Newsmakers
November 16, 2009 8:49 AM
USC trustee Steven Spielberg, who received an honorary degree from USC in 1994, visited professor Drew Casper’s cinematic arts class on Nov. 4.
A standing room only crowd at the Norris Cinema Theatre hung on the Academy Award-winning director’s every word during the Q&A session moderated by Casper.
“Truly, we are desperately in need of all of you to be part of this industry,” he told the crowd. “To make movies, to make television and to make art in mediums we haven’t yet dreamed of.
“You couldn’t be at a better place to find out what your art is and to go out and spread the wealth to the world. So I want to thank all of you for that. I’m depending on you.”
AULT RIGHT
Glenn Ault has been appointed to the new position of associate dean for clinical administration (LAC+USC Medical Center).
Ault, an assistant professor, will represent the school in day-to-day operations with the hospital.
His new appointment took effect Oct. 1.
Ault will collaborate with the chairs of the clinical departments, division chiefs and administrative staff at LAC+USC to ensure the clinical and academic missions of the medical school are realized. He will provide oversight of the contract between the County of Los Angeles and USC that covers the provision of clinical care, resident supervision and clinical research.
He also will be responsible for ensuring that the Keck School meets its obligations under this agreement and for helping to resolve issues that may arise. The current contract was signed in 2008 and runs through 2013.
SAMET AS USUAL
Jonathan Samet, holder of the Flora L. Thornton Chair of the Department of Preventive Medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, reached an international audience with messages about global health during two sessions at USC’s 2009 Global Conference in Taiwan.
Held in Taipei on Oct. 29-31, the sold-out conference brought together leading experts in economics, energy, health and digital technology to examine current global challenges and explore the potential for change.
Attendees included USC trustees, alumni, friends and business leaders from around the Pacific Rim.
On Oct. 30, Samet, the founding director of the USC Institute for Global Health, delivered a keynote presentation titled “Global Health: Saving Billions at a Time.” The speech was an overview of health challenges, including chronic diseases, spreading epidemics, obesity and tobacco. In addition, Samet touched on recent initiatives for promoting global health and possible solutions for positive change.
In his speech, Samet noted that “we face ever more complex problems with global reach, but we are also gaining experience with developing global solutions.”
He also participated in an Oct. 31 panel discussion about air pollution in Asia. Joining him on the panel was Junfeng (Jim) Zhang from Rutgers University and Chang-Chuan Chan from National Taiwan University.
MAXIMUM IMPACT
Impact, the award-winning television newsmagazine produced at the USC Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism, is going global.
Distributor Global Broadcasting has picked up the series to run in several countries throughout Europe.
The series explores issues and stories in and around Los Angeles and wherever USC Annenberg students travel.
Recent programs have included stories featuring L.A’s architecture, street musicians and the Los Angeles Unified School District’s music program.?This year’s team consists of supervising producer Kim Daniels, second-year students Adrianna Weingold and Jennifer Aidoo, and first-year students Sam Osborn and Sharis Delgadillo - all graduate students in journalism.
Impact has received several college television awards in the documentary and newsmagazine categories announced by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.
In addition to the new European broadcasts, the program is carried by some 50 cable franchises in California and Nevada.
SOLOMON’S WISDOM
Olga Solomon, research assistant professor in the Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, has received a National Institutes of Health grant for $1.25 million to study autism.
This two-year project will examine health and service disparities in the diagnosis of African American children in Los Angeles.
Solomon proposes to follow 16 children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders, their primary caregivers and extended kin and social networks, and the practitioners who serve them.
The project will be carried out at the USC University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles and the San Gabriel/Pomona regional center.
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USC in the News
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The Chronicle of Higher Education mentioned USC’s $6 billion fundraising campaign. The story noted that USC had already raised $1 billion in a “quiet phase,” including the $200 million naming gift from USC Trustee and alumnus David Dornsife and wife Dana Dornsife to the USC Dornsife College.
The Guardian (U.K.) highlighted two major gifts to USC in a list of the 10 biggest philanthropic benefactors in America. The list included 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.
The New York Times featured the USC U.S.-China Institute documentary “Assignment: China — The Week that Changed the World.” The documentary, part of a series, examines media coverage of the 1972 Nixon trip that reshaped U.S.-China relations after a quarter century of isolation and hostility. “People look back now and take it for granted that the outcome was preordained,” said the institute’s Mike Chinoy, who produced the documentary. Voice of America also featured the story.
Los Angeles Times featured the Oscar Senti-meter, a tool developed by the USC Annenberg School, Los Angeles Times and IBM that analyzes thousands of tweets about the Academy Awards nominees. The story noted that Mexican actor Demian Bechir received an enormous boost on Twitter the day of the nominations, with a total of 6,893 tweets mentioning him, a 47-fold increase from the day before. The story noted the tool uses language-recognition technology developed in collaboration with USC Viterbi School’s Signal Analysis and Interpretation Lab.
The Times of India (India) featured a three-day medical emergency training workshop organized in association with USC. At the workshop, held at GCS Medical College in India, 50 doctors and more than 100 paramedics learned how to improve emergency support systems. William Mallon of the Keck School of USC said that discussion topics included the use of portable ultrasonic devices to scan patients. “The ultrasound applications help physicians make accurate and timely decisions,” he noted. Daily News & Analysis (India) also featured the workshop.
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