A New Way for Scholars to Communicate

By James Grant on September 15, 2009 8:03 AM

USC is among a group of 35 leading research universities that have joined to create Futurity (www.futurity.org), an online research news site covering the latest discoveries in science, engineering, the environment, health, society, culture and more.

In recent months, Futurity.org has featured a number of studies by USC researchers, including reports on the effects of prenatal smoking in DNA, how virtual economies mirror real economies, diversity in video game characters, politeness and profits in business and the economic impacts of the 9/11 attacks.

In discussing the new initiative, Bill Murphy, one of Futurity’s co-founders and vice president for communications at the University of Rochester, said universities are affected by the challenges facing newspapers today. News holes are shrinking, he noted, and coverage of research-related stories has been hit particularly hard.

“In light of this shifting news landscape, universities are looking for ways to share important breakthroughs with the public. Futurity gives our partners an opportunity to communicate in a new and direct way — and to remind the public why research matters.”

Futurity co-founder Michael Schoenfeld, vice president for public affairs and government relations at Duke University, said the site serves another vital role. It allows the public to see how federal, state and private funding are being put to use by universities to address critical challenges.

“It’s not often you see high-powered universities working together in such a collaborative way,” Schoenfeld said. “That fact alone indicates the project’s significance. Universities are the world’s laboratories. They host the brightest minds working to answer some of today’s most urgent questions. The breadth and caliber — and the collective force — of the research featured on Futurity is truly extraordinary.”

Since launching a beta version in March with the participation of USC’s media relations staff, Futurity has continued to add membership and readership.

Lisa Lapin, assistant vice president for communications at Stanford University, said Futurity is looking for new ways to extend the site’s reach. “We’re active on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. We’re also in partnership talks with major Internet news providers. Today’s online environment is perfectly suited for this type of direct communication. There’s something very authentic about universities working together to share knowledge.”

USC, like all the current partner universities in the initiative, is a member of the Association of American Universities, a nonprofit organization of leading public and private research universities.

Faculty members interested in learning more about Futurity.org can contact USC’s Media Relations staff at (213) 740-2215 or uscnews@usc.edu.

USC Research Featured on Futurity.org

Signs of Prenatal Smoking in DNA
Carrie Breton, Keck School of Medicine at USC
http://futurity.org/health.../signs-of-prenatal-smoking-in-dna/

Virtual Economies Mirror the Real Deal
Dmitri Williams, USC Annenberg School for Communication
futurity.org/top.../virtual-economies-mirror-the-real-deal/

Video Games: Lots of Dudes, Little Diversity
Dmitri Williams, USC Annenberg School for Communication
futurity.org/society.../video-games-lots-of-dudes-little-diversity/

Sept. 11 Economic Impact
Adam Rose, USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development and USC CREATE Homeland Security Center
http://futurity.org/society-culture/report-resiliency-softened-911%e2%80%99s-economic-blow/

Stressed Out, Dude? Don’t Go to Vegas
Nichole Lighthall, USC Davis School of Gerontology
futurity.org/society.../stressed-out-dude-don’t-go-to-vegas/

Final Discovery: Henry Hudson Murdered by Crew?
Peter Mancall, USC College
futurity.org/.../final-discovery-henry-hudson-murdered-by-crew/

Capitalist or Socialist — Who’s Happier?
Richard Easterlin, USC College
futurity.org/society.../capitalist-or-socialist—who’s-happier/

Farming the Sea to Feed the World
Dennis Hedgecock, David Hutchins and Donal Manahan,
USC College and USC Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies
futurity.org/earth.../farming-the-sea-to-feed-the-world/

Not So Fast: Morals Can’t Keep Pace
Mary Helen Immordino-Yang, USC Rossier School of Education
Antonio Damasio, USC College and USC Brain and Creativity Institute
Manuel Castells, USC Annenberg School for Communication
futurity.org/society.../not-so-fast-morals-can’t-keep-pace/

Bulimia Study Suggests Surprising Racial Divide
Michelle Goeree, USC College
futurity.org/.../bulimia-study-suggests-surprising-racial-divide/

TAGS: innovation, research

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