SPRING/SUMMER 2010 PUBLISHEDBYUSCCOLLEGEOFLETTERS,ARTS&SCIENCES the POWER PROMISE of the & What lies deep beneath the ocean floor? With a $25 million NSF grant, Katrina Edwards and her team are determined to find out. ALSO INSIDE: Let There Be Light • The Science of Language (Na’vi, That Is) • A Global Lens • Mindful Giving PHOTOBYLAURIEMOORE 12 | Trojanalities 59 | Faculty Bookplate Departments A Global Lens 60 | Class Notes Film director Taylor Hackford ’68 adds USC’s Asa V. Call Alumni 2 | From the Editors Dead Sea Scrolls image acts like a Achievement Award to his many 63 | In Memoriam flashlight, revealing the tiniest of honors. BY MIRA ZIMET From the Dean details — even a fleck of ink scraped 64 | In My Own Words 3 | off the top of a character. 55 | Trojans Give Back Redemptive Suffering BY PAMELA J. JOHNSON 4 | Campus News & Mindful Giving An unorthodox course of study with Events 10 | In the Spotlight With the generous support of David a beloved mentor allows one alumnus to begin his journey of healing. The Science of Language & Dana Dornsife and Joyce J. 7 | In the News Cammilleri, the Brain and Creativity BY DOUGLAS AYRES ’83 (Na’vi, That Is) Institute advances its groundbreaking 8 | In the Field From harmony (meoauniaea) to research. brainworm (eltungawng), Paul Let There Be Light Frommer Ph.D. ’81 creates a brand 57 | Faculty Notes Using Bruce Zuckerman’s technology new language for the film Avatar. and software, a click of the mouse on a BY SUSAN ANDREWS college.usc.edu Explore USC College’s Web site and video gallery for exciting new content. 40 | Los Angeles’ 8.8 Special Focus: SCIENCE Wake-up Call The Southern California | Cool Science | Chemistry Off the Earthquake Center says 13 27 the massive temblors in Donal Manahan’s course Charts Haiti and Chile should in Antarctica focuses on Cutting-edge instrumental facilities pave serve as a warning for integrative biology. Yes, the way for more innovative research. Angelenos. BY ALLISON DOYLE MPW ’11 there will be penguins. BY SUSAN ANDREWS BY PAMELA J. JOHNSON 43 | Seasons in the Sun 28 | Brains & Beauty 17 | Yeast Unleashed After the Station fire and flash flooding, The Brain and Creativity astronomer Edward Rhodes and one of his These one-celled fungi Institute directed by undergrads attempt to make it up Mt. are not only good for Antonio and Hanna Wilson to the 60-foot solar tower. making bread, beer and Damasio takes on hu- BY PAMELA J. JOHNSON whiskey.They’re also an mankind’s biggest neuro- important research tool in scientific questions with intellect and an 44 | Explosives, Black Holes the fight against cancer. BY PAMELA J. JOHNSON artistic soul. BY PAMELA J. JOHNSON & Dr. Who 20 | Fridays Are Happening Nick Warner’s scientific 31 | SCIENTISTS on the new curiosity was sparked at a With backup from some young age. Now he shares talented musicians, frontiers the same joy of discovery science takes center stage with students and television at the Natural History 32 | The Power & Promise viewers around the world. BY LAURIE MOORE Museum of Los Angeles of the Ocean County. BY MEGAN CHRISTOPHER MPW ’11 Do you know what lies deep, deep below 48 | A Real Tweet the ocean floor? With the support of a $25 22 | Crystal Clear million grant from the National Science Stuttering, Parkinson’s disease, Fragile X syndrome. The Lin Chen’s Eureka! Foundation, Katrina Edwards and her neural circuitry of songbirds moment leads to major team are determined to find out. holds one of the keys to breakthroughs in structural BY SUSAN ANDREWS understanding and repairing biology. BY SUSAN ANDREWS 36 | Exploring the vocal learning in humans. BY SUSAN ANDREWS In-between 24 | Mechanisms of Memory 50 | Of Plants, Flies & Men BY SUSAN ANDREWS Discoveries by Michel With the help of a small Baudry and Sohila Zadran 37 | Seizing the Day(light) flowering plant and a fruit bring 40 years of research BY LAURIE MOORE fly, Simon Tavaré is leading to a pinnacle. a team of researchers to BY LAURIE MOORE 38 | Finding the Right Mix advance our understanding BY EMILY CAVALCANTI of the genetic origins of human disease. 26 | There’s Nothing to Fear BY EMILY CAVALCANTI (It’s Just Science) 39 | Building the Nano The Loh Down on Science host reminds us World 54 | Image Is Everything that science belongs to everyone. So, let’s BY LAURIE MOORE Alan C. Nelson ’72 pioneers technology enjoy. BY SANDRA TSING LOH for the early detection of cervical and lung cancers. BY DAVID DORION MPW ’94 { Science Is All Around Us pace: the final frontier. These are voyages EDITORS of the starship Enterprise. Its five-year EDITOR Susan Andrews mission: to explore strange new worlds, S MANAGING EDITOR & DESIGNER to seek out new life and new civilizations, to Emily Cavalcanti SENIORWRITER & ASSISTANT EDITOR boldly go where no man has gone before. Pamela J. Johnson FROM THE { These words began each episode of the original Star Trek series, creating a sense WEB EDITOR & WRITER Laurie Moore of adventure and excitement that continues to resonate with today’s viewers. NEWMEDIAPRODUCER Even those of us with humanities backgrounds may be Trekkies who, as children, Mira Zimet assembled models of the USS Enterprise NCC-1701 under the radar of many of our COORDINATOR friends. Letitia Franklin In recent years, people have turned to CSI, Lost and other shows for a dose of USC COLLEGE ADMINISTRATION forensics or time travel. At times the scientific accuracy may be questionable, but Howard Gillman, Dean an increased interest in science often ensues among a diverse audience. Michael Quick, Executive Vice Dean And whether the new frontier turns out to be below the ocean’s crust or outer Academic Affairs space, proteins or genes, nanoscience or neuroscience, the collective knowledge of all Susan Andrews, Senior Associate Dean for Communication areas will, together, help solve many of the greatest problems known to humankind. Dani Byrd, Vice Dean for Faculty & Research The scientists you will read about in this issue have and will continue to have a Steven Lamy, Vice Dean for major impact on health, food, energy and the environment through their amazing Academic Programs and groundbreaking research. George Sanchez, Vice Dean for College Diversity Modern science is interdisciplinary in nature — a spectacular hybrid that com- Roger D. Stewart, Executive Associate Dean for Administration & Finance bines the latest technologies, producing more and better information. Richard Vargas, Senior Associate Dean Science defines centuries. What will define the 21st century? for Advancement Science is all around us — more now than ever and especially within USC College. USC COLLEGE BOARD OF COUNCILORS —Susan Andrews and Emily Cavalcanti, Office of College Communication Jana Waring Greer, Chair • Joan Abrahamson • Jay V. Berger • Robert D. Beyer • MaryLou Boone • Gregory Brakovich • Robin Broidy • Susan Casden • Richard Cook • James Corfman • Robert R. Dockson • Allen Gilbert • Patrick C. Haden • Gary Hooper • Janice Bryant Howroyd • George “Chip” Hughes • On the Cover Suzanne Nora Johnson • Stephen G. Johnson • David Y. Lee • Liam McGee • Philip Katrina Edwards was awarded a $25 million grant Morais • Robert Osher • Gerald Papazian • from the National Science Foundation to lead a Lawrence Piro • Alicia Smotherman • team of researchers in a new science and technol- Glenn A. Sonnenberg • Rosemary Tomich ogy center called the Center for Dark Energy USC College Magazine is published twice a year Biosphere Investigations. This is the second such by USC College of Letters, Arts & Sciences enterprise in USC College with the first being the Office of Communication at the University of Southern California. © 2010 USC College. The Southern California Earthquake Center. diverse opinions expressed in USC College Mag- azine do not necessarily represent the views of Read more on page 32. the editors, the College administration or USC. KATRINA EDWARDS PHOTO BY PHIL CHANNING USC College Magazine welcomes comments OCEAN PHOTO BY PHILLIP COLLA from its readers. Send letters to [email protected] or USC College Magazine, c/o Letitia Franklin, 1050 Childs Way, RRI 116, Los Angeles, California 90089-2910. 2 | USC College Magazine { FROM THE Exploring the Frontiers of Science, Together DEAN { eorge Olah came to USC in 1977 as professor of chemistry and scientific director of the newly formed Hydrocarbon Research Institute. mony USC President Steven B. Sample George considered USC a “dynamic university” said, “Thanks to people such as Ray Irani, G USC will remain a key player in this golden that was looking for strong faculty to build up the sciences. age of the life and biological sciences.” Living up to President Sample’s state- He also knew that the larger Trojan Trojan Family, will support BCI’s new au- ment, the College has dramatically in- Family was committed to ensuring that ditorium, which will establish a state-of creased external funding for our research USC became a world leader in scientific the-art space for science meetings, musi- mission. In the last five years alone, we research. In particular, Donald and cal performances and the visual arts. have increased funding by 50 percent to Katherine Loker became great friends Building on the success of the Philip K. $71 million. and supporters of George’s work, eventu- Wrigley Marine Science Center on Because of our collective efforts the ally lending their names to an endowed Catalina Island, in 1997 the USC Wrigley College can now brag that among our fac- professorship and to the institute itself. Institute for Environmental Studies was ulty are 13 American Academy of Arts and In 1994, George won the Nobel Prize in established thanks to a gift from Bill and Sciences fellows, nine National Academy Chemistry. Julie Wrigley. The late George Boone and of Sciences members, 27 American Asso- It was a historic milestone for USC’s as- his wife, MaryLou, dreamed of creating a ciation for the Advancement of Science cendency into the ranks of top-tier global Center for Science and Environmental fellows, four National Academy of Engi- research universities.