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

FALL 2013 / WINTER 2014 MAGAZINE

The Sustainability Issue TURNINGTIDE THEOur researchers are transforming environmental woes to wins. SPECIAL REPORT

A NOBEL

Dubbed the “Sherlock Holmes of chemistry,” Arieh Warshel’s creativity and perseverance lead to the Nobel Prize. VICTORYby Pamela J. Johnson Fate was sealed after an off-the-cuff remark by Eliezer ‘THAT’S IMPOSSIBLE’ Finkman. Entering Technion ­– Israel Institute of Tech- To prove the impossible, Warshel first used a Golem com- nology in Haifa, a young Arieh Warshel asked his friend puter built at Weizmann. The Distinguished Professor of Finkman what he should study. Chemistry and Biochemistry at USC Dornsife told his sto- “Chemistry because you have good vision,” replied Fink- ry inside his office, packed with books, computers, manila man, an army buddy of Warshel’s who was already enrolled folders stacked high on his desk, and photos tacked on a at the Technion. bulletin board, including a few snapshots of his wife of 47 “He assumed since he wore glasses and I did not, I had years, Tamar. good color vision,” Warshel, 72, recalled with a shrug. “He Sitting at a small table, leaping up to zip across the room thought chemists should see well.” and pull out a book or a photo to illustrate his story, Warshel Warshel filled out “chemistry” under field of study. What often paused mid-sentence to offer insight on a topic. started out as a random choice became a lifelong obsession He explained that the Golem name derived from a leg- that culminated in October when Warshel won the 2013 endary anthropomorphic being created from inanimate Nobel Prize for Chemistry. matter in Prague of the Middle Ages. Warshel recalled The groundwork began in the 1960s at the Weizmann hearing about Albert Einstein’s reaction to the suggestion Institute of Science in Israel, where Warshel was a doctor- to build Israel’s first computer preceding the Golem. al student. At Weizmann, Warshel started working with “Why does such a small country need such a big com- Shneior Lifson who had the vision that molecules should puter?” Warshel said, quoting Einstein with disbelief. be modeled by computers. “But [mathematician John] von Neumann said, ‘No, they Warshel began developing computer programs to find the need a computer.’ ” structure of medium-sized molecules. He came up with an At Weizmann, “We had a computer with the highest idea to write such a program in a general way, then in 1967 was accuracy. This allowed me to check whether my first de- joined by Michael Levitt, a pre-Ph.D. student. The pair tried rivatives that describe the forces on the atoms — the key something new and outlandish at the time. They developed an to the design of the general program — were correct. In- extremely powerful program that could calculate the structure stead of writing the formulas, I just tried to get the forces and vibration of any molecule, including very large ones. by seeing how the energy changes while moving atoms This program is the basis of all current molecular model- from left to right on the computer.” ing programs today. After earning his Ph.D. in 1969, Warshel conducted “There were experimentalists in Israel who heard I was postdoctoral research in the laboratory of Martin Karplus taking big molecules and using our program to calculate vi- at Harvard University. Karplus used quantum mechanics brations,” Warshel recalled. “They said that was completely to study very small molecules. Warshel had already ex- impossible.” perimented with adding a small quantum portion to the

P HOTO BY MAX S. GERBER Warshel is a creative thinker, Mak said. A KIBBUTZNIK AT HEART (FROM UPPER LEFT) PHOTO COURTESY OF WARSHEL FAMILY; COURTESY OF WARSHEL FAMILY; COURTESY OF THE USC UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES; PHOTO BY MATT MEINDL; PHOTO BY WOODROW CLARK; PHOTO BY MAX S. GERBER; PHOTO COURTESY OF WARSHEL FAMILY; PHOTO BY MIRA ZIMET MIRA BY FAMILY; PHOTO WARSHEL OF COURTESY PHOTO GERBER; S. MAX BY PHOTO CLARK; WOODROW BY PHOTO MEINDL; MATT BY PHOTO ARCHIVES; UNIVERSITY USC THE OF FAMILY; COURTESY WARSHEL OF FAMILY; COURTESY WARSHEL OF COURTESY PHOTO LEFT) UPPER (FROM “When you’re that creative your ideas often don’t catch Warshel was born Nov. 20, 1940, at Kibbutz Sde-Nahum in on very quickly,” he said. “He thinks different. That’s a hall- northern Israel. Like most kibbutzim, agriculture and fac- mark of a genius. But sometimes it’s so different, it’s hard tory work are the primary income. to catch on or buy into. That’s why Arieh has always been Growing up, Warshel’s major duty after his studies was a fighter. He’s fought extra hard to get his ideas rooted into working in the fishponds and some weekends picking cot- the community.” ton in the fields. He mainly tended to the large pond, catch- ing carp, which was later sold. AN ORIGINAL Warshel’s father, Tzvi, was also a kibbutz carp fisherman. Two USC Dornsife professors were key in drawing Warshel Despite having only an elementary education, Tzvi became to the university in 1976. In the 1970s, Gerald Segal, profes- the accountant. Warshel’s mother, Rachel Spreicher, grad- sor of chemistry at USC Dornsife, gave a talk at Weizmann, uated from high school and worked at the kibbutz as a where he met Warshel, by then an assistant professor. launderer, goat cheese churner and in the “shaldag” — the “He was clearly a capable and interesting character on the canned fish and grapefruit factory. She was also an elemen- horizon,” recalled emeritus professor Segal, who was chem- tary school teacher’s aide. Tzvi and Rachel met on the kib- istry chair at the time and later became USC Dornsife dean. butz, married and had four sons, the eldest Arieh. “His work was very unusual. It caught my eye.” Segal recounted the reaction of Martin Kamen upon meet- ing Warshel during interviews. Kamen, professor of biological “ sciences and chemistry at USC Dornsife, had co-discovered I’m a strong believer that understanding radioactive carbon-14, which revolutionized biochemistry. “This guy is fearless,” Segal remembered Kamen telling him. “He just might find something out.” enzymes can help to find better treatment for USC Dornsife Distinguished Emeritus Professor Otto Schnepp taught at the Technion in the 1960s. One of his stu- ” dents was Warshel. Schnepp joined USC in 1965, and later diseases than experimenting in a blind way. became a visiting scientist at Weizmann, where Warshel was a graduate student. The two published a paper on the vibra- tions in molecular crystals. Both sides of Warshel’s family descended from Poland. “I recognized he was a very smart guy,” Schnepp said. “He Tzvi Warshel, Rachel Spreicher and their family who sur- was looking for a permanent position and he visited USC. vived the Holocaust did so by immigrating to the then- He made a good impression on the faculty so we recruited British-ruled Palestine. Most of Tzvi’s immediate family him. The first thing that impressed people was that he’s very perished in 1941 in Lachowicze, Poland, when the Nazis as- bright and he has a good sense of humor. sembled all Jewish inhabitants into the marketplace, where “He always shows originality.” they were murdered. Rachel’s mother and two sisters also Warshel reflected that Schnepp, Segal and Philip Ste- perished in the Holocaust. phens, professor emeritus of chemistry, the latter who died Warshel was not the first in his family to excel in the sci- in 2012, were the main reasons he chose USC Dornsife. ences. His paternal aunt, Chana, studied engineering at the Since arriving in 1976, Warshel has been elected to the Technion as the first family member to enroll in college. Af- National Academy of Sciences and the Royal Society of ter returning to Poland, she was killed in Lachowicze along Chemistry, and has published more than 350 scientific pa- with her grandfather, grandmother and other family. pers. He has also perfected methods being used on a practi- Finishing what Chana began, Arieh became the first cal level to develop new drugs. Today, Warshel’s methods family member to graduate from college. are being used to predict the interaction between pharma- A dual citizen of the United States and Israel, Warshel ENZYME ENTHUSIAST classical description of a medium-sized molecule. Warshel ratory, Warshel has been using computer models to study ceuticals and their drug targets. This allows drug designs fought in the Israeli Army as communications officer of a Clockwise: Arieh Warshel and Karplus decided to research medium-sized molecules how proteins transfer signals within a single cell. that supersede empirical experimentation. tank regiment during the June 1967 Six-Day and October pictured here in 1957 with with double bonds by combining the classical description “The experimental community was not so anxious to say “I’m a strong believer that understanding enzymes can 1973 Yom Kippur wars, then became a reservist. A scar his parents and younger from the Weizmann program with the quantum descrip- that this was figured out by computation,” Warshel said. help to find better treatment for diseases than experimenting on his right ear is a reminder of his close brush with death brothers; with granddaughter tion of double bonds. “And I’m going even farther by saying that you cannot even in a blind way,” Warshel said, using as an example improving when a bullet pierced his helmet. Maya; Warshel in the 1980s; After Warshel returned to Weizmann as a senior scien- ask the questions without the computer. And in this re- chemotherapy to fight cancer. “If you find a molecule that is Photos taken before he joined the army show Warshel flanked by USC Dornsife’s tist, Levitt, who had just earned his Ph.D., arrived. They spect, suddenly the Nobel Prize makes you [look] like a really effective and is exactly in the right point in the process with a thick head of dark hair and a cool yet vulnerable ex- Charles McKenna, Dani Byrd, continued collaborating and in 1976 published their semi- guru. So now, suddenly, I’m certified as correct.” that leads to rapid cell division and to cancer, it can be used pression that earned him the nickname of “a young James Dean Steve Kay and Chi Mak; nal work while at the University of Cambridge, England. Wearing the glasses he didn’t need as a young man, to create much less painful side effects in chemotherapy.” Dean.” He met Tamar “Tami” Fabrikant through her Warshel with students; taking This work combined quantum and classical descriptions of Warshel gave his signature subtle smile with just the cor- G.K. Surya Prakash, professor of chemistry and USC Loker cousin who was Warshel’s classmate at the Technion. They inspiration from his Energizer molecules, which allowed them to describe actual chemi- ners of his mouth turning up. If he appears to know some- Hydrocarbon Research Institute director, stressed that Warshel’s wed in 1966 and have two daughters, Merav and Yael. Bunny in his office; a “young cal bonds breaking down inside enzymes. thing we all don’t that is because he does. prize-winning research was conducted at USC. Those close to Warshel say he brought his fighting spirit James Dean” in 1958. It took the world four decades to catch up with the ideas “Arieh could actually see into the future,” said Chi Mak, “His science has stood the test of time,” Prakash said. and work ethic to his computation lab at USC Dornsife. A of Warshel, Karplus and Levitt, who share the Nobel Prize. professor and chair of chemistry at USC Dornsife. “He Considered the “Sherlock Holmes of chemistry,” Warshel few days after his Nobel Prize was announced, Warshel was “First, people would say that what you are doing is im- persisted with his ideas for more than 40 years. He proved continues to study enzymes leading to more breakthroughs. toiling in his lab with his students. possible,” Warshel said. “So this goes on for 10 years. Then skeptics wrong and his vision absolutely right.” “Like any great detective, Arieh is driven by his curios- For Warshel, getting to this point has been a pilgrimage. they would say what you are doing is trivial. And then they After Warshel’s breakthrough four decades ago, the sen- ity,” USC Dornsife Dean Steve Kay said. “His Nobel Prize “To say this is sweet revenge would be wrong,” Mak said. would say they invented it first. So there was this process, timent in the field of chemistry slowly began to shift, Mak not only places him among the world’s most elite scholars, “For Arieh, this is sweet victory.” which took a long time.” said. “There is now more credence given to theoretical but provides a wonderful example of the value of fundamen- Meanwhile, inside his USC Dornsife computation labo- chemistry.” tal scientific inquiry.” Yael Warshel contributed Warshel family history to this report. CONTRIBUTOR LITHOGRAPHIX Hawthorne, Calif.

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2 FALL 2013 / WINTER 2014 THE SUSTAINABILITY ISSUE 4 From the Dean Contents 6 22 New Life USC graduates Line go out into ASSOCIATE DEAN FOR COMMUNICATION AlumnaTrash Julia McGinnis Can knows the trash cans and can’ts of waste management. McGinnis works at Orange the world; USC Wrigley Institute Emily Cavalcanti hosts special summer program; County Waste & Recycling, the nation’s third-largest trash gas-to-energy project. By Pamela J. Johnson EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Acclaimed virtuoso chats about Pamela J. Johnson creativity and the sciences. DIRECTOR OF PRODUCTION AND ART DIRECTOR 26 7 SOCIAL DORNSIFE Dan Knapp Energizing Research USC Dornsife launches its GRAPHIC DESIGNER Developments in renewable energy technology at USC Dornsife keep going and going and going.… By Kate Gammon Instagram page. Letty Avila DIRECTOR OF VIDEO PRODUCTION 8 FROM THE HEART OF USC Mira Zimet 30 Mind and Society Center to open in SENIOR COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST 2014; School of Philosophy jumps GeraldineRaising Knatz’s motto the is “It’s impossible, Anchor it’s difficult, it’s done.” Preparing for retirement, the first Michelle Salzman Boston in national rankings;Professor gets woman executive director of the Port of Los Angeles gave it her all to turn the ship around. By Susan Bell WEB EDITOR AND WRITER to the root of the global family tree. Laura Paisley STAFF WRITER 34 9 Lexicon Susan Bell Treasure Island 10 VIDEOGRAPHER On Catalina Island — and the University Park campus — the legendary Wrigley family has created a Archive Matt Meindl kingdom of scientific researchers. By Pamela J. Johnson 12 COORDINATOR Profile Letitia Franklin 42 15 CONTRIBUTING WRITERS In Our Nature The Environmentalists Curriculum Merrill Balassone, Kate Gammon, Annette Moore and Suzanne Wu Growing up on the small island of Jersey, nestled alongside the coast of France, These superheroes are fighting against human suffering and pollution, and to keep the desert 18 USC DORNSIFE ADMINISTRATION I learned to respect the sea and cultivated a very special relationship with the tortoise alive. For the first time, the environmental avengers remove their masks. By Laura Paisley The Bench Steve Kay, Dean • Dani Byrd, Vice Dean for Institutional Affairs • maritime world. With my grandfather, a commercial fisherman, I spent many 20 Charles McKenna, Vice Dean for Natural Sciences • Peter C. Mancall, hours aboard commercial lobster boats, which offered me firsthand experience Our World Vice Dean for the Humanities • Wendy Wood, Vice Dean for Social Sciences • of both the calm and fierce beauty of the sea. 48 53 Steven Lamy, Vice Dean for Academic Programs • Donal Manahan, Vice ‘Our Voices Have Been Heard’ Legacy Dean for Students • George Sanchez, Vice Dean for Diversity & Strategic Residents in low-income communities in Los Angeles County are benefiting from the Program for 54 DORNSIFE FAMILY Initiatives • Ted Budge, Chief Financial Officer & Senior Associate Dean • In many ways, I believe the fabric of nature is woven into our very selves. We feel a Environmental and Regional Equity. By producing critical research, the program is becoming a statewide Alumnus elected to the USC Board Kathleen Speer, Senior Associate Dean tremendous, almost innate responsibility to protect and preserve Earth’s waters, land and model for environmental justice. By Michelle Salzman Boston of Trustees; U.S. Navy honors his- USC DORNSIFE BOARD OF COUNCILORS the air we breathe. At the same time, we are dedicated to the advancement of our society. tory alumnus. Jana Waring Greer, Chair • Joan Abrahamson • William Barkett • With its considerable strengths across the natural sciences, social sciences and hu- Leslie Berger • Robert D. Beyer • Gregory Brakovich • Susan Casden • manities, USC Dornsife is uniquely positioned as an epicenter for defining sustainability. Richard Cook • Diane Dixon • Richard S. Flores • Shane Foley • Lisa Our scientists probe the structure, function and complexities of our natural systems. Our 54 Faculty Canon Goldman • Yossie Hollander • Janice Bryant Howroyd • Martin Irani • psychologists and philosophers study the behavior, motivations and ethics of individuals Suzanne Nora Johnson • Stephen G. Johnson • Samuel King • David Y. and societies. Our historians, economists, sociologists and political scientists analyze 56 Lee • Arthur Lev • Mitchell Lew • Andrew Littlefair • Robert Osher Faculty News development, conflict and cooperation at local and global levels. • Gerald Papazian • Lawrence Piro • Kelly Porter • Michael Reilly • 57 Harry Robinson • Alicia Smotherman • Glenn A. Sonnenberg • Today, nearly 40 percent of the world’s population resides in coastal cities. As popula- Alumni News Kumarakulasingam “Suri” Suriyakumar • Rosemary Tomich tion density and economic activity in these coastal zones increase, pressures on coastal 62 USC DORNSIFE MAGAZINE ecosystems dramatically rise. So what better test bed for our pathbreaking ideas to sus- Alumni Canon tain the planet than our university’s urban seaside environment in Los Angeles and the Published twice a year by the USC Dornsife Office of Communication 66 at the University of Southern California. © 2013 USC Dana and David pristine habitat on Catalina Island. Remembering Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. The diverse opinions This ideal setting coupled with our cross-disciplinary strengths allows us to generate expressed in USC Dornsife Magazine do not necessarily represent the new knowledge that comprehensively addresses environmental challenges such as cli- 68 IN MY OPINION views of the editors, USC Dornsife administration or USC. mate change, health, and food availability and distribution. We transmit that knowledge Sustain and Attain USC Dornsife Magazine welcomes comments from its readers. Send to our students here at USC and to those in our local elementary and high schools to ON THE COVER letters to [email protected] or USC Dornsife Magazine, prepare the next generation of environmental leaders. And we translate that knowledge LIVZEY JOHN BY PHOTO Citigroup Center 8206, 41st Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90089-8206 into public policy and economic development programs that will help L.A., the nation Environmental studies majors and the world flourish. Michele Felberg (left) and Wendy Whitcombe return from Steve Kay scuba diving in the waters off Dean of USC Dornsife Catalina Island. Anna H. Bing Dean’s Chair Photo by Corey Arnold SOCIAL DORNSIFE

NEWS AND EVENTS Instagram @USCDornsife Twitter 4.12.13 Leading members of the German- @AngeMarieH: Reading speaking community in Los Angeles @USCDornsife colleague joined faculty and students to David Treuer’s REZ LIFE. First Life Line celebrate the official reopening of pages feel like goose down: APRIL the USC-MAX KADE INSTITUTE Ahhh this is what good writing FOR AUSTRIAN-GERMAN-SWISS feels like! STUDIES. 4.15.13 @mythmenon: Proud to be a part of @USCDornsife. “What you find is that women 5.3.13 @SaraLibby @USC @USC- now are much less interested 5.17.13 Dornsife Best. Professor. Ever.

in whether their partners are MAY Among the more than 2,500 degrees I took every class of his I could ambitious and industrious. awarded during COMMENCEMENT get into. [Regarding William Men are now more interested in by USC Dornsife are 1,959 bache- Deverall.] whether their partners are going lor’s, 326 masters, 81 graduate cer- tificates and 168 Ph.Ds. View photos @wfederman: @USCDorn- to be good financial prospects.” sife When I discovered that WENDY WOOD, Provost Professor at dornsife.usc.edu/facebook the person who wrote my of Psychology and Business and vice textbook from last semester dean for social sciences, discusses the 6.11.13-9.3.13 is a Vice Dean at Dornsife, it convergence of men’s and women’s “It’s important to recognize JUNE was an easy decision. [Why he preferences in the United States over this incredible 40 years of chose to attend USC Dornsife.] time during a BARBRA STREISAND service that JEP has pro- 6.20.13 PROFESSOR LECTURE SERIES event. vided to the students of the @BradleyRava: Just got my university — and also to the During a monthlong research trip acceptance letter to USC for in Washington, D.C., students of Damesh Seitzhaparova @dameshdamie Elisa Hernandez @eeh50 Dustin Stanton @dzstanton fall 2013!!!!!! Yes!!!! #usc @US- entire L.A. community.” Professor Emeritus of the Practice of Los Angeles Councilman PAUL The USC WRIGLEY INSTITUTE Mathematics, ’16 Psychology, ’14 Neuroscience, ’14 CAdmission @kirk_brennan International Relations Wayne Glass KREKORIAN ’81 presents a resolu- FOR ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES “Best place on the campus. Our favorite Leavey “#DornsifeLife #selfportrait Fight on! cookies “Another weekend run in the Queens Courtyard.” @USCDornsife #finally quiz retired GEN. DAVID PETRAEUS, tion passed by the council honoring offers its “Saturday at the Lab” Library.” 305 Likes at the American Studies and Ethnicity Depart- 294 Likes #fighton

JULY recently named USC Judge Widney the work of USC Dornsife’s JOINT program at the USC Wrigley Ma- ment.” 301 Likes Professor, on topics from multilat- EDUCATIONAL PROJECT (JEP). rine Science Center on Catalina @AmericaFerrera: I’m walking eral disarmament to the nation’s Island. The tour includes a sci- #DORNSIFELIFE in my college graduation in 3 relationship with North Korea. ence lecture, research exhibits, This Fall, we asked USC Dornsife students to show us their #DornsifeLife through photos on Instagram. We received dozens of entries: days from @USCDornsife! It’s 7.15.13 and visits to a touch tank and a A student volunteering at a food bank, beautiful snapshots of the Doheny Memorial Library, images of students’ favorite study spots finally happening! Took me 10 hyperbaric chamber. years, but it feels great. USC Dornsife senior and human and much more. Above are the three images to receive the most “likes” on our Instagram page. View all of the entries at Instagram.com/ performance major “This whole experience feels CASSIE USCDornsife. @croman653: This semester HARBERTS and the USA Women’s surreal. I’ve always dreamed AUGUST I’ve got political science, Inter- Basketball World University Games of this day. … It’s time for national Relations, business Team defeat Russia 90-71 to cap- me to go out and explore the leadership, & even photog- ture gold in the 2013 World Univer- Activate Issue Extras Extras Include: raphy courses on my plate sity Games in Kazan, Russia. 8.21.13 world.” First-year student John Marot Augmented Reality (AR) app #DornsifeLife 8.28.13 reflects on arriving at USC on MOVE-IN DAY. An intimate group inside the USC The world of letters, arts and sciences goes CITY ELECTRIC BRAIN AND CREATIVITY INSTI- beyond the pages you’re holding in your View vibrant photographs SEPTEMBER 9.13 TUTE’s Joyce J. Cammilleri Hall USC Dornsife’s Office of Communi- hands. We invite you to use your smartphone are privy to a tête-à-tête between illustrating the birth of CONNECT WITH USC DORNSIFE cation receives six EXCELLENCE or tablet to view inspiring multimedia world-renowned cellist YO-YO MA IN DESIGN AWARDS from the Los Angeles. Check us out on your favorite content about our community of scholars. social media sites. We welcome and University Professor and neu- University and College Designers Page 10. GRADUATION PHOTO BY SUSAN BELL; JEP PHOTO BY LAURA PAISLEY LAURA BY PHOTO JEP BELL; SUSAN BY PHOTO GRADUATION roscientist ANTONIO DAMASIO. Association. 1. your posts and tweets for pos- sible inclusion in the next issue Download the USC Dornsife Augmented Reality (AR) app of USC Dornsife Magazine. SHIFTING SANDS 10.3.13 on your smartphone or tablet via your mobile app store. The dornsife.usc.edu/facebook app is available for Android and iOS (iPhone/iPad). Listen to music from OCTOBER 2. Become a fan and get updates The Shore chorus and in your newsfeed. Look for the USC Seal throughout the magazine to learn orchestra piece. which pages have more to discover. Page 16. dornsife.usc.edu/twitter 3. Follow our tweets for the 10.24.13-10.27.13 latest USC Dornsife news. Open the USC Dornsife AR app and hold your device Professor of History and Account- TREASURE ISLAND 8–12” from the page. Wait for the content to load. dornsife.usc.edu/youtube ing JACOB SOLL’s exploration 11.16.13 4. Experience the USC Wrigley Watch the latest videos from of the Founding Fathers’ use of NOVEMBER STEVEN SPIELBERG, founder of Generations of Trojans descend on the USC Dornsife community. accounting provides lessons on The app will launch enhanced content that brings to life the Institute as researchers take you the USC Shoah Foundation — The Troy as USC takes on the Stanford how to approach the nation’s cur- printed page. on a journey. Institute for Visual History and Cardinal at HOMECOMING ’13. dornsife.usc.edu/instagram rent financial challenges during Education, presents GEORGE Page 34. Follow our feed for snapshots TROJAN FAMILY WEEKEND. No mobile device? CLOONEY with the institute’s of the #DornsifeLife. highest honor, the AMBASSADOR Relax — videos are also at dornsife.usc.edu FOR HUMANITY AWARD.

6 Fall 2013 / Winter 2014 7 FROM THE HEART OF USC

Numbers GENOCIDE

THE USC DORNSIFE/ GENOCIDE LOS ANGELES TIMES POLL \’je-nə-,sīd\ noun \ [From The USC Dornsife/Los Angeles LexiconGreek genos race, tribe or na- Times Poll is a series of statewide tion; From Latin cide killing] public opinion polls of registered Gateway to Your Career 1. the deliberate and systematic voters in California designed to Undergraduates participate in the Gateway Internship Program, which offers opportunities to explore a destruction of a racial, political survey voter attitudes on a wide career, gain insight from a mentor and take an academic course on leadership skills. or cultural group committed by range of political, policy, social by Susan Bell and cultural issues. Conducted a group or government against throughout the year, the widely James Freymuth sat in a spacious office Taught by Manahan, a “Career Leadership” course pro- one’s own people or another in cited poll helps to inform the on the 20th floor of an investment man- vides students with insight from expert guest speakers. peacetime or in wartime. public and encourage discourse Origin: The term “genocide” on key political and policy issues. agement company’s sleek postmodern Individualized support is offered through mentor matching skyscraper overlooking downtown Los with a distinguished business professional who can provide was coined by Raphael Lemkin, Angeles. valuable one-on-one advice and support. a Polish-born jurist who served The undergraduate, a participant in the USC Dornsife “Programs such as USC Dornsife Gateway provide stu- as an adviser to the U.S. De- Gateway Internship Program, was poring over charts with dents with unique opportunities to enhance their college partment of War during World 58% his new boss, Michael Reilly, at the TCW Group. experience and be prepared for the next step in their profes- War II, to describe the pre- meditated effort to destroy a of Californians support the At the same time that many undergrads were enjoy- sional development,” Manahan said. right for same-sex couples ing themselves on vacation, Freymuth spent his sum- Freymuth had never considered a career in business population. In 1946, the United to marry, according to the mer gaining invaluable experience shadowing Reilly, before signing up for Gateway. Now he said his positive Nations General Assembly de- June 2013 poll. chief investment officer of the company’s equities group experiences interning with TCW have inspired him to clared genocide a punishable and director of U.S. equity research. seriously consider pursuing an MBA. crime. Although the term itself “I don’t come from a finance or business background so “Participating in the Gateway program confirms what is of recent origin, genocide 45/37 it’s definitely been a lot of learning on the job,” said Frey- USC Dornsife taught me — namely, not to count anything arguably has been practiced The percentages of voters muth, a philosophy, politics and law major. out until you’ve actually tried it.” throughout history. who oppose and favor, While the two examined the charts, Reilly, a USC Gillian Miller, a double major in international relations Usage: “We need to under- respectively, fracking in Dornsife alumnus and member of the USC Dornsife Board and theatre, interned in the programming department at stand the history of genocide California. Voter support — the factors that brought for the drilling practice of Councilors, showed the intern how he uses graphs to Starz Entertainment in Beverly Hills. it about and the ones that increases once potential make complex financial information easily accessible to “As an intern you’re not always thinking about leader- economic benefits are an average person. ship,” she said. “But ultimately that’s what you’re striving enabled people to prevent, mentioned. Then, Reilly and Freymuth headed into a meeting with for — to be a leader in your field.” resist or recuperate from mass the company’s portfolio analytics violence.” group. +27% Six weeks into his paid summer The rise in the number internship, Freymuth was completely OF DEREK SHERINIAN PHOTO COURTESY HISTORIC BISSONNETTE; PHOTO BYGRUNER ALEXANDRIA of California voters in comfortable with investment man- the past two years who agement terminology and talked con- are optimistic about the state economy. In all, 49 fidently to Reilly about his research percent of voters said the findings. economic outlook is on Freymuth said Gateway has given an upward trajectory, the him a sense of real achievement in an Wolf Gruner, Shapell-Guerin first time hope has out- environment where the overwhelm- Chair in Jewish Studies and weighed pessimism on the state economy since the ing majority of employees have an professor of history (above), polling partnership began MBA under their belt. co-chairs a USC Dornsife 2020 four years ago. “Gateway has instilled confidence ILLUSTRATION BY OIVIND HOVARD/IKON IMAGES/CORBIS research cluster, “Resisting the in me, because despite not having the Path to Genocide,” which led to same qualifications, or decades of the creation of an interdisciplin- experience, I realize that as a USC ary minor of the same name 74% Dornsife major, I, too, have some- that launched in Fall 2013 and of voters favor reducing thing to contribute.” draws upon such resources as sentences for people who The Gateway Internship Program the USC Shoah Foundation’s commit nonviolent, low- was launched last year, led by Donal Visual History Archive. level crimes in order to reduce the state’s prison Manahan, vice dean for students and population — although professor of biological sciences. The Yeghisapet Sultanian’s (right) they oppose releasing program offers paid summer intern- husband was killed by Turks as prisoners if it would harm ships in banking, finance, entertain- part of the genocidal campaign public safety. ment, education, law, insurance and against the Armenians in 1915– real estate in the Los Angeles and 16. She wanted to avenge his dornsife.usc.edu/poll Orange County areas. death and joined the resistance.

8 Fall 2013 / Winter 2014 9 FROM THE HEART OF USC

HISTORY Recognition

CITY ELECTRIC “It might be that the less aggressive males are successful Los Angeles, Calif., 1965 because they don’t spend so much time fighting, so they have ArchiveA brightly lit streetscape Lord of the Flies more energy left for courting,” said Foley. in downtown Los Angeles USC Dornsife’s Sergey Nuzhdin uses fruit flies to Back in the Flybrary, an aggressive male was so busy chas- illustrates the birth of a mod- explore whether behavior is based on genetics or ing rivals around the petri dish, he left the female unattend- ern metropolis. social environment. ed. Spotting his opportunity, a less aggressive male began a The pink neon sign adver- slow courtship dance. JED FUHRMAN tises Clifton’s Cafeteria, which American Academy of Arts Using a system of colored dots, Saltz tracks their behavior. and Sciences Fellow opened in the heart of L.A. in After staring at them in the lab for five years, she says the tiny Fuhrman, McCulloch-Crosby 1935. This defining image of a fruit flies don’t look so small to her anymore. Chair in Marine Biology, and newly electrified cityscape is “Now when I see a house fly I go, ‘Oh my God, it’s the size professor of biological sci- ences, has been elected a fel- featured in the innovative on- of an elephant.’ ” —S.B. line exhibition Form and Land- low of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Fuhrman scape in the Los Angeles Ba- researches how complex sin, 1940-1990, co-organized marine microbial systems by William Deverell, professor interact and change over time, and chair of the USC Dornsife Lessons from Mummy resulting in problems such as climate change. Department of History. CT scans show that heart disease is a serial killer that “Los Angeles suffers from a has been stalking mankind for thousands of years. stereotypical caricatured no- tion that it has no history,” De- Turns out, ancient folks had clogged arteries, too. verell said. “One way to reveal Research revealing that hunter-gatherers also suffered that erroneous way of thinking from clogged arteries shows that the plaque buildup causing MUMMY PHOTO COURTESY OF THE LANCET; FUHRMAN PHOTO BY COREY ARNOLD; FU PHOTO BY DIETMAR QUISTORF; SMITH PHOTO BY KIM FOX KIM BY PHOTO SMITH QUISTORF; DIETMAR BY PHOTO FU ARNOLD; COREY BY PHOTO FUHRMAN LANCET; THE OF COURTESY PHOTO MUMMY is to see the streetscapes and blood clots, heart attacks and strokes is not just a result of talk about what has changed.” fatty diets or couch potato habits. KATHERINE FU The photographs featured in USC University Professor Caleb Finch, ARCO/William the exhibition are drawn from 2013 Valedictorian A million tiny fruit flies live in the labora- F. Kieschnick Chair in the Neurobiology of Aging, who has Fu, a neuroscience and biologi- the Southern California Edison tory of Sergey Nuzhdin, professor of mo- joint appointments at USC Dornsife and the USC Davis cal sciences major, worked as (SCE) archive at The Hunting- lecular biology. School of Gerontology, was senior author of the study pub- an undergraduate research ton Library, Art Collections The flies, like the one pictured above, are lished March 10 in the journal The Lancet. assistant at USC Dornsife’s and Botanical Gardens, where Brain and Creativity Institute not, thankfully, buzzing around the room, The researchers performed CT scans of 137 mummies beginning in her freshman year. Deverell directs the Hunting- but safely contained in thousands of glass vials. from four continents and found artery plaque in every popu- There, she learned the ins and ton-USC Institute on California Nuzhdin and his team refer to this room as “The Flybrary.” lation studied, from pre-agricultual hunter-gatherers in the outs of functional magnetic CLIFTON’S FROM THE EDISON ARCHIVE. COURTESY OF THE HUNTINGTON LIBRARY, SAN MARINO, CA MARINO, SAN LIBRARY, HUNTINGTON THE OF COURTESY ARCHIVE. EDISON THE FROM CLIFTON’S and the West (ICW). It provides the raw material for their experiments using flies Aleutian Islands to the ancient Puebloans of southwestern resonance imaging (fMRI) techniques. For her senior Edison’s photographers re- as models to study genomic analysis of social behavior. United States. corded power generation and honors thesis, the USC Trustee “Through our research we aim to understand the genetic Their findings provide an important twist to our under- Scholar researched how func- distribution, but the archive basis of complex behaviors such as courtship, group forma- standing of atherosclerotic vascular disease, which is the tional neural network activity is also offers a host of fascinat- tion, aggression and learning,” Nuzhdin said. leading cause of death in the developed world: While mod- related to individual differences ing detail about emerging Nuzhdin and Paul Marjoram, associate professor of re- ern lifestyles can accelerate the development of plaque on our in experiencing empathy. postwar society in the Los search in preventive medicine at Keck School of Medicine of arteries, the prevalence of the disease across human history Angeles basin. USC, work together in close collaboration with senior post shows it may have a more basic connection to inflammation “It’s such a gold mine of docs Julia Saltz and Brad Foley. The team received a USC and aging. history,” Deverell said of the Research Collaboration Fund award and major grant sup- “This is not a disease only of modern circumstance but a trove of 70,000 images. port from the National Science Foundation and the National basic feature of human aging in all populations,” Finch said. View the exhibition at Institutes of Health. “Even a Bronze Age guy from 5,000 years ago had calcified, pstp-edison.com. —S.B. Their research proves for the first time that grouping -ac carotid arteries.” —S.W.

cording to social preference, known as social niche construc- STEPHEN D. SMITH The online exhibition offers tion (SNC), has a genetic basis. UNESCO Chair on Genocide a collaborative approach to “We found that genetic variation in aggressiveness shaped Education Smith, executive director of the understanding how L.A. was group sizes with consequences for mating,” Saltz said. USC Shoah Foundation — The made modern via its unique “What was surprising was that we found it wasn’t that ag- Institute for Visual History and architectural heritage. gressive males were more successful at mating as was pre- Education and adjunct professor viously thought, but that either aggressive or nonaggressive of religion, has been named the inaugural holder of the UNESCO males could do well depending on the social environment Chair on Genocide Education. they created.” The position will help facilitate Nonaggressive genotypes should not be considered “bro- collaborations between interna- ken-males,” Saltz said, but are pursuing “an alternate social tionally recognized researchers strategy,” which brought them mating success. and educators.

10 Fall 2013 / Winter 2014 11 FROM THE HEART OF USC

RALPH WEDGWOOD

ON THE ORIGIN OF RALPH know right versus wrong? The Are we trying to get at some First you should know that field is meta-ethics. right answer that’s out there; if Making Plato Proud Ralph Wedgwood’s first name You could call it an evo- so then how could we possibly Profile Within a few years, USC Dornsife’s School of is pronounced the old-fash- lutionary career path for find it? Or if we are not trying Philosophy has skyrocketed to No. 11 from No. 46 ioned English way so that it Wedgwood, who as an un- to get at a right answer, then in the national rankings. rhymes with waif. dergraduate studied classics what are we doing? Why are we He explained the history of this and modern languages at the agonizing over ethical ques- pronunciation on his USC Dorn- University of Oxford. tions if there’s no chance of sife School of Philosophy Web Having a father who speaks arriving at the wrong answer?” page, including a list of others as many as 20 languages, He researched these ques- who use the same pronunciation: Wedgwood has always been tions at the University of Ox- philosopher Ralph Cudworth, intrigued with language and is ford, where he was professor composer Ralph Vaughan Wil- fluent in several. As an under- of philosophy. A dual citizen of liams and actor Ralph Fiennes. grad, he studied Latin, Greek Canada and England, he was The name goes way back to and German. Focusing on also associate professor of his family on his father’s side, Greek, he began reading works linguistics and philosophy at who were in the fine china of ancient philosophers. the Massachusetts Institute of business in the Midlands of “I got quite fascinated by Technology. England. Teacups, saucers, Plato,” Wedgwood said. “It’s Wedgwood chose USC that kind of thing. Humble partly because it’s the begin- Dornsife because its School of potters, really, until his fifth ning of the history of Western Philosophy is on the verge of great-grandfather created philosophy. They are confront- greatness. He called its move a new earthenware that so ing these big questions — what to hire a number of promising impressed the then-British is knowledge, what is the best young philosophers “inspired.” queen consort that it came to way to live — for the first time.” “In my field, some of the really “No department has improved more over the last decade be known as “queen’s ware.” Studying German, Wedg- strong people here at USC Dorn- than USC’s.” That Wedgwood. wood became interested in sife are actually younger schol- Which discipline could the speaker be describing? Eco- If that’s not enough, his poet, playwright and philoso- ars.” With them, Wedgwood nomics? Video gaming? Immunology? Or maybe stem cell great, great, great, great pher Friedrich Schiller, who discusses not what we think, medicine? All good guesses of top USC programs — and uncle was among the most wrote extensively about his but what we ought to think. all wrong. revolutionary scientists in the contemporary, German phi- “Meta-ethics is partly In recent rankings of graduate philosophy departments history of humankind. losopher Immanuel Kant. about what it even means to nationwide, USC Dornsife’s School of Philosophy, in Hyperbole? We’re talking “So in all those ways I was talk about moving humanity about the naturalist behind sort of primed to move into forward.”

which scholars study the likes of Plato, Kant, Russell and SNIDER ROGER BY PHOTO WEDGWOOD V. SMITH; ALLISON BY PHOTO PHILOSOPHY OF HALL MUDD Wittgenstein, has surged to No. 11, up from No. 46 just a the theory of evolution: philosophy,” said Wedgwood, That said, right now he’s few years ago. Charles Darwin. who earned his master’s in eyeing the tickets to the Los The quote above comes from Brian Leiter, a University of “So I guess I did come from philosophy at King’s College in Angeles Philharmonic lying Chicago professor who created the Philosophical Gourmet a family that put an enormous London, then his Ph.D. at Cor- on his desk. His second love is Report rankings, the most widely respected poll of the dis- emphasis on the value of intel- nell University in Ithaca, N.Y. music. And it’s not a form of cipline. The swift rise of the school is due in part to a dozen lectual pursuits and scholar- “What really interested me escapism. He takes music as new hires in the last decade, including many from Universi- ship,” said Wedgwood, who at the time was the history of seriously as philosophy. ty of Oxford, one of the world’s great centers of philosophy. also cites novelists and histori- ethics: Plato, Aristotle and He won’t be satisfied to Most recently, Gabriel Uzquiano and Ralph Wedg- ans such as C.V. Wedgwood Kant. So, I went to Cornell, simply enjoy the music. He wood, global leaders in their respective fields of philosophi- among his clan. “My family which specialized in that area,” must understand the history of cal logic and normative ethics (or for nonphilosophers, the always thought scholarship said Wedgwood, who studied music and music theory. study of “how things should be”), joined USC Dornsife. was exciting and delightful — under well-known ancient “My mind is probably an John Hawthorne, who holds one of Oxford’s most presti- and fun.” Greek philosopher Terence abstract, theoretical mind,” gious chairs in philosophy, began teaching at USC Dorn- But Wedgwood isn’t only in- Irwin and historian of German he said. “I’m drawn to quite sife this Fall. terested in gaining knowledge. philosophy Allen Wood. abstruse questions in a way. I “We’re bringing in world-class faculty and building in- He wants to dissect the theory The core of his interests lies believe that as a philosopher, novative programs around them,” said Scott Soames, who of knowledge itself, find out in meta-ethics. you’re contributing to a large came from Princeton University in 2004 and, as depart- what distinguishes true from “Instead of asking ethical social discourse — a whole ment chair, has helped engineer philosophy’s meteoric rise. false knowledge. Joining USC questions about gun laws or culture is engaged in thinking “This is just the beginning.” Dornsife in 2012, Wedgwood is the death penalty or abortion, about how we ought to live. I Arriving from the University of Ox- Uzquiano and Wedgwood said USC Dornsife’s quick an expert in epistemology. He meta-ethics asks questions think it filters through and can ford, philosopher Ralph Wedgwood ascent caught their attention: “I felt like I was moving to also studies ethics, but rather about those questions,” Wedg- help to improve the kind of is drawn to the abstract. His desire a department that would soon be among the best in the than ask what is the right thing wood said. “What are we doing ethical discussion that goes on to ask the big questions and challenge world,” Uzquiano said. —M.B. to do, he asks how can we when we ask ethical questions? in our society.” —P.J.J. the norm goes way, way back.

12 Fall 2013 / Winter 2014 13 FROM THE HEART OF USC

Word AMST 519 IN THE NEWS QUOTABLES “No matter how Curriculum sincere reformers of the Vatican Bank are, Psyched Up they are up against Top social psychologists Norbert Schwarz and Daphna Oyserman will open the USC Dornsife Mind and Society an age-old problem: Center at USC’s first interdisciplinary social sciences building. by Pamela J. Johnson the long history of European banking Not surprising, people in a good mood tend to evaluate Mind and Society Center at the Verna and Peter Dauterive suggests that secretive, situations more positively than when in a bad mood. People Hall, which upon its completion will be USC’s first inter- absolute government report higher life satisfaction when they are in a good mood disciplinary social sciences building. At the hall, faculty on a sunny day and lower life satisfaction when they are in and students university-wide will tackle the most pressing and long-term suc- a bad mood on a rainy day. social problems affecting our region and global community. cessful banking do not However, if the interviewer mentions the bad weather Schwarz’s research focuses on human judgment and coexist well.” before they ask the life satisfaction question, this mood effect cognition, including the interplay of feeling and thinking. JACOB SOLL, professor of disappears. People will then attribute their current mood to He examines the socially situated and embodied nature of history and accounting, in a the weather rather than their life satisfaction. cognition — and how basic cognitive and communicative June 8 Boston Globe op-ed on When people make judgments, they rely on their feelings processes impact public opinion, consumer behavior and the challenges of reforming the Vatican Bank, located inside as diagnostic information. But sometimes their feelings social science research. Vatican City, Rome. produce inaccurate responses. A member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences “Whenever people become aware that their feelings may and German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, be due to an incidental source, the informational value of the Schwarz is among the most frequently cited researchers in “People make a feeling is discredited and people turn to alternative inputs social psychology and consumer psychology. His publications rational cost-benefit to arrive at a judgment,” said Norbert Schwarz, who will include 20 books and about 300 journal articles and chapters. join USC Dornsife in January 2014 as Provost Professor of Oyserman is among the most frequently cited research- analysis and say, ‘Am Psychology and Marketing. ers in the fields of self and identity, and is internationally I going to spend the USC Provost Elizabeth Garrett recently announced the known for her research on self, culture and motivation. time casting a vote or appointment of Schwarz and his wife, Daphna Oyserman, Using experimental and field-based methods, her research doing something else, as Dean’s Professor of Psychology, and professor of psychol- focuses on identity-based motivation and its cognitive and working, spending ogy, education and communication. behavioral consequences. Her publications include about 130 time with family, etc., Oyserman and Schwarz will open the USC Dornsife journal articles and chapters and she is currently completing a book project. when I don’t think my Oyserman’s work shows vote is going to make how cultural mindsets and a difference.’ ” identities can be engaged ANGE-MARIE HANCOCK, to improve life outcomes, associate professor of political including academic per- science and gender studies, in formance, and mental and a May 23 interview with KPCC- FM on low voter turnout for the physical health. Her re- 2013 Los Angeles city election. search demonstrates that when these mindsets and identities undermine rather “People have lost than bolster goal pursuit, INDIGENOUS, DECOLONIAL Studying historical and contem- fication and dis-identification Students visit Los Angeles-ar- and absences of Americas’ friends because of the result is less effort in school. Students are then AND TRANS-HEMISPHERIC porary perspectives of indig- with the U.S. nation state,” ea sites pertinent to the course. indigeneity,” Gómez-Barris disagreements. It’s tempted to procrastinate or AMERICAN STUDIES enous peoples in the Americas, said Macarena Gómez-Barris, Examples include an archive on added. “We’re working toward a topic of debate at engage in goal-undermin- Instructor: Macarena Gómez- this graduate seminar examines associate professor of American Spanish colonialism in California a multidirectional trans-hemi- dinner tables.” ing behaviors. Barris, associate professor of the topics of land titles, political studies and ethnicity (ASE), who at the Huntington Library; the spheric study that thinks from SARAH GUALTIERI, associ- Both professors will ar- American studies and ethnicity ecology, decolonization, indig- teaches the seminar. Tongva burial ground in Playa and with the spaces, methods ate professor of history, and enous cultural production, race, “These are pressing concerns Vista; the Southwest Museum and approaches to indigenous

rive from the University of BY KIMMEL JOEL ILLUSTRATION American studies and ethnicity, racism and social inequality. for many racialized social of the American Indian in Mt. critique.” —P.J.J. in a Sept. 2 ABC News story Michigan. “Students write on relevant groups,” she said, “but from the Washington; the Maya commu- about how Syrians living in “When we came to USC, LIVZEY JOHN BY PHOTO the United States have been we were thrilled by the ex- issues helping them to become perspective of native peoples nity center in Pico-Union; and Printed on a folded, 22-foot- affected by the current crisis in citement in the air and the formative public intellectu- and native intellectual and cul- the American Indian Resource long strip of deerskin, the Codex their home country. seriousness of purpose,” als on pressing concerns over tural production, these issues Center in Huntington Park. Bodley records the genealogical Oyserman said. “At USC, ownership, property and challenge how we understand “We will be as respectful as history of Mixtec royalty between we know we can make a recognition in the legal sphere migration, settlement and the possible in our inquiries about the 10th and 16th centuries of the societal impact.” as well as questions of identi- very meaning of occupation.” the ubiquitous presences Common Era.

14 Fall 2013 / Winter 2014 15 FROM THE HEART OF USC

Spotlight Numbers

SOUTHLAND JEWS ARE “The financial support has come from Farhang, but mainly NOW BEING COUNTED from the Iranian American community and friends of Far- ‘It’s Just the Beginning’ hang,” she noted. “We feel this signing ceremony solidifies Jewish federations — umbrella USC Dornsife and the Farhang Foundation solidify a our partnership with USC Dornsife. It’s not the end; it’s just groups for some 450 Jewish relationship to develop the university’s instruction in the beginning.” —P.J.J. communities across North Iranian studies. America — conduct a popula- tion survey each decade. The last count in Los Angeles was taken in 1997, and there has never been a Jewish survey of Orange County, Calif. Bruce Preventing Another Phillips, a sociologist at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute OTANA JAKPOR ’14 of Religion and senior research Environmentalist Darfur fellow at USC Dornsife’s Center ShiftingPoet David St. John of USC Dornsife Sands and composer Frank Ticheli of USC Thornton School of Music make By the end of the day, terms such as colonial legacy for Religion and Civic Culture, teamed with Richard Flory, beautiful music together in The Shore, a chorus and orchestra piece. by Pamela J. Johnson and balance of power roll off the tongues of these high “I grew up in school students. associate professor of sociology at USC Dornsife, and Diane Win- Riverside, where The poem begins playfully with a boy at the ocean’s shore. “But in the opening, I wanted a kind of innocence,” St. ston of USC Annenberg School pollution can seem John said. “I wanted that sense of a child at the tide pools. It Local high school students waved a sea of bobbing placards for Communication and Journal- ism, to study the Jewish popula- like a normal part of First the tide surprises / As it slowly rises / Then the waters / seemed to me if I could do that, I could give Frank [Ticheli] bearing the names of countries with diverse and often oppos- tion of Southern California. life — it can take a Of a boy’s fears / Disappear some room to move with the text.” ing world views: Russia, Iran, Egypt and Cuba were some. while to realize it’s Scattered among them were more signs bearing the names not supposed to be What is left seems / Pearled & lit / The gleaming stones / In the second poem, the boy has grown. of major nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). The plac- & the boy alone / Sea urchins / & sea ferns / & the boy alone ards were held enthusiastically aloft by 200 students who 70,000- that way.” Tonight the sands melt / With oily coils of kelp In a June signing ceremony, USC Dornsife and the Far- participated in the 2013 annual High School Leadership A Southern California native The boy I was hang Foundation sealed the deal on a long-term commit- Conference (HSLC). 80,000 whose father is Nigerian, Otana Tossed across the sands / & the dreams of dunes ment to enhance the study and research of Iranian art and For the 13th consecutive year, Steven Lamy, professor of The approximate number Jakpor visited Nigeria for the of Jews in Orange County, first time last Christmas. In The boy is USC Dornsife’s David St. John, who recounts culture at the university. international relations and vice dean for academic programs, possibly among the largest addition to spending time with his childhood romps at Moonstone Beach in Cambria, Calif. A young man walks / The crescent of the bay / The ceremony marked the official launch of the three- led the event, which was organized by the Center for Active Jewish communities in the extended family, the aspiring At the beach, he watched blankets of pale, opaque white By boats aligned like sentinels phase plan’s second phase — to offer a minor in Iranian Learning in International Studies (CALIS), housed at USC United States physician shadowed doctors to pebbles made smooth over time roll with the waves along studies at USC Dornsife. As part of the second phase, USC Dornsife’s School of International Relations. see what practicing medicine was like in the West African the black sand. Sometimes, he’d slip a few in his pockets. In the third poem, the now young man is in Italy — hired its first lecturer of Iranian history and culture, Hani Students were divided into groups, each representing a country. a place dear to St. John — where he explores who he Khafipour, who will facilitate the newly created minor. country or an NGO, and coached on basic foreign policy The last thing she expected Below the rising dunes / Like the moon’s spies / might become and for the first time contemplates death. The first phase occurred in Fall 2011, when Persian lan- theory by Lamy, aided by 45 international relations students 83% was to get a cell phone call Like the fallen eyes of the moon guage courses, taught by Peyman Nojoumian, assistant serving as mentors. described themselves as from Glamour magazine. Across the night into / A mandala of moonlight professor of Persian, were launched through USC Dorn- “It’s all about teaching high school students to think about non-Hispanic white. Nearly The double major in biologi- 8 percent said they are cal sciences and global health & even in my pockets / Walking slowly home / sife’s Middle East Studies Program. and analyze global issues and global problems,” Lamy said, mixed race and 7 percent, had been selected as one of I knew that they could see The black gondola / My own black gondola “Our relationship with Farhang Foundation will ad- during the April event held at USC. “This initiative is not Hispanic. Compare that to the magazine’s “Top 10 Col- vance our efforts to help students not only develop skills just about recruiting high school students to the university, the Northeast, where 98 lege Women” for 2013. Each A future only seen / For me The ghost of my own breath / A ship of death important in the international market, but help them be- it’s about recruiting them to think about universities, and percent of Jews are white; year for the past 56 years, the nationally, the proportion is magazine has celebrated 10 of come more compassionate individuals,” USC Dornsife about international relations as a field of study.” 95 percent. what they consider to be the Seen only for me “It seemed to me appropriate that this particular black Dean Steve Kay said. The conference was funded by the Arsalyn Program of country’s most accomplished, gondola signify for the man as something that would Ali C. Razi, chair of Farhang Foundation Board of Ludwick Family Foundation, the University Gateway and dedicated and inspiring young This is the beginning of a song cycle for The Shore, Sym- take him somewhere he wasn’t going to return from,” Trustees, said Farhang chose USC in part because of its the USG Philanthropy Funding Board. —S.B. women. phony No. 3, a chorus and orchestra piece that premiered June St. John said. location in Los Angeles, which encompasses the largest No stranger to public ac- 1 at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa, Calif. Called “Redemption,” the last poem returns to Moon- community of Iranians outside Iran. Roughly 500,000 live 7/2 colades, Jakpor has been distinguishing herself through St. John, professor of English, wrote the text while Frank stone Beach. Night has fallen. St. John set the final move- in Southern California. Respectively, the percent- her scientific research and Ticheli of USC Thornton School of Music composed the mu- ment against a landscape because land is a place where we “USC is also one of the greatest universities in the United age of Reconstructionist Jews in Los Angeles county commitment to environmental sic. The pair teaches “Writer & Composer,” a course allowing spend our lives and will one day transcend. States,” Razi said. “If we can reach generations by sharing and global health issues. compared to the percentage Among her many accolades collaboration between graduate- level poets and composers. “We’re at a place where something ends and something the arts and culture of the Middle East, I believe we can nationally. are awards from the Discovery The Shore was the centerpiece of Pacific Chorale’s final else begins. When we come to these different shores and PHOTO AARON-RICHTER JAKPOR create more love and peace in the world.” Channel, the National As- concert of the 2012–13 season, called The Moon, the Sea and junctures, we each make choices as to how we are going to In all, 17 countries in the Middle East will be covered sociation for the Advancement the Stars. The Shore received a deeply emotional outpouring encounter whatever is next.” in the new minor and future programs. The third phase of Colored People and even from the audience with three curtain calls. involves creating a chair in Iranian studies. the White House. She has 2% volunteered at the American A person looking out at the water often contemplates life. “We hope to develop a full-fledged program so that a of Southland Jews are Lung Association and interned The approaching waves described in the poetry symbolize major in Iranian studies is offered,” said Haleh Emrani, chair Orthodox, compared with at USC’s Southern California the passage of time — what lies ahead and what becomes a of Farhang Foundation’s Iranian Studies Council, which more than 14 percent in Environmental Health Sciences distant memory. As The Shore progresses, the voice begins established the foundation’s Iranian Studies Initiative at the Northeast U.S. and 10 Center. —L.P. to understand the encroachment of mortality. USC Dornsife in 2010. percent nationally.

16 Fall 2013 / Winter 2014 17 FROM THE HEART OF USC

GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY Twitter2GIS To get a fuller picture of what “DPMG is a perfect fit for us,” Kapteyn said. “I have The Bench that collection of data might worked with Xavier since he moved his group from the 500 reveal about a Twitter user, Objective Analysis World Bank to RAND and have been deeply impressed by Weidemann developed an Housed at USC Dornsife, the Development Portfolio his professionalism and dedication. Having DPMG join- 30 application called Twitter- Management Group opens in Arlington, Va. The group ing CESR is a major step toward fulfilling our ambitions.” 2GIS to analyze the geospatial million works on improving education and other matters USC Dornsife Dean Steve Kay noted DPMG’s inter- # of active Twitter users data Twitter users gener- throughout the globe. million ate. Using Twitter’s API and national reach. # of tweets that Google’s Geocoding API, Twit- “Their presence in Washington, D.C., and the inter- contain geo-tagged ter2GIS collects tweets from national development work they do is another example of information either a geographic region or a specific Twitter user. That the global reach of our USC Dornsife faculty and their geospatial information — or research programs.” —P.J.J. ambient data — is processed by Esri ArcGIS, a GIS software program used to map and The Investigation analyze data, as it searches Chris Weidemann, a gradu- for trends. We Are Family ate student in the Geo- Reconstructing European ancestry, Peter Ralph uses graphic Information Science #whoiswatchingyou? and Technology (GIST) Published in the June 2013 DNA to demonstrate just how closely everyone on online master’s program at International Journal of Geo- Earth is related. USC Dornsife, is investigat- informatics, Weidemann’s ing just how much public study found that during geospatial data is generated the sampling period, an The Trojan Family is not a metaphor. New research by by Twitter users and how average of 4 million Twitter Peter Ralph, assistant professor of computational biology, their information — avail- users divulged their physical The USC Dornsife Center for Economic and Social Research provides DNA-based evidence to confirm the mathemati- able through Twitter’s locations through global (CESR) has opened a new shared space with USC Informa- cal theory that everyone on Earth is related. application programming positioning system coordi- 2,314.8 tion Sciences Institute’s office in Arlington, Va. Using whole genome sequencing data from more than 40 interface (API) — could tweets per second nates or other active location potentially be used by third per day monitoring. Additionally, 2.2 Opened May 28, the Development Portfolio Manage- European populations, Ralph and co-researcher Graham parties. are produced percent of tweets — about ment Group (DPMG) helps clients throughout the world Coop, a geneticist at the University of California, Davis, 4.4 million tweets a day — get expected results from their economic development in- identified 1.9 million shared segments of DNA that were provided substantial ambient 30 Million Geo-Tagged vestments. millions of base pairs long, proving their owners were re- Tweets location data in the text of Twitter has approximately their posts. For instance, if you are a funder, how can you ensure lated. They then estimated how long ago their common 500 million active users and By harvesting geospatial your funding will be effective? How can you identify and ancestor lived from the length of the segment. reports show that 6 percent information, corporations address the risks? “Our research confirmed everybody alive in Europe a of users opt in to allow could potentially build pro- If you are a developing country, or an organization thousand years ago who had children is an ancestor of the platform to broadcast files of individuals for mar- their location using global keting purposes. However, undertaking a development project, what assurances can everyone alive today with some European ancestry,” Ralph positioning technology with it also opens users to more you give to funders that their investments will achieve the said, adding that the research may help solve long-standing each tweet they post. That’s malicious intent. desired results? questions in history, archaeology, linguistics and ecology. about 30 million people “The downside is that min- Addressing these questions, the group was previously His research also showed Europeans living closer to one ing this kind of information sending geo-tagged data attached to the RAND Corporation, a nonprofit global another were more closely related, and that Eastern Euro- out into the Twitterverse. can also provide opportuni- In their tweets, people can ties for criminal misuse of policy think tank based in Santa Monica, Calif. Xavier peans tended to have more shared ancestors than Western choose to display their data,” Weidemann said. Legrain, DPMG’s executive director, said he decided to Europeans. —S.B. information as a city and Mapping the Twitterverse follow Arie Kapteyn, formerly senior economist and direc- state, an address or pin- You start your day at your favorite breakfast spot. When your GeoSocial Footprint tor of RAND Labor and Population, to USC Dornsife. The point their precise latitude order of strawberry waffles with extra whipped cream arrives, For his master’s thesis, creation of CESR was a major pull. and longitude. it’s too delectable not to share with your Twitter followers. You Weidemann is taking his That’s only part of their snap a photo with your smartphone and hit send. Then, it’s time application one step further After arriving in November 2012, Professor of Econom- geospatial footprint. Infor- to hit the books. and expanding it to allow ics Kapteyn established CESR, which conducts basic and mation displayed on a Twit- You tweet your friends that you’ll be at the library on campus. Twitter users to log in with applied research in economics and the social sciences in ter user’s account may also Later that day, palm trees are silhouetted against a neon-pink MILLER ERIC BY PHOTO ANALYSIS OBJECTIVE their profile credentials to many fields, disciplines, topics and methodologies. reveal the user’s location. sunset. You can’t resist. You tweet a picture with the hashtag view their own Twitter geo- Depending upon how the #ILoveLA. spatial footprint. People can One of CESR’s research areas includes financial deci- account is set up, profiles You may not realize that when you tweet those breezy updates test out the beta version and sion-making with the goal of improving the understanding may include details about a and photos, you are sharing information about your location. provide feedback on the app of how people reach decisions affecting their economic user’s hometown, time zone at geosocialfootprint.com. status, particularly in old age. Another seeks a deeper and language. Weidemann will continue to understanding of health disparities with regard to socio- add functionality to the app, such as its ability to analyze economic status. CESR researches how racial and ethnic the content of tweets. minority groups, geographic locations, genders, age groups “My intent is to educate and disabilities affect an individual’s health and income. social media users and The center also studies the science of happiness. 72,000,000,000 inform the public about their privacy,” Weidemann said. Kapteyn said CESR seeks to conduct exciting, interdis- total number of tweets expected in 2013, approximately 10 tweets for every living person on Earth ciplinary research with a global reach.

18 Fall 2013 / Winter 2014 19 FROM THE HEART OF USC Our World

STUDENTS Russia FACULTY Peru STUDENTS ALUMNI Costa Rica FACULTY STUDENTS Panama Hong Kong and Macau China and Indonesia The following is a first-person Siberian Ice Breaker account of a research trip to The first major report from Students travel to Russia, where they cross five southeastern Peru by Sarah Beyond Latté a massive survey of Chinese time zones on the Trans-Siberian Railway. Feakins, assistant professor of During a research trip to Costa Rica, Pam Mizuno ’10 adults over age 45 found stark earth sciences. wakes up and smells the coffee. differences in how men and Spring break tends to conjure images of tropical While most tourists travel women age in the developing beaches, sunshine and around-the-clock swimsuit from Cusco along the Inca trail Volunteering at organic coffee farms in Costa Rica, Pam Mizuno world. fashion. There’s one thing it definitely does not bring to Macchu Picchu, our scientific rose with the sun each morning around 5 a.m. John Strauss, professor of to mind: Siberia. expedition followed a different Once on her feet, Mizuno would slather on a thick layer of economics at USC Dornsife, Putting the “alternative” in alternative spring path downhill with the rivers sunblock, coat herself in bug spray, then enjoy a hearty breakfast was a principal investigator break, 18 USC Dornsife undergraduates spent theirs that leave the Incan highlands. of fresh juice, rice and beans drizzled liberally with Salsa Lizano, a on the China Health and Re- on the frozen tundra as part of a two-unit study- On the eastern flank of the Costa Rican condiment that tastes great on everything. A mug of tirement Longitudinal Study tour course. In addition to coursework stateside, in Andes, water flows toward the big-bodied, smooth Costa Rican coffee completed each meal. (CHARLS). Across 17,708 March 2013 the group spent eight days in Russia. Atlantic, feeding the Amazon That delicious coffee that supports the livelihood of so many individuals from urban and ru- The class gave students of all majors a broad view River in Brazil. In a tropical downpour, Fan farmers is being threatened by a fungal disease called Ameri- ral areas — excluding Tibet — of Russian culture, history and geography — topics Our journey followed a major Fan and her classmates can leaf spot or ojo de gallo, one of the most harmful ailments researchers found that older that otherwise might not be broached in their under- feeder tributary of the Amazon entered Victoria Park in Hong affecting coffee plants in Latin America. Mizuno, who completed women were much more likely graduate studies. The course was led by Tatiana Ak- from the high Andes to the Kong, where people huddled her progressive master’s degree in international relations at to be in poor health than men. ishina, professor of Russian; Sally Pratt, professor of Amazonian floodplain within under umbrellas holding flick- USC Dornsife in 2010, was in Costa Rica this past summer with a The report combined Slavic languages and literatures, and vice provost for the Cusco and Madre de Dios ering candles. Thousands were group of volunteers to study the disease at several coffee farms. socioeconomic data, such graduate programs; and Dan Bayer, executive direc- regions of Peru. there for the 24th anniversary Working in the EY-Earthwatch Ambassadors program, Mizuno as employment, education tor of the USC Dornsife Language Center. Joining me on this trip were vigil of the 1989 pro-democra- collected leaf and soil samples, estimated coffee yields and as- and consumption, with self- During the trip, the group rode the legendary Camilo Ponton, a Colombian- cy protests in Beijing’s Tianan- sessed plant health. reported and actual measures Trans-Siberian Railway (made famous in the 1965 born scientist and postdoctoral men Square, where Chinese Mizuno has spent the last three years working for EY, a profes- of physical and psychological In Panama this past summer, Iñaki Pedroarena-Leal was film Dr. Zhivago, based on the novel by the same scholar; and Joshua West, leaders sent troops to stop sional services organization that is a global leader in assurance, health, including blood pres- part of a three-person team led by renowned marine scien- name). Completed in 1902, it is the longest railway Wilford and Daris Zinsmeyer a student demonstration by tax, transactions and advisory services. She is a paralegal to the sure and cognitive decline. tist Harilaos Lessios and researcher Eleni Petrou. The USC in the world, spanning 11 time zones and connecting Early Career Chair in Marine opening fire, killing hundreds. firm’s Los Angeles-based general counsel. Women fared worse than Dornsife undergraduate had nabbed a research internship at Moscow with Vladivostok in the Russian Far East. Studies and assistant professor Born in China and raised “One of my concentrations within international relations was men both in self-reported the Bocas del Toro Research Station, part of the prestigious Students traveled for three days straight to Lake of earth sciences. in the United States, Fan was international political economy,” Mizuno said. “This gave me a measures and actual health. Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI). Baikal, located just north of Mongolia in the heart We followed the river to moved. framework to understand and appreciate how the co-op stra- Women were also more likely Underwater, he collected samples to assess environ- of Siberia. It is the most voluminous freshwater lake study the erosive processes “Though I’m American, I tegically implemented practices related to supply and demand to feel depression: More than mental changes and their effects on coral reefs in Bocas in the world and, at 5,387 feet, the deepest. that carry Andean sediments feel connected to the people and fair trade.” 47 percent of women age 60 del Toro, an archipelago in the Caribbean. At Lake Baikal, biochemistry and ecology ex- and organic carbon down and that conflict,” said Fan, a and older, compared to 32 “It’s an honor to be here, since most everyone else is perts from the Russian Academy of Sciences gave toward the sea. The mission comparative literature major percent of men in that age either a Ph.D. student or professional researcher,” he said the group lectures on environmental issues affecting is to understand the balance emphasizing in Spanish and range reported higher levels while in Panama. “There are people from all over the the lake. between the potential energy minoring in Chinese history. of depressive symptoms, such world doing a variety of field research.” “What we learned at Lake Baikal built upon my for inputs in the Andes and the The class visited Hong Kong as restless sleep or feelings Bocas del Toro (Mouths of the Bull) is a region featuring studies of water resources, pollution and fishing is- productivity of the cloud forest and Macau for a Problems PANAMA PHOTO BY ELENI PETROU of fear. islands, bays, mangroves, rivers and forested mountains. sues at USC and broadened that base of knowledge,” and rainforests downstream. Without Passports com- Strauss is collaborating on a Pedroarena-Leal quantified biotic changes in the coral reef said environmental studies major Teddy Fischer. “Rivers hold the key to parative literature course in similar study in Indonesia. and marine invertebrate communities as a result of increas- “The lake is a unique and contained body of water, transport from land to sea, June 2013. The experience ing urban development and other anthropogenic changes. so it made a great model for understanding pollution adjusting the carbon budget of embodied part of the course’s Panama’s coral reef damage is largely due to acceler- and water ecology.” the planet,” West said. mission: to help students gain ating tourism, pollution and deforestation related to land a personal perspective on the development. The heavy rainfall routes sediments into the cultural history of Hong Kong water, where they deflect sunlight and rob the reefs of suf- and Macau. ficient light needed to flourish.

20 Fall 2013 / Winter 2014 21 Bits of greasy pizza boxes ( ), Styrofoam peanuts, apple cores ( ) all churning into one, massive heap. A single black car tire ( ) bounces down the mountain of debris as screeching seagulls ( ) swoop overhead. Think this is just garbage? Rubbish! Some is turned into electricity ( ). Alumna Julia McGinnis ( ) knows that … ( )

by Pamela J. Johnson

Trash Can Smartly dressed in a sleeveless harlequin green fitted dress smell of decomposing garbage, McGinnis was right at home. accented by jade-stoned, gold jewelry and patent leather high “I see energy,” she said, looking around her. “I see money.” heels, Julia McGinnis gazed at a mound of waste 200-feet McGinnis loves a little trash talk. The USC Dornsife wide being smashed down by giant roaming bulldozers. alumna works at Orange County Waste & Recycling, She may have looked like someone gave her woefully wrong headquartered in Santa Ana, Calif. The manager overseeing directions to the afternoon board meeting. But despite the legislative and regulatory affairs, public information and

22 Fall 2013 / Winter 2014 23 before graduating magna cum laude in 2003. Her implementations are credited with saving the bureau “I had this epiphany,” she said. “Law just wasn’t in my heart.” more than $10 million. She couldn’t envision herself in court arguing cases. Wanting to be part of the decision-making process on policy, she earned her master’s degree in public administration from the USC Sol “Working on sustainability issues feels good, Price School of Public Policy magna cum laude in 2006. Raised by a single mother in the military, McGinnis has it feels right. I keep remembering that quote, always been drawn to the public sector. As a girl, her family lived on the Travis Air Force Base. When her mother, Pa- tricia Henry, retired and took a job with the state, the family We do not inherit the Earth from our moved 44 miles east to Sacramento, Calif. ( .” ) “It’s always been public service, public service, public ser- ancestors, we borrow it from our children vice,” McGinnis said. Ambition is part of her nature. In high school, she was an Working with high-level government energy officials and advanced student already taking community college courses. political leaders, she addressed issues surrounding drought, “I’m probably overly ambitious,” she said. “But it was all climate change and population growth. She became an ex- internal. My mother set the bar, but then she stepped back pert in water shortage and management — among the state’s and said, ‘I trust you.’ I would come home with a B-plus and most pressing issues. be devastated. She would say, ‘For crying out loud, ease up The bureau was McGinnis’ first career stop dealing with on yourself.’ ” the environment. When it comes to a cause, she usually can McGinnis learned about USC during a higher education be found volunteering to help those in need. She spent part event at her high school. of a recent summer aiding earthquake victims in Haiti. “I’ve “No one in my family had gone to college so I didn’t really always had a heart for people,” she said. know anything about schools,” she recalled. “I knew about Also, she’s always been environmentally conscious. CSUS [California State University, Sacramento] and about “I believe in recycling and being a good steward of our Harvard only because I had book covers that said ‘Harvard.’ resources,” she said. “So that’s always been kind of a tickler But that was it.” in the back of my mind. My family’s also Native American, When recruiters from USC started speaking with her, she so I think that stewardship of nature has been an underlying began with, “You’ll have to forgive me but I’ve never heard of strand in my life. But I never thought of it as a career path.” USC.” McGinnis was impressed with what she heard. Yet when she left the bureau for a position at the U.S. “So I started researching USC on my own and told my Department of Homeland Security, she missed pursuing mother, ‘This is a great school, it’s where I want to go.’ ” an environmental cause. The Transportation Security Ad- While McGinnis pursued higher education, Henry re- ministration (TSA) assigned her to John Wayne Airport in turned to school to earn her bachelor’s and master’s degrees Orange County, Calif. As the aviation security liaison for in social work at CSUS. airlines, McGinnis served more than 9 million passengers renewable energy, McGinnis was visiting the Olinda Alpha power 26,000 homes in nearby Anaheim. Each evening, “I really took to academia,” McGinnis said. “I have a fas- and a workforce of more than 450 employees. Landfill in Brea, Calif. Downplaying the aroma, she noted more than a foot of dirt covers the newest garbage. It takes cination with learning and creating an expertise in an area. That meant putting out fires when crises erupted at all hours that the facility moves trash and covers it so quickly that the about a year to start emitting usable methane. Whether it’s water management, homeland security and coun- of the day and night. Power outages, accusations, threats — all odor is far milder than at most landfills. McGinnis and her colleague pointed out wide, long pipes terterrorism, or waste management. I used to take it for grant- security issues that occur at an airport — McGinnis handled She has reason to be proud. The landfill is the country’s snaking along the dirt. After the refuse decomposes and ed that everyone’s intrinsically motivated. But not everyone is.” them as liaison between TSA and the airlines. third-largest gas-to-energy project, which generates about methane gas rises to the top of the landfill, it is collected in The examples she threw out were not arbitrary. She has “It was, ‘Ok, crisis averted, move on, crisis averted, move RUBBLE TO RUBIES 37.5 megawatts of electricity and millions of dollars annually. these perforated pipes. The pipes wind their way to a nearby held high-powered jobs in all of those fields. After gradua- on,’ ” she recalled. “I was always focused on one crisis and nev- Surveying the mountains “We’re harvesting the landfill gas and we’re making elec- processing plant, where the methane is burned to produce tion, McGinnis was offered a position at the U.S. Depart- er looking at the bigger picture. It didn’t force me to think.” of garbage surrounding her, tricity with it,” McGinnis said of Olinda Alpha Landfill, heat or generate electricity. ment of the Interior’s Bureau of Reclamation. At 25, she She wanted to put her organizational development skills alumna Julia McGinnis said, among 86 facilities in the United States converting trash gas Capturing methane before it gets into the atmosphere became the chief of the bureau’s Enterprise Program Man- to work. “I see energy. I see money.” into energy. “We receive some of the money. So, by being also helps reduce the effects of climate change. Over two agement Office, among the Department of the Interior’s “My brain needs to be stimulated and I need opportunities sustainable and proactive, we can keep our refuse rates to decades, the plant is expected to reduce emissions equivalent youngest managers. to utilize those skills,” she said. Waste and recycling were the general public low.” to burning 144,000 railcars worth of coal, McGinnis said. “I just applied,” she said of landing the job. “Everyone things she could get behind. McGinnis and Don Ries, Orange County’s program Opponents of trash gas-to-energy claim the effort takes thought I had some sort of connection because it was really “Waste management is a fascinating field,” she said. “It’s a manager for renewable energy, enthusiastically described attention and urgency away from recycling and composting. unheard of to bring in someone to the program at a manage- completely different arena for me and I have such respect for it.” how the bulldozers crush 6,000 tons of trash per day before But the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has lauded rial level who was a complete outsider.” She also wants to better balance life and work. This winter workers cover the refuse with dirt. Each evening, all open the project for using a local source to generate energy while It helped, she said, that the person who became her super- she will exchange wedding vows with Jason Lizana, an ac- piles of trash are blanketed in soil or tarps. In some areas protecting the atmosphere and strengthening the economy. visor had completed an overseas program at USC. countant, during an intimate church ceremony in Orange the garbage is 300 feet deep. What was once a canyon next Still, trash can be a hard sell. On a hill overlooking the “We had something in common,” she said. “Having USC County. She’s already enjoying how her newest position has to Chino Hills State Park is slowly filling. And while trash $130 million plant — mostly paid for with federal funds as my backing spoke volumes.” given her the perspective to prioritize her role as stepmother rots in landfills, it creates methane gas. — McGinnis tilted her head toward a large white plume At the Department of the Interior, she oversaw Califor- to 3-year-old William. McGinnis will tell you methane is an extremely powerful emanating from a chimney. nia’s Central Valley Project, one of the nation’s biggest water In her waste management role, she is working with county greenhouse gas. One pound of methane traps 25 times more “That is not smoke, that’s steam,” she said. “The public conservation developments. supervisors on regulations and legislation affecting Orange heat into the atmosphere than a pound of carbon dioxide. looks at that and sometimes assumes it’s proof we are con- “I had never worked with water before,” she said. “I found County waste. At 32, she hasn’t ruled out the possibility of Methane is also the major ingredient in natural gas. taminating the atmosphere. We’re not. But that’s part of my my groove in that position.” someday running for public office. But when methane is trapped in landfills, it can be cap- job; to help educate the public.” With a background in strategic planning, she implement- “Working on sustainability issues feels good, it feels tured and used to produce electricity or heat buildings. McGinnis’ road to refuse has taken many twists and ed changes in operations and accounting for the bureau, right,” she said. “I keep remembering that quote, ‘We do Launched in the early 1980s, the technology turning trash turns. Majoring in political science as an undergraduate, which manages the country’s water supply through reser- not inherit the Earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from into energy is being used at the Olinda Alpha Landfill to she had planned to attend law school until a few months voirs, canals, dams and power plants. our children.’ ”

24 PHOTOS BY JOHN LIVZEY Fall 2013 / Winter 2014 25 One Idea Sparks Another When it comes to green energy, producing power is just a sliver of the goal. The real challenge comes in storing that energy for occasions when the sun doesn’t shine and the wind doesn’t blow. Or there is high demand. Right now, batteries require expensive metals and materials with short life cycles. Two projects at USC Dornsife’s Loker Hydrocarbon Research Institute, funded by the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy, seek to make re- chargeable batteries safer, cheaper and more sustainable.

ENERGI ING RESEARCH

Developments in renewable energy technology at USC Dornsife keep going and going and going.… by Kate Gammon

What happens when the hyperkinetic bunny burns out? And the oil and gas reserves run dry? USC Dornsife re- searchers are helping to develop alternative energy sources. At the forefront are Nobel Laureate George Olah, the Donald P. and Katherine B. Loker Distinguished Profes- sor of Organic Chemistry, and G.K. Surya Prakash, the George A. and Judith A. Olah Nobel Laureate Chair in Hydrocarbon Chemistry and professor of chemistry. After earning the Nobel for his research on carbocation chemistry in 1994, Olah, along with Prakash and their Organic Aqueous Redox Flow Battery teams, pioneered the methanol economy. An alternative to fossil fuels, methanol can be made solely with water and The eco-friendly aqueous organic battery goes one step further, replacing all metal with organic substances known carbon dioxide — available everywhere on Earth — and as quinones. any energy source such as solar, wind, geothermal or safe The substances are oxidized and reduced at the surface of the carbon electrodes from water-based solutions. nuclear energy. Without using organic solvents, and by choosing the best compounds, the batteries can charge cheaply and safely Recently, Prakash, Sri Narayan, professor of chemistry at — no metal is needed. “Without metals, there are no life cycle issues,” Prakash said. USC Dornsife, and their teams are reinventing the battery. Iron-Air Battery Quinones have a charge capacity of about 200 to 490 Ah/kg and cost about $10 to $20 per stored kilowatt-hour, This information-graphic describes exactly how. just a tad of the battery cost of $100 per kilowatt-hour. Ditching metals and organic solvents adds another important In the Department of Chemistry, Mark Thompson, How it works What it costs — and oxygen from the air benefit: safe disposal at the end of the battery’s life. professor of chemistry, materials science and environmental The iron-air battery — G.K. Surya Prakash, Loker is free. He notes that the studies, is developing materials to improve the efficiency also known as a rust Hydrocarbon Research battery can be built for less of solar cells. He and his team are comparing and analyz- battery — uses elemental Institute director, and than $100 per kilowatt- ing the properties of organic and inorganic solar devices. iron that is electrochemi- Sri Narayan, professor of hour of storage. The former is less expensive to produce but less efficient in cally oxidized into iron hy- chemistry, estimate that at energy management, while the latter performs better but droxide during discharge 25 percent of the battery’s How long it lasts Methanol Economy Expands Overseas has a higher price tag. and reverted to iron metal theoretical energy output, The team is aiming for Enter Richard Brutchey, associate professor of chemis- during charging at the the iron-air battery will a battery life of 5,000 Founded by George Olah and entering its 36th year, the USC Dornsife Loker Hydrocarbon Research Institute continues try, who studies inorganic solar cells. He and his team are positive electrode. At the exceed the energy storage cycles, which would mean to advance sustainable energy storage and the methanol economy. The idea to replace petroleum oil-based fuels with developing inexpensive ways to create materials with the negative electrode, oxygen of current state-of-the-art a battery that lasts about methanol is taking off across the globe. In Iceland, the first-ever power plant that uses carbon dioxide and water to potential to make high-energy density capacitors and solar from the air becomes lithium-ion batteries — at 15 years. Such batteries produce methanol opened in 2011. The George Olah Renewable Methanol Plant has a capacity of 5 million liters per cells for applications such as powering electric vehicles. hydroxide ions during just a tenth of the cost. could be used to store year and expects to use around 85 percent of the carbon dioxide produced by a nearby power station. In China, 10 per- Follow these researchers as they hold the torch illuminat- discharge and is released Narayan points out that electricity in massive cent of transportation fuel is now methanol. Additionally, Iran is now routinely blending gasoline with methanol. ing the path. back into the air during unlike lithium or other amounts for residential charging. current materials, iron is areas, power plants and cheap, safe and ubiquitous on the energy grid.

26 ILLUSTRATIONS BY HIRAM HERNANDEZ FOR USC DORNSIFE MAGAZINE Fall 2013 / Winter 2014 27 Ray of Sunshine Organic photovoltaics are the next big thing. Traditional silicon solar cells are booming, but cost and environmental concerns abound. Brutchey and Thompson are working on different ways to take on the same thorny problem: making better solar cells using new materials. Both are part of the same Department of Energy- funded research center that four years ago received a $12.5 million grant. The research takes into account that while silicon cells top out at about 29 percent efficiency, organic cells could go much higher in the future — and they have other benefits to boot. The light and flexible organics could be painted onto houses, threaded into clothing and even used as window tinting — feeding energy back into a building’s power supply.

All-organic Cells Mark Thompson’s research takes a slightly different approach. Instead of using an or- ganic and inorganic mix, he sticks with all-organic molecular materials — his research is currently using a cousin of chlorophyll. The materials are carefully deposited onto a sheet of glass in two super-thin layers, and when light hits them, it creates a voltage between base and the top electrode. The efficiency of the all-organic cells is currently higher than that of the inorganic mix cells, but both are below the level of silicon. “We are less interested in chasing records and more interested in understanding the fundamental limitations of the system — and then overcoming those limitations,” Thompson said. Right now, his lab is working on coaxing the cells to absorb light not just in the visible spectrum, but also in the near-infrared spectrum. Thompson adds that lighter, more flexible organic cells would decrease the cost of putting the technology onto roofs.

Inorganic Mix Cells

Richard Brutchey research- Special molecules called ligands are stuck to the surface of the cell. These ligands es cells made of a mix are critically important for charge transfer and collection, which is why the re- of organic polymers and searchers are working on them — they are one way to chemically optimize solar cell inorganic nanocrystals. Re- performance. searchers make semicon- The cells absorb light on either the polymer or nanocrystal phase. The light forms ducting cadmium selenide an exciton — a kind of excited electron/hole pair that migrates to the interface of nanocrystals (also known the two materials. There it splits — the electron moves in one direction and the as quantum dots) that are positive hole moves in the opposite direction, creating a current. about four nanometers in Eventually, Brutchey aims to create eco-friendly nanocrystals that are cheaper, size and disperse them in a less toxic and more Earth-abundant. He expects his research will convert more of liquid solution. the solar spectrum into electricity than the nanocrystals and polymers in use today.

28 Fall 2013 / Winter 2014 29 raising the anchor

Geraldine Knatz’s motto is “It’s impossible, it’s difficult, it’s done.” Preparing for retirement, the first woman executive director of the Port of Los Angeles gave it her all to turn the ship around.

by Susan Bell

Growing up in Wayne, N.J., Geraldine Knatz loved nothing more than going crabbing with her fam- ily on the Jersey Shore. Until, heading home one summer evening, she was overcome by remorse. In- sisting her father turn around, she made him drive back to the beach. “He was annoyed,” Knatz said. “He didn’t like having to get off the parkway and pay extra tolls to go back, all because I wanted to let my crabs go. We quit crabbing after that, but that moment was the start of me.” Knatz was in junior high by then and often watched French underwater explorer Jacques Cous- teau on TV. She also had a laboratory set up in the family’s basement, where her older brother played with his chemistry set. “My brother used to blow stuff up down there, but then he lost interest and I started using the labora- tory to look through a microscope at pond water. That’s when I become more aware of life. Other life.” TRANSFORMATIVE VISION Fast forward to 2005 and Knatz — who earned a Geraldine Knatz ’79 and her master’s in environmental engineering in 1977 from team have transformed the USC Viterbi School of Engineering and a doctorate nation’s busiest commercial in biological sciences in 1979 from USC Dornsife — port into the nation’s greenest had risen through the ranks at the Port of Long Beach while continuing to implement to the No. 2 position. She oversaw a $2.3 billion strategies to maintain its No. capital improvement program and had spearheaded 1 status. a number of environmental initiatives, including de- velopment of the Green Port Policy. She was already serving as chair of the International Association of Ports and Harbors’ Port Environment Committee when she was offered the top job at the Port of Los Angeles, the nation’s busiest container port. Encompassing 7,500 acres on 43 miles of water- front, the port handled more than $273 billion in

30 P HOTOS BY JOHN LIVZEY Fall 2013 / Winter 2014 31 cargo last year and is responsible for three million jobs. Angeles to attend USC, drawn by the lure of the USC Retiring January 2014, Knatz is the port’s first female Wrigley Marine Science Center on Catalina Island, Knatz executive director. was inspired to become a marine biologist. “I think what was even more significant about my ap- Knatz has fond memories of her graduate student years. pointment than the fact I’m a woman was that I did not have “It was just a great, fun experience. One of the things the traditional background for a port director,” she reflected. that USC does really well is interdisciplinary research,” Port directors tend to come from the U.S. Army, U.S. Knatz said, crediting her study of both biology and engi- Coast Guard or shipping industry. neering with giving her the competitive edge in her career. It was Knatz’s science background that made her the top choice for the post and gave her credibility with the organi- zations she and her team needed to work with to solve the “You have to learn how to inspire port’s environmental problems, she said. “My focus had always been on how to keep the port growing and retaining our No. 1 status,” she said. people. USC teaches people to be When Knatz took over in January 2006, capital improve- ment programs had ground to a halt, largely due to com- fearless. To think big. To strive.” munity opposition to port expansion and litigation over en- vironmental issues. Most lawsuits focused on health issues associated with the use of diesel fuel, the primary equip- Knatz said she learned leadership skills from her teaching ment fuel at the port. assistant experience at USC, which in April 2013, recognized “Scientific research — some done at USC — linked die- Knatz’s achievements with a USC Alumni Merit award. sel exhaust to certain cancers,” Knatz said. “People were “You have to learn how to inspire people. USC teaches coming to public hearings holding up maps showing the people to be fearless. To think big. To strive.” port was a hot spot. Those are qualities Knatz hopes to pass on to her students “This port is vital to the local economy, the state’s econo- at USC, where she taught for more than 30 years, first as a my, the national economy. If we are not spending $300 mil- cleanup plan for the port, Knatz was able to leverage her engineering. It’s huge ships, huge cranes. It’s exciting.” part time lecturer in the biology department at USC Dorn- lion a year in capital investment, we are not doing our job role in the International Association of Ports and Harbors Knatz is keen to share that excitement. During her ten- sife then in environmental engineering at the USC Viterbi and we dropped down to about $60 million a year because to ensure that shore-side electrical power became the inter- ure, she transformed the port complex, spearheading the School of Engineering. After a three-year break, she plans we couldn’t get any projects approved. national standard. She did this by volunteering one of the creation of more than 60 acres of public parks and adding to return in January 2014. “We have 900,000 jobs in the Southland that are con- shore-side power experts on her staff to co-chair an interna- several miles of public promenade along the waterfront. Her She clearly relishes the experience. nected to this port, and all those people are relying on us tional committee to determine what the standard should be. goal was to turn back 16 miles of the port’s 43 miles of wa- “I love bringing my USC students down here and teach- to do our job. And we couldn’t do it in the face of com- “We made a requirement that ships had to plug in, which terfront to the public. ing them about real life. I want to reach engineers when munity opposition. When you have a board of policymak- meant that ship construction had to evolve. Other ports fol- “Fifty years ago, 100,000 people came into the port every they are young so they understand about the environment ers appointed by the mayor, you can’t go to them and say, lowed our example, so we drove change,” she said. day compared to 16,000 today. The port used to be so much and public interaction — that being an engineer involves a ‘We want you to approve this project, and oh, by the way, Knatz’s team also implemented a vessel speed reduction more to so many more people and I want to recreate that lot more than just producing drawings and buildings.” there’s going to be 200 additional cancer cases associated program that hugely benefitted air quality and launched a vision by getting more people here daily, whether they are Asked what she likes most about her job, Knatz smiled. with that.’ ” technology advancement program with the motto “Toward students, researchers, scientists or inventors.” “The best part is you never know what’s going to hap- Knatz found herself devoting 50 percent of her time to a Zero Emission Port.” Her wish may be realized through the creation of her long- pen next. One day it might be a labor issue. Then the next environmental issues to achieve any growth. “We said, ‘We have problems. This port is a great labora- standing vision — AltaSea, a project that would move the thing you know, we have a battleship. You never get bored, “Our first goal was to reduce health impacts, clean up tory. If you’ve got an idea, and we think it could help, we’ll Southern California Marine Institute (SCMI), an alliance of because things are constantly changing.” the port, and not put any project up for approval that would invest in your business.’ ” 11 colleges and universities including USC, from Terminal Knatz is equally passionate about the port’s history. “Did BEAMING TRIO cause an additional increase in cancer risk. We set a stretch The program helped develop the world’s first hybrid tug- Island to the waterfront in San Pedro, where it would occupy you know they had whaling here until World War II?” she Flanked by parents Agnes goal to reduce air emissions by 45 percent from all sources boat and all electric truck with enough torque to pull a fully 28 acres of warehouse and wharf space. The proposed $680 asked. “Or that in the early 1900s there was a bohemian wom- and Charles Knatz, Geraldine in five years.” loaded container. The U.S. Department of Energy was so million state-of-the-art facility would include circulating en’s literary retreat in a squatter’s shack on the breakwater?” Knatz smiles broadly on her A big fan of stretch goals, her personal motto is “It’s im- impressed with the latter, it pledged to help fund the port’s seawater laboratories, an interpretive center, an educational Her passion extends to the preservation of the port’s re- graduation day in 1979 after possible, it’s difficult, it’s done.” first fleet. facility and the possibility to develop the world’s largest sea- cords. After writing the forward for Port of Los Angeles: An earning a Ph.D. in biological Unafraid to adopt controversial and far-reaching meth- In six years Knatz and her team succeeded in reducing water wave tank. AltaSea, a nonprofit, would raise $500 mil- Illustrated History from 1850 to 1945 by Ernest Marquez and sciences from USC Dornsife. ods, Knatz took a multipronged approach. truck emissions by more than 80 percent and diesel particu- lion of the cost and the remaining $180 million would come Veronique de Turenne (Angel City Press, 2007), Knatz and NEW DIRECTION First, she and her team tackled the aging truck fleet. “We lates by 71 percent. from the port. her team hired an archivist. They used a historic building to An environmental engineer, said: ‘By a certain date, no trucks can come into this port “We had to allow our customers to generate more busi- “There is no other place in the City of Los Angeles house the port archives and made the records publicly avail- marine biologist and accom- unless they are model year 2007 or newer.’ That was a dra- ness, while significantly reducing pollution. We were able where you can have marine research, laboratories, tanks able. Currently, Knatz is contributing to a book on the lost plished scuba diver, Knatz matic change.” to figure out how to do that. And that allowed us to keep for marine organisms, and storage for big pieces of equip- communities of Terminal Island and will contribute to an brought a fresh perspective to To motivate owners to renew their fleet, Knatz’s team hit the business part of the port growing,” she said. ment, right on deep, clean water,” Knatz said. “AltaSea upcoming port history Web site and blog. her duties as port director. them where it hurt: their wallets. Still, as is the case for any general manager, Knatz has could provide that.” Knatz reflected on the progress she and her team have “The fee to come through the gate for pre-2007 model had her detractors. But she has always kept her eye on her The fact that AltaSea is even a possibility is a testament made at the nation’s busiest port. She thought about her 42 year vehicles was set high enough that if you were a regular commitment to the port. to Knatz’s transformation of the harbor. When she arrived years of dedicated service to the maritime industry. port user, after a year and a half you would have paid enough “I am proud of the many accomplishments that our team there as a USC student in 1977, the water was so pollut- “Growing up, I never dreamed of getting a job where I in fees to buy yourself a new truck. Within 18 months the made at the Port of Los Angeles during my tenure,” she said ed, nothing could live in it. Now kelp flourishes along the can change the world but now I realize that we are changing total truck fleet turned over.” of her impending departure. breakwater and the harbor is home to hundreds of different the world by transforming an industry.” If Knatz knows how to wield a big stick, she also knows Knatz’s passion for the port is clear. Her office has a pan- species of fish and birds. Knatz paused, her gaze drawn back to the ships plough- how to dangle a carrot. Her team drove the switch to low sul- oramic view of the main channel and she still displays a “That’s why AltaSea can work, because the seawater is ing up and down the main channel outside her window. fur fuels for ships’ propulsion by offering financial incentives. sense of wonder about the vessels sailing past. such high quality it can be pumped right in from the harbor “I think I had the passion all along because I grew up by Knatz and her crew also pioneered the use of shore-side “When people visit my office the first thing they do is look to the marine laboratory,” Knatz said. the ocean. I love the ocean. I always want to be connected electrical power for ships. After making it a key part of the out the window. It’s majestic, it’s beautiful. Plus, it’s extreme After driving cross-country from New Jersey to Los to it.”

32 Fall 2013 / Winter 2014 33 TITreasure Island On Catalina Island — and at the University Park campus — the legendary Wrigley family has created a kingdom of scientific researchers.

by Pamela J. Johnson

PHOTOS BY COREY ARNOLD 34 Fall 2013 / Winter 2014 35 From a helicopter circling above Catalina Island, one One National Science Foundation (NSF)-supported, might see gorgeous, bathing suit-clad couples sipping mi- three-year interdisciplinary project brings together a bi- mosas on yachts with names like Been There, Done That. ologist and linguist to engage in fundamental discovery. But when the helicopter swoops past Avalon Bay, beyond Andrew Gracey, associate professor of biological sciences, the zip liners and golf carters, there, at the island’s isthmus, recalled when Khalil Iskarous, assistant professor of linguis- researchers are making major discoveries. tics, invited him to be co-investigator on a project that uses Perched above a pebbly beach is the 30,000-square-foot twisting, squirming octopuses and the worm Caenorhabditis Philip K. Wrigley Marine Science Center. The research elegans to study the human tongue during speech. building contains eight laboratories that accommodate as many as two dozen scientists and 60 students. IN AN OCTOPUSES’ GARDEN Faculty and students take USC’s Miss Christi to the spear- “It took a while for me to get my head around the research,” mint-blue Big Fisherman’s Cove, near Two Harbors, where Gracey said. “Khalil explained that the human tongue is they dock and unite in an informal, collaborative setting for almost like an ancestral invertebrate muscle. It’s found in research and training. Located 22 miles from Los Angeles, octopuses that have many different limb movements. the center is a crown jewel of the USC Wrigley Institute for “Khalil’s theory is that these limb movements reflect Environmental Studies, housed at USC Dornsife. The insti- similar movements that the tongue uses within the mouth. tute’s headquarters is at the University Park campus. Both use very highly controlled hydrostatic muscles. So “The cornerstone of the USC Wrigley Institute’s mis- his idea was that we would compare and contrast the sion is to advance fundamental knowledge of our ocean, our movements of the tongue with those of the octopus and Earth and her systems,” said Roberta Marinelli, the USC worm to find general principles about how this type of Wrigley Institute’s executive director. muscle is controlled.” The USC Wrigley Institute has the best of both worlds. Octopuses are kept in tanks at the center. Researchers Most of its laboratories are based in Los Angeles, an ex- videotape them while they contort their limbs in various pansive, international, coastal city that is environmentally ways — to pivot, walk and run. They compare these move- stressed. Situated in a naturally arid region with dense ments to ultrasound images of human tongues in motion. transportation networks and a large population abutting the Gaining a deeper understanding of the principles of ani- shoreline, the city offers the perfect setting for the study of mal movement can give scientists a better handle on the sustainable, urban, coastal living. effect on speech due to Parkinson’s and other diseases. By contrast, the center on Catalina Island provides a rare “So you have biologists working on octopus limb move- setting for researchers to study differences between urban, ments and you have linguists working on tongue move- MAIZE OF THE SEA — that can handle those kinds of environmental stressors. coastal Los Angeles and less impacted environments. An ment,” said Gracey, noting that his and Iskarous’ students Outside the center on Catalina is Hedgecock and Manahan‘s This is urgent for society. Unless we improve food produc- hour from the sprawl of Los Angeles, the center gives re- are involved in the research. “I don’t think anyone has ever open-air oyster hatchery. The professors are hoping to in- tion, we may have less food on the dinner table.” searchers a platform for comparative study of human and before tried to bridge the two genres.” crease food from the ocean by advancing the concept of “hy- natural systems at the land-water interface. That kind of collaboration is why the center is an open brid vigor” in which animals are crossed to produce “gang- TRUTH AND (CLIMATE CHANGE) CONSEQUENCES Founded in 1995 by the Wrigley family, the chewing gum campus without departments, Marinelli said. buster growers” resistant to various environmental stressors. The monumental climate change issue is another institute dynasty committed to USC and conservation, the institute “Human health and environmental problems are broader They received a four-year NSF grant to predict the win- priority. In 2010, USC Dornsife funded a collaborative is devoted to a multidisciplinary approach to improving our than any one discipline and require integrative thinking,” ners and losers in ocean acidification, a term used for the project titled “Climate Change in the Southern California understanding of the changing world. Researchers are find- she said, noting that the Wrigley Institute works on basic ongoing decrease of pH in the Earth’s oceans caused by car- Bight,” directed by David Hutchins, professor of biological ing ways to use natural resources more wisely, Marinelli said. research and environmental science that are locally and bon dioxide absorption from the atmosphere. Even within sciences, and Douglas Capone, holder of the William and “Our approach is simple,” she said. “We enable rigorous re- globally relevant. species, biological responses to ocean acidification vary. Julie Wrigley Chair in Environmental Studies and professor search in the laboratory and in the field; we train students of all For example, science tells us that ocean microbes provide A fuller understanding of how marine animals function and chair of the Department of Biological Sciences. IN DEEP ages; and we translate new knowledge into innovative and ef- half the oxygen we breathe. The institute’s research is also during environmental change requires a merging of physi- A main goal of the project is to increase communication Whether in the laboratory, fective solutions with commercial potential and social impact.” showing how carbon dioxide affects our ocean’s chemistry ological, genetic and environmental research, Manahan and and promote dialogue among the diverse people who deal on land or under water, and biology and what this means for the Earth’s future. Its Hedgecock said. They are researching Pacific oysters, which with all aspects of ocean climate change in the Los Angeles students at the USC Wrigley scientists are advancing the understanding of the effects of have genetic and genomic resources unparalleled for most area, the Southern California region and the world. Institute investigate ways to urban runoff and factors causing harmful algal blooms. marine animals. Hutchins and Capone held regional conferences and address environmental chal- “Atmospheric carbon dioxide is the ultimate transbound- “Hybrid vigor is an example of trying to improve the workshops bringing together fishery representatives, scien- lenges. Postdoctoral ary problem,” Marinelli said. “The atmosphere is global; it growth rate of animals in the face of ocean acidification,” tists, policymakers and the public to better understand the researcher Anand Patel studies touches the surface ocean and land everywhere. It has the Hedgecock said. “This is an aspect of the sustainability issue.” interplay among climate change, ocean health and human ocean sediment (top left). UMAN HEALTH AND prospect of altering the oceans biogeochemical cycles, gas The pair is bringing in undergraduate, graduate and post- impacts. Graduate students Elizabeth H doctoral researchers to assist in the study, said Manahan, Hart (far bottom left) and exchange and heat flow. The climate change issue raises The Southern California Bight — the ocean area stretch- huge questions about responsibility on a very broad scale.” USC Dornsife’s vice dean for students. The two have worked ing south from Point Conception in the north down to Jessica Eselius use a Trimble “ GeoXH to collect data. Seek- ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS ARE Climate change is a topic often discussed at the George closely with the West Coast oyster industry for more than a Ensenada in Mexico — is a model system. It is one of the and MaryLou Boone Center for Science and Environmen- decade. They expect their research to translate directly into most carefully monitored coastal regions in the world and ing to produce gangbuster tal Leadership — a think-tank and forum located near the improved breeding programs for the West Coast oyster in- its surrounding universities and governmental agencies pro- growers, USC Dornsife faculty BROADER THAN ANY ONE DISCIPLINE AND laboratories on Catalina. dustry, valued at more than $100 million annually. vide tremendous scientific expertise. members are cross breeding In addition to USC Dornsife professors, academics from Moreover, findings may be applicable to other highly fe- “So it behooves us to marshal those forces,” Capone said. Pacific oysters (right). around the world gather at the Boone Center to debate and cund marine species, such as fish and other commercially im- As the water becomes warmer and more acidic, the mi- REQUIRE INTEGRATIVE THINKING.” design solutions to enormous issues. portant species that provide a major source of food for human crobial communities that create the foundation of marine Another biggie is world hunger. consumption. An estimated nine billion people will occupy ecosystems may reconfigure, Capone said. Focusing on that issue are geneticist Dennis Hedgecock, the Earth by 2050, according to United Nations experts. USC Dornsife scientists are at the forefront of the efforts In addition to laboratories at the University Park campus, Paxson H. Offield Professor in Fisheries Ecology and pro- “We have states overheating, shortages of water on land to predict the future for marine microbes. In a new field much of the research takes place at the center on Catalina fessor of biological sciences, and environmental physiologist and ocean acidification,” Manahan said. “We’re making requiring new scientific models, they combine marine and and offshore. Donal Manahan, professor of biological sciences. marine ‘seeds’ — larvae, early stages of animal development evolutionary biology to study global climate change.

36 Fall 2013 / Winter 2014 37 In a study published in September 2013 in Nature Geo- The glider project is funded by the National Oceanic and science, Hutchins examined which organisms will thrive Atmospheric Administration, National Science Foundation, and which will perish with the altering ocean. Changes in U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, NASA and the Of- nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria — bacteria that obtain en- fice of Naval Research. Each glider costs about $120,000. ergy through photosynthesis — have implications for every More recently, in 2011, a few million silvery sardines living thing in the ocean, because all forms of life require went belly up at King Harbor. Caron was among the first nitrogen fixers to survive. at the scene. He and his researchers checked their sensor In the same issue, Capone and Hutchins reviewed the equipment suspended in the harbor since the 2005 fish kill. array of chemical and physical parameters being modified Their sensors record the measurements of temperature, sa- in coastal upwelling systems as a result of human influenc- linity, chlorophyll and plant pigment in the water every half es including climate change, and the implications of such hour, detecting any possible algal blooms and toxic algae. changes for these highly productive marine ecosystems.

“Our findings show that CO2 has the potential to control the biodiversity of these keystone organisms in ocean biol- ogy, and our fossil fuel emissions are probably responsible for changing the types of nitrogen fixers that are growing in the ocean,” Hutchins said. David Caron, professor of biological sciences, and IT’S NOT JUST ABOUT SCIENTIFIC Hutchins recently published an article in the Journal of Plankton Research discussing these new lines of research. “ They are investigators for an ongoing NSF grant that led FINDINGS, IT’S ABOUT TRANSLATING to the recent publication of three papers by Avery Tatters, a Ph.D. student in Hutchins’ lab. Caron, Hutchins, Tatters and other USC Dornsife re- THE SCIENCE FOR PUBLIC BENEFIT.” searchers are conducting first-of-their-kind, long-term ex- periments on the reaction of microbes to increasing levels of carbon dioxide — which lower the pH of water making it The instruments suspended in the harbor throughout the acidic — in seawater. event revealed that the fish were killed by a lack of oxygen With Hutchins as the principal investigator, researchers in the harbor water. There was no algal bloom or toxic algae have obtained a four-year NSF grant to continue studying present. how nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria may evolve in response Caron conducts this research as part of a five-year Na- to variables that include increasing carbon dioxide and tem- tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration grant to peratures. investigate early detection of harmful algal blooms in coast- Researchers, including Tatters and graduate student al California. Yungsheng Luo, conduct these experiments in labs on The causes of red tide are hotly debated among scientists, Catalina and the University Park campus. They are also with nutrient inputs from agricultural run-off and sewage, studying the triggers of potentially deadly algal blooms, and climate change as possible culprits. known as red tides. “In the case with King Harbor in 2011, too many fish en- “These huge, toxic blooms that are already causing big tered the marina, and there wasn’t enough oxygen for them problems in our area may get worse in the future as the pH to survive,” Caron said. “Gliders help us wire the ocean, and of the ocean decreases,” Hutchins said. with this constant surveillance, we are on the verge of being able to predict and mitigate these events.” BLOOMING AWFUL The Redondo Beach City Council has honored Caron In 2005, King Harbor in Redondo Beach, Calif., experi- and his researchers for their efforts concerning the fish kills. enced a massive fish kill. Millions of dead fish later clogged Caron is also working with the Orange County Sanitation the harbor. District (OCSD) and the Hyperion Treatment Plant in Los Some worried that the episode was due to red tides, Angeles to examine the effect of effluent discharging from which occur after the rapid reproduction of microscopic pipes in deep water five miles offshore. plankton. This eventually releases powerful neurotoxins “They discharge secondarily treated sewage, and that ef- that can damage the brains of shellfish and marine mam- fluent contains tons, literally tons of nutrients,” Caron said. ALGAE ALCHEMIST mals such as sea lions and pelicans — and humans who may “We’ve been looking at what the potential impact of that Professor David Caron and eat the seafood. discharge might be to local phytoplankton communities.” postdoctoral researcher “It actually fires the nerves and will literally burn out Most of the nutrients boil down to ammonia and phos- Victoria Campbell view algae synapse connections in the brain, which causes various phate. If they are discharged deep into the water column cultures. Caron studies the symptoms ranging from nausea all the way to convulsions below the light zone where algae photosynthesize, there is causes of potentially deadly and death if you take enough of it in,” Caron said. less concern. However, in Fall 2012, the OCSD had a “di- algal blooms in coastal Caron is working with a team that has launched two mis- version event” in which it had to use an older, shorter pipe California. sile-shaped, robotic gliders into the sea — one between the while the longer pipe was being repaired. USC Wrigley Marine Science Center on Catalina Island “The shorter pipe is only a mile long and discharges in shal- and Point Fermin and another off the coast of Hunting- low water,” Caron said. “So, the potential is that the shorter ton Beach. As the gliders scour the ocean, they gather vital pipe introduces nutrients directly into the lighted surface wa- information Caron uses to detect potentially dangerous de- ters, and they could cause massive phytoplankton blooms.” velopments in the ocean that could lead to a major loss of Caron and his team worked closely with Orange County marine life. to ensure proper planning and monitoring and will do the

38 Fall 2013 / Winter 2014 39 same with the Hyperion Treatment Plant when it goes “Blue whales are huge and incredibly powerful,” said through a similar diversion event in 2014. Bissell, who recently earned his master’s degree in GIST “We’ve worked with Orange County Sanitation Dis- through the institute. trict and Hyperion for years now,” Caron said. “We’ve “Seeing one come to the water’s surface and hearing it developed a trust and a relationship. They could try and breathe is an incredible experience,” said Bissell, whose ad- brush everything under the rug, but they don’t. They know viser was Travis Longcore, associate professor of spatial sci- that we will do a good, honest and objective job of looking ences research. “The sound is like water rushing through a at the effects of events like diversions. cave. I’ve seen children so in awe they cry.” by Pamela J. Johnson “They’re very eager to make sure they have informed This is where Bissell’s citizen science comes in. In an ef- The Task at Land (and Sea and Air) and impartial people participating.” fort to curtail collisions, he hopped aboard whale watching Marinelli said improving the community’s environmen- ships from San Diego to San Pedro. Transcribing captains’ LAUNCHED RECENTLY BY DEAN STEVE KAY, THE USC DORNSIFE across USC Dornsife, will promote research at the intersection tal health and tapping into L.A.’s resources are part of the logbooks, he gathered an extensive dataset of observations for SUSTAINABILITY TASK FORCE TAKES ON QUESTIONS AFFECT- of people and the environment. Participants may evolve as the institute’s beauty. blue, fin and minke whales. Quarterly scientific transcripts ING PEOPLE AND THE ENVIRONMENT. effort progresses. “It’s not just about scientific findings, it’s about trans- found 64 blue whales over eight years. By comparison, Bissell’s The task force builds upon USC Dornsife’s successful inter- lating the science for public benefit,” she said. “It’s about dataset includes 2,300 blue whale sightings in half that time. It’s 5 p.m. so you grab your keys and cell phone and head home. disciplinary undergraduate major in environmental studies and talking to other disciplines that are going to help us un- Bissell developed a habitat suitability model for blue As you hear the click of your office door lock shut, you realize its associated progressive master’s program, the teaching and derstand how we can communicate with people to let them whales, finding that their distribution on a monthly basis was you’ve neglected to turn off the light and your computer. But research programs affiliated with the USC Wrigley Marine Science know that, for example, the choice of their next vehicle influenced mostly by bathymetry — or underwather depth there’s no turning back. Your single thought is that flounder Center, the Program for Environmental and Regional Equity, and should include more than just the cost of the car. They — followed by sea surface temperature and chlorophyll. The defrosting on your kitchen counter. the USC Dornsife 2020 Climate Change in Southern California should think about the environmental implications. habitat model was then compared to shipping activity. Do you know how much energy you’re wasting? Bight research cluster, among others. “Decisions should have some aspect of environmental The study is positioned to influence policy to reduce ship At least one USC Dornsife professor does. Wendy Wood, Pro- Some research areas include scarce environmental resources, responsibility embedded in them,” she said. collisions with protected species. It is also meant to help vost Professor of Psychology and Business, has obtained a $1.5 conservation efforts, climate change, air and water quality, bio- Among the institute’s newest, most cutting-edge disci- companies decide when and where to bring tourists to see million National Science Foundation grant to explore ways to diversity, energy, livable cities, and coastal environments. plines, Marinelli named spatial sciences. Looking through a whales swimming in their natural habitat. reduce energy consumption in office buildings. The vice dean for Specifically, the task force is asked to assist in identifying: (a) spatial lens takes geography to a whole new level. Another application of geospatial technologies was re- social sciences is teaming with the USC Viterbi School of Engi- the key themes in sustainability education and research that cently conducted by a graduate student team surveying neering and the USC School of Architecture to develop strategies should be the focus for future development in this area; (b) main A SPACE IN TIME wheelchair accessibility at Two Harbors, Catalina. to promote energy efficient behavior. programmatic goals for USC Dornsife to consider over a three- “We live in an evermore crowded and connected world,” said “It was an attempt to build a spatial analysis map that Many office building occupants aren’t motivated to save energy. year period beginning in 2013-14; and (c) available departmental John Wilson, professor of sociology, civil and environmental describes the little town of Two Harbors from the perspec- Their thought: I’m not paying the bills. But according to the strengths and challenges in terms of existing research and teach- engineering, computer science and architecture, and director tive of somebody in a wheelchair,” said Darren Ruddell, U.S. Energy Information Administration, commercial buildings ing resources relevant to sustainability. of USC Dornsife’s Spatial Sciences Institute. “Our success in a senior lecturer of spatial sciences who primarily teaches in account for nearly 20 percent of the nation’s energy consump- Current task force chairs are Robert English, associate profes- its various guises — the arts, economics, human health, pol- GIST programs. “The students had to know all of the roads, tion and 12 percent of greenhouse gas emissions. Wood’s team is sor of international relations and director of the School of Inter- designing strategies for building operations that cut energy while national Relations, Roberta Marinelli, director of the USC Wrigley itics, sustainability — depends on our ability to understand how wide they were, characterize what kinds of surface they “Sustainability means and anticipate the opportunities and constraints afforded by have and note all walls. increasing human comfort. Institute for Environmental Studies, and William Berelson, specific places and the connections between them. “They had to go literally everywhere. They went to a little “I’m studying how humans can more efficiently use energy professor and chair of earth sciences. something different “Fortunately,” he said, “we live in an era when we have bluff at the coast and worked their way back up toward the within office buildings,” Wood said. “Burcin Bercerik-Gerber [at “Sustainability means something different within each of those within each discipline, unprecedented technologies to help us with these tasks.” road that goes to Two Harbors. They went through brush; USC Viterbi] is designing office buildings so that they’re respon- disciplines, but there’s a common understanding of the bigger but there’s a common Fundamental geoprocessing tools — Geographic Infor- they were pretty beat up by the end of three days.” sive. So in the future, we might wear computer chips to regulate issues we face,” Wood said. “It could be on a molecular level, it understanding of the mation Systems, Global Positioning Systems, remote sens- Undergraduates also benefit from GIST. NSF’s Research temperature and lighting. Or we might have apps on our phones could be terrestrial or oceanic, but we all agree we need to have that automatically set the thermostats and lights when you walk an integrated approach.” bigger issues we face.” ing, and Location-Based Services — have evolved tremen- Experience for Undergraduate programs draws students na- WENDY WOOD, Provost Profes- dously in the past three decades. tionwide. In collaboration with the USC Wrigley Institute, into a room.” Marinelli said the USC Wrigley Institute was excited to work on sor of Psychology and Business “We now live in a world where, to some, geographic Ruddell and his colleagues mentored two students during This project is one example of countless others that can be the effort with psychology, economics, social justice, political and vice dean for social sciences information is among a small set of core infrastructures,” this past summer. supported by the USC Dornsife Sustainability Task Force recently science, international relations, history, philosophy and busi- Wilson said. “It increasingly permeates our everyday lives, Tara Kelly and Clifford Hoang created a 3-D rendering implemented by Dean Steve Kay. ness, to name a few disciplines. but the adoption and effective use of spatial thinking and of Big Fisherman’s Cove at Catalina. They measured nu- “This new initiative came in with Dean Kay,” said Wood, who “This dialogue is critical for developing new sustainability re- methods in our instructional and research programs lag far trient load, acidity, salinity, pH and temperature with an together with Charles McKenna, professor of chemistry, and vice search thrusts,” Marinelli said. “And for creating a community of behind. We aim to change this.” eye to detect possible polluted areas in the protected waters. dean of natural sciences and mathematics, was appointed by graduate and undergraduate students immersed in cross-cutting Graduate students in the institute’s online Geographic In- Kelly, a senior at Villanova University in Villanova, Penn., Kay to lead the task force. “Sustainability is such an important research.” formation Science and Technology (GIST) program are using said she wants to pursue a field combining GIST with re- societal issue, and it’s an issue we’re already taking on at USC One strategy on tap for creating a community of scholars will the tools in unique research projects. One is Matthew Bissell. search that can benefit Mother Nature. Dornsife. There’s already been tremendous interest.” be to create a seminar series and discussion forum concentrating Bissell took notice when a female blue whale and fetus “Once I looked at the USC Wrigley Institute Web site and Added McKenna: “Sustaining the environment is also a critical on novel sustainability topics from diverse perspectives. A new were found washed ashore in Pescadero, Calif., putting the saw their center on Catalina, I thought, ‘This looks really inter- task for the physical and life sciences, from chemistry and biol- postdoctoral program will also be announced. U.S. Coast Guard on high alert. The protected mammal esting,’ ” Kelly said. “It’s merging technology with island life.” ogy to geology. Air, earth and sea — understanding the planetary “When Dean Kay invites you to be involved in this and to offer that can span 100 feet and weigh 150 tons had been plowed Another GIST team examined hiking trails on Catalina. resources that make life possible is a critical task now and will your opinion, it’s a real honor,” Wood said. over by a cargo ship. “Many people go to Catalina for recreation,” Ruddell affect future generations.” “It could be that we decide to focus on urban coastal environ- The mangled carcasses of four more whales struck and killed said. “They want to know where the trails are. What kind of The task force is also planning to invite leading scholars from ments because of our location,” Wood said. “Or we could decide to by ships were found along the West Coast during the summer condition the trails are in. Are they strenuous, are they easy? outstanding programs abroad in recognition of the global nature of take more of an international view and focus on the Pacific Rim as a of 2010. But officials suspect many more — lured by an abun- What are the distances? What are the elevation profiles? So many problems of sustainability and the environment, McKenna said. sustainability question. We haven’t decided exactly what form this dance of krill into the paths of ships — faced the same fate. these students mapped trails, performed statistical analyses Task force members, who have been drawn from departments effort will take. But we have all of our building blocks in place.” They’ll never get an accurate count as dead whales tend to sink. and are now developing an app. So visitors will have access A deckhand on whale-watching excursions for the to all hiking trails.” Ocean Institute in Dana Point, Calif., Bissell has an affinity At Wrigley, researchers don’t follow where those paths for these majestic creatures, especially blue whales — the lead. As Ralph Waldo Emerson would say, they go instead largest animal ever to exist on Earth. where there is no path and leave a trail.

40 Fall 2013 / Winter 2014 41 BRIAN RODYSILL ’12 IS ATTENDING MEDICAL SCHOOL AT THE MAYO CLINIC COLLEGE OF MEDICINE IN ROCHESTER, MINN. HE GRADU- ATED FROM USC DORNSIFE WITH A BACHELOR’S DEGREE IN ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES AND A MINOR IN NATURAL SCIENCE.

WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO GO INTO MEDICINE? My drive crystallized after suffering severe spinal trauma in a skiing accident in 2010. Shat- tered bone fragments punctured my spinal canal, resulting in a lack of feeling and move- ment from the waist down. After 13 hours of reconstructive surgery, I could wiggle my left foot for the first time since the accident. It was an incredible moment. I was given a new direc- tion in life. My subsequent care as I recovered exposed me to the complexity of health care systems and formed my interest in the delivery of health care. While shadowing physicians, I have seen how approaching a problem from multiple viewpoints is a critical skill. This is something my background in envi- ronmental studies has instilled in me: thinking systematically about complex problems.

HOW DID YOUR INTEREST IN ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES TALK ABOUT YOUR UNDERGRADUATE PROBLEMS WITHOUT DEVELOP? PASSPORTS (PWP) OVERSEAS TRIP. My concerns about the environment and sustainability began in high The PWP program in Belize was among the most gratifying experiences school, when I started a group that led to a statewide award from U.S. in my life. We were studying the collapse of societies using ancient Maya Sen. Amy Klobuchar. After I graduated, I was encouraged to see students as a case study. We lived in traditional thatched-roof bungalows, ate from the group finish a project that raised $170,000 to put solar panels local cuisine and toured organic farms. We also taught at schools in the on Rochester’s four high schools. Belizean jungle. The dynamic interactions between human and natural systems fasci- Through anthropological and archaeological analyses, I learned about nate me. In my coursework at USC, I learned how changes in one system the current natural preservation and conservation efforts in Belize. I THESE SUPERHEROES ARE FIGHTING AGAINST HUMAN SUFFERING AND POLLUTION, AND TO KEEP THE DESERT impact various others. Learning about pollution and food production learned that it is possible for a population to outgrow the capacity of an related to public health clarified my interest in the medical field. area, even with advanced technology, and that sociopolitical establish- TORTOISE ALIVE. FOR THE FIRST TIME, THE ENVIRONMENTAL AVENGERS REMOVE THEIR MASKS. by Laura Paisley ments can quickly fall apart when food scarcity and climatic crisis occur. This planet patrol toils diligently to combat forces working against environmental health. IF YOU COULD CURE ANY MEDICAL MALADY, WHICH Recent alumni from USC Dornsife’s dynamic Environmental Studies Program pursue a host of professional paths — from law to medicine, busi- WOULD IT BE? ness and conservation — and are united by their shared interest in making the world a healthier place for all. Curing people of debilitating neurological/neuropathic pain and suffering. Whether it’s briefing Gov. Jerry Brown on issues or rising at 3 a.m. to beat the punishing desert heat to track threatened desert tortoises, these Given my personal experience, I have real empathy for this type of suffer- heroes are fighting the good fight. ing and hope to develop surgical and regenerative medicine therapeutics in this area.

42 Fall 2013 / Winter 2014 43 LAURA WANG ’12 IS AN EXECUTIVE FELLOW FOR RENEWABLE ENERGY IN THE OFFICE OF CALIFORNIA GOV. JERRY BROWN. PREVIOUSLY, SHE WORKED FOR THE WHITE HOUSE COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY. WANG GRADUATED FROM USC DORNSIFE WITH A PROGRESSIVE MASTER’S DEGREE IN ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES.

DESCRIBE YOUR JOB WORKING ON GOV. JERRY BROWN’S RENEWABLE ENERGY TEAM. I work in the executive branch on energy and environ- mental policy for the state, preparing talking points and memos on issues, and managing some of the governor’s own initiatives. I wrote a summary of climate change impacts and consequences for California, which the governor used in his 2013 State of the State address. It’s exciting; you read about issues in the news, then the next day you’re actually working on that same controversial hydraulic fracking legislation.* California has a very diverse population, and this must be reflected in our environmental policies. In the governor’s office, we’re serving the people of California, who have many dispa- rate interests. Balancing those is a big challenge.

HOW DOES THIS JOB BUILD ON YOUR EXPE- RIENCE INTERNING IN THE WHITE HOUSE? My internship directly exposed me to executive branch management, which is a lot of corralling and directing agencies, while representing an administration’s view. My boss was the associate director of National Environmen- tal Policy Act (NEPA) Oversight, which essentially directs every government department or agency to write up an environmental impact statement that examines the environmental effects of agency actions. NEPA was en- acted in 1969, but there is a push to reinvigorate it since today’s environmental planning has evolved. Interns worked on initiatives to modernize it — using electronic TIFFANY PEREIRA ’11 IS A RESEARCH ASSOCIATE AT THE SAN DIEGO ZOO’S DESERT TORTOISE CONSERVATION CENTER LOCATED IN THE tracking and finding better ways to streamline the policy MOHAVE DESERT IN NEVADA. SHE GRADUATED FROM USC DORNSIFE WITH A BACHELOR’S DEGREE IN ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES AND A MINOR IN processes. FINE ARTS FROM THE USC ROSKI SCHOOL OF FINE ARTS. TALK ABOUT YOUR SCIENCE DIVING EXPERI- ENCES AT USC. WHY DO YOU LOVE WORKING IN CONSERVATION? DESCRIBE YOUR THESIS ON THE LOS ANGELES RIVER. I was particularly impacted by my Micronesia PWP We take in desert tortoises, a threatened species, and rehabilitate them, The river is considered by many to be little more than a storm drain. Yet it course on ecosystems management. One thing that raising public awareness while conducting research. After tortoises are contains life; its riparian ecosystem exists in the northern reaches, giving always stuck with me is the statistic that 99 percent of released for relocation, they are radio tagged and I go out and track them. birds, fish and even humans a safe haven. I researched this ecosystem scientists believe in climate change but less than half of I love being in the field, being outdoors and contributing to research that from a dual artistic and scientific perspective. I created anthotype and politicians do. I wondered why we don’t follow the sci- furthers scientific understanding. In conservation we’re not just protect- cyanotype photographs, developing the pictures with the extracts of fruit. ence. It drove home the fact that we have good science ing these resources for ourselves, we want to spark public interest for a I also created an oil painting of the river on unprimed canvas using tar data, but the policy context is where I want to focus. better understanding of what we do. It’s fulfilling to me but I hope that from the La Brea Tar Pits. But I consider the temporality of it all: through This was reinforced by my science diving at the USC when people see the results, it fulfills them, too. the sun’s rays and oxidation, all these works will eventually fade away. Wrigley Marine Science Center on Catalina Island, at Big The tar will eat at the canvas just as pollutants make it difficult for life to Fisherman’s Cove, a protected marine area. In an inde- YOU ARE ALSO AN ARTIST. HOW DO YOU VIEW YOUR exist in the ecosystem. This idea of temporality causes us to think deeply pendent research project, I developed a methodology ROLE IN THE INTERSECTION OF SCIENCE AND ART? about what we value. for monitoring the health of the marine protected area. In science, people tend to believe that answers are right or wrong. The project is still being used by USC students. Environmental studies, however, is a science that deals with interactions IF YOU WERE ANY ASPECT OF THE L.A. RIVER, WHAT California Gov. Jerry Brown in September 2013 signed into between people and the environment. A gray area arises through the WOULD YOU BE? IF YOU COULD HAVE ANY SUPERPOWER law regulations for hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, a process human element, the interpretation and implementation of solutions as The collective spirit of the people who are trying to revitalize the river — RELATED TO GOVERNMENT WORK, WHAT denounced by environmental groups. In preparation for the people try to agree on conflicting ideas. There are various perspectives, the people who use and appreciate the river, not seeing it as storm drain- WOULD IT BE? development of shale-oil reserves, the state now requires whether cultural, ethnic or racial. age but as a living ecosystem. The ability to comprehend draft legislation and bill permits to use the drilling technique. Through this method, Therefore, I think the key problem facing environmental scientists is com- analyses with lightning speed. In government you still millions of gallons of chemically treated water are injected munication. As a scientist and artist, I believe creative mediums can power- find words like “hereunto.” Legislators don’t write their underground, loosening rock and freeing oil and natural gas. fully convey scientific fact. Through the union of the two, complex environ- bills for easy public consumption. Energy companies will have to disclose the ingredients in mental issues can be addressed in a novel, impactful and engaging way. fracking fluid and notify nearby landowners of their plans.

44 ILLUSTRATIONS BY NIKLAS ASKER FOR USC DORNSIFE MAGAZINE Fall 2013 / Winter 2014 45 WHAT PROMPTED YOU TO PURSUE A DEGREE IN LAW? HOW DID YOUR INTERNSHIP AT GREEN CHAMBER OF COM- I have known since high school that I wanted the environment to be MERCE (GCC) INFORM YOUR LAW WORK? a prominent part of my career, and that I wanted to pursue law. I am I’m really interested in green businesses both from a business and a law DESCRIBE HOW YOUR CURRENT JOB HELPS specifically interested in working with environmental companies and perspective. I think the key to environmental change is leveraging both IMPLEMENT CALIFORNIA’S LANDMARK CAP- legislation. My lifelong goal is to improve consumer products by changing business and policy change. GCC was great because it brought together AND-TRADE* PROGRAM. product labeling to give clear information about the impact the product so many green businesses I would never have been exposed to other- The Climate Action Reserve specializes in the regulatory and its manufacturing has on human health and the environment. Con- wise. It devotes itself to policy promotion, and many of the policies were and voluntary carbon offset market. We work on projects sumers have the right to know what’s in the products they purchase. new to me. Now I’m informed at the local [San Francisco] level about the related to forestry, livestock and landfills. In a landfill op- Styrofoam ban, opting in to the yellow pages, the banning of plastic bags eration, the decomposition of waste creates methane — TALK ABOUT YOUR RESEARCH ON PRODUCT LABELING AS and the sale of shark fins. So the experience gave me a great introduction a greenhouse gas — that goes into the atmosphere. We PART OF YOUR PROGRESSIVE MASTER’S DEGREE. to businesses interacting directly with environmental policy. create the guidelines for how to destroy the methane. Many people want to be “green” or vote with their dollar, but without Landfill owners then implement those guidelines and get readily available product information, they aren’t going to do the eco- IF YOU COULD HAVE DINNER WITH ANY ENVIRONMENTAL- it verified by a third party. This is where my job comes nomic impact analysis on their own. So my research explored the idea of IST, WHO WOULD IT BE? in. The verification body creates a report and submits it employing a universal grading scale, labeling all products with a green Al Gore. The former vice president was a huge inspiration for my interest to us and as an administrator I review it and make sure score for environmental impact on a scale of one to 100 so that consum- in environmental studies. He directed much-needed attention to the the reductions are real and accurate. We’ll look for tiny ers can make an informed decision when they buy. topic of climate change, bringing it from an environmental issue to a hu- details like, were they calibrating the instruments cor- People put a lot of trust into companies to do the right thing with their man issue, affecting how we live daily. rectly, according to the guidelines we established? When resources, so it’s the job of the people and the government to ask com- we approve their project, we generate climate reserve panies to give back to communities. tonnes, a unit with a price on the market. Companies buy these carbon offsets so they can mitigate their emis- sions profiles.

HOW DID YOUR PWP ECOSYSTEM MANAGE- MENT COURSE IN MICRONESIA SHAPE YOUR CAREER INTERESTS? That course was research meets policy meets global development. We did a case study in Guam looking at the impact of military development on the coral reef ecosystem, contrasting it with Palau, a well-managed marine environment. I saw how establishing a baseline is a key starting point in developing long-term resource management. It’s the same with the industry I’m in; without baseline data you cannot create effective carbon reduction projects. I also learned that business is the main driver behind climate change and the biggest area that must be shifted in order for the global population to reduce its carbon footprint.

STEPHEN HOLLE ’13 is a reserve administrator at the Los Angeles environmental nonprofit Climate Action Reserve. He graduated from USC Dornsife with a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies with a concentration in sustainability.

HOW DO YOU MAINTAIN A POSITIVE OUTLOOK IN THIS IF YOU COULD IMPLEMENT ONE ENVIRONMENTAL/SUS- FIELD? TAINABILITY WISH, WHAT WOULD IT BE? I feel cynical when the Environmental Protection Agency is supposed to I would install a worldwide smart grid in order to effectively integrate release rules for regulating emissions from power plants and it keeps renewable sources of energy and end reliance on fossil fuels. taking longer and longer. Same thing with cap-and-trade. Money is being borrowed from the auctions to balance the budget in California, but those funds were originally intended for projects that reduce greenhouse gas Cap-and-trade is a market-based regulation designed to re- emissions. But I see encouraging things in the private sector — compa- duce greenhouse gases (GHGs) from multiple sources. Cap- nies that voluntarily offset or mitigate their emissions and find efficien- and-trade sets a firm limit or “cap” on GHGs and minimizes cies. That motivates me to be a part of the driving force shifting some of the compliance costs of achieving the goals of Assembly Bill the biggest companies in the world toward sustainability. 32. Called the Global Warming Solutions Act, the bill is an environmental and economic response to climate change.

ELISE FABBRO ’11, ’12 is attending law school at the University of San Diego, in San Diego, Calif. She graduated from USC Dornsife with bachelor’s degrees in political science and environmental studies and a progressive master’s degree in environmental studies.

46 Fall 2013 / Winter 2014 47 ‘Ouroices heardhave been ’

Residents in low-income communities in Los Angeles County are benefiting from the Program for Environ- mental and Regional Equity. By producing critical research, the program is becoming a statewide model for Venvironmental justice.

by Michelle Salzman Boston

The early morning hour was taking its toll on Maria Guz- Pacoima is nestled in the northeast corner of the San man as she stood near a freeway underpass in Pacoima, Ca- Fernando Valley, hugged by long stretches of the 5, 118 and lif. As the sun rose and traffic chugged by, she diligently 210 freeways. recorded her coordinates with a Global Positioning System Clusters of residential streets lined with single-story BREATH OF FRESH AIR receiver. The numbers ticked up on her handheld air moni- ranch houses alternate with roads dotted with signs adver- Maria Guzman helped PERE tor. Guzman noted the air-quality levels. tising tire services, auto body shops, custom granite coun- and other organizations col- She frowned. tertops, plastering services and car batteries for sale. The lect air-quality data in the “Most people in this neighborhood don’t realize what the small community, covering approximately seven square Pacoima, Calif., neighbor- polluted air does to your health,” Guzman said. miles, also contains an airport and a scrap metal recycling hood, which is surrounded by The mother of two knows all too well. Guzman, who plant. At the community’s eastern border is the Los Ange- freeways. Studies show that resides in nearby Sylmar, lived in Pacoima for many years. les Department of Water and Power’s Generating Station in those living near air pollution Her son and daughter suffered from severe asthma in their Sun Valley. A few blocks from an elementary school, planes sources have a higher risk of youth. She wants to ensure that other children and families constantly arrive and depart from an airport. asthma, as her children expe- are not affected by toxic emissions. “I know these are not things that are good for the en- rienced. They also risk cancer A health promoter at the environmental health and jus- vironment, especially when you have a school nearby with and respiratory illnesses. tice nonprofit Pacoima Beautiful, Guzman and a team of little kids,” Guzman said. “When their lungs are growing, volunteers took turns monitoring air contamination levels it’s really, really bad.” in their communities. Trained by Manuel Pastor, director Low-income communities of color, like Pacoima, are of the Program for Environmental and Regional Equity particularly at risk because they are more likely to live close (PERE) at USC Dornsife, and James Sadd, professor of to air pollution sources. Studies show such communities environmental science at Occidental College, they did this have higher risk and incidence of cancer and respiratory ill- eight times a day for one week as part of a community-based nesses such as asthma. According to the Los Angeles Times participatory project called Ground Truthing — finding Mapping Project, roughly 85 percent of Pacoima’s popu- facts on the ground about the true state of local air pollution. lation is Latino and median annual household income is

48 P HOTOS BY DAMON CASAREZ Fall 2013 / Winter 2014 49 $49,000, though the majority of households earn less than equity, grassroots organizing and policy development. Fall- $40,000 a year. ing in line with the program’s mission, every report pro- PERE, together with community organizations and duced by PERE is made freely available to the public online. researchers throughout L.A. — the Los Angeles Collab- Pastor launched PERE when he joined USC Dornsife’s orative for Environmental Health and Justice — have dedi- faculty in 2007. A long-time advocate for environmental cated their efforts to providing fair and equitable protection justice and regional inclusion, he wanted to continue his from environmental and health hazards for all, a movement work as a faculty member at the University of California, known as environmental justice. The Ground Truthing pro- Santa Cruz, and before that at Occidental College in Los gram Guzman participated in was part of a collaborative ef- Angeles, Calif. fort toward policy change to protect vulnerable communities. The professor of sociology and American studies and It is one example of many PERE projects promoting change. ethnicity also co-directs USC Dornsife’s Center for the Study of Immigrant Integration (CSII), which gathers data to understand the plight and impact of immigrants as “We don’t change the world, they acclimate into American life. CSII and PERE share much of the same staff, which, in addition to professional data analysts, includes undergraduate and graduate student we work with people researchers. Tiffany Pereira, an environmental studies major who earned her bachelor’s degree from USC Dornsife in 2011, who change the world.” had never heard the term “environmental justice” until Pastor presented on the topic in one of her courses on sustainability. “I didn’t know much about it, but it really struck me because growing up in Los Angeles, we are in an envi- Led by Pastor, PERE is a research center focusing on ronment that’s so intertwined with the urban landscape,” issues of regional equity, social movement building and en- Pereira said. “It’s something most people don’t think vironmental justice. PERE’s goal is to move research from about.” That summer she worked with PERE as a student university halls to public policy by partnering with change assistant, participating in a program that brought local SENSITIVE POPULATIONS agents on the ground — such as Guzman’s work with Pa- high school students to the USC campus to teach them The Ground Truthing effort coima Beautiful — to help improve communities. about environmental justice. in Los Angeles’ toxic hotspot “We don’t change the world, we work with people who Pereira said students got fired up. neighborhoods determined change the world,” is among PERE’s slogans. “Wait, is this going on in my community?” they asked that groups such as children “Our fundamental motivators are issues of social justice her incredulously. and the elderly are more and inclusion,” Pastor said. “We have found that the envi- PERE is contributing to a number of research projects susceptible to health hazards ronment is something everyone thinks should be enjoyed that tackle environmental justice concerns in Los Angeles than indicated in state and universally, so understanding inequity in exposure to en- from different angles. Collaborating with researchers from federal databases. vironmental hazards helps people to see that inequity may the University of California, Berkeley, Occidental College exist in other aspects of society — access to education, jobs, and elsewhere, they have created a body of research inves- etc. — and that it is structural and should be remedied.” tigating what’s known as the climate gap, the way vulner- Under the approach of what Pastor terms the “new three able communities are disproportionately affected by climate Rs” — rigor, relevance and reach — PERE provides the change. They have also contributed to pivotal research foundational research central to making a case for action. helping to produce more solar power in L.A. (see sidebar Staff expertise includes data analysis, urban planning, racial below). In addition to environmental justice concerns, they

A Place in the Sun by Michelle Salzman Boston NO ONE IS LEFT OUT OF THE and reduce 147 metric tons of carbon emissions into the atmo- solar potential to ensure equal access to the program. “We found out that many apartment units and industrial units that NATION’S BIGGEST SOLAR sphere — the equivalent of removing 28,300 cars from roads. A previous program targeted higher income Los Angeles had significant solar potential were actually in low-income commu- FEED-IN TARIFF PROGRAM Many of the homes and businesses benefiting from the feed-in businesses and residents. Called the California Solar Initiative, nities of color,” professor Manuel Pastor, PERE director, said. AFTER PERE STEPS IN. tariff are located in low-income areas thanks in part to USC Dorn- it permitted households and businesses to install solar systems The reports also showed that high-need areas are not only “Many apartment sife’s Program for Environmental and Regional Equity (PERE). to offset their annual energy load. The program tapped into a se- hotspots of solar potential, but are in close proximity to a number Gleaming rows of solar panels For years, organizations in Los Angeles have searched for solu- lect area of Los Angeles area businesses and residents who could of solar panel installation training programs, which educate a and industrial units lined the rooftop of the Oxnard tions to meet California’s mandate to produce 33 percent of its afford the upfront costs of solar. The feed-in tariff would expand well-trained workforce. Those workers could also benefit from a with significant solar Plaza Apartments in North energy from renewable sources by 2020, reducing the state’s benefits to a greater population of the city, said Mary Leslie, LABC robust tariff program, which would drive job development in the potential were in low- Hollywood, Calif. Then-Los An- reliance on coal-produced energy. Their plan was to harness the president. city resulting in market growth, Pastor said. income communities geles Mayor Antonio Villarai- power of one of California’s most bountiful, natural resources: “Our goal was to include all types of properties in the solar roof- With the city’s solar rooftop program, the pieces fell into place of color.” gosa flipped a switch to “on.” nearly year-round sunshine. top market,” Leslie said. ensuring that disadvantaged communities would access the feed- MANUEL PASTOR, director The June 2013 event marked the first solar installation connect- To that end, the Los Angeles Business Council (LABC) and the Partnering with UCLA’s Luskin Center for Innovation, the U.S. in tariff. The kickoff event at the North Hollywood rooftop also of USC Dornsife’s Program for ed to the city’s power grid as part of the Los Angeles Department CLEAN L.A. Coalition sought to put in place a feed-in tariff program. Department of Housing and Urban Development and other entities, signified that the local, trained workforce would be put to work. Environmental and Regional Equity (PERE) and professor of of Water and Power’s Feed-In Tariff Program. The largest rooftop A feed-in tariff would allow the LADWP to pay households and PERE and its team contributed to two crucial reports commis- “Beyond those two elements, what was significant for us was that sociology and American studies solar feed-in tariff program in the United States, it is slated to businesses a set price for the renewable energy they generate from sioned by the LABC. One studied the potential market for a solar we were able to bridge the gap between environmentalists, business and ethnicity. generate 150 megawatts of clean, renewable solar energy. That is rooftop solar panels. The council and coalition approached PERE to feed-in tariff program in Los Angeles. The other investigated the leaders and communities of color,” Pastor said. “Our analysis helped enough energy to power more than 43,000 single-family homes help determine how to address economically distressed areas with potential workforce to install panels once a tariff was established. make the case about how everyone could benefit from solar energy.”

50 Fall 2013 / Winter 2014 51 FRANK C. BAXTER, 1953

Reyna Hernandez, a volunteer with Pacoima Beautiful who also participated in Ground Truthing, said that while The birth of Little Ricky on LegacyI Love Lucy may have been the it’s just the beginning, it was rewarding to see the Clean Up Green Up proposal coming to fruition. biggest event on television “We know our voices have been heard,” Hernandez said back in 1953, but Ricky wasn’t in Spanish. As a 17-year Pacoima resident, she sees environ- the only pop culture icon to mental awareness building. More people are participating rear his bald head that year. in community cleanups, she said, adding, “I’m hopeful for Six decades ago, TV viewers the future.” also met the USC scholar who While there is progress on the local level, PERE’s re- taught them the wonders of search has made inroads at the state level as well. literature, history and sci- The technical model for Ground Truthing was an envi- ence, all from the comfort of ronmental justice screening method developed for statewide their living room. use by Pastor, Sadd and their longtime collaborator, UC Having been voted by Berkeley professor Rachel Morello-Frosch. The California students the most popular Air Resources Board (CARB), the part of the California professor in America, Frank C. Environmental Protection Agency dedicated to protecting Baxter, a Cambridge-educat- residents from air pollutants, had commissioned the trio to ed English professor, seemed identify vulnerable California communities. a natural choice when Los “What was really innovative about their work was that Angeles CBS affiliate KNXT ap- they used a science-based approach to mapping environ- proached USC with the idea of mental justice communities throughout the state,” said Ál- developing a weekly hourlong varo Alvarado, manager of the Health and Ecosystems As- program to fill the station’s sessment Section of CARB. The screening method scores public service obligation. have produced a large body of work on regional equity — neighborhoods’ proximity to hazards as well as their health Every Saturday morning, reducing socioeconomic disparities — and social movements. risks, social vulnerability indicators and land use designa- more than 400,000 people in ASSURING EQUITY The program’s efforts recently made a huge leap forward tions. The information collected is then presented visually Southern California tuned into PERE is contributing to a in L.A., as well as at the state level. on a map that can be used in citing, zoning and policy de- Baxter’s Shakespeare on TV plethora of research projects The data gathered by the Ground Truthing teams in Pa- velopment processes identifying overburdened communi- to watch the popular lecturer that address environmental coima and five other toxic hotspot communities — Boyle ties, as was done to inform the Clean Up Green Up policy. discuss the Bard. Viewers justice — a term used to Heights, Figueroa Corridor, Wilmington, Commerce and Their screening technique became a template for CalEn- were invited to enroll in describe fair and equitable Maywood — showed that there were more hazards in closer viroScreen, the California Office of Environmental Health English 356a. Nearly 400 paid protection from environmen- contact with sensitive populations, such as children and the Hazard’s environmental justice screening method. The $12 and took it for credit; 900 tal hazards such as pollution elderly, than indicated in state and federal databases, as well method will be used on a statewide level to identify com- others audited the course. from generating plants — as significant locational errors when pinpointing hazards. munities overburdened by environmental hazards. Califor- Instantly recognizable for all. The communities’ research also revealed that air pollution nia’s Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 stipulates that because of his round face and levels regularly exceeded safety standards recommended by overburdened communities must benefit from investments ever-present glasses, Baxter the state. Their conclusions were published in a 2010 report in greenhouse gas reduction methods. became a local celebrity. His called “Hidden Hazards.” Ask Pastor what he thinks of the progress that PERE has celebrity grew when CBS de- Those findings became the basis for a land use and plan- made so far, and he says simply that there is always more cided to take Shakespeare on ning proposal called Clean Up Green Up, which would work to be done. TV to a national audience. The look at the cumulative effects of environmental pollutants “It’s never enough,” Pastor said, “But we’ve made good show ultimately garnered a produced by businesses. The status quo was considering progress at becoming a trusted ally for community groups slew of accolades, including a each pollution source individually. Clean Up Green Up and a trusted source of facts and information for agencies, Peabody, Sylvania Award and would create green zones in Pacoima, Boyle Heights and academics and others.” seven Emmy Awards. Baxter followed up Shake- Wilmington, where polluters would be targeted for tougher Moving forward, PERE wants to make a larger impact PHOTO COURTESY OF USC ARCHIVES UNIVERSITY inspections and enforcement. Businesses would receive re- on the world and at the university, he said. speare on TV with other Elizabethan naval battles and chair of the English depart- ity programs in distance edu- people are best pleased at the low, sources to help them green up, by providing technical as- Michele Prichard knows this can happen. The director educational programs, such Altimira cave drawings. ment for eight years. He cation, a concept that, in the hypnotic and opiate level. There sistance to help them understand environmental rules and of Common Agenda at Liberty Hill, an L.A.-based foun- as Now and Then, Renais- He even appeared in a retired from USC in 1961, his technological age, remains is no law in America which acquire green technology. dation advancing social change, has worked closely with sance on TV and Harvest. series of films produced by last lecture documented by an important component of deprives people of reading.” In June 2013, the Los Angeles City Council moved the PERE on many ventures, including the Ground Truthing Described by The New York Bell Telephone Laboratories the Los Angeles Times. education at USC. —D.K. plan forward by directing the L.A. City Planning Depart- project. Times as “TV’s first intellec- — several helmed by It’s a Baxter continued to appear ment to research, analyze and draft the Clean Up Green “The fact that their research has been informed by the tual glamour boy,” Baxter’s Wonderful Life director Frank in many movies and television Although the medium of televi- SEND YOUR MEMORIES TO Up policy. It was a major victory for environmental justice. voice of the community is very unique and special,” she said. popularity allowed him to Capra. The films cast Baxter in programs. sion made him famous, Baxter USC Dornsife Magazine, Guzman said she was incredibly proud of the progress “PERE’s researchers have really been willing to go outside broaden his range of educa- the role of “Dr. Research.” He died in 1982, but he left preferred books to a flickering Citigroup Center 8206, 41st Floor, made since those early mornings measuring air quality. “I’m the traditional arenas of laboratories and libraries. They in- tional topics. Soon, he was Despite his hectic TV behind a legacy of educating screen. In his last lecture at Los Angeles, CA 90089-8206 or 100 percent sure there will be many changes as a result of vestigate and understand the problems from many different educating the public on every- schedule, Baxter taught four the masses. He proved that USC, he remarked that “The [email protected] this policy,” she said. facets, including the people on the ground.” thing from Egyptian hymns to courses at USC and served as academia could develop qual- idiots who run TV ... think

52 Fall 2013 / Winter 2014 53 DORNSIFE FAMILY

FACULTY CANON

Press / John R. Hubbard Chair in of middle school students from British History and professor of South Central Los Angeles the op- Of Kings, Queens and Other history Judith Bennett, co-editing portunity to document their lives with Ruth Karras, provides a com- through photography while exam- prehensive overview of the gender ining how the subjects experience Gnarly Dudes rules encountered in Europe in the and react to the social problems Historian and wave rider Peter Westwick co-written a history of one of the period between approximately 500 associated with their community, world’s oldest sports. and 1500 C.E. Included in the book their reflections on living there is an essay on gender and Chris- and how they deal with daily chal- Whether shooting tubes in Malibu, Calif., or hanging ten in Waikiki, Hawaii, surfers tianization by USC Dornsife history lenges, including gangs violence have long held a reputation for counterculture cool. With their bronzed bodies and sun- and religion professor Lisa Bitel. and drug warfare. kissed tresses, surfers occupy a spot in popular culture where carefree attitudes, athletic SEQUENTIAL EXPERIMENTA- BLIND IMPRESSIONS: Methods ANYTHING THAT MOVES: LAW AND PIETY IN MEDIEVAL NEPTUNE PARK Omnidaen prowess and primal nature intersect. TION IN CLINICAL TRIALS: and Mythologies in Book His- Renegade Chefs, Fearless Eat- ISLAM Cambridge University Publishing / Daniel Tiffany, pro- In his new book, The World in the Curl: An Unconventional History of Surfing (Crown, Design and Analysis Springer/ tory University of Pennsylvania ers, and the Making of a New Press / Megan Reid, assistant fessor of English and comparative 2013), assistant research professor of history and wave aficionado Peter Westwick maps out Co-author Jay L. Bartroff, as- Press / English professor Joseph American Food Culture River- professor of religion, recovers literature, offers readers a skewing the colorful origins of the sport and shines a light on the forces that sparked its popularity. sociate professor of mathematics, A. Dane reexamines the field of head Books / MPW lecturer Dana stories of medieval men and women of verbal clichés, apocalyptic nar- Co-written with Peter Neushul, University of California, Santa Barbara visiting se- presents an integrated methodol- material book history by ques- Goodyear looks at the shocking who were renowned not only for ratives and the Southern California nior associate history researcher, the book traces the beginnings of surfing to the fifth ogy for sequential experimenta- tioning its most basic assump- extremes of the contemporary their intellectual prowess, but also post-war suburban landscape. century — a time when Polynesian kings, queens and commoners paddled into the ocean tion in clinical trials that allows tions and definitions. American food world. their devotional piety. She shows off the coast of Hawaii and made surfing a centerpiece of their lives, from religion to sequential learning during the what it meant to be a good Muslim sexual relations. course of a trial to improve the in the medieval period and how The authors delve into how colonialism and capitalism allowed modern surfing to efficiency of the trial design. Islamic law defined holy behavior. emerge at the beginning of the 20th century and how issues such as the Cold War, tech- nology, race relations and gender have transformed the sport. COLLECTING ACROSS CUL- HOW ARISTOTLE GETS BY IN Another facet of the book deals directly with the politics of environmentalism, a sub- TURES: Material Exchanges METAPHYSICS ZETA Oxford ject close to the authors’ hearts. in the Early Modern Atlantic University Press / Professor “Surfers ride the interface between civilization and the oceanic wilderness. Since they World University of Pennsylvania Emeritus of Philosophy Frank A. are often the first people impacted by sewage, oil spills, beach access and coastal en- Press / Co-authored by Daniela Lewis presents a closely argued gineering — not to mention Bleichmar, associate professor of exposition of Metaphysics Zeta global warming — you would art history and history, and Peter C. — one of Aristotle’s most dense expect surfers to be at the Mancall, Andrew W. Mellon Profes- and controversial texts. CAUSES, LAWS, & FREE WILL: forefront of the environmen- sor of the Humanities, professor THE POLITICS OF VOLUNTEER- THE POLITICS OF BELONGING: Why Determinism Doesn’t tal movement,” said West- of history and anthropology, and ING Polity / Associate Professor of Race, Public Opinion, and Im- Matter Oxford University Press / wick, also the director of the vice dean for the humanities at USC Sociology Nina Eliasoph provides migration University of Chicago Kadri Vihvelin, associate profes- Aerospace History Project THE COLOR MASTER: Stories Dornsife, 14 essays shed light on the a framework for evaluating the role Press / political science professor THE POLITICAL ECOLOGY OF sor of philosophy, argues that the at the Huntington-USC In- Doubleday / English professor ways in which objects in collections of civic associations in social and and co-author Jane Junn illus- THE METROPOLIS: Metro- philosophical flight from common stitute on California and the Aimee Bender combines gnomic served to create knowledge about political life, as well as in their own trates patterns of public opinion politan Sources of Electrical sense is a mistake. West. “Despite their direct postmodern prose with whimsical distant peoples. lives as active citizens. on immigration and explains why Behaviour in Eleven Countries experience of swimming in fairy tale reveries about people Americans hold the attitudes European Consortium for Political sewage, surfers as a group have searching for connection through they do. Research Press / Based on an often proved to be indifferent love, sex and family—while navi- empirical analysis of 11 national activists; they were relative gating the often painful realities cases, this study — co-edited latecomers to environmental of their lives. by Associate Professor of Politi- politics, and though they have THE GVAR HANDBOOK: cal Science and Environmental become much more mobilized Structure and Applications of Studies Jefferey M. Sellers and have won some victories a Macro Model of the Global — documents the pervasive- through groups like Surfrid- Economy for Policy Analysis ness and importance of the er, their influence struggles Oxford University Press / re-territorialization of politics in to keep pace with increasing M. Hashem Pesaran, John a globalized world and provides a DIPLOMACY IN A GLOBAL- threats to the environment.” Elliott Distinguished Chair in Eco- powerful new thesis for explaining IZING WORLD: Theories and In the end, surfing is about ENCYCLOPEDIA OF RUSSIAN ITALY: Modern Architectures nomics and professor of econom- a number of recent shifts in politi- Practices Oxford University Press / fun, about the adrenaline rush STAGE DESIGN 1880-1930 in History Reaktion Books / ics, co-edited this collection that cal preferences and voting habits. Geoffrey Wiseman, professor in of catching the perfect wave Antique Collectors’ Club / John Diane Ghirardo, professor of “WE LIVE IN THE SHADOW”: analyzes how the original global the practice of international rela- and communing with nature. E. Bowlt, professor of Slavic architecture and art history, exam- Inner-City Kids Tell Their vector autoregression model tions and public diplomacy, co- The World in the Curl demon- languages and literature, co- ines Italy’s 19th and 20th century Stories through Photographs (GVAR) of the global economy has edited a volume in which scholars strates why avid surfers like to THE OXFORD HANDBOOK OF authored this reference book on post-unification transformation to Temple University Press / Elaine evolved over the years and shows debate the changing nature of say, “Surfing is life, the rest is WOMEN AND GENDER IN ME- Russian stage designs of the late identify a distinctly Italian archi- Bell Kaplan, associate profes- how powerful the model can be contemporary diplomacy and its details.” —D.K. DIEVAL EUROPE Oxford University 19th and early 20th centuries. tectural language. sor of sociology, gives a group as a tool for policy analysis. future direction.

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Faculty News EDWARD FINEGAN, professor PATRICK JAMES, Dean’s MATTHEW PRATT, assis- ALAN WATTS, professor of Alumni News emeritus of linguistics and Professor of International tant professor of chemistry biological sciences, physiol- JOSHUA AIZENMAN, Robert law, was selected as president Relations and director of and biological sciences, was ogy and biophysics, has been 1950s R. and Katheryn A. Dock- of the International Associa- the Center for International named a 2013 Emerging Investi- named president-elect of the CARL R. TERZIAN (B.A., son Chair in Economics and tion of Forensic Linguists and Studies, received the best pa- gator by ChemComm, a leading Society for the Study of Ingestive history, ’57), a public relations LewMitchell Lew ’83 is a physicianCan and USC AlumniDo International Relations, gave appointed editor of dictionaries per award from the International chemical sciences journal Behavior. consultant, was re-elected to a FirmBonnie Nijst ’81 owns aWinner company recently named Association Board of Governors president. the keynote address at the Asia- for the Journal of the Dictionary Studies Association (West) and published by the Royal Society three-year term on the board of 2013 Minority Professional Services Firm of the Year. Pacific Economic Association Society of North America. was appointed Global Scholar of Chemistry. He also received a Department of Psychology trustees at Woodbury University Physician, health care en- Meeting at Osaka University in in Residence at Westminster Michael J. Fox Foundation grant faculty members GAYLA in Burbank, CA. A successful minority trepreneur and longtime Osaka, Japan. He also gave an SUSAN FORSBURG, profes- College and Official Faculty Visi- for research into treatment for MARGOLIN, ELLEN LEGGETT business owner, Bonnie USC volunteer Mitchell invited lecture at the Economic sor of biological sciences, was tor for Nuffield College, Oxford Parkinson’s disease. and JESSE GRAHAM received 1960s Nijst encountered sexism W. Lew (B.A., biological Institute of the National Bank of elected a fellow of the California University. a grant from the John Ran- THOMAS J. GREEN (B.A., and prejudice on her jour- sciences, ’83; M.D. ’87) Poland; presented a lead paper Academy of Sciences. CAROL PRESCOTT, professor dolph Haynes and Dora Haynes anthropology, ’68) retired after ney to the top. has been elected to the at the Bank of Malaysia’s Confer- PAUL LICHTERMAN, profes- of psychology and gerontol- Foundation to study teens’ views more than 20 years as director of “I remember someone USC Board of Trustees. ence “Monetary Policy in the ERIC FRIEDLANDER, Dean’s sor of sociology and religion, ogy, was selected as president about justice and the impact the Arkansas Archeological Survey. came into my bureau for Lew is CEO of Prospect New Normal” in Kuala Lumpur, Professor of Mathematics, was received a honorable mention of the Behavior Genetics As- of serving as a teen juror. The a meeting with me and Medical Systems, an in- Malaysia; and was a panelist invited to give a presentation to in the 2013 Distinguished Article sociation for 2012–13. department’s MARGOLIN, DALE GRIBOW (B.A., history, said to my assistant ‘Hi. dependent physician asso- at the Third Annual European the U.S. Presidential Council of Ad- Award competition of the Ameri- DARBY SAXBE, SHRI NARAY- ’65) was rated “Top Lawyer” I’m looking for the Fili- ciation with a network of Financial Congress in Sopot, visors on Science and Technology. can Sociological Association’s RHACEL SALAZAR PARRE- ANAN, ELIZABETH SUSMAN, for the third year in a row by pino girl with her own Lew worked in private practice in obstet- primary care physicians, Gdańsk, Poland. Section on Sociology of Religion. ÑAS, professor and chair of MARY HELEN IMMORDINO- Palm Springs Life and received Bonnie Nijst, president and CEO of ZEES- office.’ Well first of all, rics and gynecology then moved to the SUSAN FRIEDLANDER, pro- sociology, was the invited key- YANG and JACK MCARDLE a plaque for operating one of MAN, is a strong believer in the power of business side of medicine. specialists and affiliated women- and minority-owned businesses. not a girl, second of all, hospitals throughout Los LAURA BAKER, professor of fessor of mathematics, was ALWYN LIM, assistant profes- note speaker at the “Multicultural- (co-investigators) also received America’s top law firms. not Filipino, and third, I Angeles, Orange and Riverside counties. psychology, was appointed to appointed to the MIT Corpora- sor of sociology, received an ism in Asia and the Pacific” inter- a grant from the National Insti- have a name,” said the USC Dornsife alumna, shaking In May 2012, Lew became the first Asian-American the National Institute of Mental tion Visiting Committee for honorable mention for best national conference at Ryukoku tutes of Health Eunice Kennedy JEFF SMULYAN (B.A., history, her head in disbelief. president of the USC Alumni Association Board of Gov- Health study section in behav- Mathematics, 2014–16. article from the American So- University in Kyoto, Japan, as well Shriver National Institute of Child ’68; J.D. ’72) was honored at Nijst is the president and CEO of ZEESMAN, a lead- ernors. Previously, he served as president of the USC ioral genetics and epidemiology. ciological Association’s Section as at the “Research on Families Health and Human Development the 11th staging of the Giants of ing brand strategy and marketing firm. She also serves on Asian Pacific Alumni Association (APAA) from 2009 ANGE-MARIE HANCOCK, as- on Global and Transnational and Relationships” international to study family violence and Broadcasting in New York on Oct. the board of several non-profits, including one devoted to to 2011. University Professor ANTO- sociate professor of political Sociology. conference at the University of young adult dating aggression. 16, 2013. Sponsored by the Li- helping minority businesses thrive. “Mitchell Lew is an accomplished physician, a far- NIO DAMASIO, David Dornsife science and gender studies, Edinburgh in Scotland. brary of American Broadcasting, “There are people who assume minority businesses are sighted businessman and an extraordinary Trojan,” said Chair in Neuroscience, profes- has been elected co-president WILLIAM MCCLURE, profes- USC Dornsife welcomed the event celebrated Smulyan’s somehow inferior and that by bringing one in they’re do- USC President C. L. Max Nikias. “His dedication to sor of psychology and neurol- of the APSA Race, Ethnicity and sor of biological sciences, was BARRY SCHEIN, associate many new faculty members more than 40 years as a pioneer ing them a favor,” Nijst said. “We need to remind them advancing our academic mission, and to raising aware- ogy, and director of the Brain Politics Organized Section and selected by the Kappa Alpha professor of linguistics, was in the 2013-14 academic year. of the radio industry. that these are fully capable, often multi-million dollar ness about USC’s accomplishments in teaching, research and Creativity Institute, and named to the editorial boards Theta fraternity as one of the an invited speaker at the Alice V. Hailing from universities around enterprises, with a lot to offer.” and community service, is unflagging. I look forward to University Professor HANNA of the journals Perspectives on 2012-13 Top 10 Outstanding and Dave H. Morris International the world, the scholars joined 1970s In May, ZEESMAN was named 2013 Minority Pro- his contributions as a member of our Board of Trustees.” DAMASIO, Dana Dornsife Politics and Politics and Gender. Faculty Members for the second Symposium on Language and departments including biological LEE CANAAN (B.S., geological fessional Services Firm of the Year by then-Los Angeles Lew worked for 10 years in private practice in obstetrics Chair in Neuroscience and consecutive year. Communication. sciences, chemistry, econom- sciences, ’78) was nominated Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and the Minority Business and gynecology before moving over to the business side professor of psychology and PIERRETTE HONDAGNEU- ics, English, French and Italian, to the board of directors of Equal Development Agency, a branch of the U.S. Department of medicine. Recognizing the need for better-organized neurology, gave the keynote SOTELO, professor of sociolo- DANIEL A. NATION, assistant JACOB SOLL, professor of physics and astronomy, political Energy, an oil and gas explora- of Commerce. and more cost-efficient health care delivery systems, he address at the World Congress gy, received the Feminist Scholar professor of psychology, history and accounting, science, philosophy, psychol- tion company based in Calgary, “We were thrilled to receive this award,” said Nijst. founded Genesis Healthcare, a Southern California- of Brain, Behavior and Emotion Activist Award from the American completed a National Institutes gave the 6th annual Huygens- ogy, religion and sociology. Their Alberta, Canada. “Promoting minority businesses is not about affirma- based managed services organization. As president and in São Paulo, Brazil. Antonio Sociological Association’s Section of Health-funded postdoctoral Descartes Lecture in Amsterdam research interests range from tive action. It’s about access. All people are asking for is CEO, Lew built Genesis into a major player in the Or- Damasio also received a Doctor on Sex and Gender. She was also fellowship in biological psychia- and the American Library Asso- 19th and 20th century Italian THEODORE (TED) CRAVER an opportunity to compete.” ange County market before selling it to Prospect in 2005. Honoris Causa from Pontífica the invited keynote speaker at the try and neuroscience, during ciation’s annual Holley Lecture. literature to computational, (B.A., economics, ’74; MBA, Growing up the daughter of immigrants in a lower- Lew has also worked to shape the delivery and man- Universidade Católica in Brazil “Gender and Migration: Changes which time he received the Leon behavioral and neuroimaging ’77) was elected vice chairman middle-class community in Los Angeles, Nijst knows agement of health care through his involvement with and a grant from the Mathers and Challenges” international Thal Memorial Travel Award for DAVID TREUER, professor of techniques. The group includes a of Edison Electric Institute. He from personal experience what it means to be given that the California Association of Physician Groups, which Foundation for the study of cel- conference at the Chinese Uni- Neurosciences Research. English, won the General Nonfic- world-renowned economist; an is chairman, president and CEO door-opening opportunity. For her, it came in the form of is dedicated to improving health care quality and value. lular substrates of feeling. versity of Hong Kong. tion Minnesota Book Award for Rez Operation Desert Storm veteran of Edison International, based in an acceptance letter to USC Dornsife, where she earned His passionate involvement with the Trojan Family DIANA O’BRIEN, assistant Life: An Indian’s Journey Through who researches the impact of Rosemead, CA. a bachelor’s degree in English in 1981. USC Provost Professor of Law Associate professor of interna- professor of political science, Reservation Life. This was his sec- military-to-military exchange

extends across the university. Lew serves on the Board QUISTORF DIETMAR BY PHOTO LEW She considers making it to USC Dornsife something of Councilors at USC Dornsife and the USC Associates and Political Science and tional relations JACQUES HY- was awarded the best dis- ond Minnesota Book Award. programs on civil-military rela- TIM FIELD (Ph.D., psychology, of a miracle. Board of Directors. He and his wife, Deena ’85, also a Rader Family Trustee Chair in MANS’ book Achieving Nuclear sertation prize by the American BELL SUSAN BY PHOTO NIJST tions; an expert on Buddhism- ’77) was hired for the second The experience of adapting to her new environment at USC graduate, have established scholarships with the Law LEE EPSTEIN received the Ambitions: Scientists, Politicians Political Science Association’s JODY AGIUS VALLEJO, assis- state relations in China; and a consecutive year to produce and USC, and the benefits of the education she received there, APAA and at USC Dornsife, and are benefactors of pro- Law and Courts Service Award and Proliferation (Cambridge Uni- Women and Politics Research tant professor of sociology, pair of psychologists who will direct a series of internal videos have served her well throughout her career counseling a grams such as the university’s Joint Educational Project for service to the section and versity Press, 2012) received the Section for her thesis “When was awarded a grant from the found the USC Mind and Society for Twentieth Century Fox. diverse range of clients. and the Lew Distinguished Visiting Innovator program the profession, presented by 2013 Louis Brownlow Book Award Women Matter: The Relationship National Science Foundation Center at USC Dornsife. Read “At USC I wrote papers every week about books I had at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and the Law and Courts Section of from the National Academy of Between Women’s Numeric and to study patterns of wealth accu- more about USC Dornsife’s Continued on page 58 never read before. You’d have to read and work out what Journalism. They are proud parents of Amanda ’13 and the American Political Science Public Administration; It also won Policy Representation in Western mulation and adaptation among new faculty at dornsife.usc. the point was, and find a unique way to look at it. I still Troy. —A.M. Association. the 2013 Don K. Price award. European States.” today’s new immigrant groups. edu/new-faculty-2013-14 use those skills every day,” she said. —S.B.

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TEE L. GUIDOTTI (B.S., biologi- JOHN ERICKSON (B.A., eco- has been elected to the National BERNICE (ORWIG) O’CONNOR SAM MAGTANONG (B.A., his- Barcelona in July, winning for Engagements, cal sciences, ’71) vice president nomics, ’83; MBA, ’91) retired as Council of the national academic (B.A., social science education, tory, ’03) was appointed execu- Hungary by nearly 1 ½ seconds Weddings and for health/safety, environment & vice chairman and chief corporate honorary society Alpha Chi. ’99) joined Carlmont High School tive director of Life Care Center of and relegating Olympic champion Births High Heels, High Ambitions sustainability at Medical Advisory banking officer of Union Bank. in Belmont, CA, as girls’ water Escondido, CA, a skilled nursing Ye Shiwen of China to fourth place. Master of Professional Writing Program student Giselle Rodriguez-Forté nabs a Services in Rockville, MD, received AMER KAYANI (B.A., interna- polo coach. and rehabilitation facility. KIMBERLY CRISTIN CAR- dream job at Condé Nast Entertainment. Still writing, she broaches topics from her the William S. Knudsen Award for FRANCISCO GOMEZ (B.S., tional relations, ’85) is the minis- ALEX LENDRUM (B.S., NAHAN (B.A., international grandparent’s emigration from Cuba to her love affair with a particular pair of shoes. Lifetime Career Achievement in biological science, ’81) won ter counselor for commercial affairs Ventura High School’s SEBAS- JERON MAKLANRON (B.A., biochemistry, ’13), a Trojan relations, ’06) married James Occupational and Environmental the Karen Beauregard Memorial for Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, based TIEN DECLERCK (B.A., phi- political science, ’03) recently swimmer, and Trojan water polo Robert Warner on Aug. 24, 2013 at Medicine during the American Award for 2012 for outstand- at the U.S. Embassy, Riyadh. losophy, ’98) was named a 2013 created TheLiteraryNet.com, a goalie FLORA BOLONYAI (B.S., Wolftrap Farm in Gordonsville, VA. Occupational Health Conference ing contributions to the Medical California Teacher of the Year. social network for people in the economics and mathemat- in Orlando, FL. in April 2013. Expenditure Panel Survey. JOHN J. KENNEDY (B.A., literary industry. ics, ’14) have been named to NICHOLAS GREGGORY CHAN- international relations, ’83) was Newly appointed Los Angeles the 2013 Capital One Academic CELLOR (Ph.D., physics, ’13) TIMOTHY P. IRELAND (B.A., JENNIFER APPLETON GOOT- recently elected to the Pasadena Superior Court judge and former AYLA MONTGOMERY (B.A., All-America First Team, the first married Shanelle LeAnne Millage on linguistics, ’72) is retiring as MAN (B.A., interdisciplinary City Council, representing the Big Brother contestant CURTIS political science, ’07) released Trojan pair to collect the honors July 20, 2013 at Lamoille Grove, NV. deputy director of the Office studies, ’89) joined The National third district. A. KIN (B.A., international a documentary film titled NAIL- in the same year since 1995-96. In The couple will reside in London, of Congressional Affairs at the Campaign to Prevent Teen and relations, ’93) appeared in the gasm: The Nail Art Documentary addition, men’s water polo player U.K, where the groom has accepted Central Intelligence Agency after Unplanned Pregnancy as project JOHN KNISELY (B.A., social PBS special Brains on Trial, which tracing the rise of the subculture MATTHEW BURTON was select- a research position with the London more than 32 years of service as director. sciences and communication/ examines how neuroscience is of nail art from hood fashion to ed to the Capital One Academic Centre for Nanotechnology. an intelligence officer. history, ’87) was appointed affecting court cases. high fashion. All-America second team. FERNANDO GUTIERREZ (B.A., principal of Kentwood High School ELIZABETH MUNN DRUM- 1980s social sciences and communi- in Covington, WA. DAVID MORSE (M.A., English, AMY NICHOLSON (MPW, ’08) TRENT MAYOL (B.A., neurosci- HELLER (B.A., English/creative ROBERT COHEN (Ph.D., micro- cation, ’81) was certified as a bio- ’91; Ph.D., English, ’94) was joined the staff of Voice Media ence, ’11) has created a company, writing, ’08) married William biology, ’82) was appointed chair ethicist by the National Catholic BRYAN REECE (B.A., ’87; M.A., elected vice president of the Aca- Group as a full-time film critic for SmartDeco, that designs and Melcher Nutt in Stowe, VT. of the biological sciences depart- Bioethics Center. He will continue ’90; Ph.D., ’06; all degrees in po- demic Senate for the California its 11 newspapers. makes heavy-duty cardboard PLAMEN NIKOLOV GANEV ment in the College of Agriculture, bioethics clinical study at Med litical science) was appointed vice Community Colleges. furniture that is simple, stylish and (Ph.D., geological science, ’11) Forestry and Life Sciences at Star Hospital in Washington, D.C. president of instruction at Crafton GREGG MAXWELL PARKER easily assembled without tools. and Katelyn Elizabeth Carman Clemson University, S.C. Hills College in Yucaipa, CA. MIKE REYNOLDS (M.A., Eng- (B.A., English/creative writ- (D.P.T., physical therapy, ’10) MARK HAMILTON (B.A., interna- lish, ’95; Ph.D., English, ’01) was ing, ’07) co-wrote the car chase USC psychology student ANNIE were married on May 18, 2013 in Giselle Rodriguez-Forté took a break from the Master of Professional Writing (MPW) program for an opportunity to work as an associate STEVEN COMBS (B.A., political tional relations, ’87) was named MARK STEVENS (B.A., econom- named associate provost of Ham- thriller Getaway, starring Ethan PARK ’16, already the 2013 WGCA Redondo Beach, CA. producer at Condé Nast Entertainment in Manhattan, N.Y. She graduates from MPW in 2014. science and communication CIO, Asset Allocation, of New York- ics and electrical engineering, line University in St. Paul, MN. Hawke, Selena Gomez and Jon national player and Freshman of arts and sciences, ’81; Ph.D., based Oppenheimer Funds. ’81; M.S., computer engineer- Voight, which premiered August the Year, was named the 2013 Pac- KATINKA HOSSZU (B.A., Giselle Rodriguez-Forté will be the first to tell you, she’s a sneakers girl. communication arts and sci- ing, ’84), has purchased equity LAURIE STONE (B.A., English 26 in Los Angeles. 12 Golfer, earning a place in the psychology, ’12), a Hungarian So it was a bit of a surprise when searching for something to wear to her grand- ences, ’93) was named dean of MATT HELLER (B.A., political interests in the Golden State War- literature, ’92) was appointed 2013 U.S. Women’s Open. championship swimmer and her mother’s funeral, she laid her eyes on a pair of peach-colored, astronomically high-heeled the College of Arts, Humanities science, ’89) was selected as riors and joined the basketball USC associate senior vice presi- ELENA POLYAKOVA (Ph.D., American coach, Shane Tusup, shoes and decided they were it. and Social Sciences at Edinboro Wealth Manager Trusted Advisor team’s ownership group as an dent for real estate and asset man- chemistry, ’05) joined Lomiko LIZETTE SALAS (B.A., sociol- were married in Aug. 2013. Dazed and grief stricken, those peach heels somehow gave her strength. University of Pennsylvania. of the year at the Trusted Advisors executive board member. agement, effective Sept. 1, 2013. Metals, Inc., to create a research ogy, ’11) surged to No. 18 on the “I tell you, I walked effortlessly in those things,” recalled Rodriguez-Forté. “This was Awards sponsored by the San and development department Women’s World Golf Rankings TINA JIWATRAM (B.A., crazy, because I don’t walk well in high heels. But somehow I did that day, and it was WILLIAM A. COVINO (Ph.D., Fernando Valley Business Journal. 1990s 2000s focusing on research into the con- (up from 89 in 2012) after joining psychology, ’03) and DAVID almost like a metaphor for how I was feeling: I had this ability to walk, to hold myself English, ’81) was named presi- He is the managing partner of BILL BROGAN (MPW, ’98) MATTHEW C. ARMSTRONG version of graphite into graphene the LPGA. NEGRON (B.A., jazz studies, together, to be graceful.” dent of California State University, Willner Heller LLC Private Wealth retired as a 12th Judicial District (B.A., international relations, and overseeing end use projects. ’03) were married July 15, 2013, This experience is the subject of a vignette, “High Heels,” that Rodriguez-Forté Los Angeles. Management. judge in New Mexico after practic- ’05; MPD, ’07) was appointed AMANDA SMITH (B.A., human at the Desmond Tutu Center, New wrote as a graduate student at USC Dornsife’s Master of Professional Writing (MPW) ing law for more than 40 years. by President Obama to serve J.J. STRONG (MPW, ’08) won performance, ’12) has been ap- York, NY. program. It is part of her thesis, a collection of memoir-based vignettes about her life JACK DYER (J.D.) CROUCH STEVE HUBLER (B.A., interna- on the Broadcasting Board of the St. Croix Festival Theatre One- pointed head coach of the Indian that she’ll complete before her 2014 graduation. II (B.A., linguistics, ’80; M.A., tional relations and German, ’83; DANIEL CURTIS (DECHON) Governors. Act Playwriting Contest for his Hills Club Wahoos swim team KIMBERLY LOUGHLIN (B.A., Rodriguez-Forté delayed her graduation to move to New York City for her dream job: international relations, ’81; M.A., international relations, BURNS (B.A., psychology, ’91) play, The Comeback Special. in Ohio. theatre and psychology, ’92) associate producer at Condé Nast Entertainment. Hired this past April, the gregarious Ph.D., international relations, ’86) is currently serving as U.S. was hired as head coach by Lin- LAURA BARRACLOUGH (Ph.D., welcomed the birth of her first New Jersey native is part of the Vanity Fair production team that recently launched the ’87) was named CEO of QinetiQ Consul General in Düsseldorf, field Christian football team. American studies and ethnic- DALLAS WOODBURN (B.A., ALEXANDRA ZISSER (B.A., child, a son named Riley Parker magazine’s video content site. North America, a support com- Germany, leading a team of U.S. and ity, ’06) took a tenure-track creative writing, ’09) will spend political science and Span- Loughlin, on April 5, 2013. Her trajectory has hardly been linear. As an undergraduate, the granddaughter of pany for defense, security and German professionals in strength- KEN CAMP (B.A., political sci- faculty position as assistant the 2013-14 academic year at ish, ’13) was selected as one Cuban immigrants studied theatre at Montclair State University in New Jersey intend- intelligence organizations. ening German-American trade, ence, ’98) was recently promoted professor of American studies at San Jose State University as a of 32 Fellows to participate in VANESSA NEIMAN (B.A., clas- ing to pursue an acting career. cultural and political relations in the to the position of office director for Yale University in Fall 2013. John Steinbeck Fellow in Creative Challenge Detroit, an urban sics and psychology, ’13) and PHOTO BYLOPEZ MICHAEL After earning her bachelor’s, Rodriguez-Forté worked as an actor in New York, but JAMES CRAIG (M.A., inter- state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Washington’s Lt. Gov. Brad Owen. Writing. revitalization program focused ERIK (RICKY) CAMBIER (B.S., despite her overall success, the constant auditions and associated rejections wore on her. national relations, ’80), an at- CELESTE (MCGOVERN) KIDD on attracting and retaining talent business administration, ’10) She moved to Los Angeles and pursued another love: writing. torney and former House Minority DAVID JONES (B.A., psychol- GLORIA DELAROSA COTTEN (B.A., linguistics, ’07) was 2010s to reinvigorate the city. were married on Sept. 1, 2013 in At MPW, her interests vary from screenwriting to fiction and nonfiction. She served Leader, has been nominated to ogy, ’84; Ph.D., psychology, (B.A., English, ’92; Pharm.D., featured on Discover magazine’s KATINKA HOSSZU (B.A., psy- Malibu, CA. as non-fiction editor for The Southern California Review, MPW’s national literary serve as Labor Department com- ’91), professor of psychology ’98) became chair of the Verdugo list of top science stories of 2012 chology, ’12) won the 400-meter magazine. missioner by New Hampshire Gov. and associate dean of faculty at Hills Hospital Foundation Wom- for her research on children’s individual medley at the World Continued on page 60 “I really felt like it was a second chance for me and my career,” she said. —L.P. Maggie Hassan. Westminster College, Fulton, MI, en’s Council in March 2013. decision making. Swimming Championships in

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TONI MARGARITA PLUMMER In Memoriam A. PAUL BERGEN (M.S., satellites slipping out of orbit that SHIRLEY MILLIKAN DEGREY ANTHONY ZENON DUBE (B.A., ERNEST SALVATORE (ERNIE) (MPW, ’03) and Robert John Kirk- philosophy of religion, ’69) later became industry standard; (B.A., psychology, ’43) La drama, ’58) Little Rock, AR FOLLICO (B.A., zoology, ’64) patrick III were married June 15, HARVEY AFT (B.A., biochemis- Encinitas, CA (7/6/13) at age 74; an developed motor at NASA for Cañada, CA (3/30/13) at age 90; (3/13/13) at age 86; chair of Eng- Newport Beach, CA (9/27/13) at 2013 at Boscobel, a historic home try, ’50) Farmington, ME (9/8/13) accomplished singer, musician, space shuttles; elected to Na- named Helen of Troy while at lish, languages and journalism age 77; was the former junior Los and gardens in Garrison, NY. at age 84; born in Chicago, IL artist and writer. tional Academy of Engineering in USC; taught in La Cañada Unified department at Texas Wesleyan Angeles city tennis champion; where as a child he witnessed Al 1987; received National Medal of School District; after retiring College then at Arkansas State was a captain of the USC tennis Narratives of Integrity SARAH MARIE SENECHAL Capone’s gang dispose of guns GEORGE W. BERMANT (B.A., Technology and Innovation in 2011. from teaching, became popular University; served as executive team; served as First Lieutenant USC Dornsife lecturer and alumnus Anthony Sparks (Ph.D. ’12), scripts Walt Disney (B.A., psychology, ’04; MBA, by dropping them into oil vats at political science, ’50) Denver, CO newspaper columnist at the Valley director of the Arkansas Endow- in the U.S. Navy working as an EPCOT’s first African American art and history exhibit, Re-Discovering America: ’12) married Charles Jason local gas station; served in the (5/20/13) at age 86; U.S. Navy vet- MARY L. BUCHANAN (M.A., Sun; received 1983 La Cañadan of ment for the Humanities from orthodontist; established ortho- Family Treasures from the Kinsey Collection. McGovern on July 20, 2013 at the U.S. Army; taught chemistry at eran; joined law firm Gibson, Dunn philosophy, ’58) Malibu, CA the Year award. 1974-82. dontist practice Montebello, CA; Adamson House, a museum and University of Maine, Farmington and Crutcher; following retirement (3/3/13) at age 82; daughter of was a nationally ranked senior national historic site in Malibu, CA. from 1969; retired as professor in 1994 served on American Bar As- Indiana dairy farmers, taught phi- GEORGE H. DERRY, JR. (B.A., JOANNE CAMILLO DUPONT racquetball player. emeritus in 1990; awarded a Ful- sociation Ethics Committee. losophy at Santa Monica College biology, ’42) Huntington Beach, (B.A., political science, ’48) MARY ELIZABETH (LILIBET) bright Scholarship in chemistry; for 36 years; had a post-retirement CA (3/1/13) at age 94; served in Escondido, CA (7/8/13) at age 86; LOYAL D. FRAZIER, SR. (B.A., SNELLINGS (MPW, ’12) and researched tree bark utilization, VICTORIA (VICKY) J. BERTICS career as an artist and potter. U.S. Army; named first chief of worked in Washington D.C., for economics, ’50; LLB, ’53) Peter Kimball Kyte were married leading to advances in forest (Ph.D., biology, ’09) Boston, staff of Huntington Inter-commu- Arizona Sen. Ernest McFarland; (3/11/13) at age 89; employed by Feb. 17, 2013 at The Cloister in Sea repopulation; despite being red- MA (9/28/13) at age 31; awarded GARY B. CABE (B.A., physical nity Hospital; was chief of surgery managed J.J.’s Jollyboat at Carnegie Illinois Steel Corpora- Island, GA. green colorblind, defined chemi- an Alexander von Humbolt Post- education, ’73) Boise, ID (7/14/13) in 1970, 1976 and 1977; served on Harbor Seafood Market in San tion in Etna, PA; served in the cal structure composition of color Doctoral Fellowship for 2010-12 to at age 73; coached high school, board of Orange County Medical Diego; was active in American U.S. Navy during World War II; SUZANNE SOENG (B.A., art red for use in food dyes. continue training in marine bio- college and professional football. Society and Southern California Association of University Women practiced law for 50 years in history, ’02) is engaged to Eric geochemistry at GEOMAR-Helm- Physicians Council executive and received her 50 year mem- California; member of California Todd Williamson. ROBERT AVAKIAN (B.A., zool- holtz Centre for Ocean Research CHRISTOPHER JOHN CALEFFIE committee. bership award. Bar Association, Ventura County ogy, ’50; DDS ’54) Fresno, CA in Kiel, Germany; in 2012, began a (B.A., German, ’85) Charlotte, Bar Association and American Bar MARY ELIZABETH SMITH (B.A., (7/1/13) at age 84; former faculty post-doctoral fellowship in deep NC (5/21/13) at age 63; worked in JUSTIN KIRK DICKENS (B.A., LOUIS WILLIAM (BILL) EGG- Association. English literature and political member of Ostrow School of Den- ocean nutrient cycling at Harvard Germany and Austria for 12 years physics, ’55; Ph.D., nuclear ERS, JR. (M.A., physics, ’54) science, ’96) and Jeff Giron, tistry of USC; lieutenant in U.S. University, Cambridge, MA; con- singing opera, operetta and musi- physics, ’62) Goshen, IN (4/29/13) Pasadena, CA (7/24/13) at age AMY FRIEDHEIM (B.A., politi- welcomed their son, Ethan, born Navy Dental Corp aboard the USS ducted oceanographic research cal theatre; He had contracts in at age 81; served in Korean War as 88; served in U.S. Infantry in five cal science, ’81) San Francisco, May 7, 2013. Boxer; appointed to the board of from the Arctic to the South Austria, Germany and many other a sergeant with the California Na- European campaigns; landed CA (7/22/13) at age 53; served in Counselors of the Ostrow School Pacific; explored the deep ocean independent productions in the tional Guard; worked for 40 years in Normandy and wounded in the Peace Corps in Lesotho; held KATHERINE DESILETS of Dentistry of USC. aboard a research submarine. USA and Europe served on the at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Saint-Lô, receiving Purple Heart; positions in several government WESTON (B.S., exercise sci- Artists Advisory Council of Opera TN; published more than 200 fought in Battle of the Bulge and agencies including the Govern- ence, ’99) and her husband ROBERT (BOB) BARCA (B.S., BETTY ANNE BIMMERMAN Carolina. papers on nuclear physics. awarded Bronze Star; joined fac- ment Accountability Office, the GARY L. WESTON JR. (B.A., chemistry, ’62; M.S., chemistry, (B.A., comparative literature, ulty of California State University, U.S. Senate Finance Committee Did you know that in the post-Emancipation Reconstruction era — only seven years American studies and ethnic- ’64) Yachats, OR (9/26/13) at age ’50) San Marino, CA (10/9/13) at HOWARD S. DATTAN (B.A., RICHARD SHERWOOD DODGE Los Angeles in 1964 as one of and the U.S. Treasury. after the abolition of slavery — seven African Americans had seats in the U.S. Congress? ity, ’99) welcomed their first 72; taught at Dakota Wesleyan age 85; at USC, was a Delta Gamma political science, ’46) Carlsbad, (B.A., political science, ’63; first four professors in computer All seats were in former Confederate states. child, Benjamin Kirby Weston University, SD and Fergus Falls president, a Trojan Amazon, Key CA (9/6/13) at age 93; served in J.D., ’68) Sarasota, FL (9/14/13) engineering department. JOHN GODDARD (B.A., You may be surprised to learn that in 1773, Phillis Wheatley became internationally on May 12, 2013. Proud uncle is Community College, MN; profes- and Scroll member, and the first the U.S. Army Air Corps in North at age 71; practiced law for 17 anthropology, ’55) Glendale, known as the first African American to publish a book of poetry. And that America RICHARD (RICKY) WESTON sor at Everett Community College, woman Senator-at-large; gradu- Africa and Italy during World War years prior to becoming a judge; FREDERICK OLIVER EVANS III CA (5/17/13) at age 88; first man had its own Anne Frank in the form of Harriet Jacobs, a black slave who hid in an attic (B.A., American studies and WA; Washington State Univer- ated with the moniker “the girl II; member of the California State served as a Montgomery County (B.A., economics, ’94) Newport to explore the entire length of for seven years before escaping to freedom and writing a book about her experience. ethnicity, ’03). sity Master Gardener; created behind the smile”; served in many Bar from 1949; served with the Common Pleas judge from 1985 Beach, CA (3/28/13) at age 43; the Nile and the Congo Rivers; Unveiling these obscured moments in American history is what Anthony Sparks Mediterranean-style “Humming- political organizations, including Judge Advocate in Japan during until 1996, overseeing some high- member of Sigma Nu; worked for climbed 12 of the world’s highest endeavored to do as writer and academic consultant for Walt Disney EPCOT’s new ex- SEND ALUMNI NEWS TO bird Hill” garden on Whidbey the Pasadena Republican Women. the Korean War; first Dean of the profile cases; continued to serve several Southern California de- mountains; traversed 15 of the hibit, Re-Discovering America: Family Treasures from the Kinsey Collection, which opened USC Dornsife Magazine Island, WA; was a member of the University of San Diego School as an active retired judge until a velopers after graduation before worlds most treacherous rivers; in March 2013 and remains through 2016, in Orlando, Fla. Citigroup Center 8206, 41st Floor, Northwest Horticultural Society MATTHEW E. BOBOLA (B.A., of Law. few years before his death. joining The Evans Company, a visited nearly every country of Los Angeles, CA 90089-8206 Sparks, who earned his Ph.D. in American studies and ethnicity (ASE) in 2012, or submit online at dornsife.usc. and the Arboretum Foundation. mathematics, ’82) Moyock, NC development and management the world; traveled in excess of is an award-winning television writer-producer, playwright and seasoned stage actor. edu/alumni-news. Information may (9/7/13) at age 53; commissioned HENDRYX EUGENE (GENE) RICHARD G. DOTY (Ph.D., company. one million miles; served in the Re-Discovering America is an interactive, multimedia exhibit of African American be edited for space. JOE M. BALL (B.A., ’47; Ph.D., in the U.S. Navy in 1982; served for DAVIS, JR. (B.A., international Latin American studies, ’68) PHOTO COURTESY OF THE KINSEY COLLECTION U.S. Army Air Force during World art and history, drawn from the private collection of Los Angeles-based philanthro- speech communication, ’51) more than 30 years, retiring with relations, ’50) Rancho Mirage, Falls Church, VA (6/2/13) at age FRANK FLORES (B.A., bio- War II; established records as Listings for the “Alumni News” and “In Memori- pists Bernard and Shirley Kinsey, who are among the nation’s most prolific collectors am” sections are compiled based on submissions Titusville, PA (5/27/13) at age 93; rank of captain. CA (9/6/13) at age 88; served in 71; served as senior numis- logical sciences, ’57) Newport a civilian jet pilot, including a from alumni and USC Dornsife departments as of African American art. well as published notices from media outlets. served in the U.S. Navy in the U.S. Army during World War II; matic curator at the Smithsonian Beach, CA (7/29/13) at age 83; speed record of 1,500 mph in The exhibit features 40 artifacts and art works, including an original 1872 illustration South Pacific, attaining rank of YVONNE BRILL (M.S., chemis- graduated Phi Beta Kappa; worked Institution’s National Museum of a former All-American jumper, the F-111 Fighter-Bomber, and an of the aforementioned African American congressmen. It also includes original copies lieutenant senior grade; received try, ’51) Princeton, NJ (3/27/13) at for U.S. State Department in American History; taught Latin served as co-captain of USC’s altitude record of 63,000 feet in of Wheatley’s book of poetry and Jacobs’ autobiography. five battle stars and a Letter of age 88; believed to be only female Washington D.C.; joined Los Ange- American studies at Central Col- 1952 NCAA champion track and the F-106 Delta Dart. “I’m hoping this Disney project is the first of many in which I’m able to draw on every Commendation; tenured speech rocket scientist active in U.S. in les County in 1958, providing staff lege and the University of Guam, field team; key member of three piece of myself — my creativity, private academic scholarship and public scholarship — professor at University of Pitts- mid-1940s when she worked on support to the Civil Service Com- among other schools; founding NCAA championship teams for in a way that has the chance to really be impactful,” Sparks said. burgh; in 1963, became founding first designs for an American mission; took leave of absence in president of the International the Trojans from 1950-52; prac- Continued on page 64 “America tends to like a linear, progressive narrative of history, but that’s not at all dornsife.usc.edu/alumni-news president of the University of satellite; invented propulsion sys- 1961 to assist the USC School of Committee for Money and Bank- ticed dentistry in Southern Cali- what the reality is. I really relied on my academic training and creative instincts to help Pittsburgh at Titusville. tem to prevent communications Public Administration in Pakistan. ing Museums. fornia area until his retirement. frame how these stories are told so that they are uplifting — but also truthful.” —L.P.

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ALUMNI AND STUDENT CANON political science, ’79), this Lori Cox Han (Ph.D., political Rare Bird Books/Vireo / Inves- volume gleans lessons from science, ’97) co-authored tigative reporter Chip Jacobs the writings of William Shake- an exploration of both the (B.A., international relations, speare and applies them to political institution and the ’85) goes deep into some of his contemporary politics. men who have held the office most compelling journalism of president. pieces of the last three decades with his spotlight on strange corruption, seedy individuals, megalomaniacs, bright ideas and transgressive game- THE GHOSTED BRIDGE BILLY “THE HILL” AND THE changers. PSYCHIC DEBRIS, CROWDED DOMESTIC NEGOTIATIONS: North Star Press of St. Cloud / JUMP HOOK: The Autobiog- CLOSETS: The Relationship Gender, Nation, and Self- Kristy Keusder Abbott (B.A., raphy of a Forgotten Bas- Between the Stuff in Your Head Fashioning in US Mexicana and journalism, ’82; MPW, ’11) uses ketball Legend University of and What’s Under our Bed Chicana Literature and Art the 2007 Minnesota bridge Nebraska Press / Eric Brach Purple Books / Certified profes- Rutgers University Press / Marci collapse as a backdrop for (MPW, ’10) co-wrote the story sional organizer Regina F. Lark R. McMahon (Ph.D., English, ’07) supernatural fiction. of Billy McGill. The first African THE DESERTERS: A Hid- (Ph.D., history, ’99) demonstrates demonstrates how the very sites American to play basketball for den History of World War THE FIVE FLIRTING how a cluttered closet is often a of domesticity are used to engage the University of Utah and the II Penguin Press / Charles STYLES: Use the Science of manifestation of a cluttered mind. the many political and recurring highest scorer in NCAA history, Glass (B.A., philosophy, ’73) Flirting to Attract the Love debates about race, gender and McGill was undermined by a tells the life stories of three You Really Want Harlequin immigration affecting Mexicanas crippling knee injury. European Theater soldiers Nonfiction / Jeffrey A. Hall and Chicanas. The mother of author and histo- who abandoned their posts in (B.A., English, ’99; Ph.D., com- MEDIA FRANCHISING: rian Victoria Vantoch (Ph.D., France, Italy and Africa. munication, ’07) shows how to Creative License and Col- history, ’08) traveled the world identify natural flirting styles laboration in the Culture as part of the Jet Set. and to flirt smarter. Industries NYU Press / Challenging connotations of THE SQUIRE AND THE homogeneity, Derek Johnson KNIGHT OakTara / In the (B.A., French, ’01) shows how Unexpected Turbulence third book of Randall R. the cultural and industrial logic In the early 1970s — back when passengers smoked on airplanes and flight attendants were Adams’ (B.A., international of franchising has encouraged PRODIGY Penguin Young called stewardesses — uniforms consisting of micro hot pants, accented with thigh-high relations, ’79) The Book of media industries to reimagine Readers Group / In the sequel to go-go boots and a waist-cinching belt, were de rigueur for some hostesses. Squires series, the protagonist creativity as an opportunity for Marie Lu’s (B.A., political science, The idea of what it meant to be a stewardess had morphed from the prim and proper and his friends undertake a THE CRUCIFIX-BLOCKS Te- exchange among producers, ’07) wildly successful novel of 30 POINTS OF LOVE: Better girl-next-door image of the 1940s and ’50s to the tawdry sex objects of the ’60s and ’70s. journey to a perilous place bot Bach / Current Ph.D. stu- licensees and consumers. a militaristic future, 15-year-old Thoughts. Better Relation- In her book, The Jet Sex: Airline Stewardesses and the Making of an American Icon (Univer- where they may discover more dent in English Todd Fredson HARD TWISTED: A Novel prodigies June and Day are asked ships. A Better You. Hamilton sity of Pennsylvania Press, 2013), Victoria Vantoch explores how multiple forces — such about themselves than they explores the rewards of under- Bloomsbury / C. Joseph to assassinate the new elector in & Hunter / Eric von Mizener as business strategy, advertising, race, sexuality and Cold War politics — transformed the ever wanted to know. taking treacherous travels both Greaves (B.A., physical WEIGHTLIFTING RULES: exchange for helping Day rescue (MPW, ’09) shares his insights on concept of an air hostess. of body and the mind. therapy, ’78) weaves a tale Poems & Photographs Tebot his brother. dealing with the challenges many Vantoch (Ph.D., history, ’08) illustrates how airlines, which had a predominantly male of survival and redemption, Bach / Jean Barrett Hollo- people face in love and marriage. clientele, used stewardesses as a key marketing device. As the aviation industry grew, air all rooted in the intensely way (M.A., physical education, hostessing became one of the most idealized careers for young women. personal story of a young girl’s ’85) captures in verse and

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA PRESS OF THE UNIVERSITY PHOTO COURTESY Vantoch — whose interest in the subject germinated through watching her mother work coming of age in a world as black and white her quarter as a stewardess during America’s sexual revolution of the 1970s and ’80s — writes that cruel as it is beautiful. century in the gritty world of “While the wholesome homemaker stewardess of the 1940s and ’50s traveled primarily weightlifting. within the United States, the jet stewardess would travel all over the globe and she would become an iconic, cosmopolitan, glamorous ‘career girl’ and an honorary member of the THE SACRED PATH: The exotic destination-hopping, social elite dubbed the Jet Set … .” MEETING PHYSICAL Way of the Spiritual War- Then came the rebellion by many stewardesses against hot pants in the 1970s — a wa- EDUCATION STANDARDS rior Sacred Path Press / tershed moment in feminist history. They protested, sued and ultimately won some of the THROUGH MEANINGFUL Stephen J. Johnson (B.A., first Title VII sex discrimination victories for women in the workforce. ASSESSMENT: Research- SHAKESPEARE AND POLI- psychology, ’69; M.S., educa- A CONSTELLATION OF VITAL Events such as the deregulation of the aviation industry, 9/11 and the economic crash Based Strategies for TICS: What a Sixteenth- tion, ’71; Ph.D., education, ’74) PHENOMENA Hogarth / THE BEST REST OF YOUR LIFE; of 2008 have all changed how the public views air travel. Flying is no longer considered Secondary Teachers Human century Playwright Can addresses issues that are the Longlisted for a 2013 National Retirement 101 Lockett Learning glamorous and being a flight attendant has lost most of its cultural cache. In fact, flight Kinetics / Co-author Greg Bert Tell Us About Twenty-first- most relevant for men in order Book Award, Anthony Marra Systems / Alton R. Morse (B.A., attendant was ranked among the 10 worst jobs for 2013 by careercast.com in its annual (B.A., physical education, ’80) century Politics Paradigm to allow men to experience (B.A., English/creative writing, social studies/political science, ranking — just below dairy farmer, meter reader and roofer — due to its high stress, low provides P.E. teachers with Publishers / Co-edited by PRESIDENTS AND THE THE VICODIN THIEVES: the vulnerability necessary to ’08) presents a haunting story of ’48; M.S., education ’60; Ph.D., ’68) pay and shrinking employment opportunities. —D.K. practical, easy-to-implement Michael A Genovese (M.A., AMERICAN PRESIDENCY Biopsying L.A.’s Grifters, foster greater intimacy within the transcendent power of love in explores ideas for discovering your TELL US ABOUT YOUR BOOK Write to USC Dornsife Magazine, Citigroup Center 8206, 41st Floor, assessment strategies. political science, ’75; Ph.D., Oxford University Press / Gloryhounds, and Goliaths their relationships. wartime Chechnya. passion and purpose. Los Angeles, CA 90089-8206 or [email protected]

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RONALD GEORGE GOERSS EDWARD C. HELWICK, JR. EDWARD H. JONES JR. (B.A., PHILIP IRVING MARCUS (B.S., (M.A., religion/social ethics, (M.A., political science, ’59) Los English, ’51; M.A., English, ’56) bacteriology, 50) Hartford, CT ’61) San Mateo, CA (7/4/13) at age Angeles, CA (5/26/13) at age 96; Torrance, CA (8/3/13) at age 91; (9/1/13) at age 86; served in U.S. 84; manager of staff recruitment served as Captain in U.S. Army served in U.S. Navy as quar- Air Force during WWII; co-discov- DevotedTeaching alumna Heidi Tyler loves nothing Trojan better than sharing herValues love for USC with her at McKinsey & Co.; partner at MRG Air Corps during World War II; termaster during World War II; ered clonogenic assay and feeder middle school students. Corporation; vice president of in- worked in Golden Age of Radio, began career as English teacher cell system, enabling the growth ternational executive search firm on shows with stars such as Jerry at Bancroft Junior High School of clones from single mammalian Heidrick & Struggles from 1971 Lewis, Dean Martin, Bing Crosby, in Long Beach; joined El Camino cells as in stem cells; first to clone to 1980; and partner of Smith, Bob Hope, Don Ameche, Gordon College in Torrance as an English HeLa cells, leading to first deter- Goerss & Ferneborg; before McRae, Tommy Dorsey and Jack professor in 1956 and appointed mination of human cell sensitivity retirement, joined Boyden Global Benny; in 1959 began 30-year dean of humanities in 1973. to X-rays; co-developed new test Executive Search as partner. teaching career at Culver City to detect rubella virus; appointed High School; honored as Califor- DOUGLAS STUART KATZ head of microbiology at University KENNETH SEYMOUR GREEN- nia’s Teacher of the Year in 1974. (B.A., psychology, ’68) Raleigh, of Connecticut in 1969; created BERG (B.A., anthropology, ’50) NC (4/30/13) at age 66; internationally recognized virus Santa Barbara, CA (6/21/13) at age EUGENE (GENE) DAVIS HEN- co-founded educational research and interferon research labora- 93; served with U.S. Army in New DRYX (B.A., international re- firm Conserva and continued tory; member American Society Guinea during World War II; award- lations, ’50) Rancho Mirage, CA work in this field at Southeast for Virology and International So- ed Philippine Liberation Ribbon (9/6/13) at age 88; served in U.S. Educational Research Lab. ciety for Interferon and Cytokine with one bronze star; practiced law Army during World War II; gradu- Research; editor-in-chief of the for more than 50 years. ated Phi Beta Kappa; worked ROBERT H. LESSARD (B.A., ge- Journal of Interferon and Cytokine for the U.S. State Department ology, ’59; M.S., geology, ’64) Research for 18 years and editor RAPHAEL PAUL GREGORIAN in Washington, D.C.; in 1958, Santa Fe, NM (5/20/13) at age for Journal of Cellular Physiol- A Name PaulWith Ignatius ’42, former Firepower Navy secretary, is honored by (B.A., Slavic studies, ’52) San started work for Los Angeles 77; taught in the earth science ogy for 25 years; discovered the U.S. Navy. Francisco, CA (5/13/13) at age 85; County to provide staff support division at New Mexico Highlands world’s most efficient inducer of Proudly displaying their USC Dornsife swag, alumna Heidi Tyler and her 6th grade class at Place Bridge Academy in Denver, Colo. pose for born in Stalingrad, in the then- to the Civil Service Commission; University in Las Vegas, NM, and interferon — a single molecule a photograph in the school hallway they have named “University of Southern California Way.” Paul Ignatius did not originally set out for a Navy career. USSR; was one of the first people assisted USC School of Public at Santa Fe Community College. of double-stranded RNA; and In his youth, he dreamed of a profession in the arts — act- to do business in the Soviet Administration in Pakistan in molecular cloning of the first non- ing, writing or directing films. But when the opportunity When a box brimming with cardinal and gold USC memorabilia arrived at Place Union, opening his own Palo Alto, 1961; retired in 1989 as the direc- C. GENE MAKO (B.A., political human interferon (avian). for public service arose, he leapt at it. Bridge Academy in Denver, Colo., sixth grade teacher Heidi Tyler (B.A., history, ’89) California-based satellite office in tor of purchasing and stores for science, ’37) Los Angeles, CA “I think it’s a privilege to serve one’s country,” Ignatius was thrilled. Moscow in 1971. the County of Los Angeles after (6/14/13) at age 97; 1934 NCAA DELTA MURPHY (B.A., interna- said. “USC is my life,” Tyler said. “I was so excited to get these items from my alma mater, nearly 20 years of service. singles and doubles champion; tional relations, ’47) Fullerton, After earning his bachelor’s degree in history from USC GORDON W. GREGORY (B.A., won doubles titles at Wimble- CA (5/5/13) at age 86; former I was literally jumping up and down.” Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus, left, Dornsife in 1942, Ignatius joined the Navy almost imme- The box of USC-donated swag contained pamphlets, shirts, pens, banners, note- economics, ’75) Los Angeles, CA GERALD “GERRY” PHILLIP don in 1937 and 1938, U.S. Open Whittier, CA mayor and city shakes hands with former Navy secre- diately. He had just begun an MBA program at Harvard (8/6/13) at age 59; a licensed real HIRSCH (Ph.D., biology, ’71) doubles in 1936 and 1938, and council member; helped develop tary Paul Ignatius during a ceremony books, coasters, pins and a photo album. held to celebrate the naming of the fu- University when he was commissioned as a naval officer. “My students were so excited, too, and couldn’t wait to see what was inside the box,” estate broker, he began career at Clarksville, TN (6/18/13) at age 74; 1936 U.S. Open mixed doubles; plan for Catalina Island; served as ture USS Paul Ignatius. World War II was in full swing. said Tyler, who has taught in Denver schools for nearly 16 years. “It means the world to KPMG Peat Marwick, then opened born in Chicago; an inventor, he competed on four U.S. Davis Cup chairwoman of USC Wrigley Insti- After four years in the service he returned to Harvard his own law practice specializing registered several patents. teams; rose to No. 8 world rank- tute for Environmental Studies. me to share the excitement and energy I feel about USC and hopefully inspire them to PATANI ARIF CLASS 1ST SPECIALIST COMMUNICATION MASS BY PHOTO NAVY U.S. to complete his business degree and went on to work in the private sector. In 1961, he one day become Trojans themselves. in business transactions and tax ing (No. 3 in U.S.) in 1938; lettered was offered the job of Assistant Secretary of the Army. Ignatius served for eight years “The best part of my job is the kids; they are just fantastic. I love the diversity that planning; managing director of ROBERT EDWARD HUNTER at USC for three years; inducted FELIPE (PHILLIP L.) SANCHEZ in the presidential administrations of John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson, first as they bring to my classroom, the enthusiasm they bring to science. And I love to see ProVisors, which he co-founded (B.A., zoology, ’63) North Little into International Tennis Hall of PARIS (Ph.D., political science, Assistant Secretary of the Army, then as Under Secretary of the Army and Assistant them grow and progress in their belief in themselves and in their futures.” in 1988; founder and managing Rock, AK (7/4/13) at age 85; served Fame in 1973 and USC Athletic ’73) San Francisco, CA (7/31/13) Secretary of Defense, and finally in 1967 as Secretary of the Navy. Tyler said USC Dornsife enabled her to become a better teacher by exposing her to director of Mosaic Capital LLC and in the U.S. Navy as part of WWII Hall of Fame in 1999; served in at age 72; served as executive In honor of his service, the Navy will name an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile PLACE BRIDGE ACADEMY PHOTO COURTESY OF HEIDI TYLER HEIDI OF COURTESY PHOTO ACADEMY BRIDGE PLACE various languages and cultures. Mosaic Capital Securities LLC. Japanese Occupation Forces; U.S. Navy during World War II. director of Multicultural Equity Di- destroyer currently under construction the USS Paul Ignatius. “Being at USC Dornsife taught me to appreciate ethnic and cultural diversity to a made his career in the U.S. Air vision of the Northwest Regional Arleigh Burke-class destroyers conduct a variety of operations from peacetime pres- much higher degree than I could have experienced at any other university,” she said. ROBERT MCDONALD HANSON Force in Strategic Air Command, MARY JANE CIRESE MERRIN Educational Laboratory from 1982 ence and crisis management to sea control and power projection. They are capable of A Trojan football fan, she had great memories of having 50-yard-line seats behind (B.A., ethnic studies, ’66) rising to Lieutenant Colonel before (B.A., biological sciences, ’42) until 2000; served as professor fighting air, surface and subsurface battles simultaneously and contain myriad offensive the marching band at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum during a 1987 game against Coronado, CA (7/8/13) at age 69; retiring in 1972; then made second Alta Loma, CA (5/23/13) at age 92; of public policy and administra- and defensive weapons designed to support maritime warfare. UCLA. USC won 17-13 and the crowd went wild. served in the U.S. Navy aboard career with Allis Chalmers/Sie- member of Phi Sigma Biological tion at California State University, “The Ignatius will be in our fleet for three or four decades,” said Secretary of the Navy Tyler, who comes from a long line of Trojans — including her father, aunt and uncle the USS Vancouver; served as mens, retiring in 1980. Society; lifelong member of Delta Bakersfield, where he was also Ray Mabus at the June 2013 celebration of the naming at the Pentagon. “It will sail vir- — was instinctively drawn to a career in education. commanding officer of Helicopter Delta Delta; actively involved in acting graduate studies dean. tually every ocean of the world. It will be a reminder of the experience and the wisdom “I want to impact kids’ lives and help them realize they can dream about a bright Anti-Submarine Squadron Four WALTER BERNARD JO- Trojan League of the Foothills. of Paul Ignatius.” future,” she said. “They can attend a top university, regardless of their background.” and on the Third Fleet Staff in HANSING (B.A., geology, ’39) Residing in Washington, D.C., with his wife Nancy, Ignatius spends his time serving Tyler worked with her middle school administration to name the hallways after Hawaii; final naval assignment Paso Robles, CA (3/16/13) at age LYLA TILSTON BREWER MON- on the boards of charitable organizations that benefit disadvantaged youth. He occa- universities. She was delighted when her name request for University of Southern Cali- was as naval attaché to Sweden; 98; began career with Cardox PERE (B.A., comparative lit- sionally visits USC to give lectures. fornia Way was granted. participated with the San Diego Corporation; in 1959 formed erature, ’51) Fresno, CA (4/24/13) Continued on page 66 Ignatius credits his studies as an undergraduate at USC Dornsife for igniting his Her affection extends to her wardrobe. “My kids tell me that all my clothes are in Yacht Club by working air traffic Johansing & Mitchell, a distributor at age 83; Delta Gamma member; interest in world history. Good teachers are invaluable, he said. USC colors. I proudly say, “Of course! What else would I wear?” —S.B. control during America’s Cup. of carbon dioxide. enjoyed community activities. “Lifetime interests develop from the inspiration of fine teachers.” M.S.B.—

64 Fall 2013 / Winter 2014 65 DORNSIFE FAMILY

REMEMBERING

KENNETH LANGROISE BARNEY ROBERT SAUNDERS BETTY ANN OUTHIER THYSEN Arriving as assistant professor PARKHURST (Ph.D., econom- (B.A., political science, ’73) (B.A., social welfare, ’37) Cu- in 1969, Perkins was associate ics, ’63) Silver City, NM (3/4/13) Park City, UT (9/10/13) at age 63; pertino, CA (10/4/13) at age 98; professor from 1974 to 2003, at age 88; served with the obtained his J.D. from the Califor- owned her own business, Thysen retiring to Arizona with his Merchant Marine during World nia Western School of Law in San Management; represented ever-present German shepherd, War II; created first laundromat Diego; moved to Park City, Utah the Gabilan Foundation at the Weiss. Specializing in histology, in Scandinavia while spending in 1978 and built a law practice ribbon-cutting when then-USC he focused on skin and aquatic junior year in Sweden; served in there with his wife. President Steven B. Sample and toxicology, working in areas from U.S. Navy during Korean War; vice then-Provost Lloyd Armstrong, tumorigenesis in fish to the evo- president of Miocene Drilling Cor- GORDON BARKER SEVER- Jr. opened the new Social Work lution of New World monkeys. poration; assistant dean of public ANCE (LLB, ’46; Ph.D., econom- Center; was an active hiker and Perkins taught the first introduc- administration at USC; chairman ics, ’49) Houston, TX (7/18/13) supported Planned Parenthood tion to biology course attended by of the economics, sociology and at age 92; practiced corporate and the Sierra Club. up to 1,000 students. He taught social work division at North- law for 50 years in California; MARY GERLITZ, an honors histology, human anatomy, and ern Michigan University from assistant professor at Occidental THOMAS MALCOLM WALKER programs administrative coor- humans and the environment. 1963-66; chairman of economics College; director of price stabi- (M.A., international relations, dinator, has died after 44 years Perkins also oversaw the USC department and professor at lization for Southern California ’62) San Antonio, TX (7/12/13) at of service to USC Dornsife. She teaching internship program. John Carroll University. during Korean War; professor age 91; graduate of Officer Can- was 68. emeritus at California State didate School in Fontainebleau, Gerlitz died Aug. 1, 2013 at TERESA PATTERSON (M.A., University, Los Angeles, and the France; served on front line at Keck Hospital of USC in Los Spanish, ’50) Costa Mesa, CA University of Nevada-Reno, where Battle of the Bulge during World Angeles from heart failure. (6/14/13) at age 96; worked for he also served as acting dean in War II and as infantry platoon In 2009, Gerlitz received the Henry and Frances Fonda as 1985; elected to the Monterey leader commander in Erlangen, USC Dornsife Outstanding Staff caregiver to their children, Jane Park City Council and served Germany; served as teacher and Achievement Award. and Peter; served as a transla- as mayor in 1962; appointed coach at Lynwood High School, Born in Cottonwood, Idaho, Ger- tor for State Department during Fulbright professor of constitu- CA; became professor of political litz grew up on a farm in Prosser, GERLITZ PHOTO COURTESY OF CANTORI DOMINO; PERKINS PHOTO BY JEFF PERKINS; WOLPIN PHOTO COURTESY OF MARLENA ROSS MARLENA OF COURTESY PHOTO WOLPIN PERKINS; JEFF BY PHOTO PERKINS DOMINO; CANTORI OF COURTESY PHOTO GERLITZ World War II; taught Spanish for tional law at Makerere University science and history, and sports Wash., where she learned to drive seven decades in Newport Mesa in Kampala, Uganda in 1990 and information director at Compton a tractor and play piano. School District and at Coastline served as adviser on Uganda’s College from 1966-86. She studied organ while earn- Community College. Constitutional revision and built ing a bachelor’s from Lewis and medical clinic in Luwero. JOHN WILSON WALLACE Clark College in Portland, Ore., BRIAN LYNN REGISTER (B.A., (M.A., philosophy, ’53) graduating in 1966, the year she MILTON WOLPIN, Professor psychology, ’88) Ithaca, NY (8/ DARTHEA JANE BAXTER Monrovia, CA (2/22/13) at age married Eugene Gerlitz Jr., also Emeritus of Psychology and asso- 17/2013) at age 47; born in Tampa, SPILIOS (M.A., English, ’45) 86; marketing representative a USC Dornsife staff member for ciate professor for 21 years at USC FL; employed by hearing aid Glendale, CA (6/8/13) at age 93; in insurance; spent retirement decades. Dornsife, has died. He was 87. manufacturer Oticon. was the oldest living member helping people wherever needed. Diagnosed with hydrocephalus, of the Los Angeles City College Wolpin died at his home in Ven- RUTH ELIZABETH WRIGHT community due to her 65-year JACQUELINE BOICE WELLS ice, Calif., Dec. 17, 2012, said his ROLLINS (B.A., sociology, ’36) professorship that spanned from (B.A., zoology, ’46) Point Loma, domestic partner, Marlena Ross. Lakewood, CO (6/3/13) at age 1946 until 2011, stopping only CA (3/12/13) at age 88; while at Wolpin published dozens of A Philosophical Icon 98; longtime elementary school when her hip prevented her from USC Dornsife was student body papers on behavior therapy, Hailed as an icon of Christian scholarship, Dallas Willard was a best-selling author and beloved teacher whose teacher in Hughson, CA; involved teaching speech, storytelling vice president, Helen of Troy, phobias, abnormal psychology, work at USC Dornsife spanned nearly a half century. in Hughson Methodist Church and English to her international senior scroll recipient, Alpha assertiveness training, imagery, and other community organiza- students. Epsilon Delta member and anger management, psycho- Professor Emeritus of Philosophy Dallas Willard, an expert religion. Two of Willard’s most recent courses, designed and tions; volunteered for many years president of Kappa Alpha Theta; therapy theory, lucid dreaming and in Christian spiritual formation who taught at USC Dorn- introduced by him in the last decade, became cornerstones at Sierra Repertory Theatre. RAYMOND (RAY) OLIVER served as president of the Junior research approaches. He chaired sife’s School of Philosophy for 47 years, died May 8, 2013, of the interdisciplinary philosophy, politics and law major. STEIN (B.A., geology, ’51) League, Women’s Auxiliary of conferences and developed in- HEATLEY WILLARD BECKY BY PHOTO WILLARD in Woodland Hills, Calif. He was 77. “Dallas was really a hero to many of our Christian stu- KENNETH F. RYSTROM JR. Sparks, NV (7/31/13) at age 92; Children’s Hospital, and San novative ideas. “Beloved by decades of undergraduates, Dallas was one of dents,” said Varun Soni, dean of the USC Office of Religious (Ph.D., political science, ’83) served in U.S. Navy during World Diego’s Women’s Committee for After retiring, Wolpin main- the most popular, versatile and dedicated teachers the School Life. “He was the ultimate scholar-practitioner. He bridged Eugene, OR (8/4/13) at age 81; War II, first as chief signalman the Los Angeles Philharmonic; EDWIN “BUD” PERKINS JR., tained a private practice (serving of Philosophy has ever known,” said Scott Soames, Distin- the divide between philosophy and theology and showed us In August 2012, Professor editor of The Columbian editorial aboard an aircraft carrier, then as founder and charter president a 34-year biological sciences low-fee clients), joined the board guished Professor of Philosophy and philosophy director. all how to bring together our spiritual and scholarly lives in Emeritus of Philosophy page in Vancouver, WA; taught official submarine photographer; for USC Trojan League of San faculty member at USC Dornsife of EarthSave, was appointed “He was a pillar of our undergraduate program.” a meaningful way. He will be deeply missed on our campus.” Dallas Willard gazed journalism at University of Red- learned 16mm motion picture Diego and later president of the and histology expert, has died. to the Los Angeles County Task Willard studied metaphysics, contemporary European Willard was an award-winning writer on religion. Among through a window at lands, and Virginia Polytechnic photography; his work was used Association of Trojan Leagues. He was 75. Force on Nutrition and lectured. philosophy, ethics, and the history of ethics, with a particu- his best known works inspired by his Christian faith were The Mudd Hall of Philosophy Institute and State University; in motion picture Victory at Sea; Diagnosed with prostate “Milt’s mind was constantly filled lar emphasis on the status of moral knowledge in contem- Spirit of the Disciplines: Understanding How God Changes Lives to a sunlit garden beyond. served in U.S. Army in Korea; was president and owner of cancer, Perkins died at his home with ideas for research and lec- porary society. His research specialties included systematic (HarperCollins, 1988), The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering It was his last day at USC founded editorial writers’ organi- Methane Engineering, Inc. from in Green Valley, Ariz., on Aug. tures,” Ross said. “His excitement metaphysics; ontology of concepts, language and thought; our Hidden Life in God (HarperOne, 1998) and Renovation of Dornsife, where he taught zation in Washington and Oregon. 1970 to 2007. 8, 2013. was contagious and inspirational.” phenomenology; the history of ethics; and philosophy of the Heart: Putting on the Character of Christ (NavPress, 2002). for 47 years.

66 Fall 2013 / Winter 2014 67 OPINION IN MY COURAGE AFTER GENOCIDE

“Looking at Rwanda’s experience of rebuild- support from my children that sustained us as ing, there’s this sense a family unit. I didn’t realize it at the time, that you can move past but my children were sustaining me in an this tragedy, there is an enormous way, along with my now-deceased ‘after.’ For me, the take- parents, who were my pillars both emotion- ally and financially, when needed. They were away from this trip is a nurturing and giving grandparents. message of hope.” In 1976, I moved from Detroit to Los An- —Nitya Ramanathan, geles with my two girls; my son had started international relations his first year at Morehouse College in At- lanta, Ga. In California, I married my child- YOUR SUPPORT hood sweetheart and we became a blended is critical to USC Dornsife’s family of eight in 1979. Over time I was able innovative undergraduate to build a successful career as a vice president programs such as Problems in corporate banking in Los Angeles; then Without Passports. Learn as acting executive director at a nonprofit in more at dornsife.usc.edu/cam- South Los Angeles — all of which required paign or call (213) 740-4990 different levels of sustainability. I grew to understand that allowing myself flexibility and time to reflect meant that I was capable of success in whatever goals I set for myself. My time at USC has been the most enjoy- able and rewarding part of my educational journey. I first attended USC in 1980 while working at First Interstate Bank and taking a night course in accounting. I didn’t return to USC until 2000 when my husband, Er- nie, joined the university, which provided me with educational benefits (available to employees and their families) to complete my education as a Trojan. My professors, advisers and the administrative staff have Sustain A andsuccessful career Attain woman, mother of six and been the best of the best. My professors at USC Dornsife grandmother of eight, Cynthia Maxwell-Dillard is were inspiring, available, very conversant in their subject just getting started. matter and provided the educational support I needed to succeed. My advisers were also available and supportive Sustainability usually refers to issues of maintaining the and kept me informed about courses in my major that

environment and ecosystem or improving the ozone layer. might be of special interest to me. LUKASHEVSKY ASHLEY BY PHOTO RWANDA NEUBECKER; ROBERT BY ILLUSTRATION How about personal sustainability? For nearly 60 years, In life there are obstacles that can hinder progress and my determination to fulfill a commitment never wavered. growth. I never even mentioned my house burning down When I was 17, I promised my father that I would obtain and my three knee surgeries. Our challenges may call into my college degree no matter how long it took. No matter question the choices we make; however, sustaining my val- the obstacles or other delays I encountered along the way. ues meant keeping my promise. In May 2013, I earned my Let me tell you, there were many. bachelor’s degree in sociology at age 75. An abusive marriage, raising three children as a single I kept my promise to my father, who died in 1984. parent and a career with county government were a few. But this journey has not been about holding that diploma. After acquiring the necessary units at a community col- It’s about knowing who I am in this world. This required lege in Highland Park, Mich., and transferring to Wayne not only my own ability to sustain from within, but also the State University in Detroit, one would think I was on the loyalty from those who supported and believed in me. I’ve home stretch. heard it takes only one person to believe in you. In my case, But the ensuing decades proved difficult. Just maintaining I had friends and a Family. my self-esteem was a major hurdle. I silently survived physi- cal and emotional abuse at the hands of my then-husband Cynthia Maxwell-Dillard graduated with her bachelor’s in sociology at while struggling to provide guidance and nurturing for my USC Dornsife in May 2013. Her first job was at age 17 with the U.S. De- children — and juggling a full-time job. Yet I still squeezed partment of the Army. She was cleared to work on top secret documents and in college courses. quickly learned she held a crucial job. Her most fulfilling career experience I ultimately garnered the strength and insight to survive has been learning about and understanding the complexities and politics of the emotional stress of divorce, and embraced the unspoken working in a poor and underserved community of Los Angeles.

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