawa, who immigrated face discrimination, their fate War II. students to examine the history The stories of citizenship to the U.S. in 1918, married a determined in large part by

Spring / Summer 2019 | 5 STEVEN LAMY, PROFESSOR OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS Profile AND SPATIAL SCIENCES

Mug Shot Steven Lamy looks back over Polaroids he took of former students when they first enrolled ne of USC’s most beloved Malley (the name is a twist character, Carnahan wrote, most inspirational professor. professors, Steven Lamy on Lamy’s) in the 2007 play- “Frankly, at the end of the He’s also (in)famous across in his classes — a trick he O AVILA LETTY BY PHOTO developed long before student holds the distinction of being turned-movie Lions for Lambs, day, Redford didn’t really campus for knowing every- head shots were common practice the only member of its faculty to written by Lamy’s former come close to his character’s body’s name and whether they and one that underpins his have been portrayed by Robert student, Matthew Carnahan, inspiration.” attended class the previous legendary ability to remember Redford on the silver screen. and directed by Redford. Carnahan is not alone in feel- week. No mean feat when his names and faces. Redford played the inspi- In a letter to Lamy explaining ing this: Alumni and students international relations classes rational Professor Stephen he was the basis for Redford’s frequently cite Lamy as their are often packed with upwards

6 FROM THE HEART OF USC

of 250 students. So, what’s his Returning home from his School of International Rela- Explain, Predict, Prescribe and In addition to creating secret? first day of elementary school, tions (SIR) in 1982, promptly Participate — that allow them to PWP and the USC Dornsife “Getting people to sit in the Lamy tried to read the local taking on the challenge of go beyond ideological labels. Washington, D.C. Program, same place,” Lamy says, eyes newspaper, then burst into revitalizing its undergraduate “The whole concept of PWP and serving for five years as twinkling. “And I make them tears. “I started crying curriculum. was to get kids involved in think- director of SIR and for 10 years wear name tags.” because my mother had A firm believer in case-based ing about global challenges and as vice dean for academic But that’s not all. When told me as soon as I went to learning, Lamy says, “We don’t problems and finding ways to programs, he set up SOAR Lamy joined USC Dornsife in school, I’d learn to read,” learn by PowerPoint, we learn resolve them,” he said. (Student Opportunities 1982, he invested in a Polaroid Lamy said. by decision-making stories. It’s He’s led undergraduates on for Academic Research) camera. He takes mugshots By his senior year of high not stepping on the student’s four PWP trips to the Arctic, and SURF (Summer Under- of each student on the first school, he was a foreign toe, the top of their head visiting Finland, Norway and graduate Research Fund) day of class and keeps them exchange student with the opening up, and pouring in Iceland and looking at the — two programs that award pinned to his office wall. He American Field Service, knowledge. It’s wrestling with impact of climate change on funds to students for doing grades all papers himself. spending 16 months in that knowledge.” culture, economics and politics. research with professors. (His teaching assistants use Flemish-speaking Belgium pencil; he uses pen.) where he learned to speak “While I’m grading, I’ll keep Dutch, perfected his French the pictures next to me. It’s a and taught himself to read “We don’t learn by PowerPoint, we learn big time commitment, but it’s German. Later, he would add worth it,” says Lamy, former Afrikaans. director of the USC Center for Lamy’s Belgian classmates by decision-making stories. It’s not stepping Excellence in Teaching. were supportive, but critical “These kids matter. They’re of America’s role in Vietnam. on the student’s toe, the top of their head not numbers.” “I found myself in a situation On the morning of this inter- of trying to defend America, opening up, and pouring in knowledge. view, Lamy had received an but not defend the war,” Lamy email from a former student said. “I learned a lot about the It’s wrestling with that knowledge.” he taught in 2011 requesting a importance of different narra- letter of recommendation for tives and belief systems.” His case-based class Lamy tells his students that He also established the Fisher law school. “I’m the kid who The death of his father remains among the most “what happens in the Arctic Fellowship for first-generation went to Tokyo for a marathon shortly after Lamy’s return popular he’s created at SIR. never stays in the Arctic” students and founded TIRP and burned his hand trying to narrowed his college choices. One of the first case studies because the region is consid- (Teaching International climb right before graduation. “I had to be closer to home. he teaches is titled “Keeping ered a canary in the coal mine Relations Program), which Remember?” writes Marcus Often in life you have dreams the Cold War Cold: Dick for climate change. gives high school students Knoll. to do one thing, and some- Cheney and the Department a basic grounding in the key Lamy does remember — thing else intervenes,” he of Defense.” JUST DO IT principles of foreign relations. he still has Knoll’s photograph says, adding philosophically, “It looks inside Cheney’s Lamy was a serious runner Now he wants to concentrate in his files. “but it’s all been to the good.” head, examining theoretical for many years, participat- on a new master’s program “I keep them all,” Lamy says, Lamy earned his bachelor’s and analytical concepts like the ing in the Los Angeles, Skylon he’s developing and the Global “because you never know when degree in political science from importance of belief systems,” (renamed in 2007 the Niagara Policy Institute he recently somebody’s going to need a Siena College near Albany, Lamy says. “I’ve got lots of Falls International Marathon) created. letter of recommendation.” New York. Despite his love for emails from kids who saw Vice and Boston marathons. He still “I’m very proud of the classes the great outdoors, and the (the 2018 biographical film runs or cycles for 45 minutes I teach and the work I’ve done GROWING UP fact that all his college career about Cheney), saying, ‘It’s just a day. Two years ago, he was intellectually,” he says. “There Born in Goffstown, in rural aptitude tests said he should like the case study.’ ” knocked off his bicycle by a hit- are some regrets in terms of New Hampshire, one of five become a forest ranger, Lamy also fosters problem- and-run driver who ran a red not spending enough time children of a French-Canadian Lamy’s passion for world based learning through USC light. Lamy’s watch was ripped writing the best book or the regional sales manager for affairs won out. He earned his Dornsife’s Problems Without off by the impact as he went best article in the world. I still Miller Brewing Company and a master’s and doctoral degrees Passports (PWP) program, face first into the asphalt. have time to do that.” homemaker who later became at the University of Denver’s which he created. Two black eyes and a couple of But when asked what he con- a bank manager, Lamy spent Josef Korbel School of Inter- One of his particular gifts is bruised ribs later, Lamy’s motto siders his greatest achieve- his childhood outdoors, national Studies, where he to break down complex world remains, “just keep going.” He ment, Lamy talks about how fishing, hiking and riding his was taught by Korbel, father problems into relatable, hu- cites an old Nike commercial good he always feels when he bike. He grew up hearing and of former U.S. Secretary of man concepts. He encour- showing a man rising at 4:30 sees students graduating. speaking French at home State Madeleine Albright. ages students to analyze a.m. to run in the dark and rain. “I don’t have children, so and was an avid reader who global affairs from multiple “It’s that ‘Just Do It’ kind of they’re like my kids, and to see showed an early predilection PASSION FOR PEDAGOGY perspectives using what he thing. I love that,” Lamy says. them go on, it’s kind of neat.” for world affairs. Lamy joined USC Dornsife’s calls DEPPP skills — Describe, Lamy certainly got it done. —S.B.

Spring / Summer 2019 | 7 FROM THE HEART OF USC

Numbers

HOLOCAUST AND GENOCIDE COLLECTION

USC boasts one of the largest standalone collections on the Holocaust and genocide of any university in the United States, ClimateRepublican and Democratic leaders Change at a USC conference on climate Is change Bipartisan agree that global warming is an urgent largely due to the efforts of issue that must be addressed from both sides of the aisle. Wolf Gruner. The founding By Emily Gersema director of the Center for Advanced Genocide Research The issue of climate change is “completely consistent with Democratic U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New at USC Shoah Foundation — The Institute for Visual History Christian conservative orthodoxy,” former Republican York. It calls for multiple measures, such as reducing and Education, Gruner began U.S. Rep. Bob Inglis of South Carolina argued. dependence on fossil fuels and switching to sustainable to build a Holocaust library “It is not hearsay. It is actually starting to pop, and it’s energy options, such as hydrogen, wind and solar power, when he arrived at USC Dorn- really pleasant to see Republicans come around,” Inglis to slow global warming. sife via Berlin to take his post said on April 4 at the “Climate Forward: Navigating the Robert Shrum, Center for the Political Future director, as professor of history and the Shapell-Guerin Chair in Jewish Politics of Climate Change” conference. asked if promotion of the Green New Deal hurts or helps studies. The event drew an estimated 1,000 people, including the cause. former Secretary of State John Kerry, former British Prime Inglis noted that the far left supports the deal. The left Minister Gordon Brown, former California Senator Kevin should avoid repeating the mistakes of the “tea party” Decade since de León and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. members of the Republican Party, who learned and did the Holocaust and The conference was hosted by USC Dornsife’s Center nothing about climate change, he warned. Genocide Studies Collection was for the Political Future and USC Wrigley Institute for Julien Emile-Geay, associate professor of Earth sciences launched. Environmental Studies, and the USC Schwarzenegger at USC Dornsife, says he finds it incomprehensible that 1 Institute for State and Global Policy at USC Price School climate science somehow became a liberal issue. of Public Policy. “I find it really dumbfounding that it comes to be Inglis lost his seat in 2010 after declaring support for a branded as an issue of the ‘tea party of the left,’ ” he said. tax on carbon emissions. His stance has since intensified as “Theoretically, it should be more oriented to the right.” he advocates for various measures to slow global warming. Former California Senate President pro tempore 18K+ New York Times environmental writer Lisa Friedman de León, a Democrat, told the panel that California is Books in the collection. said that there appears to be momentum to address the leading the nation and world on reducing pollution, with problem, citing the “Green New Deal” resolution by its stringent auto emissions standards. 1930s

– 40s LINDBERG ERIC BY PHOTO AFLATOONI LAN; DENNIS BY ILLUSTRATION BELL; SUSAN BY PHOTO JEP Publication years of rare books held exclusively by the collection.

Books added to the collection annually. 1k

300Boxes containing transcripts of the Nuremberg Trials. ROPER MAURICE BY PHOTO B-24 The room in Doheny Library that houses this collection. Former Republican Congressman Bob Inglis, left, now works to promote measures to cut back on greenhouse gases.

8 FROM THE HEART OF USC

Spotlight

“If kids master some of these poses, they feel they are masters of their own universe, and then they can go out Yoga for the Young and do productive things in the world,” Power said. —S.B. Learning yoga helps inner-city grade school students overcome stress and focus better in the classroom. Grand Poetry Tour California Poet Laureate Dana Gioia fulfilled his mission last fall, visiting every county in the state.

In 2017, California Poet Laureate Dana Gioia announced a NIKKI AFLATOONI ’19 challenge that would further familiarize him with his home Health and Human Sciences state and expand poetry’s cultural reach: He would visit all of SHALIZ AFLATOONI ’22 California’s 58 counties over the course of two years and lead Human Biology poetry events at each. After that announcement, Gioia, Judge Widney Professor “Our parents always of Poetry and Public Culture at USC Dornsife and USC Price wanted us to get exposed School of Public Policy, drove thousands of miles, often to other experiences, … accompanied by his wife, Mary Elizabeth Gioia, and an audio book or two. Throughout this modern-day odyssey, so we started volunteering. Gioia brought poetry to the people, and he heard poetry of “Having these scholar- and by the people. ships has helped us be able For years, Gioia has written commentary and criticisms to focus on our academics about modern poetry, and in particular, about its exclusivity. and volunteer involve- In Los Angeles, yoga tends to be associated with affluent In his 1991 landmark essay, “Can Poetry Matter?,” published ment. And we’ll definitely women on the city’s West Side, but USC Dornsife’s Joint in The Atlantic, Gioia lamented that ownership and apprecia- Educational Project (JEP), one of the oldest and largest tion for poetry had shifted from “bohemia to bureaucracy,” want to come back and service learning organizations in the United States, confined by academic writing programs that emphasized stay involved after we is teaching this ancient Indian physical, mental and spiri- analysis and criticism rather than performance and writing. graduate.” tual practice to underserved elementary students in L.A.’s Gioia, who hails from South Los Angeles, has practiced Nikki Aflatooni, an aspiring inner city schools. Why? what he preached. Since that essay, he has emerged as a dentist, and her sister Shaliz As Tina Koneazny, JEP’s associate director of adminis- vociferous advocate for arts and culture nationwide and has Alfatooni have received merit- tration and educational outreach, explains, yoga can have led the National Endowment for the Arts. In 2015, Gioia based scholarships, inspiring them to volunteer and help JEP PHOTO BY SUSAN BELL; ILLUSTRATION BY DENNIS LAN; AFLATOONI PHOTO BY ERIC LINDBERG ERIC BY PHOTO AFLATOONI LAN; DENNIS BY ILLUSTRATION BELL; SUSAN BY PHOTO JEP a profoundly positive influence on the lives of these young was named California poet laureate by Gov. Jerry Brown. others while they study. students, many of whom desperately need the benefits it Gioia may be the first laureate to have visited all 58 coun- As president of USC’s chapter can bring. All too often, inner-city children face consider- ties, state officials say. He met his goal in October, with final of Global Dental Brigades, able stress in their everyday lives — a result of poverty, stops in Kings, Merced and Santa Barbara counties. Nikki traveled to Central America with other USC students, proximity to gang violence and, increasingly for many, the “There is always this debate in public arts policy about helping set up a clinic to provide fear that their families could be torn apart by deportation. who you serve. Do you serve the artist? Serve youth? Serve dental care in underserved ar- Indeed, a 2014 study by the Centers for Disease minorities?” says Gioia. “There is only one proper answer in a eas. During a trip to Honduras, Control and Prevention found that almost a third of democracy. We must serve everyone.” —E.G. she screened kids for oral inner-city children in the United States suffer from post- health issues. She also teaches oral health in neighborhood traumatic stress disorder at a higher level than soldiers. schools through USC Dornsife’s Teaching these kids yoga, Koneazny says, gives them Joint Educational Project. a valuable lifelong skill that enables them to relax and Shaliz volunteers with USC find an inner place of calm, even if they’re in the midst Science Outreach and is a Red Cross member. of chaos. It helps children focus in school, and improves Both sisters received merit- behavior and interpersonal relationships. based scholarships from Town A donation from alumna Teresa Updegraff Power ’84 & Gown of USC. Nikki received has enabled JEP to expand the Little Yoginis after- the Presidential Scholarship school program by training USC students to become yoga and additional support from alumni groups while her sister instructors — “USC Yogis” — who teach the Little Yoginis received the Dean’s Scholar- curriculum at USC ReadersPlus partner schools. ship from USC Dornsife. A former lawyer turned yoga teacher, Power is the “I definitely want to continue author of The ABCs of Yoga for Kids series of books volunteering here,” said Shaliz, who hopes to become a pedia- (Stafford House) and the founder of the nonprofit World trician. “Because I have these Yoga Power that aims to bring the benefits of yoga to scholarships, I feel like it will be inner-city children. my way of giving back.”

Spring / Summer 2019 | 9 EARTH SCIENCES

Mudslides After Fires InRainfall can be a risk as muchThe Field as a relief in fire-damaged areas NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR of California. Last year, at least 21 people died and more than 100 were injured when heavy rains prompted a mudslide in Montecito, California, which Most fires in California used to happen in summer, leaving time for was heavily damaged in the recovery before the rains came in the fall or winter. Now, fires often Thomas fire. occur into December, allowing little time to rebound before the Joshua West, Wilford and storms arrive. Daris Zinsmeyer Early Career Chair in Marine Studies and The rate of rainfall is key — a large associate professor of Earth amount of rainfall in a short time is sciences, explains what a recipe for disaster. mudslides are, and why the risk heightens in fire-ravaged areas when rainstorms strike. He notes that the condi- tions are exacerbated due to a changing pattern in climate. California now has longer wild- HOW LANDSLIDES CAN FORM AFTER A WILDFIRE fire seasons that are quickly punctuated by a rainy season. Fires strip away grasses and brush, clearing a path for debris During a fire, burning to slide down. In addition, when vegetation burns, it leaves 1 plants release chemicals behind waxy leaf residues that that permeate into soil. coat the soil, creating a film. This hydrophobic layer actually repels water. However, the hydrophobic layer isn’t on the surface. It’s a few inches below. The rain 2 percolates through until it These chemicals create a waxy, reaches that waxy layer, and, water-resistant layer. because it cannot penetrate, it starts to accumulate, creating a soupy mess that easily slips off steep slopes. 3 Water can’t sink below that layer, Scientists are learning so it accumulates in the soil above. more and more about the relationship between fires and debris flows. Important factors to consider include the intensity of the burn, how 4 Soil and rocks slide steep the slopes are, and the off slopes due to the type of soil. By looking at past buildup of water. fires, scientists and authori- ties can make predictions on where the worst mudflows might occur for a given rain- fall. That is why authorities keep an eye on the weather and anticipate areas most at risk, so they may issue

10 FROM THE HEART OF USC

deportation. “Latino immigrants and Latino children are warnings for vulnerable areas going to be the majority of Americans in the future,” she during heavy rains. Those Left Behind said. “If their households are struggling as these kids are The steeper the slope, Doctoral student Blanca Ramirez researches how growing up, that will have significant consequences for the more likely that mud and families cope when a parent is detained or deported. the United States down the road.” —S.B. debris will slip off. When rain is forecast, authorities now warn residents in fire-scarred areas of a risk of mudflows. Cancer’s Biological Clock To try and divert a mud- Scientists find a molecule that can disrupt cancer flow, homeowners can put cells’ sleep cycle and hinder their spread. sandbags out and create other barriers. But that does A new drug shows potential to halt cancer cells’ growth by not guarantee that their home stunting the cells’ biological clock. will stay safe. And when there The findings from scientists at the USC Michelson are evacuations for potential Center for Convergent Bioscience and Nagoya University mudslides, residents should in Japan advance a burgeoning area of research: turning leave their homes so that they the body’s circadian rhythms against cancer. don’t become trapped — Their study, conducted on human kidney cancer cells or worse. — E.G. and on acute myeloid leukemia in mice, was published Jan. 23 in the journal Science Advances. The study showed the molecule, GO289, was also effective on human bone cancer cells. Blanca Ramirez is haunted by a little girl who stopped “In some cancers, the disease takes over the circadian clock buying lollipops. Each lollipop cost a quarter, and the mechanism and uses it for the evil purpose of helping itself young girl loved to buy one every day after school. grow,” said Steve Kay, director of convergent biosciences But then she stopped. Her undocumented father had at the USC Michelson Center and Provost Professor of been deported, and she was determined to contribute that Neurology, Biomedical Engineering and Biological Sciences. daily quarter to her family’s finances instead. “With GO289, we can interfere with those processes and Ramirez, a doctoral student in sociology, researches what stop the cancer from growing.” happens to families of Latino immigrants in California who Scientists know that disrupting sleep and other elements have lost a parent because of detention or deportation. How of humans’ circadian rhythm can harm health. The same is do those left behind — including children — cope? To find true for the circadian clock of cells themselves. answers, she interviews them. GO289 targets an enzyme that controls the cells’ circa- “I generally find that children become emotional dian rhythm. This drug-protein interaction disrupts the cell’s anchors for their parents, although they themselves are sleep cycle and other functions critical for survival. going through psychological pain,” she said. “They also It worked on other forms of cancer, too — kidney cancer try to give financial support to their family. Even if they’re in human cells, and acute myeloid leukemia in mice. And it too young, they still try in their own small ways to figure had very little impact on healthy cells. out how they can contribute financially.” “This could become an effective new weapon that kills Ramirez refers to this process of being forced to take cancer,” said Kay. —E.G. on adult responsibilities at a young age as “adultification.” Herself the daughter of Mexican immigrants, Ramirez grew up in Orange County, California, where many of her family’s neighbors were also immigrants. Ramirez says her passion for her research stems from them. “When I go out and talk to families, they seem like people I could have easily grown up with, but they’ve lived through so much more and they’re still standing and still trying to maintain their families,” Ramirez said. “To me, they’re some of the strongest, most resilient people I’ve met.”

IMAGES BY DENNIS LAN DENNIS BY IMAGES A first-generation college student, Ramirez has earned two of the most competitive graduate fellowships avail- able — in any discipline: a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship and a Ford Foundation Predoctoral Fellowship. She hopes her research inspires critical thinking about the long-term effects of a single act of detention or

Spring / Summer 2019 | 11 Our World

FACULTY Myanmar FACULTY/ ALUMNUS Global STUDENTS California As the seven justices on the Despite toiling up to 18 hours a day, Rhoda, a Filipina migrant California Supreme Court filed domestic worker in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), was given into the San Francisco court Preventing Genocide food only once every 24 hours by her employers, who insisted house, Chief Justice Tani Gorre Pioneering small satellite technology detects and she finish all her daily chores before eating. Cantil-Sakauye welcomed the documents evidence of human rights violations. “They expected her to survive just drinking water throughout 10 USC undergraduates and the day,” said Rhacel Parreñas, professor of sociology and gen- their instructor, gathered in der studies and an expert on human trafficking. the audience. The group had Parreñas interviewed Rhoda — whose last name is omitted to traveled to San Francisco in protect her identity — for her current research on Southeast October to hear oral arguments Asian migrant domestic workers in the UAE. It is one of 165 in- presented before the court depth interviews Parreñas has completed on workers’ experi- as part of Antonio Elefano‘s ence of what she prefers to term “unfree labor,” but which is “Advanced Legal Writing” often described by those within the trafficking community as course, an upper division modern-day slavery. elective offered by the Writing Trafficking, Parreñas explains, differs very little whether it Program at USC Dornsife. occurs in the United States or in the Middle East. “In the U.S., Aimed at students serious it’s very hard to quantify the extent of trafficking because it’s a about working in law, politics hidden problem,” she said. or policy, Elefano’s course However, Parreñas notes, the National Human Trafficking enables them to learn the art Hotline reports calls from around 10,000 people in 2017. of legal writing by studying At USC Dornsife’s Spatial Sciences Institute, Andrew California Superior Court Judge Curtis Kin ’93 first fought current cases going before the

Marx runs the Human Security and Geospatial Intelligence human trafficking as a federal prosecutor working for the U.S. California Supreme Court and LAN DENNIS BY IMAGE TRAFFICKING MARX; ANDREW OF COURTESY IMAGE GENOCIDE PREVENTING Lab, developing and leveraging new, “smallsat” technol- Department of Justice in Los Angeles. As head of the unit spe- then by researching cases to ogy to quickly detect human rights abuses and violations, cializing in sex and labor trafficking, he supervised cases and recommend to Southwestern preventing isolated events from developing into genocide. trained prosecutors to work with federal agents to bring traf- Law School’s Amicus Project. The information collected provides evidence that can be fickers to justice. He agrees that in the U.S. we tend to underes- Erica Kelley, a senior majoring used to corroborate refugee accounts of atrocities in inter- timate the scale of human trafficking, believing it occurs in other in psychology, described seeing national courts. countries rather than right here on our doorstep. how a Supreme Court case is Many of the world’s worst human rights abuses, including “It’s the type of crime that can go unnoticed due to its hidden conducted as “eye-opening.” genocide, occur in areas that are difficult to observe, notes nature, so raising awareness among the community so that it can “It’s not something that most Marx, associate professor of the practice of spatial sciences be discovered and reported is the best way to combat traffick- people have the opportunity to and creative technologies. While smallsat technology can ing,” he said. see in their lifetime,” she said. provide daily imagery of the entire Earth, the images are too “Maybe that could be me even- fuzzy to visually identify details that can signal human rights tually, arguing a case before abuses. Marx and his team are overcoming this by designing the Supreme Court.” algorithms to automatically detect potential human rights The students were struck by violations — such as villages that have been burned down. one case in particular, in which Working with Human Rights Watch and Physicians for it was evident which attorney Human Rights, the team is monitoring the persecution of would probably lose. the Rohingya Muslim minority in Myanmar. “For them to be able to see “Satellite imagery provides data that cannot be refuted that,” said Elefano, assistant when used in conjunction with geospatial intelligence and professor (teaching) of writing, victim testimony,” said Marx, whose goal is to develop an “to watch it play out, to talk to early warning system to prevent human rights violations. the lawyer afterward — there’s “Once you work on something that powerful,” he adds, no substitute for this as a “you don’t really have an appetite to do anything else.” learning experience.”

12 FROM THE HEART OF USC

FACULTY Armenia STUDENT Peru FACULTY Middle East Since the Republic of Armenia gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, it has struggled to establish a Sustainability Focus stable, genuinely democratic Middle East Studies Department aims to train new leaders to address region’s government. Last year’s “velvet critical environmental issues. revolution,” one of the most peaceful regime changes in USC Dornsife’s Department of Middle East Studies is the first ever university department history, offered many of its kind to focus specifically on the role of the environment on social change in the Middle Armenians new hope. East, providing a distinctive framework to explore more traditional topics such as politics, However, the country faces ethnicity and religion. many challenges as it transi- Earth sciences Ph.D. student For example, scholars might explore regional politics in Egypt, where air pollution and tions to democracy. To tackle Emily Burt researches the congestion incited the government to build a new administrative capital. Approaching them, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Amazon River watershed, Egypt’s political system from this angle inspires connections with environmental issues such Garcetti, L.A. City Council- studying how sulfur makes as population density, infrastructure deterioration and globalization. member Paul Krekorian, and its way across the South Department Chair Ramzi Rouighi, associate professor of Middle East studies and USC Dornsife’s Institute of American continent. history, said the department’s approach is unique. “This sort of scholarship does exist Armenian Studies teamed up Her research explores how out there, but it’s fragmented. Scholars who work on sustainability issues are studying with the Armenian government water moves through a water- the Middle East, but they aren’t part of a Middle East program.” to launch the USC Institute of shed — a land area that Rouighi says Middle East universities are excited about sending students to Armenian Studies Policy Fellows channels rainfall and snow- USC Dornsife. While students in the region can train in science or engineering fields Program. The program invites melt to creeks, streams and that produce sustainable technology, there are few opportunities for them to develop mid-career public servants from rivers, and eventually to social science skills that help leaders and communities take action. Armenia to L.A. to experience outflow points such as lakes, “These kinds of experts do not yet exist,” he said. “We have to develop them here — the inner workings of demo- bays and the ocean. that’s our bet.” cratic institutions. Conducting her research “The world expected post- mainly in Peru, she uses the Soviet societies to naturally Amazon flood plain as a natural transition to functioning lab to investigate how dramatic democracies, forgetting that the environmental gradients like frameworks that make for effec- large changes in elevation, tive, participatory governance topography, temperature and often don’t exist,” said institute forest type can affect how Director Salpi Ghazarian. watersheds work. The first fellows spent the “I’m really interested in the Fall 2018 semester working with processes that happen as rain the city’s planning and public falls on a watershed, moves PERU PHOTO COURTESY OF EMILY BURT OF COURTESY PHOTO PERU works and sanitation depart- through the ground and ments. They also visited USC becomes water that you see centers and faculty. in a river.” “This is a most direct path By learning how such an linking scholarship, USC and environment functions, global impact,” Ghazarian said. her work can help scientists For Armenia, in this crucial understand how more basic moment in its history, the les- land features, such as elevation sons gained from the program or topography, can influence promise to be revolutionary. other environments.

Spring / Summer 2019 | 13 14 MattersApocalypse fatigue got you down?of The remedy Degreesmay be found in a different climate change narrative emphasizing the vast potential for a thriving planet.

By Stephen Koenig

Conversations about climate change often beeline to the motivate action toward a future that may look different, weather du jour. We’ll gather around the water cooler to but also more vibrant, more alive? lament the onslaught of extreme storm systems, seemingly These strategies have already started in California. The born of a comic book universe. Polar Vortex has finally met state has planted its flag as America’s leader on environmental his match: Thundersnow! Veer toward the incisive policy or policy and activism, and it continues to pursue a sustainable collective action needed to address climate change at a funda- future in the face of a disruptive politic. Los Angeles, too, mental level and discussions quickly fizzle into sighs, shrugs is leaning on its tradition of ingenuity to meet the needs or plans to buy a hybrid. of 10 million residents while wearing a smaller carbon It’s not surprising. This is existential stuff. Birkenstock. We can no longer claim the target is vague. It’s the bold- The actions we take during the next few years will face headline of 2018’s special report released by the Inter- demonstrate our resolve as a society and a species. Most of governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC): To ensure the stories we hear threaten a future in which we get it wrong. a livable world, we must limit global average temperatures to But what will life be like — in L.A. and beyond — if we get no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. it right? The good news is that this goal is viable. The bad news is that we’re on the wrong trajectory. At the current rate we’re ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE polluting the atmosphere, the world will exceed the IPCC’s “As long as things happen slowly, everything seems to be recommended limit sometime between 2036 and 2052. OK,” says Professor of Earth Sciences and Biological Sciences We didn’t need this report to make obvious the need for Ken Nealson, the sanguine director of the USC Wrigley drastic action. From raging wildfires that intensify each year Institute for Environmental Studies. “But if you look through to flooded coastal city streets, climate change is already here. the geological record and see when the great extinction events But fear or frustration hasn’t motivated collective action. happened, they were all when things got out of balance — and It hasn’t for more than 100 years. The greenhouse effect was they happen fast.” identified before the turn of the 20th century. Case in point: “In less than 200 years, humans have been The fact is, climate change is not a scientific challenge, but digging up 200 million years’ worth of carbon dioxide and a psychological one. putting it back into the atmosphere,” Nealson said. Clip-art perceptions of greenhouse gas emissions evoke AN OBLIQUE STRATEGY Dickensian factories or congested, rush-hour freeways. But When rock icon and celebrated chameleon David Bowie the two most aggressive producers of carbon dioxide emis- felt stuck in a rut, he would turn to producer Brian Eno sions are fossil fuel-burning electric utilities and deforesta- and artist Peter Schmidt’s deck of “Oblique Strategies,” tion. Theoretically, these are among the easiest to curb with cards that would send him off in a new direction — to obvious, accessible solutions. CLOCKING IN change instruments or “discover the recipes you are using Time is no longer on our side. and abandon them.” CATCHING SOME RAYS We need all hands on deck, If the way we think about climate change only leads to We can electrify almost anything under the sun. In a place joining the innovators and resignation, maybe we need to abandon the recipe. Could like L.A., solar-centric electric grids are virtually guaranteed leaders taking on our climate we talk instead about the abundant opportunities to create to become the standard for energy production over the next change crisis. new wealth and improve human health by transitioning to few decades. Already, these systems can be cheaper and more an economy powered by renewable energy? Or highlight efficient than utilities burning fossil fuels. the ever-improving technology that can curtail human- In years to come, a stroll through the neighborhood could caused emissions? Could we push creative, new policy and also mean strolling through a power plant. By 2050, smaller

Spring / Summer 2019 | 15 solar panels or roof tiles will power most homes, enabling urban canopy. While trees have typically been regarded only localized microgrids that better balance electricity distribu- as decorative enhancements punctuating the concrete jungle, tion based on demand. In addition to our homes, solar power a recent study commissioned by the L.A. nonprofit City will likely propel driverless cars, mass transit and small air- Plants values the city’s trees at $12 billion. Efforts are under- planes. It’s even zapping the catwalk. Designers are creating way to convince civic leaders that quantifying trees in terms of clothing that can produce a small charge for a phone or device. economic value would awaken people to the fact that they are, in fact, essential infrastructure. In the years ahead, the trees of L.A. might receive funding for maintenance similar to that currently earmarked for streets, storm drains and utilities. “In less than 200 years, humans have been That said, we should expect to lose a lanky icon. Given their small canopy, Southern California’s legendary palm digging up 200 million years’ worth of trees are among the least effective at collecting carbon dioxide and storing water in their shallow roots. As these palms die off, they will likely be replaced by more robust native species. carbon dioxide and putting it back It’s another beautiful day in the land of sunshine and … into the atmosphere.” scrub oaks. PIPELINES AND POLITICS The downtown L.A. skyline might take advantage of USC Dornsife Professor of Sociology Andrew Lakoff’s organic photovoltaic innovations, like those that Mark measured baritone could count down the adult contem- Thompson, Ray R. Irani, Chairman of Occidental Petro- porary top 40. It’s almost soothing, until you consider his leum Corporation, Chair in Chemistry and professor of expertise — public disaster preparation and mitigation. chemistry and chemical engineering and materials science, “The water infrastructure we built in Southern California is developing in his laboratory at USC Dornsife. The tech- assumes there’s going to be a snowpack to draw on in the nology could soon be used to make electricity-generating Sierras,” said Lakoff, who also serves as divisional dean for transparent windows or window shades for commercial the social sciences. “Our system isn’t built for new projections buildings. And Richard Brutchey, professor of chemistry that look ahead 20 or 30 years from now.” at USC Dornsife, works on solar cells made from nano- A warmer climate means that rain, not snow, will produce crystals so small they can exist as a liquid ink that can be the lion’s share of California’s future water supply. Rain painted onto surfaces. Owners could potentially coat their is more difficult to capture and store, however, which has homes with this innovative material to harness energy, California planners and policymakers scrambling to work while also keeping up with the latest Pantone trends. through competing ideas for moving water from the northern While established cities retrofit for renewable energy, the part of the state. One of the major initiatives, the California greatest opportunities exist in emerging cities. As Africa, WaterFix (commonly known as the twin tunnels pipeline Latin America and India experience unprecedented popula- project), was recently scaled back by Gov. Gavin Newson, tion growth, cities in these parts of the world are building triggering another long review process for the multi-billion- upward and outward. The limited infrastructure currently dollar project. But the general public is largely unaware that in place will require they essentially start from scratch. Solar this massive undertaking is in the works. and wind utilities will make the most sense — both environ- “The future of livability in California is being shaped in mentally and financially — in these regions. these very high-stakes political and technical battles that mostly take place behind the scenes,” said Lakoff. “You don’t TRILLIONS OF TREES see protesters; you don’t see headlines or big public debate. According to the World Resources Institute, deforestation is I call it the ‘unconscious of water’ in Southern California.” now responsible for allowing more greenhouse gas emissions According to Circle of Blue, a water news agency, water to be released than 85 million cars would release over their rates in L.A. skyrocketed 71 percent between 2010 and 2017. entire lifetimes. Given the state’s decentralized system of more than 400 public

“An average tree holds a half ton of C02,” said Nealson, water agencies, it’s difficult to understand who or what is A HIGHER POWER who also holds the Wrigley Chair in Environmental Studies. responsible for the increase. Some point to large estates that Already a leading solar city, Rainforests, particularly in South America, bear the consume 10 times the water that a normal household uses, Los Angeles is primed to brunt of deforestation. Further compounding the problem, while others blame particularly thirsty California crops, capitalize on the next wave of 80 percent of the cleared land is used for small-scale including almonds and alfalfa. renewable energy innovations. agriculture like cattle ranches, rather than staple crops that Lakoff believes we can take more informed action with feed exponentially more people. better transparency in water pricing. As the public learns Yet these forests are a powerful ally in the battle against where water is being used and why the cost is rising, calls climate change. A study by Global Forest Watch found that for a more equitable distribution could reverberate through tropical tree cover can provide 23 percent of the mitiga- Sacramento. tion needed by 2030 to meet the goals set in the 2015 Paris Even with new water infrastructure and policies in place, Agreement. Californians will need to ration the supply. Recycling will be Spatial science research suggests there’s enough room in the norm, with many households installing greywater systems the world’s parks, forests and abandoned land to plant more that filter water from showers and washing machines. A more than 1.2 trillion trees. These could gobble up 10 years’ worth challenging sociopsychological effort will be building public

of CO2 from the atmosphere. acceptance for pumping highly treated sewage back into L.A. L.A. will never become Henry David Thoreau’s Walden, County aquifers. It’s an effective conservation method, but but new policies could ensure we emphasize the value of an leaders will have to call in better spin doctors than those who

16 ILLUSTRATIONS BY DAWID RYSKI FOR USC DORNSIFE MAGAZINE ILLUSTRATIONS BY DAWID RYSKI FOR USC DORNSIFE MAGAZINE Spring / Summer 2019 | 17 18 led the Metropolitan Water District’s regrettably named a fee that a government imposes on companies that burn attempt in 2016: “toilet to tap.” fossil fuels, usually at a set rate per ton of emissions. Many economists believe the carbon tax is the best policy A BETTER GREENHOUSE EFFECT instrument for curtailing the use of fossil fuels across sectors. One constituency is paying close attention to the politics of “It makes the market work,” Oliva says, “because you’ll get water. Farmers in California’s Central Valley feel the acute the biggest reductions from the polluters who have the lowest effects of long droughts. Given that the state accounts for mitigation costs.” 13 percent of the nation’s agriculture and generates $50 billion in revenue each year, global warming is drying up their bottom line. Nealson proposes a solution: “Take one-tenth of land in “One of the building blocks of collective the Central Valley and put greenhouses there.” Plants cool themselves by releasing water. In a greenhouse, action is trust.” that water can be captured and cycled back into the system. Nealson claims this would yield better harvests with just a small fraction of the water currently used. IT’S TIME TO HAVE “THE TALK” Imagine barreling up the I-5 freeway 20 years from now. Even if we think about climate change in terms of oppor- Skirting autonomous semi-trucks, you see a hyperloop on tunities for new business, innovation and improving human one side of the road and the massive domes of fecund green- health, we still have to build consensus around the solutions. house systems on the other. The land is blanketed by solar We need to supplant apocalypse fatigue with frank, produc- panels that enable a nearly self-sustaining agricultural region. tive conversation. That seems easier today than ever before, as And unlike the olden days, you can open a window without democratized communication channels are abundant. From holding your breath. social media to blogs to podcasts, the resources we have to connect and speak out broadly encourage far-reaching social FEELING THE HEAT interaction. Many expect the movement toward climate If global warming continues its current pace, L.A. will have action will find its voice online. the same climate as Mexico’s Cabo San Lucas by 2100. But They might be wrong. this future City of Angels will be no Margaritaville. “The most powerful kind of revolutionary action Temperature fluctuation is greatest at the poles, but global usually comes out of face-to-face interaction,” says Nathan warming’s adverse effects concentrate on places that are Perl-Rosenthal, associate professor of history. “One of the already hot. By 2050, Southern California could see up to building blocks of collective action is trust. And trust can be 95 days a year when temperatures top 90 degrees, as opposed more easily and deeply established with interaction in person.” to the current average of 67 days a year. While the higher cost Perl-Rosenthal notes that the convening of the First of air conditioning will be easy to recognize, there are more Continental Congress was a crucial turning point in the opaque expenses related to human health. American Revolution. Until then, there had been little “The annual number of 90-degree days is an important interaction among leaders of the colonies. Folks like John threshold, particularly when you look at the infant mortality Adams, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson used the rate,” said Associate Professor of Economics Paulina Oliva, in-person forum to figure out who was trustworthy and how whose research is focused on environmental economics and reliable they were — and to work out a shared strategy. development. Recent movements have gained momentum in a similar Oliva says that the mortality rate holds steady over days fashion. Black Lives Matter and the #MeToo movement may with temperatures below 90 degrees, and then it spikes at this have started online, but they became much more real and specific threshold. A similar increase in the rate of heat stroke enduring, when people from different places and back- has been noted, as well. grounds came together to rally in person. GETTING IT TOGETHER Global warming hits low-income families hardest, Perl-Rosenthal explains that movements usually begin As the effects of climate change widening the chasm of existing economic disparity. Around with local cohesion that plugs into something broader. cause disparate populations the world, many of the poorest nations frequently simmer Fifty years from now, we might trace our lives on a thriving to speak out, it becomes clear above 90 degrees already. The same holds true in the United planet to the local and regional movements that are taking that we are all working to solve States, where many of the most economically disadvantaged shape today. Environmental activists and scientists can rally the same puzzle. populations live in the warm climate of the South. (The out- around evidence, while drought-plagued farmers and empty- look is particularly unfortunate for states such as Oklahoma, net fishermen rally around their occupational security. Texas, Florida and Kentucky, which all have congressional Displaced fire victims in Northern California can find shared representatives or governors who are among the most vocal purpose with displaced flood victims in Southern California. climate change deniers at this pivotal moment.) And politicians can get reelected by acting on the will of a new electorate — a generation of students and advocates who A TAXING ENDEAVOR demand more conscientious climate change policy. “We do have the means to address this,” says Oliva. “But if As these groups come together, calls to “save our planet,” we want to tackle both climate change mitigation and the will take on new context through the personal stories of those distribution of its costs, we need to use multiple economic whose lives have already been affected by climate change. instruments.” Earth will be just fine, after all. Our ancient planet can She suggests that low-income families could be provided endure the worst climate change scenario. It’s us, humanity, with income tax credits to redistribute wealth, and better that has so much at stake. Yet, time and again, history has unemployment benefits would help families through hard proven it is when we face our greatest challenges that we’re at times. These public costs could be offset with a carbon tax — our best.

Spring / Summer 2019 | 19 20 GUT REACTION

The science is clear: Microbes living within us hold great sway over our well-being. But how much do they control our internal climate, and can we manipulate the microbiome to adjust the thermostat?

By Darrin S. Joy

Steven Finkel tells the story of a close family member who had a discomforting health issue — the kind you don’t discuss at the dinner table. “She went and chose a bunch of yogurts with active culture,” he says. The first yogurt — call it Yogurt A — made her constipated, and Yogurt B gave her diarrhea. “It’s like Goldilocks,” he adds, before concluding her tale of woe with a happy ending: “Yogurt C made her feel great.” Hoping to understand how three versions of one food could cause such dissimilar reactions, the relative contacted Finkel, who is professor of biological sciences at USC Dornsife and an expert on bacterial physiology, genetics and evolution. “So then I get the phone call: ‘Steve, I read the labels. They all say lactobacillus. So how come this one made me feel rotten, this one made me feel rotten in a different way, and this one makes me feel great?’” His answer? It’s complicated. Very complicated.

Spring / Summer 2019 | 21 ONE SIZE DOES NOT FIT ALL given individual when ingesting probiotics is, at present, It has to do with the human microbiome, the vast array of virtually impossible. microbes that live inside each of us and which, in many ways, make us who we are. It comprises around 100 trillion MICROBES ON THE BRAIN microbes and includes thousands of different species. Still, there is a growing body of credible evidence suggesting Bacteria seem to get the most attention in the news that tinkering with the body’s microbial ecology could be media and even within the research community, though used to influence health. Take body weight, for example. fungi, viruses and other microorganisms also claim a place In a landmark 2013 study published in Science, a team in this complex ecosystem. All together, these tiny stow- led by researchers at Washington University School of aways outnumber their host: For every human cell there Medicine transferred gut microbiome samples from a pair are at least three microbes, and for every human gene, of twins — one obese the other not — into mice. 200 microbial genes. “The mice that received the obese microbiome transfer showed some metabolic dysfunction,” said Scott Kanoski, associate professor of biological sciences at USC Dornsife. “WE CAN DETERMINE THE MICROBIOME “That was one of the early big-splash findings.” Kanoski, a neuroscientist, studies how the body and brain interact to influence food intake and body weight. His lab OF ANYTHING PRETTY QUICKLY, BUT WE has produced results that suggest a potential link between the gut microbiome and brain function. For example, they found that rats that swigged sugary beverages during early DON'T KNOW WHAT IT MEANS.” developmental periods in their lives suffered from learning and memory impairment. Later experiments then showed those same drinks caused changes to the rats’ microbiome. These minute organisms — the average bacterial cell is “We’re trying to establish whether those changes in the about 10 times smaller than the average human cell — are microbiome may be functionally related to the memory by no means freeloaders. They constitute an integral deficits associated with sugar consumption,” Kanoski said. part of the human organism and exert considerable Even if the link proves valid, researchers — and probiotics influence over the body’s function and well-being. dealers — are far from understanding how to manipulate In fact, some scientists refer to the microbiome as the microbiome to produce a desired effect. Thousands of another, supportive organ. species interacting with one another, their host and the Most, if not all, areas within the body — skin, microenvironment around them make predicting results mouth, sinuses, reproductive tract, you name it — difficult to say the least. But scientists are making inroads. appear to house their own microbiomes, but the most studied is that of the gut. That’s almost certainly INTERACTION AND INFLUENCE driven to some degree by economics. A 2017 World James Boedicker, assistant professor of physics and Gastroenterology Organisation study put the global astronomy and biological sciences at USC Dornsife, is market in probiotics at $36 billion in 2013. Several investigating the interaction of different bacterial species. estimates project it will reach about $60 billion Specifically, he is trying to develop mathematical tools to by 2022 — astonishing growth considering predict what happens when different species commingle. the science is far from settled. “You can’t really just look at how individual species Probiotics are living organisms, respond in isolation,” he said. It’s the group dynamic that including those active lactobacillus matters. “So, even if you’re trying to only influence one cell, cultures in Finkel’s yogurt there’ll be feedback within these communities that might anecdote, that are ingested with give you unexpected changes in the system.” the aim of influencing the gut Boedicker and his team showed this in a study of the inter- microbiome. The goal is to action of four distinct bacterial species. It gets complicated, induce positive benefits such but essentially they measured each species’ metabolic output as more stable digestion, separately, then mixed equal parts of the four together and weight loss and even better measured the overall metabolic rate of the combined group. mental health. If living together has no effect, they reasoned, then the over- But that’s easier said than all metabolic rate would simply be the average of each species’ done. The microbiome is a individual rate (that is, add up all rates and divide by four). complex and dynamic system But if cohabitation makes a difference, the overall metabolic — and as unique to each indi- rate would vary from the predicted average. vidual as a fingerprint. What works Anyone who’s ever had roommates can guess the for one person is by no means guaran- answer: Living in close proximity to one another is never teed to work for another. For instance, simple; it changes things. For their test, Boedicker’s team Finkel’s relative recommended Yogurt C to found the overall metabolic rate they measured was higher her friend, and it backfired, making the friend than the average. feel awful. Ensuring a positive result for any Next, the scientists looked for a way to actually predict

22 whether mixing the species together would “So, if somebody were to find a good probiotic bacteria, boost or inhibit overall metabolism. The math we have the background to say, ‘If you introduce this in the gets a little deep — physicists solve this stuff on feed, it’s going to rapidly change the microbiome,’” Simons their lunch break; the rest of us not so much — but it explained. turns out you only need to understand how any given pair of But Simons, like Boedicker, Finkel and Kanoski, cautions the species interact at various ratios to get a reasonable idea of that these are early results, and much research remains to be how the whole group of four will fare when mixed together. done. The microbiome is intensely complex, and real under- This kind of information could help inform how different standing is years away. kinds of probiotics might affect a person, and it could also lead to better clinical decisions. Antibiotics, chemotherapy THE PROBLEM WITH BEING UNIQUE and other drugs can impact the microbiome dramatically, While the technology to define a microbiome — identi- and understanding how changes in the mix of species will fying the species involved and even their genetic makeup affect a patient could avoid adverse events or, in some cases, — has been available for years, the means of processing predict beneficial effects. the information in a meaningful way still eludes scientists. “We can determine the microbiome of anything pretty A SEA CHANGE quickly, but we don’t know what it means,” says Finkel. The human microbiome isn’t the only one that could affect A great deal of that falls to one simple fact: We’re all human well-being. individuals. Our microbiomes are unique. Seafood aquaculture is on the rise, representing an “How different are two people?” Finkel asks. “How increasingly important food source. Led mostly by oyster different are two people who live in the same house even?” and salmon production, domestic aquaculture sales The problem becomes one of managing mounds of climbed 13 percent per year from 2007 to 2011. Even so, data from millions of people teeming with trillions of the United States ranked only 16th in global sales as of organisms, winnowing it down to the useful bits — 2016, indicating a need for improved farming techniques. much as Boedicker is doing with his mathematical One route may be to use probiotics to reduce losses and models — to create a tool that empowers people to promote yield. improve their health. Ariel Levi Simons, a USC Dornsife Ph.D. candidate Then maybe folks like Finkel’s relative won’t in the laboratory of Professor of Biological Sciences have to play Goldilocks to find their Sergey Nuzhdin, is exploring how to influence the oyster perfect yogurt — the answer will gut microbiome in the hope of improving production be right there on the label. of these and similar filter-feeding shellfish — mussels, scallops and clams — that are farmed as food. In recent experiments, Simons studied Pacific oysters, altering their diet, which is rich in a variety of bacteria, and then sampling their gut microbiome to look for changes. With his methods, he could manipulate the microbes in the oysters’ digestive tracts relatively quickly and predictably, a first step in showing that probiotics might improve the industry.

ILLUSTRATIONS BY DENNIS LAN FOR USC DORNSIFE MAGAZINE Spring / Summer 2019 | 23 Think facts win the argument? Think again. It’s our beliefs, even those that are unmoored from objective reality, that determine what to us is true and false. And that’s why it’s so difficult to change your mind, much less someone else’s. By Lance Ignon

Baby, Can I Change My Mind?

They say seeing is believing. But it would be more accurate differently — or who hold different beliefs. to say believing is seeing. “The whole species has thrived on being tribal,” said Our beliefs not only define which political party we vote Morteza Dehghani, assistant professor of psychology and for, what god we worship and who we associate with, they computer science at USC Dornsife. determine which facts we choose to accept or deny. But something has changed. It wasn’t long ago that Once beliefs, no matter how wacky, become part of our we believed a common set of facts: The Earth is round, identity, they are hard-wired into our brains and almost vaccines prevent deadly illnesses and scientists are to be impervious to contradictory information — and indistin- believed when they almost universally agree on a topic, guishable from objective facts. as is the case with man-made climate change. “What we think of as facts are beliefs that we have But today, even the most settled facts are being challenged decided are true,” said Norbert Schwarz, Provost Professor by people who have formed tribes defined by increasingly of Psychology and Marketing at USC Dornsife. outlandish beliefs. Their power has been reinforced by thousands of years In February, a producer with a Los Angeles-based news of evolution in which like-minded groups have thrived outlet contacted USC Dornsife to ask if there was a scholar because they’ve unified through shared beliefs. We’ve been who would appear on a program to debate whether the Earth conditioned to reject, or at least view with great suspicion, was flat. The ancient Greeks firmly established that the Earth those who are not part of our clan, those who look or speak is round, yet thanks to the growth of evermore fabulist ideas,

24 ILLUSTRATIONS BY DENNIS LAN FOR USC DORNSIFE MAGAZINE Spring / Summer 2019 | 25 there is a small but growing niche who believe that we live on What researchers already know is that it’s very difficult a large, circular plane. The invitation was politely declined to change beliefs. based on the principle that there is nothing to debate. “It is just exceedingly rare to ever witness anyone change their mind about some of these important things,” said Jonas Kaplan, assistant professor (research) of psychology at the USC Dornsife Brain and Creativity Institute. “It “What we think of as facts are beliefs seems so important for us to be able to change our minds, especially about important topics like climate change or that we have decided are true.” whether vaccines are healthy for us. It can be a life and death issue in that kind of a circumstance.” Kaplan combines behavior studies with sophisticated measurements of brain activity to understand what makes To the flat-Earthers one can add a growing number of us tick. His work made headlines in late 2016 when he oddball beliefs and conspiracy theories, such as QAnon, published a study indicating that people were particularly the Marvel-esque notion that the military convinced resistant to political arguments that challenged their beliefs. Donald Trump to run for president so he could vanquish Not long after the study was published, a man contacted the forces of evil. him with a story that illustrated the peril of rejecting your Though humans have always been tribal, a newly tribe’s political beliefs and one of the reasons we cling to emerged force has accelerated the splintering of society: them so fiercely. The man had worked in the adminis- the internet and its spawn social media. Whereas trations of Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. people with bizarre beliefs were largely isolated prior Bush before going to work for a conservative think tank, to the internet revolution, today they can easily but his beliefs began to change until he morphed into a find like-minded believers online to card-carrying liberal. reinforce their worldview. “The cost of this change for this man was tremendous,” Kaplan said. “When he started

questioning the conservative politics, his coworkers were unhappy with this … “I think and he lost his job, ultimately.” social networks It turns out the reason we defend our have shown to most cherished beliefs has to do with why we be more divisive than don’t like to eat garbage. anything else,” said Dehghani. Our brains are designed to protect not only our physi- “It’s a propensity that we have cal but our psychological well-being. “If a belief becomes as humans that we like connect- part of our psychological self, it then benefits from all the ing with others who are similar brain’s protection mechanisms,” Kaplan said. to us. Most of the time it’s in terms of values: political And the portion of the brain that keeps up this vigil, orientation, religion. Essentially what the social media the insula, is the same one that’s responsible for our gut sites are doing, they’re just fueling these propensities, feelings and emotions, such as disgust. whether they’re innate or learned.” “It literally is the same part of the brain that says you don’t eat that rotten food,” Kaplan said. SEARCHING FOR ANSWERS At USC Dornsife, scholars are delving into how we form THE IMPERFECT BRAIN our beliefs and how, through that knowledge, we might be Knowing how valuable yet difficult it is for almost any- able to return to a common set of facts — and avoid spiral- one to remain open to facts that challenge their beliefs, ing into a world of fantasy. the question becomes how we can short-circuit our brain’s

26 predilection for raising the mental drawbridge when TRUE LIES: we are confronted with disagreeable facts. Kaplan sug- 6 Things to Keep in Mind gests developing the habit of being aware of how you feel when confronted with uncomfortable information. When Judging if Something Is the He also suggests retaining a healthy dose of skepticism, without taking it so far that you become a conspiracy theorist. Truth or Fake News The next question is how we interact with people who don’t share our beliefs — but who we wish did. Schwarz, who has conducted extensive laboratory and For decades, psychology researchers have studied how we form beliefs, and why we are often field experiments on how people process information, easily fooled. Here are six findings that, if kept in mind, could help you avoid pitfalls. 1 said there is nothing to be gained by trying to argue someone out of their beliefs. In fact, it can be counter- productive. For example, if you get into an argument with someone at a party about the disproven link between vaccines and autism, your chances of winning the debate are next to zero, but just by raising the issue you inadvertently raise questions about it in those who overhear your debate. “You should not only worry about the person who When knowledge is uncertain, people turn People are more likely to believe state- holds the wrong belief, but you should also always worry to social consensus to gauge what is likely ments when they are made in a familiar about the bystanders,” Schwarz said. to be correct.2 It’s easy to go along with the and easy to understand accent and when Kaplan says the key is to connect with people on a herd, but try not to get corralled into believ- the speaker’s name is easy rather than dif- social level before tackling contentious differences of ing — and spreading — a lie. ficult to pronounce.⁵ Fear of “the other” can opinion. “We know from a lot of experiments that a full- lead to suspicion. Fight the urge to vilify those frontal assault is unlikely to work because what you do is you don’t know or understand. you arouse the defenses,” he said. Schwarz notes that most people are lousy listen- ers, which is one of the ways that disproved beliefs get lodged in our psyche like a lifelong virus. “We’re very bad at tracking who says what when, where you heard it, and we’re mostly relying on a feeling of familiarity to gauge how widely shared an opinion is,” he said. And because most of us are less than perfect listeners with clunky memories, we’re also bad at replacing non- People are more confident in their beliefs A given claim is more likely to be accept- sense with fact — even when we have accepted the fact. if others share them.3 Don’t be afraid to pop ed when it appears with a photo — even Schwarz has conducted experiments in which people the bubble. Just because others agree with when the photo has no probative value.⁶ have accepted a certain truth after first hearing a false- you doesn’t mean any of you are right. Pretty pictures sell; ask anyone posting on hood. On day one, they’ve changed their mind. But by Craigslist. Don’t let the eye candy fool you. day three, they’re back to believing the falsehood. “When you hear (the falsehood) again … it now feels very familiar and it feels like there’s something to it because you seem to have heard it before,” Schwarz explained.

CHANGE FOR THE BETTER Despite our brain’s tenacious ability to protect our be- liefs — even those that are grounded in hogwash — we are capable, at least over the long run, of changing our minds. Most of the country did so when it came to ciga- rettes, same-sex marriage and racism, the recent rise in People are more likely to accept a claim False information is notoriously difficult to hate speech and crimes notwithstanding. that is compatible with their own beliefs correct. … Corrections after exposure are “It’s not that people never change their minds,” than one that is not.4 If it fits with your cur- often futile.⁷ Once the cat’s out of the bag, Schwarz said, “but it does require that it seems very rent world view, it’s easy to accept it. Avoid it’s very hard to put it back. Don’t be afraid important to some, that they’re highly motivated, that being seduced into the status quo. to question a long- and widely held belief. they encounter the other arguments very often. That’s (That’s the principle at the heart of science.) one pathway in which things change.” But for some, there is another way to let go of those familiar, comfortable — and inconveniently false — 1 Schwarz, Newman and Leach, 2016. beliefs, one that perhaps strikes a little closer to the ego. 2 Festinger, 1954. “The other pathway is what you could think of as 3 Visser and Mirabile, 2004. social climate changes: that it becomes increasingly 4 Abelson, et al., 1968; Wyer, 1974. difficult to hold some positions — that you’re getting 5 Lev-Ari and Keysar, 2010; Newman, Sanson, Miller, Quigley-McBride, Foster, Bernstein and Garry, 2014. increasingly worried that you look foolish. When social 6 Newman, Garry, Bernstein, Kantner and Lindsey, 2012. reality changes, beliefs follow.” 7 Schwarz, Sanna, Skurnik and Yoon, 2007; Lewandowsky, Ecker, Seifert, Schwarz and Cook, 2012.

Spring / Summer 2019 | 27 28 Scholarly leaders from USC Dornsife’s Center for the Political Future discuss the forces driving Americans apart and explore how those same forces could bring them together.

By Emily Gersema

The end of 2018 delivered significant change to American Demographic changes and social movements contribute politics. Nearly half of eligible voters cast ballots last further to the stressful political atmosphere. November — the biggest midterm election turnout in over a century. Record numbers of women and ethnic minori- GROWING DISPARITIES ties were elected to Congress. And a Democratic majority “We’re really at an extraordinary time in American history took control of the U.S. House of Representatives. where there are two unique dynamics. The first is that this In spite of it all, one thing has not changed: The nation socioeconomic class divide is growing,” says Michael Madrid remains politically divided. one of the center’s visiting fellows this semester and the “We have a balance at the federal level that we didn’t have principal of a campaign management and lobbying firm, before,” says Robert Shrum, director of USC Dornsife’s Grassroots Lab. “The other is the demographic transforma- Center for the Political Future. “But people’s disagreements tion that is unprecedented in American history.” are the same and people’s positions are the same.” Although the size of America’s middle class is steady at The center aims to address the political divide through about 51 percent, Pew found that income disparities have education, research and practice. Staunchly nonpartisan, the been widening. center facilitates reasonable and open political discussions The median income of middle-class households in 2016 about matters that sometimes divide politicians and the public, was around $78,000 — not much higher than in 2000 when serving as a model for students who are eager for a role in it was about $74,000. Pew says the minimal shifts reflect a the political system, either as voters, staffers or candidates. lingering effect of the 2008 Great Recession and a recession The center is led by Shrum, a longtime Democratic political from 2001. The median income for upper-income households strategist who holds the Carmen H. and Louis Warschaw increased by about the same dollar amount, but low-income Chair in Practical Politics. Veteran GOP strategist Michael households decreased by 5 percent over that period. Murphy is the center’s co-director. The nation is transforming racially, too. Whites are The center’s launch last fall was timely. Many researchers, expected to become a minority by 2045, the U.S. Census public opinion polls, political analysts and even psychologists Bureau predicted in recent reports. Asian, Asian-American say America’s political fault lines have widened to a worrisome and Hispanic populations have been growing while the birth degree. Polls provided warning signs of this polarization long rate among whites is declining. before Donald Trump was elected president in 2016. Madrid says racial, gender and income disparities have Multiple forces have converged, largely through advance- become key issues in today’s political landscape, igniting ments in technology and the transformation of media, sending social movements from the Tea Party to Black Lives Matter seismic waves across the political landscape. The rise of cable and the Women’s March, the latter galvanized in part by TV news and the 24-hour news cycle expose viewers to #MeToo movement harassment complaints. endless — and frequently partisan — political coverage. All of the movements have taken to social media to high- Smartphones are increasingly popular, and social media light issues that previously might have been invisible to sites have become a primary source of news for many some Americans. For example, the 2017 video of Ferguson, Americans, according to a 2018 Pew Research Center survey. Missouri, police shooting Michael Brown was shared “Political communication is so ubiquitous now, you cannot repeatedly on social media, propelling the Black Lives Matter escape it,” says Murphy. “The digital world allows people to movement that had begun in 2012. The result is similar to go out and choose what they want to hear.” how the Civil Rights movement gained traction in the 1960s

ILLUSTRATIONS BY DENNIS LAN FOR USC DORNSIFE MAGAZINE Spring / Summer 2019 | 29 when photographers captured images of police siccing police Madrid says that racial differences inhibit the ability dogs on protesters and spraying marchers, including chil- of all low-income Americans to come together, preventing dren, with fire hoses. them from sharing a common agenda that would force “Right now, you’re seeing really ugly stuff,” Madrid said. both parties to the center. “When you start to see things like police brutality — in Madrid and Sanders believe that a period of healing videos and on social media — and it’s undeniable, that starts will come only after tensions worsen, and not before the to move public opinion.” 2020 presidential election. Madrid says this is a cultural and political turning point Even then, Sanders says, this country will need to have in America, much like that which occurred during the some very difficult conversations about race and inequality. Vietnam War. Images of the war turned the tide of public opin- ion against both the war and President Lyndon B. Johnson. STARTING TO HEAL “The first time the war was brought in to people’s homes, [via For its part, the Center for the Political Future is focused on newspapers and television] it turned public opinion against healing the country as much as it can by preparing students the government and you could actually see it,” he says. — future political leaders, informed voters and active campaign supporters — to learn how to engage in civil dialogue about political issues and to respect the truth. “Political communication is so A number of students are learning about the Iowa caucus process in preparation for a visit to the state this summer, ubiquitous now, you cannot escape it. at which time they will perform volunteer work on a presi- dential campaign. The students will return to Iowa in January The digital world allows people to go out to gain more exposure to the caucus process. Shrum says the center is proof that it is possible to bring and choose what they want to hear.” together political opponents and have a civilized, rational discussion about the state of the nation, the needs of Americans and policy matters. DIFFERENT PLACES, SHARED PROBLEMS The center has hosted speakers such as former Trump Symone Sanders, another fellow at the center and a political aide Anthony Scaramucci. In April, it hosted former analyst, was a campaign aide in Sen. Bernie Sanders’ 2016 Secretary of State John Kerry at Climate Forward, presidential bid and joined Joe Biden’s presidential campaign a conference the center organized with USC Dornsife’s in April. She notes that people who may seem politically Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies and the opposed often have issues in common. But they don’t seem USC Schwarzenegger Institute for State and Global to recognize this fact. That’s because differences in rhetoric Policy. The conference focused on policy solutions and and semantics can obscure their commonality. This is true, practices that could address climate change. True to the for instance, among people who are poor, she says. center’s mission, the conference brought together policy “If you’re a poor person working in McDowell County, experts from both sides of the political aisle, as well as West Virginia, you are dealing with some of the exact business leaders. same issues as a working poor person on the South Side of “Civic institutions and universities have a leading role in Chicago, Illinois,” Sanders says. “But because they talk about addressing polarization,” Shrum says. “We need to advance it differently, and they differ racially, they may not feel a the dialogue so that if someone wins the game, people don’t connection to the other person.” burn down the stadium.”

30 Back on Thin Ice?by Susan Bell THE CONJECTURE THAT WE MAY BE ON THE BRINK OF A NEW COLD WAR IS A CHILLING ONE, RATCHETING UP OUR GLOBAL ANXIETY LEVELS. BUT IS IT ACCURATE?

The Cold War. The phrase evokes grainy images of the Berlin Wall, have used them more than the Russians ever have, then they might the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Space Race, Soviet propaganda look at Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. election a little differently,” posters and the proliferation of fallout shelters in backyards he said, noting that the U.S. has interfered in Russia’s elections on across America. numerous occasions. The end of World War II set the stage for the Cold War — the English also recalls tension over 2013 reports that the U.S. struggle between capitalism and communism that pitted East National Security Agency hacked German Chancellor Angela against West for almost half a century and brought the world to the Merkel’s mobile phone. Now, when the U.S. complains about brink of nuclear war. Russian hacking, the Germans roll their eyes, English says. In fact, The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the collapse of the Soviet recent Europe-wide polling from the Pew Memorial Trust shows that Union two years later signaled the death knell of the ideological majorities in Italy, France and Germany view America as a greater battle for hearts and minds of people worldwide. threat to world stability and to their countries than Russia. “If you define the Cold War as a battle between rule books, then “We tend to forget our own transgressions and magnify those of the liberal internationalists’ book — based on Anglo-American capi- the other side,” English said. “If we’re serious about improving rela- talism, the promotion of democracy and democratic values, the rule tions with Russia, this has to be acknowledged. There are many ways of law and multilateral building of institutions to manage security we could cooperate with Russia instead of being at loggerheads.” and the global economy — won,” notes Steven Lamy, professor of international relations and spatial sciences. For a while, the United States enjoyed a unilateral moment as the undisputed global superpower. But now, 30 years later, with the rise of China as a major economic and military power, the interference by Russia in the U.S. 2016 presidential election, and what many regard as the abdication of America’s leadership role as defender of the liberal world order, is a new Cold War heating up again? Lamy prefers to describe the heightened global tension as a period of great power rivalry between the U.S., China and Russia. A BIGGER THREAT “I don’t think we’re in a new Cold War, although it serves a purpose In fact, in terms of cyber warfare, China is a far greater threat than for some people to suggest that, especially those who want to Russia, English argues. The Chinese, he says, have excelled at using increase military budgets,” he said. cyber interference and social media manipulation to influence elec- Certainly, the language of the Cold War is flourishing, he argues, tions and politics in Southeast Asia. not only in the Pentagon and within the Chinese and Russian military, But the most serious challenges to our liberal international order all of which favor an “us and them, good versus evil” mentality, but are coming not from China or Russia, English insists, but from inside also in wider American political discourse which, he notes, increas- the liberal states. ingly incorporates Cold War rhetoric based on fear and the outsider. “Only we can destroy ourselves,” he says. The concept of a new Cold War, he says, is “a fireball thrown down Describing Brexit as a disaster of the first order for the West, the hallway” to divert attention from the real issues — namely how English warns that the threat to European integration and coopera- to manage globalization so it’s more equitable and sustainable and tion by far-right populists is far more important than anything to address the world’s key problems of climate change, global Moscow or Beijing can dream up. poverty and increasing inequality. “It’s the nationalism of our own members that’s the problem, USC Dornsife’s Russia expert Robert English takes a different view, not Russia or China,” says English, cautioning against the dangerous arguing that we are already in a new Cold War, although he concedes reflex of blaming others for our own problems. that it’s significantly different from the last one. Lamy agrees. The situation we now face is much more complex “It’s not Marxism versus capitalism, it’s not ideological, but it is than the Cold War, he notes. No longer a single issue about trying to a competition that has many parallels,” notes English, associate convert the world to our ideology, today’s situation is a geopolitical professor of international relations, Slavic languages and literature, conflict that involves the forces of democracy and liberalism against and environmental studies. While English agrees with Lamy that the authoritarianism and state capitalism. focus on a Cold War is serving as a diversion from more pressing Lamy argues that under President Donald Trump, the U.S. has issues, he still maintains that we’re in a spiral of mutual demoniza- abandoned Pax Americana and the promotion of liberal internation- tion, which is how the last Cold War began. alism — the global economic system that won the Cold War — for Just as they were last time, these increasing tensions, English a more neo-mercantilist position based on “America first.” says, are “marked by irrational fear that’s distracting both countries Among the victims of this great power rivalry, he says, are some of from much bigger problems.” the moral positions we’ve now set aside that made the U.S. different from other states. A NEW KIND OF WARFARE? “Now blatant national interests prevail in all three major powers,” Cyber warfare, English adds, is a perfect example of this demon- Lamy said. The casualty of this new focus is human rights. “That’s ization. what’s collapsing. And it’s collapsing because of national interests, “If Americans understood that we have cyber war capabilities and not because of a new Cold War.”

Spring / Summer 2019 | 31 32 The Mustard Seed Man Alumnus, biologist and inventor Steve Fabijanski’s holistic approach to climate change tackles two major contributors to greenhouse gases: airline travel and meat production. His solution? A mustard-like oilseed called carinata. By Susan Bell

The Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner roared down the runway mustard-like oilseed called carinata. Closely resembling before sailing serenely up into the blue skies over Los Angeles kale in appearance, the plant, a combination of canola and International Airport. The Qantas flight, heading for mustard, has long been eaten as a vegetable in North Africa. Melbourne, Australia, seemed like any other leaving LAX Fabijanski’s team used plant-breeding techniques to that day, except for the fact that this plane was partially develop carinata into a non-GMO, seed-producing crop powered by biojet fuel, making for a reduced carbon footprint. containing high levels of oil and protein. The chemical That this — the world’s first United States-to-Australia composition of the oil makes it particularly well-suited to being biofuel flight — happened at all, is thanks to USC Dornsife refined into jet fuel. Once processed, carinata is chemically alumnus Steve Fabijanski. identical to conventional, fossil fuel-derived jet fuel. Fabijanski, who earned his Ph.D. in biology in 1981, In fact, Fabijanski says, anyone examining a gallon of jet is the CEO and president of Agrisoma Biosciences Inc., fuel and a gallon of carinata-derived biojet fuel would be hard the company he founded in 2001 in Quebec, Canada, pressed to tell them apart. However, Agrisoma’s biojet fuel to provide a strategy for more sustainable commercial produces 77 percent lower greenhouse gas emissions than transportation. fossil fuels. That’s because carinata uses its capacity for photo- As airlines worldwide pledge to become carbon neutral synthesis to capture significantly more of the greenhouse by 2021 and cut their carbon footprint in half by 2050, gas CO2 from the atmosphere than is released by burning Fabijanski believes he has found a solution. It lies in a carinata biojet fuel.

Spring / Summer 2019 | 33 While less than 5 percent of flights are currently powered seasons when food crops cannot be grown due to crop by blending biofuel with traditional jet fuel, he is optimistic rotation. that eventually half of the more than 79 billion gallons of fuel “For us, it’s all about sustainable farming practices that used by the airline industry will be replaced by biofuel. then enhance the land and add back to it,” he said. “The last In September 2018, Fabijanski fueled a second interna- thing we want to do is cut down forests to feed people. The tional flight, this time a United Airlines transatlantic run company we formed was built on the idea that we can do from San Francisco to Zurich. In April this year, Agrisoma better with what’s available and we can do more with less.” began working with Canada’s Department of National Defence, fueling sustainable flights for military transport and TWO MAJOR CHALLENGES patrol and for search and rescue. More biofueled flights are Fabijanski says his company faces two major challenges to planned for the near future. get airlines to adopt biojet fuel. First, availability: At the time of writing, there are only two airports with a regular supply, LAX and Oslo Airport in Norway. Agrisoma is tackling that issue by expanding carinata “The reality is that to address farming to South America and the southeast U.S. The company is also evaluating the crop as an option for European producers. climate change, we need to either stop “Our objective is to go from millions of gallons to billions of gallons of fuel, so obviously that requires us to what we’re doing now, or dramatically scale up production,” Fabijanski said. The second challenge is to ensure that policy and incen- tives are in place to ensure appropriate pricing. Renewables in change how we’re doing it.” general carry a higher expense than fossil-derived products, but with the right policy and incentives, more inclusion of renewables becomes possible. A MULTI-PRONGED APPROACH California is leading the way, Fabijanski says, with the But Fabijanski’s approach to climate change is aimed at tack- California Air Resources Board and California Low Fuel ling not just one major contributor to greenhouse gases, but Standards. He hopes other jurisdictions follow the state’s two — air travel and meat production. Animal agriculture, example by allowing fuel companies to generate carbon particularly the production of beef, accounts for up to 18 credits based on the greenhouse gas performance of their percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. Deforestation, products, thus enabling the alternative fuel industry to which is driven primarily by agriculture, contributes another play a bigger role in greenhouse gas reductions. 18 percent. “When you have really good greenhouse gas mitiga- “The reality is that to address climate change, we need tion, that fuel’s worth more and its value then gets offset to either stop what we’re doing now, or dramatically change within the market,” Fabijanski says, explaining California’s how we’re doing it,” Fabijanski said. system. His solution focuses squarely on the latter option. After “So, it’s not a subsidy, it’s not a grant, it’s a market-based all, he notes, we’re unlikely to stop eating meat and traveling measure that enables renewable fuels to compete with by air. What’s remarkable is that his innovative strategy petroleum-based fuels, based on their performance and appears to have killed two birds with one stone. environmental attributes.” Not only does Agrisoma’s biojet fuel help reduce green- And, after all, fossil fuel companies have been receiving house gas emissions, he says, carinata crops also offer a new enormous subsidies for decades, with the global total in source of sustainably produced protein. 2017 alone reaching more than $300 billion, according to “The combination enables us to provide what we see as a the International Energy Agency. solution that can address climate change from both angles — it’s not only the fuel we burn, but also where we get our food FEEDING THE WORLD and how we eat.” Born in 1960s Chicago to a machinist and a housewife, If that weren’t success enough, the plant also has the Fabijanski’s upbringing during a politically turbulent era capacity to rejuvenate and enrich the soil. not only helped forge his belief that it was possible to This means that carinata is good for the environment, the change things for the better, but also sharpened his deter- world’s food supply and farmers. mination to do so. Fabijanski says this multi-pronged approach to addressing “I remember Civil Rights riots, Watergate, the Vietnam climate change will have a significant impact that will War — all these areas where, if you had enough people increase over time as it results in more greenhouse gas sav- focused in the right direction, you could actually change ings and a positive effect on the food chain. things,” he said. “Part of that philosophy rubbed off on His company’s mantra, he stresses, is to grow carinata me.” without taking food out of production. Fabijanski originally wanted to be a marine biologist, “We want to add to the overall food supply through this attending the University of Miami for his undergraduate animal feed product so we can produce energy and more degree. But his growing interest in genetics and protein food, but not increase the footprint of farming,” he said. chemistry and his desire to work with Maria Pellegrini, “That’s one of the big challenges — how to feed and power former professor and chair of biology and dean of research, the planet without taking away natural prairie and pasture.” brought him to graduate school at USC Dornsife. The answer? Fabijanski developed carinata to flourish There, Fabijanski said he found freedom to be creative in areas where typical food crops won’t grow or during and to think differently.

34 “Those were the best years of my life. Biology, at that point, was throwing out surprises that nobody could see six months before. It was a very exciting time to be part of that.” Fabijanski’s first focus after earning his doctorate was how to use technology to increase crop yields in order to feed the world. The solution — creating hybrid seeds, which provide better crop performance and overall yield — came to Fabijanski and a group of fellow scientists over beers in a Toronto bar. Originally sketched out on a cocktail napkin, this pioneering concept underpinned Fabijanski’s first company, Paladin Hybrids, one of the earliest to apply techniques of bio- technology to the produc- tion of hybrid seeds. Fabijanski and his team believed that to invigorate self-pollinating plants, they could make them into male or female plants, then combine them to create hybrid seeds. Fabijanski filed the patent for the idea — one of more than 100 he currently holds. It’s still the one that makes him happiest. It’s also the one, he notes, that’s under- pinning the 22-million-acre-strong Canadian canola seed helped him feel at home navigating a startup environment. industry. “With scientific training, maybe 95 percent of what you “To see an invention go to a patent, and then see that do usually doesn’t work. But you live for the times when patent show up in regular commerce was a huge accomplish- everything goes right and you do something really new ment, both from a patent and a development perspective,” and innovative. You fall down a lot, but it’s really more he said. about knowing that you can get up and go do something and

FABIJANSKI PHOTOS COURTESY OF AGRISOMA BIOSCIENCES INC. BIOSCIENCES AGRISOMA OF COURTESY PHOTOS FABIJANSKI get it right the next time, that keeps me going,” Fabijanski says, A LOFTY GOAL then chuckles. “Maybe I’m just a masochist that way.” When he’s not developing pioneering patents, Fabijanski is a Of all the many times he has got it right in his life, CARINATA KING keen amateur cyclist and music lover. He’s the proud owner Fabijanski is most proud of his degree from USC Dornsife. Steve Fabijanski stands in of between 2,000 and 3,000 records from the 1960s, ’70s It inspired him, he says, to try to change the world. a field of carinata. The chem- and ’80s, including Chicago blues and rare vinyl from L.A.’s “You can tilt at windmills all day long and you’ll make a ical composition of oil from hard-core punk scene, and he still cruises swap meets and lot of noise and at the end you might feel good, but you may the plant’s seeds make it record shops looking for unusual collectors’ items. not change things,” Fabijanski warns. Instead, experience particularly well-suited to Fabijanski wakes every morning at sunrise to the squawk- has taught him that the best way to effect change in sectors being refined into jet fuel. ing of Penelope, his wife’s 22-year-old African gray parrot, like energy, with its political capital, infrastructure and huge Carinata crops also offer a one of two she owns. investment in major companies and jobs, is from within. new source of sustainably Penelope has adopted Fabijanski’s voice and her favorite “You can actually work within a well-established industry produced protein. phrases are ones — he pauses here, searching for a way to put to bring about some meaningful change so it becomes more it delicately — “you don’t say in church. sustainable,” Fabijanski says. “It’s a lofty goal, but I think “Put it this way,” he adds, “she’d be really at home on a we’ve made an impact in terms of demonstrating there are pirate ship.” ways to create positive change that don’t require you to wear Fabijanski believes it’s his education as a scientist that has organic cotton T-shirts and Birkenstocks.”

Spring / Summer 2019 | 35 36 ENVIRONMENTAL INGENUITY

Cars that run on kelp. Cosmetics made from waste products. An alternative energy model fueled by clean, green chemicals. USC Dornsife researchers are creating innovative new products and businesses to mend the planet and create a strong economy.

By Michelle Boston

Picture this: Out in the open ocean, rows of farmed kelp PLANT POWER spanning an area about the size of Mexico. Once harvested At the USC Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies’ and processed, this rapid-growing seaweed would be turned Marine Science Center on Santa Catalina Island off the coast into a fuel that you could pump into your car. No more relying of Los Angeles, researchers are testing whether kelp could on fossil fuels that take millions of years to form — and become a renewable fuel. whose emissions into the atmosphere are the biggest contri- Why kelp? Diane Kim, associate director for special butor to the Earth’s rising temperatures. projects at the institute, is part of the team heading up the TURNING THE TIDE Reams of scientific evidence including a recent report biofuel research. Kelp has the potential to from the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on She says that the common giant kelp found along the coast become the biofuel of the future. Climate Change — a nonpolitical assessment by 91 scientists of California is one of the fastest growing organisms on the USC Dornsife researchers are from 40 countries — paints a stark picture for the economy, planet. Requiring a minimum of natural resources, it can currently testing a method health and the environment if aggressive steps to reign in grow one to two feet per day under ideal conditions. designed to grow enough of the global warming are not taken in the next decade. “Kelp is often referred to as a ‘sequoia of the sea’ because seaweed to transform the energy To tackle the challenge, USC Dornsife researchers have it can get so massive — up to 100 to 150 feet in length,” she landscape. been testing creative solutions, from kelp biofuel to entirely said. “And these organisms start out not much larger than new energy economies to redesigning waste. These solutions a bacterium.” can be both entrepreneurial and profitable, creating innova- To grow, kelp requires sunlight and nutrients. Both are tive business models that can fuel jobs and a healthy economy plentiful in the ocean, but there’s a hitch. while also saving the planet. “Light is up near the surface and nutrients are found deeper

Spring / Summer 2019 | 37 in the water column,” Kim explains. Along California’s coast, “Think of any large building,” Prakash says. “Thousands of upwelling brings that water to the surface, which is why such people are breathing in oxygen and exhaling carbon dioxide.” large kelp forests are found near the shoreline. But that’s not If carbon dioxide levels rise too high, people will get dizzy the case in the open ocean, where kelp has the potential to be or sleepy. So typically, building ventilation systems will grown on a much larger scale. cycle in air from the outside every couple of hours to clear out With funding from the U.S. Department of Energy’s carbon dioxide and other contaminants. That process uses a Advanced Research Projects Agency on Energy, USC Wrigley great deal of energy, Prakash explains. But when the granules Institute researchers, aided by an industry partner, are testing are put into the HVAC system, it absorbs air impurities and a depth-cycling strategy using a pilot-scale system nicknamed reduces a building’s energy use by 20 to 30 percent. the “kelp elevator” — a structure in the ocean that moves kelp “It’s a way to offset carbon dioxide that’s twofold,” he says; up and down, taking it to the surface to absorb sunlight, then Reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in a building’s air back down to the nutrient-rich depths. circulation while also reducing the carbon footprint of energy If successful, this system could be the basis for an autono- used to manage the air quality. mous network of floating kelp farms that could be scaled up Prakash has spent four decades at USC Dornsife thinking to produce the amount of kelp biomass necessary to make about energy — ways to store it and ways to harness it. macroalgae biofuel cost competitive with fossil fuel. Those instruments in his office illustrate some of the prac- Over the next year or so, the team, which includes Kim, tical uses of what’s known as the methanol economy, the John Heidelberg, associate professor of biological sciences visionary concept for creating renewable energy sources he and environmental studies, David Ginsburg, associate originally developed with the late USC Dornsife Professor professor (teaching) of environmental studies, and many of Chemistry George Olah, a Nobel laureate and Prakash’s undergraduate and graduate students, will test different former colleague and mentor. depth-cycling strategies and varying species of macroalgae The starting point is carbon dioxide — a naturally occur- for optimal growth. ring gas that is rapidly increasing in our atmosphere Once they can demonstrate kelp growth under those primarily due to human activities such as burning fossil parameters, their industry partner, Marine BioEnergy, fuels and deforestation. The methanol economy, a model will start commercialization. Chemical engineers at by which chemistry is used to produce methanol in place the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National of fossil fuels for energy storage, fuel and feedstocks, seeks Laboratory are refining a process to turn the kelp into bio- to use carbon as a solution. fuel on a large scale through a process called hydrothermal “Earth does not have an energy problem,” said Prakash. liquefaction. The output, they anticipate, will be nearly “What it has is an energy storage and an energy carrier problem. carbon neutral. “The idea is that we’re going to take carbon dioxide and Preliminary calculations suggest that if their concept convert it back to some chemical fuels and feedstocks using works, kelp biofuel has the potential to meet the needs of all the sun’s energy,” Prakash said. U.S. transportation fuel. Methanol is easily created in a lab, and at relatively low cost, “This has the potential to transform the energy landscape he adds. The infrastructure already exists to put it into use as as we know it,” said Kim. a fuel and a feedstock to replace petroleum-based products. The United States has been slow to adopt the technology, A NEW ENERGY ECONOMY mainly because oil companies don’t have much of a finan- The USC Wrigley Institute’s kelp biofuel project continues cial incentive to switch to the cleaner burning alternative. a legacy of energy research at USC Dornsife that stretches However, countries like China, Iceland, Israel and Sweden back decades. have adopted the renewable fuel source for various uses, Enter the office of G. K. Surya Prakash, director of mainly for transportation. (A renewable methanol produc- USC Dornsife’s Loker Hydrocarbon Research Institute, and tion plant operated by Carbon Recycling International in you’ll find clues that a brilliant and prolific scientist dwells Reykjavik, Iceland, bears Olah’s name.) within. India is also considering how to incorporate methanol as a A bookcase lined with organic chemistry textbooks from transportation fuel as well as a cooking gas to replace widely years teaching fundamentals to undergraduates stretches used kerosene, which produces dangerous pollutants — hence along his desk, which is covered in neat piles of scientific the prototype of a methanol-fueled stove on Prakash’s desk. papers nearly 2 feet high. And if you look closely, you’ll find a series of curious instru- A WINNING CATALYST FOR CHANGE ments that reveal his life’s work: a palm-sized plastic propeller Zhiyao Lu is a postdoctoral scholar at the Loker Hydrocarbon attached to a fuel cell that runs on methanol; a dinnerplate- Research Institute. Prior to earning his Ph.D. in chemistry sized cook stove, also fueled by methanol; and a small glass from USC Dornsife in 2016, he was studying pharmaceu- bottle filled with what looks like powder laundry detergent. tical sciences. But his interests began to shift. Around 2010, Holding up the bottle, Prakash, George A. and Judith A. he began seeing reports showing that, as the biodiesel indus- Olah Nobel Laureate Chair in Hydrocarbon Chemistry and try expanded and vegetable oil was being used on a larger professor of chemistry at USC Dornsife, explains that the scale, crude glycerin was being produced in rising quantities. unassuming white granules are a new product using technol- “More and more of it was ending up as waste or as a ogy developed at the institute to help large buildings manage pollutant,” Lu said. “I realized it was a problem, and I set this their air quality more efficiently. goal for myself to provide at least one solution to make the The particles, fabricated for commercial use by the com- situation better.” pany enVerid with a license from a Loker patent, absorb and He set his sights on finding a way to turn the waste material capture carbon dioxide and other air contaminants. into something valuable. Working with USC Dornsife ILLUSTRATIONS BY DAN STILES FOR USC DORNSIFE MAGAZINE 38 “THIS HAS THE POTENTIAL TO TRANSFORM THE ENERGY LANDSCAPE AS WE KNOW IT.”

Professor of Chemistry Travis Williams, he developed a partners and investors to learn the next steps that would take catalyst that enables an exceptionally efficient chemical their technology from the lab to a commercial enterprise. transformation that converts glycerin into lactate. Usually As a result, the pair’s company, Catapower, will be GLAM IT UP derived from plants, lactate is a valuable natural preservative working with World Energy, a top supplier of biodiesel in the A natural byproduct of the and antimicrobial agent with a wide range of applications. U.S., to co-develop the chemical process into a commercial biodiesel industry is getting Most often it is used in cosmetics and soaps. one. Right now, they are building a demonstration of how a second life. USC Dornsife Lu was interested in commercializing their findings. that would work in their manufacturing plants. researchers have invented a way Williams encouraged him to pursue support to translate Lu explains that with just a few extra steps and some to turn glycerin into a valuable their research. So, Lu applied for the 2018 USC Wrigley additional staff, glycerin can easily be converted to lactate natural preservative and antimi- Sustainability Prize, which was created by the USC Wrigley as part of each plant’s day-to-day operations, using existing crobial agent that can be used to Institute to inspire and support the development of entrepre- equipment. make cosmetics and soaps. neurial businesses focused on improving the environment. By Lu’s calculations, Catapower’s process could lower He took home first place along with $7,000 to help get the the overall cost of producing lactate by 60 percent, when business off the ground. compared with the current commercial practice used to On the heels of that honor, Lu was selected to partici- manufacture it. pate in the National Science Foundation Innovation Corps “Our business advisor said once we start producing it, it (I-Corps) program, a seven-week curriculum that supports will be like printing money,” Lu said. “I’m not as optimistic, scientists in bringing their technology to market. Through but I think the profit margin is good enough for us to run a I-Corps, Lu and Williams met with potential customers, sustainable business.”

Spring / Summer 2019 | 39 40 SMOKE SIGNALS

JULIEN EMILE-GEAY Associate Professor of Earth Sciences

When the crown jewel of industrial civilization — the automobile — was introduced in London, it was met with resistance. Wouldn’t burning fossil fuels pollute the air? “Yes, it would,” admitted its proponents, “but think of how much cleaner the streets would be for lack of horse manure.” As one technology has supplanted another, so has one pollution changed forms. Horse manure, for all its faults, is a great fertilizer. Carbon dioxide, the main byproduct of fossil fuel combustion, has no such virtue: Unless processed in ways that are currently very costly, it is a long-lived greenhouse gas, warming the planet for centuries on end. This fact was surmised in 1896 (two years after the Great Horse Manure Crisis of 1894) by Svante Arrhenius, a Swedish scientist who saw little harm in a few degrees of warming. Sweden is cold, most of the time. Over a century of scientific progress has shown how right he was about the human-made greenhouse effect, and how wrong he was to regard it as benign. Anthropogenic global warming has nefarious consequences on many aspects of our environment, including sea-level rise, heat waves, droughts, invasive species migrations, and yes, wildfires. These days, few extreme weather events happen without my phone ringing and journalists asking, “Is this due to global warming?” (another way of asking, “Could we have prevented this?”). The answer is more complex than people want to hear: No single event can ever be directly tied to climate change, though we can now compute the odds of this event happening in today’s climate versus it happening in a hypothetical climate unaffected by our carbon emissions. The result is, quite often, that such disasters were made more likely — sometimes vastly so — by the burning of fossil fuels that currently power our civilization. Any fire scientist will tell you that there are multiple factors making California wildfires — like the Woolsey fire that ravaged Malibu last year — worse. Climate change, and its tendency to suck moisture from the ground, is a major one. Increased building at the wildland-urban interface, and the increased opportunities it affords for sparks to spread to vegeta- tion, is another. Equally consequential is our related forest management practice of not letting even minor forest burns take their course, which is how natural California ecosystems had self-regulated for thousands of years. This has resulted in an accumulation of burnable material that fuels blazes of unprecedented scale. Finally, there is our rising population, and its social problems: Utility company accidents are a leading cause of human-started blazes, and most Angelenos remember that the 2017 Skirball fire, which brought scenes reminiscent of Mordor, was started by an illegal cooking fire at a homeless encampment in a brush area near the Sepulveda Pass. California wildfires are the visible manifestations of our society’s difficulty in grappling with the same fundamental issue: inequity. Carbon is disproportionately emitted by the super-rich and their carbon-intensive lifestyles. Globally, it is poor countries that bear the brunt of this burden. Carbon justice is social justice and creating a more just world will require nothing less of us than reinventing what it means to create and share energy and wealth, in ways that respect the planet and the creatures that live on it. Until we do, wildfires will keep asking the same question of us: “Is there a more pressing issue?”

PORTRAIT BY PETER ZHAOYU ZHOU

PHOTO BY WALLY SKALIJ/LOS ANGELES TIMES VIA GETTY IMAGES LYNN DODD, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF Legacy THE PRACTICE OF RELIGION PHOTO COURTESY OF FRASHER FOTO POSTCARD COLLECTION, POMONA PUBLIC LIBRARY PUBLIC POMONA COLLECTION, POSTCARD FOTO FRASHER OF COURTESY PHOTO

The first Emerald Bay vacation boat, opened in 1907. It thrived the practice of religion. between archaeologists and hasn’t been fully documented camp on Lake Tahoe sprang until after World War II, when Not only did the small, staff from the California State yet,” she notes. “Our students up in the late 19th century as its fortunes declined and the locally made boats reflect the Parks. Now, Dodd is making it can participate in research railroads began to snake over decision was made to close handicraft, skill and local tradi- possible for USC students to that’s meaningful and that mountain passes, making it it down. tions of boat building, she says, help preserve the history of gives California’s state park possible for city dwellers to To get rid of the myriad the sunken boats of Emerald this area for future genera- system new information about escape the hubbub of city life small boats that had populated Bay could also tell us the story tions through her Fall semester our cultural heritage.” —S.B. and find peace, solace and the lake during the camp’s of the emergence of vacations course ARCG 305L, “Virtual and recreation in nature. Boating, heyday, the owners decided to in our lives. Digital Culture Heritage and Capturing the moment: An early fishing and hiking were all scuttle them. But all is not lost. An under- Archaeology.” 20th-century postcard shows tremendous draws. Lake Tahoe “Sinking them in the lake water Maritime Heritage Trail “This is a whole maritime vacationers admiring a freshly became a mecca for wilderness was an easy way to dispose of that allows divers to explore the landscape that captures life caught fish at Emerald Bay, Lake lovers, and a second Emerald them,” says USC Dornsife’s Lynn sunken boats has been created at a certain time in the history Tahoe, once the site of a popular

Bay camp, accessible only by Dodd, associate professor of thanks to a collaboration of the United States, and it holiday camp.

42 HONORS Faculty News MARK IRWIN, professor of Alumni News GIAN MARIA ANNOVI, associ- English, won the Philip Levine ate professor of Italian and Prize for Poetry for his collection of 1940s comparative literature, received poems titled Shimmer. IRIS CUMMINGS CRITCHELL Two professors elected the Howard R. Marraro Prize from (B.A., physical sciences, ’41), the Modern Language Association JUHI JANG, associate pro- pioneering aviator and 1936 of America. fessor of mathematics, was Olympic swimmer, has been AAAS fellows named a 2019 Simons Fellow in named one of 19 living “Phi Mu Academy honors Eric Friedlander of mathematics SUSANNA BERGER, assistant mathematics. History Makers” in honor of Phi and David Hutchins of biological sciences. professor of art history, Mu Fraternity’s alliance with received a Guggenheim Fellow- STEVE KAY, Provost Professor the National Women’s History Eric Friedlander, Dean’s ship. She also was awarded the of Neurology, Biomedical Engi- Museum. Professor of Mathematics, Roland H. Bainton Art and Music neering and Biological Sciences and David Hutchins, prof- Prize from the Sixteenth Century and director of convergent bio- 1960s essor of biological sciences, Society and Conference. sciences at the USC Michelson RONALD BLACK (B.A., have been named fellows of Center for Convergent Bio- political science, ’68) has the American Association DANIELA BLEICHMAR, profes- science, was elected a Fellow of been appointed Grand Army of for the Advancement of Sci- sor of art history and history, the Royal Society. the Republic Highway Officer for ence (AAAS), the world’s won the 2018 Alice Award from the Los Angeles County by the Sons largest multidisciplinary J. M. Kaplan Fund. CARLY KENKEL, Gabilan of Union Veterans of the Civil scientific society. Assistant Professor of Biological War. Formerly U.S. Route 6, the The AAAS reported STEPHEN BRADFORTH, divi- Sciences, received a 2019 Sloan highway was the longest trans- that Friedlander received sional dean for natural sciences Research Fellowship. continental highway and now Eric Friedlander the distinction for his “dist- and mathematics and profes- comprises I-110, I-5, Route 14, inguished contributions sor of chemistry, received a 2019 REBECCA LEMON, professor Route 395 and Route 6 from San to several fields of math- Cottrell Plus STAR Award. of English, received the Marlowe Pedro, California, to the Nevada ematics” with an emphasis Society of America Roma Gill Prize. state line. on algebraic geometry, as ANTONIO DAMASIO, University well as his leadership in Professor, David Dornsife Chair SMARANDA MARINESCU, DALE GRIBOW (B.A., the American Mathemati- in Neuroscience, and professor assistant professor of history, ’65) was selected by cal Society. The association of psychology, philosophy and chemistry, received a 2019 Sloan Palm Springs Life Magazine as also said in a statement neurology, received the Paul D. Research Fellowship. Top Lawyer PI/DUI for 2018–19, that Hutchins earned the MacLean Award for Outstanding as well as Top Lawyer by Inland honor for his “fundamental Neuroscience Research in DAPHNA OYSERMAN, Dean’s Empire Magazine 2018–19. contributions to under- Psychosomatic Medicine from the Professor of Psychology, was standing the influence of American Psychosomatic Society. named an American Educational 1970s trace metals, ocean acidifi- Research Association Fellow. DIANA TURNER (B.A., journal- David Hutchins cation, and climate change MARGARET GATZ, professor ism, ’73) earned a Top Producer on the productivity and FRIEDLANDER PHOTO BY MATT MEINDL; HUTCHINS PHOTO BY PETER ZHAOYU ZHOU ZHAOYU PHOTO BY PETER PHOTO BY HUTCHINS MEINDL; MATT FRIEDLANDER of psychology, received the 2018 RHACEL PARREÑAS, award from Vista Sotheby’s evolution of marine phytoplankton populations.” Distinguished Career Contribution professor of sociology and International Realty. She ranked Friedlander, who chairs the Department of Mathematics, in Gerontology Award from the gender studies, has received the in the Top 25 for 2018, among joined USC Dornsife as Dean’s Professor of Mathematics Behavioral and Social Sciences Jessie Bernard Award from the over 200 agents and brokers. in 2008. Since 2016, he has been chair of the U.S. National Section of the Gerontological American Sociological Association. Committee for Mathematics. Over the course of his career, Society of America. DAVID WATSON (B.A., he has served on the editorial boards of 10 different journals and M. HASHEM PESARAN, John economics, ’79) is CEO of has organized nearly three dozen mathematical conferences. ROBERT GURALNICK, pro- Elliot Distinguished Chair in Akiri Inc. Hutchins, whose research interests include marine phyto- fessor of mathematics, was Economics, was elected a plankton biology, nutrient and carbon cycling, and climate named a 2019 Simons Fellow in distinguished fellow of the 1990s change, has been awarded over a dozen grants for his scien- mathematics. International Engineering and DIANA STARESINIC-DEANE tific research and has published 114 articles since 2006. He Technology Institute. (B.A., English literature and has served on several scientific committees and assisted in PIERRETTE HONDAGNEU- language, ’97) was appointed organizing numerous conferences for the National Science SOTELO, Florence Everline ELENA PIERPAOLI, professor the new executive director of Foundation. Professor of Sociology, received of physics and astronomy, was the Franklin County Historical All fellows of the AAAS are chosen based on their the 2018 Julian Samora Distin- named a 2019 Simons Fellow in Society in Ottawa, Kan., and scientific or social contributions to their areas of study. The guished Career Award from the theoretical physics. She also a member of the Humanities process is rigorous, requiring a nomination and election from Latina/o Sociology Section of the received the 2018 Gruber Founda- Kansas Speakers Bureau. the AAAS Council. American Sociological Association. tion Cosmology Prize. Friedlander and Hutchins were honored at the AAAS Continued on page 44. Fellows Forum in February at the 2019 Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. —L.R.

Spring / Summer 2019 | 43 FACULTY CANON For Better or Worse: Looking for Love in the Internet Age Online dating and social media have revolutionized how we look for love. Julie Albright reveals how this technology has profound effects on our health and well-being.

When online dating began, there was no swiping left or right, no Photoshopped selfies or alluring videos, just lonely singles pouring out their hearts in internet chat rooms. OUTSIDE LOOKING IN: A NOVEL Initially, there was a certain shame attached to online dating, Julie Albright says. “But Ecco / Distinguished Professor people were really opening up and talking about things, maybe for the first time. It was Emeritus of English and Writer in all about getting to know the inner person, and many people felt like they’d met their Residence Emeritus T.C. Boyle soul mate.” explores the first scientific and The original stigma may have gone as online dating went mainstream with the dawn recreational forays into LSD and its of the mobile internet era, but Albright, a lecturer in psychology, says everything else has mind-altering possibilities. Taking changed, too, as the app economy commodified people and relationships into something us back to the 1960s, Boyle writes far more superficial. about the early days of a drug Online dating is now the second or third most common way — depending on age — whose effects have reverberated for Americans to meet romantic partners. In Albright’s book, Left to Their Own Devices: How Digital Natives are Reshap- widely throughout our culture. ing the American Dream (Prometheus Books, 2019), she describes how it has altered the landscape of love and romance in the 21st century and reveals how the ways we now look for love are affecting our relationships, our health and our well-being — even the very fabric of society. Online dating creates the idea that there are thousands of romantic possibilities available to us. However, that brings problems of its own, Albright warns, because when faced with a vast array of choices, paradoxically, we are unable to choose. “We keep thinking there are endless choices, that maybe someone better will come along,” she says. “But at the end of the day, people who don’t choose are going to end up lonely because they’re not in a relationship. You have to choose and you have to commit to build something.” But by facilitating a “hookup” culture, dating apps have created an environment that’s not conducive to settling down. Dating has become a sport, Albright argues, rather than a means to build a long-term relationship. The result is that people find themselves lonely or anxious without knowing why. SHAPED BY THE WEST, VOL. 1 “You would think we’re more connected than ever,” she says, “yet paradoxically, as we become increasingly enraptured & 2 University of California Press / and mesmerized by our devices, we’re separating from one another.” —S.B. William Deverell, professor of history, and Anne Hyde provide a nuanced look at the past, balancing topics in society and politics representing diverse people from across the West and the shifting frontier. ALBRIGHT PHOTO BY CODY PICKENS; COMPOSITE BY LETTY AVILA LETTY BY COMPOSITE PICKENS; CODY BY PHOTO ALBRIGHT

TIME’S CONVERT Viking Press / Professor (Teaching) of History Deborah Harkness’ engaging and fascinating follow-up to the All-Souls trilogy appeals to fans of the supernatural and history alike.

44 DORNSIFE FAMILY

TROJANALITY

truths we tell each other and ourselves. Her poems return again and again to our relation- ships with each other, with par- From Cattle to Genomics ents, children and loved ones, A trailblazer in computational biology, Michael Waterman got an unlikely start in life. and with God.

PAST FORWARD: ESSAYS IN KOREAN HISTORY Anthem Press / Kyung Moon Hwang, professor of history and East Asian lan- guages and cultures, introduces core features of Korean history that illuminate current issues and pressing concerns including WHY KAREN CARPENTER recent political upheavals, social MATTERS University of Texas developments and cultural shifts. Press / Karen Tongson, associate professor of English, gender studies and American studies and ethnicity, explores Karen Carpenter’s endur- ing ability to transcend cultural differences, bridging not only American suburbia and Tongson’s native Philippines but also diverse communities and fan cultures worldwide. Growing up on an isolated livestock ranch in southwestern Oregon, Michael Waterman worked grueling hours. When he wasn’t in school, he was tending cattle and sheep, repairing WORLDMAKING: RACE, fences and putting up hay for the winter. PERFORMANCE, AND THE It was an unlikely start for a man who is widely regarded as a WORK OF CREATIVITY Duke trailblazer in computational biology and whose career has taken University Press / Dorinne Kondo, him around the world, bringing him national and international professor of American studies recognition. Waterman, University Professor, USC Associates and ethnicity and anthropology, Chair in Natural Sciences and professor of biological sciences, theorizes the racialized structures computer science and mathematics, makes no bones about his PHOTO COURTESY OF MICHAEL WATERMAN; BY PORTRAIT PETER ZHAOYU ZHOU of inequality that pervade theatre relief at leaving those early years on that remote ranch far behind. and the arts. “The reason I’m here is that — to get away from that life,” he says. ELECTRIFIED VOICES: University offered a longed-for escape route. HOW THE TELEPHONE, “It was just like going on a roller coaster of knowledge. It was incredible” PHONOGRAPH, AND RADIO After earning his Ph.D. in statistics at Michigan State University, Waterman taught math- SHAPED MODERN JAPAN, ematics at Idaho State University. He spent summers at Los Alamos National Laboratory, 1868–1945 Columbia University where he first became involved with researching genetic sequencing. He joined USC Dornsife Press / Kerim Yasar, assistant in 1982. professor of East Asian languages Waterman’s research concentrates on the creation and application of mathematics, and cultures, examines the statistics and computer science to molecular biology, particularly to DNA, RNA and roles played by the telegraph, protein sequence data. He is co-developer of two fundamental algorithms used for map- telephone, phonograph, radio ping the human genome: the Smith-Waterman algorithm for sequence comparison and the and sound film in the discursive, Lander-Waterman formula for physical mapping. SLIPPERY SURFACES Finishing aesthetic and ideological prac- His current focus is taking his original work in aligning genetic sequence information and Line Press / Donna Spruijt- tices of Japan from 1868 through revising it, using the new method of alignment-free sequence analysis, which uses a more Metz, director of the USC World War II. statistical approach to cope with vast volumes of data. mHealth Collaboratory and A fellow of the National Academy of Inventors and a member of the American Academy professor (research) psychology, of Arts and Sciences, the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of takes an unflinching journey into Engineering, Waterman still considers “getting off the farm” to be his greatest achievement. personal history, the lies and “I’m serious,” he chuckles. “After that, it’s all gravy.” —S.B.

Spring / Summer 2019 | 45 ALUMNI CANON 2010s KATHERINE WESTON (B.S., distinguished college professor presents stories that pass TARA CAMPBELL (B.A., politi- exercise science, ’99) and GARY at Paul Quinn College, University through landscapes of loneli- cal science, ’15; B.A., broad- WESTON JR. (B.A., political of Pine Bluff, and East Texas State ness, stagnation and bad good cast and digital journalism, science, ’99) welcomed their third University; celebrated author; intentions, with characters often ’15; M.A., public administra- son, Aaron Patrick, on Aug. 2, 2018. prominent speaker and presenter. confronting the disparity between tion, ’16), at age 25, was voted illusion and reality. mayor of the city of Yorba Linda, In Memoriam MERRILL DUARD HARDY California, making her the young- DAVID ARELLANES (B.A., phys- (Ph.D., kinesiology, ’68) of St. est woman mayor in U.S. history ical education, ’82) of Montrose, George, UT (1/9/2019) at age 89; for a city of 30,000 or more. CA (08/02/2018) at age 59. beloved professor at California State University, Northridge; avid WONDER AND CRUELTY: ANNE CRONIN GILLMAN (B.A., THOMAS HOBSON BATES JR. golfer, singer and lover of sports. ONTOLOGICAL WAR IN IT’S political science, ’10) joined (B.A., physics, ’51) of Petaluma, A WONDERFUL LIFE Roman & the U.S. Foreign Service in July CA (11/29/2018) at age 91; professor RUBINA HARTEL (B.A., interna- Littlefield / Steven Johnston 2018 as an economic officer of world business at San Francisco tional relations, ’88) of Colorado (B.A., political science, ’82; B.A., and is currently serving at the State University; member of the Springs, CO (12/4/2018) at age 52; psychology, ’82) explores how U.S. Embassy in The Hague, National Defense Executive former military intelligence soldier the classic holiday film rehearses Netherlands. Reserve. for the U.S. Army; accomplished an ontological war between TEMPERATURE RISING: IRAN’S runner and cyclist; avid reader and contending parties with rival REVOLUTIONARY GUARDS CRISTINA ANN GROSSU (B.A., MARY CHAVARRIA (Ph.D., athlete. conceptions of what it means to AND WARS IN THE MIDDLE sociology, ’12) was named to English, ’92) of Los Angeles, CA lead a meaningful life. EAST Rowman & Littlefield / the National Association of Real- (1/16/2019) at age 68; professor at STANISLAO IEBBA (B.A., Nader Uskowi (B.A., interna- tors “30 Under 30 Class of 2019.” California State University, North- psychology, ’01) of Deerfield, tional relations, ’71) tells the ridge, Mission College, and Pierce NH (1/10/2019) at age 39; served in story of how the Quds Force and KELLY OKI (B.A., psychology, College; lover of literature. public service through Ameri- its Shia militias fought on three ’10) has become an associate at Corps; administrator in funding in fronts to advance the Islamic Fisher Phillips, a national labor JOSEPH PETER D’ARELLI (B.A., public health; lover of nature and Republic’s militant interpretation and employment law firm repre- biological sciences, ’64) of animals. of Shia Islam and create a con- senting employers. Santa Ynez, CA (1/30/2019) at age tiguous land corridor linking Iran 78; established the San Gabriel DANIEL KAUFMANN (B.A, through Iraq to Syria, Lebanon Valley Trojan Club; eye doctor for history, ’39) of Los Angeles, CA; and the Israeli northern fronts. Marriages the USC football team; talented (11/26/2018) at age 100; former and Births musician. pilot and captain in the U.S. Army; THE PRETENDER OF PITCAIRN SARAH HIENTON (B.A., assistant attorney general; professor ISLAND Cambridge University international relations, ’08) MARY DRURY (B.A., inter- at USC Gould School of Law and Press / Tillman W. Nechtman and her husband, Matt Hienton, national relations, ’91) of Las Loyola Law School; judge at the (M.A., history, ’02; Ph.D., history, welcomed a son, Owen Matthew. Vegas, NV (12/6/2018) at age 49; Los Angeles County Superior Court ’05) shares the tale of Joshua W. founder of Law Offices of Mary J. and presiding judge of the superior Hill, the fraudulent ruler whose EDWARD HYNES (B.A., psy- Drury & Associates. court in Van Nuys, California; lifelong reign has, until now, been swept chology, ’08) and his wife, Laura piano player. aside as an idiosyncratic moment Lefkow-Hynes, welcomed son CLARA GETMAN (B.A., his- in the larger saga of Fletcher Edward Michael “Teddy” Hynes tor y, ’40) of White Plains, MD WALTER HENRY KLEFFEL Christian’s mutiny against Captain on Feb. 20, 2019, in Chicago. (1/22/2019) at age 100; loving (B.A., anthropology, ’54) of Oak Bligh, and the mutineers’ unlikely VIETNAM BAO CHI: WARRIORS mother and grandmother; active Harbor, WA (1/26/2019) at age 86; settlement of Pitcairn. OF WORD AND FILM Casemate / JOHN LAMBERT (B.A., his- member of her church. former A-6 pilot during the Vietnam Marc Yablonka (M.P.W. ’90) tory, ’13) and Kristen Lambert War; employee at Whatcom brings together interviews with 35 welcomed their first child, ABDULGHANI HASAN ABDUL Security; lover of woodcarving, combat correspondents who re- Madeline Virginia, on Dec. 9, 2018, GHANI (M.S., political science photography and drawing. ported on the Vietnam War. They in Redwood City, California. and linguistics, ’78; Ph.D., wrote the stories of Vietnam, linguistics, ’80) of Dallas, TX SAMMY KWAN (B.A., social captured the images and filmed JENNY LANEY (B.A., inter- (11/30/2018) at age 72; former head sciences and communication/ the television coverage of their disciplinary studies, ’03) and of investment banking at Aljazira economics, ’90) of Phoenix, AZ fellow servicemen on the battle- Zach Laney adopted a daughter, Capital in Jeddah and Riyadh, (2/5/2019) at age 51; member of fields from the Mekong Delta in Carmon. Saudi Arabia; enjoyed farming and the U.S. Army Reserve; former IBM the south to the DMZ in Central spending time with family. systems administrator; software Vietnam, from the Tet Offensive in STEVEN RICHARD VOSSMEYER, engineer at Intel Corporation; BEYOND THE LIGHTS No Record 1968 to the fall of Saigon in 1975. (B.S., social sciences [econo- BOBBYE LOUISE WILLIAMS baseball card collector; car Press / Ryan Shoemaker (Ph.D., mics], ’02), and Taylor Radvany GILBERT (M.A., English, ’53) of enthusiast. literature and creative writing, ’14) welcomed a girl, Lawsyn Paige. Midland, TX (10/17/2018) at age 89;

46 DORNSIFE FAMILY

REMEMBERING WILLIAM LAMBERT (Ph.D., social ethics and religion, ’08) of Monterey, CA (12/16/18) at age 62; educator with North Monterey County Unified School District; avid traveler and outdoorsman; proud father of four.

K. BRUCE MILLER (Ph.D., philosophy, ’63) of Bonita, CA (12/23/2018) at age 91; former chaplain and USC Dornsife Department of Philosophy profes- JOHN PETRUSKA, professor of sor; lover of teaching, pastoring, biology, died Feb. 14. He was 86. mentoring and the violin. Born to immigrants from Czechoslovakia, he grew up in a GREGORY NAROG (B.S., bio- poor mining town in rural Canada. logical sciences, ’75) of Moreno His father got him a chemistry set Valley, CA (1/8/2019) at age 66; when he was 5, sparking a lifelong avid entrepreneur and business- curiosity about science. man; voracious reader; lover of Petruska earned his doctorate music, hiking, gardening and in chemical physics in 1962 and spending time with family. joined the USC Dornsife faculty in 1969. He was widely respected in

PETRUSKA PHOTO BY PETER ZHAOYU ZHOU; VAN ARSDOL PHOTO COURTESY OF THE VAN ARSDOL FAMILY; HABINEK PHOTO BY ROGER SNIDER ROGER BY PHOTO FAMILY; HABINEK ARSDOL VAN THE OF COURTESY PHOTO ARSDOL VAN ZHOU; ZHAOYU PETER BY PHOTO PETRUSKA LINDA TALBERT (Ph.D., his fields of research and teaching comparative literature, ’79) of and believed that being an educa- Boulder, CO (2/13/2019) at age 67; tor was just as important as being professor of philosophy, literature a scientist. and women’s studies; scholar of literature; animal lover.

JOHN W. WITT (B.A., social sciences and communication, ’54) of San Diego, CA (11/4/2018) at age 86; colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps; San Diego city attorney; respected author and lecturer; A Student of Stoicism lover of travel, family and public For more than 25 years, Thomas Habinek, Dean’s Professor of Classics, was a service. respected colleague and beloved mentor to the USC community.

MAURICE ‘DON’ VAN ARSDOL Dean’s Professor of Classics Thomas Habinek, a longtime chair of the Department of SEND ALUMNI NEWS FOR JR., professor emeritus of sociol- Classics who produced groundbreaking scholarship on Roman rhetoric, literature and CONSIDERATION TO ogy died Sept. 19, 2018. He was 90. USC Dornsife Magazine philosophy, died Jan. 19. He was 65. SCT-2400, Los Angeles, CA 90015 For 38 years at USC Dornsife, Van Born on Christmas Day 1953 in Cleveland, where he grew up, Habinek had a restless intel- or submit online at dornsife.usc. Arsdol mentored students and lect that continued to move on to new challenges, from old-school classical philology to the edu/alumni-news. Information faculty in demography and popu- may be edited for space. politics of Latin literature, from anthropology to the issue of diversity throughout the ages. lation studies. His research looked “He was outstandingly generous, intellectually and in other ways, to his colleagues and Listings for the “Alumni News” and “In at concerns such as immigration students,” said William “Greg” Thalmann, professor of classics and comparative literature, Memoriam” sections are compiled based on in the United States and in China, submissions from alumni and USC Dornsife who succeeded Habinek as chair of the Classics Department. departments as well as published notices where he also studied family plan- from media outlets. Habinek’s registered domestic partner of 16 years, Hector Reyes, associate professor ning issues. (teaching) of art history at USC Dornsife, recalled something Habinek did before under- Van Arsdol often recruited going surgery shortly after being diagnosed with stage-four liver cancer in 2006. students from Asian and African “It was not certain whether the surgery would be a success, and we were prepared for nations, and he and his wife the worst outcome,” Reyes said. Habinek felt a need to repaint the walls of the Classics welcomed them into their home. Department. “He wanted to leave them with beauty. … It was hard work and it was a Said Ed Ransford, professor of dornsife.usc.edu/alumni-news truly Stoic gesture, and not only because his response to possible impending death was sociology at USC Dornsife: “He and hard work for the benefit of others. Marian really provided them with a “As a student of Stoicism, he understood that beauty is the material form of truth, a shared kind of support system.” experience of order that exceeds the self. This Stoic attitude perfectly captures him.”

Spring / Summer 2019 | 47 IN MY OPINION

created early markets and moved these technologies down the cost curve. Push into markets through policy: A combination of market incentives (like investment tax credits) and regulatory limits (like appliance efficiency standards) created markets where these clean energy innovations could benefit from commercial entrepreneurs and economies of scale, making rapid and profound improvements on cost and performance. These improvements enabled further policy measures such as renewable portfolio standards without unreasonable fiscal commitments. For climate change, policy measures are essential to create and expand these markets and provide competitive landscapes for cleaner tech. Innovate in business and finance: This is where America shines. Once markets are aligned with policy outcomes, independent financiers, entrepreneurs and business leaders unleash their own innovations and capital to create new jobs and industries, develop export technologies and markets, and reinvent the present into the future while creating wealth. This recipe is most important for those approaches that have not yet cleared into widespread markets. Advanced nuclear, the next wave of solar and batteries, carbon capture

technology, CO2 recycling, and other approaches require additional support and investment. We need more options, WinningS. Julio Friedmann ’95 describes the steps neededRecipe to create a successful future in terms not fewer. of climate and energy. Two individuals embodied and mastered the recipe set nearly a century ago. Vannevar Bush served President Everyone talks about the weather, but no one does anything about it. — Mark Twain Roosevelt before and during World War II. Bush created the modern scientific enterprise in 1939 with two massive The science is settled around climate change. The action plan scientific and technical efforts: the National Defense is not. Research Committee and the Office of Scientific Research Beyond the astonishing scientific consensus on human- and Development. Knowing that we needed more than induced climate change from greenhouse gas emissions, we had to beat the Axis powers, his efforts delivered many reasonable people disagree on what to do. Delays in imple- critical innovations that helped the Allies win. These large menting important policies worldwide have heightened the public investments in research, design and development urgency to act, and during the last 20 years, we’ve made engendered the first round of government procurements for remarkable progress in deploying efficiency measures and the innovations that followed. some kinds of clean energy. Still, several years of growing Daniel Guggenheim created aviation business. He made emissions and lack of progress after the 2016 Paris Agree- supply chains and whole enterprises, and helped drive public ment have largely ended the happy talk in serious policy and policy to support them. He also invested some of his personal SHINN CHRIS BY PHOTO TOMORROW OWN SAEBERG; ARNI BY PHOTO CAPTURE CARBON business circles. The technology gets better — we do not. fortune in fundamental math, science and engineering, So, what should we all do? mirroring and augmenting public investments. Together, I’ve worked in industry, government and academia. I have the efforts and investments stimulated by Bush and my own small business and have worked in large institutions. Guggenheim created the modern aviation industry and The bottom line is we know the recipe for creating the future U.S. military superiority. we want. We’ve used it many times already, including in the The recipe is the same for clean energy and climate, and energy space. the potential commercial and national benefits are equally Solar and fracking, nuclear and wind, LEDs and batteries: great. The punchline is that there is much we can do to rapidly There’s a specific set of actions we take — in order — to make reduce and even reverse greenhouse gas emissions. Not it all work. much can be done individually — most of the recipe must be Invest in innovation: Over the past 100 years, important organized and executed at the state, national or international clean energy innovations started with federal and other level, or by companies in the private sectors. To that end, the public research and development funds. These programs central task for citizens is to elect individuals who care about helped university, business and government researchers solve the topic of clean energy and who seek to act. vexing problems and make rapid advances towards commer- cialization. S. Julio Friedmann graduated from USC Dornsife with a Ph.D. Government procurement: Solar panels, fuel cells, lithium- in geology in 1995. He was principal deputy for fossil energy at ion batteries, nuclear reactors, and LEDs all moved from the U.S. Deptartment of Energy from 2013–16, and chief energy the benchtop to early applications through government technologist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. He purchase, often by the Department of Defense, NASA or lives in Livermore, California, with his wife, also a graduate of the Department of Transportation. These public purchases USC, and two children.

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CARBON CAPTURE PHOTO BY ARNI SAEBERG; OWN TOMORROW PHOTO BY CHRIS SHINN CHRIS BY PHOTO TOMORROW OWN SAEBERG; ARNI BY PHOTO CAPTURE CARBON

Own Tomorrow

USC Dornsife is creating the first new model for an elite research university in more than 50 years by bringing the university into the public square in ways never imagined. This new initiative connects our world-leading scholars with public and private sector leaders to work hand in hand — bringing a new way of thinking to complex issues.

Learn more at dornsife.usc.edu/usc-dornsife-own-tomorrow.

Spring / Summer 2019 | 49 CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID University of Southern California

University of Southern California SCT-2400 Los Angeles, California 90089

CLIMATE FORWARD: Life Moment NAVIGATING THE POLITICS OF CLIMATE CHANGE

“I know the dangers of climate change, and so do you.” — Former U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry PHOTO BY KRISTI PLAZA KRISTI BY PHOTO