AILY ROJAN DMONDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2021 | STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF TTHE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA SINCE 1912 | VOL. 202, NO. 9 COVID-19 AT USC — February 7—13 Over the week of Feb. 7-13, the test positivity rate for PCR testing was 1.4% among students and 0.1% among employees. CURRENT TESTING NUMBERS Between Feb. 7 and Feb. 13, PCR SURVEILLANCE TESTING USC’s Keck School of Medicine administered 11,922 PCR tests among students and employees. The results from all diagnostic tests, both surveillance and symptomatic, NEGATIVE: 8,028 NEGATIVE: 1,998 are now streamlined into one POSITIVE: 114 POSITIVE: 2 positivity rate statistic. The will report the STUDENTS Daily Trojan EMPLOYEES results every week on Sunday and can also be found on USC’s COVID-19 Dashboard. Design by Samantha deNicola and Claire Wong | Daily Trojan Viterbi houses James E. Ballinger engineer of the year Darin Gray won the award for build props by hand. “I just had a crush on her, and his long-term work in the USC “Attracting students to engi- in my chemistry class I was the neering is not an easy thing, par- top student, even though there Viterbi K-12 STEM Center. ticularly for students who are un- were a bunch of seniors there, I derrepresented and don’t have the always outscored everybody else, By CHRISSA LOUKAS means,” Yortsos said. “[Gray is] and the fact that she thought I Staff Writer very persistent. Very understand- would be a good engineer was Darin Gray, the co-direc- ing of the environment in which good enough for me,” Gray said. tor of the USC Viterbi School of he works, [he’s] clearly an expert While Gray’s crush led him to Engineering K-12 STEM Center, in that. Very passionate about enroll in a summer engineering was recently named the James making the connection between program in Detroit, his love for E. Ballinger Engineer of the engineering and the underserved the field is what drove him above Year 2020 by the Orange County communities — in a way he is and beyond. Since then, Gray has Engineering Council — an award an ambassador of engineering to received bachelor’s degrees in which honors exceptional engi- high school kids.” biomedical and electrical engi- neers renowned in their fields. The OCEC commemorates en- neering and in math, and a mas- The OCEC honored Gray for gineering work yearly at a gala ter’s in teaching from USC. In his long-term work at the STEM event and honors the best en- 2018, Gray also received a doctor- Center and awarded him for his gineers, scientists, educators ate in education technology from influence on disadvantaged stu- and students. OCEC members Boise State University. dents. For the last 25 years, Gray can nominate a colleague or a Gray furthered his career has been part of the STEM edu- friend through the OCEC Annual by becoming a member of the cational outreach and has helped Awards Nomination form. In or- California State Guard, where he many Black and Indigenous stu- der to receive an award, OCEC teaches basic cyber coding. He is dents, students of color and girls sets high standards that require currently studying to receive a pursue STEM as a profession. long-term achievements and the master’s degree in cyber security Gray said his work aims to excite engineers to still be active in from California State University students about STEM and edu- their fields. San Marcos and is set to graduate cate teachers about how to teach Gray has both operational and in May 2021. them. program responsibilities at the Before becoming a teach- “I’m just really appreciative, STEM center. While in charge of er, Gray worked for the Hughes honored, that the OCEC thought diversity, equity and inclusion, Aircraft Company. At the time, enough of me and in terms of all Gray oversees a few STEM pro- he also began volunteering and the people who’ve won that award,” grams created to help elementa- teaching computer skills to dis- Gray said. “I’ve been to the ceremo- ry and high school students. He is advantaged students at an al- ny back in the pre-COVID days, responsible for the logistics of the ternative high school, where he and the people who have won that center, such as budgeting, pre- also tutored them in the evenings award are some of the top people paring youth compliance propos- in order to elevate their math Photo courtesy of Darin Gray Darin Gray in the field, and to be included in als and fundraising. During sum- knowledge. Gray said he soon re- said his goal over the next few years is to focus on mitigating that company — it was just such an mers, Gray also teaches Discover alized there wasn’t a lot of focus learning losses caused by the coronavirus pandemic. honor.” Engineering at USC, which is a on getting students interested education and work center out- and middle school students gain Gray said Viterbi Dean Yannis college class for high school stu- in math, so he decided to step in reach consultant at a different STEM experience. C. Yortsos’ motto, “changing the dents. and become a teacher. school in the Los Angeles Unified Gray’s former high school stu- face of engineering,” is what he Gray said he was always good “I came from a similar neigh- School District. For 20 years, he dent from the Metropolitan Skills always strives for. He makes engi- in math and science, but his orig- borhood and it was school that would spend mornings running Center AEWC, Jecery Ninonuevo, neering fun by showing students inal plan in 10th grade was to be- helped me to change my life,” the school — working on commu- said that both her and her daugh- what geometry and math coor- come a doctor. Although placed Gray said. “And so, I went to my nity outreach, teaching, hiring ter were able to graduate because dinates can create. One example in an advanced class at the time, boss at Hughes and I said I want and budgeting. of Gray’s program. Ninonuevo, was when he taught kids about Gray changed his medical direc- to become a teacher. He didn’t be- In the afternoons, he would who’s now a nursing home ad- creating 3D computer-aided de- tion after a girl he liked told him lieve me at first, he thought I was go to USC to run the after- ministrator, almost dropped out sign for 3D printers. STEM kids he should become an engineer. just playing. He said I don’t think school programs, such as the of school when she became preg- love to have such activities, Gray Gray said he didn’t know what an so. So, I left to become a teacher.” USC Viterbi Mission Science pro- nant at the age of 15. She said said, but even drama students engineer was until then, and had As Gray continued teaching, gram, which helps elementary like it because they don’t have to to go to the library to find out. he took on the role of alternative | see AWARD, page 2 | INDEX 1 · News 3 · Opinion 4 · A & E 6 · Classifieds 5 · Sudoku 8 · Sports DAILYTROJAN.COM DAILYTROJAN PAGE 2 FEBRUARY 22, 2021 | WWW.DAILYTROJAN.COM NEWS USC community gives back to Quik-Pix owner, raises funds After facing a difficult few years, to remote learning has also caused social media quickly as students be- students donated to Akm Alam Quik-Pix to suffer from a lack of gan sharing the story amongst each business. In addition, Alam has other. to show support for his business. dealt with his fair share of personal Many students were happy to struggles. Within the past year, he help, given that those who have used By ELI MASKET was diagnosed with Motor Neuron one of Quik-Pix’s many services Staff writer Disease, which defines the group of seem to have a story about the kind- Hundreds of previously devel- diseases that reside in the same fam- ness and professionalism of Alam. oped and brightly colored disposable ily as ALS. Sipporah Negash, a senior majoring cameras piled up in a transparent While Robinson had been using in chemical engineering, described bin inside of Quik-Pix Photo Lab tell Quik-Pix’s film development ser- the first time she met Alam. a story of USC and the surrounding vices since his freshman year, he “He was really kind, and we got community. The store’s owner, Akm only began his relationship with to chat a bit about our backgrounds Alam, has a unique connection with Alam this summer, when Robinson and stuff, and he just seemed genu- the student population, having de- helped Alam out from time to time inely interested in talking with me veloped thousands of student photos in the store. This was when the pair and getting to know more about for the past few decades. “got to really know each other,” me,” Negash said. “It was also really As of Feb. 17, Alam’s business, Robinson said. It was only within great to be able to put a face to the Photo courtesy of Mason Robinson which is located a few blocks from the past few months that Alam told name.” Akm Alam has run the photography and film development store, located right campus on Vermont Avenue, has Robinson and another senior, Biata Alam even went out of his way to off of campus, and served the USC community for almost 40 years.