Newsmakers
January 23, 2009 12:01 PM
Beth Saul, USC’s director of parents programs and Fraternity and Sorority Leadership Development, has been recognized by a national academic Greek honorary with a $10,000 endowment in her name.
The Beth Saul/Gamma Sigma Alpha endowment will support individuals’ professional development by allowing them to participate in the organization’s national conference.
Saul was recognized for her 20 years of service and support to the academic honorary, leading the Greek organization from a single chapter chartered at USC to one that spans more than 200 chapters nationwide.
According to Gamma Alpha Sigma leadership, Saul’s award was created to allow a “lasting legacy for a woman who has dedicated so much during her years of service to higher education.”
Filled With Fulbrights
USC faculty members Allen Azizian, Erna J. Blanche and Andrea Clemons have been awarded 2008-09 Fulbright Scholar grants.
The program is sponsored by the Department of State, with additional funding from participating governments and host institutions in the United States and abroad.
Azizian is a lecturer in the department of psychology at USC College.
Blanche is an associate clinical professor in the department of occupational science and occupational therapy.
Clemons is an assistant professor at the USC Rossier School of Education.
Fresh Artistry, by Design
The National Endowment for the Arts has awarded a $10,000 grant to the USC Roski School of Fine Arts in support of a new Design Collaborative.
The year-long project will be a partnership between the school, the student design club AIGA USC and Ryman Arts.
The collaborative aims to explore a broad range of topics, including design processes and fundamentals, technology as a design tool and cooperation through design.
Working in teams, diverse high school students from Ryman Arts and USC student mentors will take part in workshops with a goal of producing individual and shared designs to be posted on a social network Web site created by the students.
By working with underserved youth and creating mentored relationships with college students, the collaborative intends to foster a sense of community among the youth and connect them with emerging professionals as well as seasoned designers who will prepare them to excel in artistic self-presentation.
Civil Words
Firdaus Udwadia, professor of aerospace and mechanical engineering at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering, has won the 2008 Richard R. Torrens Award given by the American Society of Civil Engineers.
The Torrens Award is given for outstanding contributions as a journal editor.
Udwadia has served as editor in chief of the society’s Journal of Aerospace Engineering for the past seven years. The journal promotes the implementation and development of space and aerospace technologies and their transfer to other civil engineering applications.
Moving On
Eight USC students conducting research on transportation projects have been recognized with scholarships from two Southern California chapters of the Women’s Transportation Seminar.
Six of the students are with the USC Viterbi School of Engineering and the other two are enrolled in the School of Policy, Planning, and Development. They competed against students from area universities for scholarships from one or both of the seminar’s Orange County and Los Angeles area chapters.
The scholarship competitions in Los Angeles and Orange County are separate. USC students entering the contest typically are part of the Epstein Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering; the Astani Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering; the School of Policy, Planning and Development; and the USC Marshall School’s Department of Information and Operations Management.
One of the Women’s Transportation Seminar’s goals is to provide greater opportunities for women in the transportation industries through professional development and mentoring. Scholarships provided by each chapter range between $2,000 and $5,500.
The Duke of Enrollment
Alex Duke has joined the USC Rossier School of Education as assistant dean for enrollment management and student services.
In his new role, Duke serves as a key member of the senior leadership team, overseeing recruitment, admissions, enrollment and student services for the school’s eight graduate programs in urban education.
Duke comes from the Pardee RAND Graduate School in Santa Monica, where he served as assistant dean for academic and student affairs from 2004 to 2008. Prior to that, he oversaw enrollment and student services for the UCLA Anderson School of Management since 1999.
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USC in the News
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The Wall Street Journal highlighted the $200 million naming gift from USC Trustee and alumnus David Dornsife and wife Dana Dornsife to the USC Dornsife College, and the $110 million gift from USC Trustee and USC Viterbi School alumnus John Mork and wife Julie to create the USC Mork Family Scholars Program.
KPCC-FM reported that this fall USC will offer Persian language courses for the first time. A $250,000 grant from the Farhang Foundation helped to establish the program. Bruce Zuckerman of the USC Dornsife College said he has many students interested in the Persian language, culture and region. “The Iranian region is one that has great impact on our lives today and has had great impact going back into ancient times,” he said. The story noted that USC and the Farhang Foundation hope to raise more money to create an Iranian studies minor. Payvand also featured the new courses.
American Songwriter ran a Q&A with Christopher Sampson of the USC Thornton School about the school’s Popular Music program, which Sampson founded. He noted that the program has been available as a major in Songwriting since 2009, and has incorporated a diverse range of musical genres. “We have now established a consistent track record of students having professional success to know that the program gets results,” Sampson said. He also highlighted the achievements of Songwriting faculty members Lamont Dozier, Andrea Stolpe and David Poe of the Thornton School.
The Economist featured research by Valter Longo of the USC Davis School finding that short periods of fasting could help cancer patients better tolerate chemotherapy, and may even make treatment more effective. The Globe and Mail (Canada) reported that cancerous tumors are essentially energy hogs. “They need to burn lots of energy just to stay alive,” Longo said. The study was also covered by Irish Independent (Ireland), Magyar Tavirati Iroda (Hungary), Anadolu Ajansi (Turkey), Son Haber (Netherlands), Vietnam+ (Vietnam), Turkish Radio and Television (Turkey) and Romania Libera (Romania).
L.A. Weekly featured research by USC’s Institute for Creative Technologies, which has developed video games based around physical movement for people recovering from strokes or other injuries. The games develop strength in specific body parts. Traditional video games weren’t right for these patients, said the institute’s Belinda Lange. “Often, the fun parts of the game would only be unlocked after a series of other levels, which our patients often couldn’t achieve,” she said. The games are now being tested with physical therapists in three major clinics.
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