Featured Science / Technology News

Fasting Weakens Cancer in Mice

Man may not live by bread alone, but cancer in animals appears less resilient, judging by a study that found chemotherapy drugs work better when combined with cycles of short, severe fasting.

Delving Into the Emotion of Gratitude

Put yourself in the position of a Jew during World War II who escapes to France penniless and is forced to beg on the streets. A passerby gives you roasted peanuts - your first morsel of food in several days.

Life Discovered on Dead Sea Vents

Scientists at USC have uncovered evidence that even when hydrothermal sea vents go dormant and their blistering warmth turns to frigid cold, life goes on.

Golomb Receives Prize for Scientific Achievement

Distinguished University Professor Solomon Golomb was selected to receive the 2012 William Procter Prize for Scientific Achievement, the highest honor bestowed by the research society Sigma Xi.

USC Scientists Build Working Model of Life’s Engine

Researchers at USC have built a theoretical working model of the cellular engine that powers all life.

USC Institute Helps Inventors Become Entrepreneurs

There’s a myth that all it takes to change the world is a single great idea, usually conceived by an inventor with vision sweating away in a garage workshop.

USC Scientists Keep Their Eyes on Peripheral Vision

Two USC scientists are bringing peripheral vision into focus, showing that the way the brain sharpens its attention while the eyes are in motion leads to false assumptions about how objects should look.

Material That Cleans Carbon Dioxide From the Air

A team of USC scientists has developed an easy-to-make material that can scrub large amounts of carbon dioxide from the air.

FDA Panel Recommends Approval of Device Used at USC to Treat Heartburn

A U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory panel has endorsed approval of a novel device - tested in clinical trials at USC - to treat severe acid reflux.

A Quantum Leap in Computing

When American physicist Richard Feynman in 1982 proposed creating a quantum computer that could solve complex problems, the idea was merely a theory scientists believed was in the distant future.

In Memoriam: Sidney W. Benson, 93

USC Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Chemistry Sidney W. Benson, who became scientific co-director of the Loker Hydrocarbon Research Institute at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences when it opened in 1977, has died.

Scientists Create First 3-D Map of Human Genome

For the first time, scientists have developed a method for generating accurate three-dimensional models of the entire DNA strand of a cell, known as a genome.

Signaling Process Linked to Obesity and Cancer

Researchers at the Keck School of Medicine of USC have discovered that a signaling process between a hormone receptor produced by the brain and a hormone produced by fat tissue is a characteristic feature of a variety of tumor-initiating stem cells.

Gene Mutation That Increases Risk for Lupus Found

An international team of researchers led by Chaim O. Jacob, associate professor of medicine and microbiology & immunology at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, has identified a gene mutation involved in causing lupus, a chronic inflammatory disease that affects the skin, joints and organs.

Four USC Professors Elected as AAAS Fellows

Four USC professors have been named fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, recognizing their contributions to science and technology.

Surprising Results in USC Study of Twins

Older female cancer survivors are significantly more likely to suffer from long-term cognitive impairment after diagnosis and treatment compared to their twin sibling with no history of cancer, a USC study found.

USC Viterbi Students Capture Solar Power for Electric Cars

The Global Electric Motorcars vehicles that are ubiquitous on USC’s University Park campus currently plug into the power grid for a recharge. But someday they may be plugging into solar charging stations built and designed by USC Viterbi School of Engineering undergraduates.

The Shape of Things to Come

A USC scientist has developed an innovative method of predicting the shape of DNA, for the first time making it expedient to do so on a genomic scale.

Curtailing Poisonous Shellfish

USC Dornsife professors David Caron and Burt Jones are part of a team to receive a $4 million grant to research early detection of red tides.

USAID Taps USC Viterbi for Geothermal Education Effort

The U.S. Agency for International Development has selected the USC Viterbi School of Engineering to work with a top Indonesian university to train experts in geothermal power.

Twin Study Offers Glimpse of Antisocial Behavior

There is good reason students and faculty walking the halls of the Seeley G. Mudd building think they are seeing double - they are.

USC Research Finds Clues to Genetic Instructions

The USC Epigenome Center at the Keck School of Medicine of USC has made a breakthrough in cancer research that is expected to have a long-term impact on the diagnosis and treatment of cancer.

USC and Boeing Test Unmanned Submarine

With news cameras rolling earlier this month, a team of scientists from USC and Boeing ran an 18-foot-long unmanned submarine through its paces off the coast of Catalina Island.

Saving Da Vinci’s ‘Last Supper’ from Air Pollution

Having survived long centuries, political upheaval and even bombings during World War II, Leonardo da Vinci’s “Last Supper” masterpiece now faces the risk of damage from air pollution due to its location in one of Western Europe’s most polluted cities.

From Deep Sea to Dry Dock

This week a USC scientist who spent 65 days at sea in search of life hidden beneath the seafloor returns from a successful expedition, which she chronicled in regular blog posts from her ship.

Is the ‘Dead Planet’ Full of Life?

David Bowie asked it best in his 1971 song “Life on Mars?” But when it comes to the question of whether there’s currently life on the Red Planet, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences professor Kenneth Nealson is fairly confident that the answer is no.

Sun Sets on Oil Wells

For more than 20 years, George Olah and G. K. Surya Prakash have quietly and consistently worked toward saving the world.

Building a Way to Save Energy

Buildings have lives - they are active, and they sleep. They have different personalities and different attractions for occupants.

Antonio and Hanna Damasio Receive Honorary Degrees

University Professors Antonio and Hanna Damasio - who together have challenged dominant 20th century views about brain function and demonstrated how emotions play a critical role in high-level cognition - have been awarded honorary degrees from the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL).

Toyota Supports Science Education for Local Students

The USC Neighborhood Academic Initiative (NAI) has received a $600,000 grant from the Toyota Corp. to increase science literacy among students in grades 6-12.

Pharmacy Establishes International Center for Regulatory Science

The USC School of Pharmacy has established the International Center for Regulatory Science to help assure that promising new medical products reach the marketplace faster while also maintaining proper safety standards.

Grant Allows USC Scientist to Study Brain Tumor

Anat Erdreich-Epstein was awarded a two-year exploratory grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke to study a newly discovered gene that slows the growth of malignant brain tumors.

ICT Virtual Humans Change the Face of Training

At a Naval training facility in Newport, R.I., gunner’s mate Jacob Cabrillo, a new junior sailor, sits hunched in his chair, fully outfitted in his Navy uniform.

Scientist’s Revolutionary Drug Pump Draws NSF Support

Last month, for the first time in 11 years, USC associate professor Ellis Meng found herself raising her hand and asking questions in the classroom - not answering them.

Mexican Student Brings His Talents to USC Viterbi

Juan-Miguel Ramírez-Rocamora began the doctoral program in USC’s biomedical engineering (BME) in August, but he had to take two days off in September to fly back to his alma mater for ceremonies honoring his academic achievements.

Quantum Computing Center Established at USC

Building on its history of pioneering advances in high-performance computing and the Internet, USC now is exploring the future of quantum computing.

USC Scientist Cracks Mysterious Copiale Cipher

The manuscript seems straight out of fiction: a strange, handwritten message in abstract symbols and Roman letters meticulously covering 105 yellowing pages hidden in the depths of an academic archive.

A Digital Landscape of Diseases

USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences scientists and their colleagues have been awarded a $5.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study disease connections as part of a collective of research centers.

USC and IBM Go to Bat on Social Media Project

IBM and the USC Annenberg Innovation Lab have begun a new social media analysis project focusing on Major League Baseball during the World Series.

Massry Prize Winners Discuss Protein Folding

Correct folding of proteins can make the difference between health and disease, according to researchers F. Ulrich Hartl of the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry and Arthur Horwich of Yale University. The two were jointly awarded the 2011 Massry Prize this month for their work in discovering how proteins fold.

Researchers to Investigate Drug Resistance

A team of researchers from Keck School of Medicine of USC-affiliated Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and City of Hope has received a five-year, $2.5 million grant from the National Cancer Institute to establish a research center that will study drug resistance in pediatric cancer, particularly in childhood neuroblastoma.

USC Scientist Targets Genetic Cause of Infant Mortality

The disease is heartbreaking. It turns babies into ragdolls and extinguishes lives just as they are getting started.

And the Microbes Shall Inherit the Earth

Global warming is not a novel phenomenon, and by studying what happened to the planet during a period of global warming about 250 million years ago, one USC scientist hopes to discover what could happen to us this time around.

Ming Hsieh Institute Symposium Explores Nanomedicine

Small medicine was the big idea as the Health Sciences campus hosted the USC Ming Hsieh Institute for Research on Engineering Medicine for Cancer Symposium on Sept. 29.

USC Scientist Tracks Neurotoxin-Producing Algae

With toxic algal blooms ramping up in frequency and severity locally, USC scientists have developed a new method to monitor algae in hopes of one day being able to predict when and where toxic “red tides” will occur.

The Internet of Tomorrow: Faster, Better and Cheaper

Researchers from USC, the University of Arizona and seven other institutions are attempting to save the Internet by making it cheaper, faster and better.

It Could Happen One Night

Envision a romantic comedy with a science-based plot. The leading roles are biologists, let’s say, working in the same lab, using Schizosaccharomyces pombe to find a cure for cancer. Love ensues, followed by some terrible mishap in the lab, a breakup, makeup and the obligatory walk down the aisle.

First Detailed Map of Human Neuroreceptor Generated

For the first time, USC scientists have mapped out a neuroreceptor. This scientific breakthrough promises to revolutionize the engineering of drugs used to treat ailments such as Alzheimer’s disease and schizophrenia.

Hungary Honors Native Son George Olah

His native country of Hungary honored its hero George Olah with the Széchenyi-nagydíj Grand Prize during a ceremony at the Bel Air Crest Clubhouse.

Scientists Probe Connection Between Sight and Touch

Shakespeare famously referred to “the mind’s eye,” but scientists at USC now also have identified a “mind’s touch.”

Key Protein Linked to Acute Liver Failure

New research from the Keck School of Medicine of USC may help prevent damage to the liver caused by drugs like acetaminophen and other stressors.

Peer Pressure? It’s Hardwired Into Our Brains

A new USC study explains why people take stupid chances when all of their friends are watching that they would never take by themselves.

A Search for Life at the Earth’s Extremes

A USC scientist will take a research expedition this month into the heart of the Mid-Atlantic Ocean to explore the very limits of life on Earth.

Freedom of Speech or Personal Security?

A new breed of hacker is afoot. Having moved beyond targeting and shutting down websites, this hacker doesn’t do it for glory or money, but for political purposes.

USC School of Pharmacy Announces Quintiles Gift

The USC School of Pharmacy has received a gift from Quintiles to establish the Quintiles Chair in Pharmaceutical and Regulatory Innovation and the Quintiles International Lecture Series, both to be housed at the Leonard D. Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics at USC.

USC Breakthrough in Hydrogen Fuel Cells

A team of USC scientists has developed a robust, efficient method of using hydrogen as a fuel source.

Natural Anti-Oxidant Deserts Aging Body

When the body fights oxidative damage, it calls up a reservist enzyme that protects cells - but only if those cells are relatively young, a study has found.

USC Viterbi Professors Tapped Among Top Innovators

USC Viterbi School of Engineering faculty members Jernej Barbič and Bhaskar Krishnamachari have been named among the world’s top innovators under the age of 35 by Technology Review magazine.

Inventing Ways to Spark Interest in STEM

Gary Scott, associate professor of clinical education at the USC Rossier School of Education, is using the wonder of invention to spark an interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.

Scientists Study Advancement of Myeloma

Research at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, conducted with other scientists, has shown that a cellular-signaling mechanism spurs the advancement of multiple myeloma, a bone-marrow cancer accounting for 10 percent of all blood-borne malignancies, and also makes the disease resistant to drugs.

One Gear for Fear?

Do you run when you should stay? Are you afraid of all the wrong things? An enzyme deficiency might be to blame, according to new research in mice by USC scientists.

USCmobile Website Wins Design Award

The USCmobile website, designed by the USC Information Technology Services’ Web Services team, has won the 2011 eduStyle Judged Award for best mobile site.

USC Scientist Develops Virus That Targets HIV

In what represents an important step toward curing HIV, a USC scientist has created a virus that hunts down HIV-infected cells.

Ocean Probes Offer Insight Into Climate Change

A USC researcher has opened a new window to understanding how the ocean impacts climate change.

USC Conference Plugs Into Robotics

As it does every summer, the Robotics: Science and Systems Conference brought together top researchers working on the algorithmic and mathematical foundations of robotics and its applications.

Virtual Classmates Unite in Real World

This summer, students in online graduate programs in geographic information science and technology gathered at the USC Wrigley Marine Science Center on Catalina Island to meet their classmates face-to-face and collaborate on research projects.

Swanson Elected President of Society for Neuroscience

Larry Swanson, Milo Don and Lucille Appleman Professor of Biological Sciences at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, has been elected president-elect of the Society for Neuroscience.

USC Scientists Contribute to a Breakthrough in Quantum Computing

Scientists have taken the next major step toward quantum computing, which will use quantum mechanics to revolutionize the way information is processed.

USC Researchers Explore the Source of Empathy in the Brain

Your brain works hard to help understand your fellow person - no matter how different they may be.

USC Makes a Game of Getting More Students to College

For many with college aspirations, navigating the dizzying world of applications and financial forms may seem like a maze. So why not turn it into a game?

Tavaré Elected to the Royal Society

Simon Tavaré, holder of the George and Louise Kawamoto Chair in Biological Sciences at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, has been named a fellow of the Royal Society.

The Brain Co-opts the Body to Promote Pro-Social Behavior

The human brain may simulate physical sensations to prompt introspection, capitalizing on moments of high emotion to promote moral behavior, according to a USC researcher.

SETI Director Jill Tarter Appointed Adjunct Professor at USC

Jill Tarter, holder of the Bernard M. Oliver Chair for SETI Research and director of the Center for SETI Research, has been appointed adjunct professor of physics and astronomy at USC.

Researchers Engineer Functioning Intestine in Lab

Researchers at the Keck School of Medicine of USC have engineered a small intestine in mice that replicates the structures of a naturally occurring intestine.

Chronic Stress Can Cause Brain Disease

Chronic stress has long been linked with neurodegeneration. Scientists at USC now think they may know why. The study, which has tremendous implications for understanding and treating Alzheimer’s disease, was published in the June issue of the Journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology.

Restoring Memory, Repairing Damaged Brains

Scientists have developed a way to turn memories on and off - literally with the flip of a switch. Using an electronic system that duplicates the neural signals associated with memory, they managed to replicate the brain function in rats associated with long-term learned behavior, even when the rats had been drugged to forget.

Water’s Surface Not All Wet

Air and water meet over most of the earth’s surface, but exactly where one ends and the other begins turns out to be a surprisingly subtle question.

Neamati Gets Funding for Breast Cancer Research

USC School of Pharmacy associate professor Nouri Neamati has received a grant to study GRP78 inhibitors as novel therapeutics for breast cancer.

USC Viterbi Specialists to Design Software for Cluster Satellite

The USC Viterbi School of Engineering has been selected to develop the design software for the F6 satellite.

Undergraduates Launch Science Blog

A group of ingenious USC undergraduates aren’t waiting for that golden opportunity to publish their science articles.

Spending a Saturday on Catalina Island

This summer, the USC Wrigley Marine Science Center on Catalina Island welcomes the general public to visit its research facilities through its “Saturday at the Lab” program, which began on Memorial Day weekend.

Researchers Create Robotic Aids for Visually Impaired

For the visually impaired, navigating city streets or neighborhoods brings constant challenges. And the reality is that a significant number of such people must rely on a rudimentary technology - a simple cane - to find their way through a world filled with obstacles.

USC Study Locates the Source of Key Brain Function

Scientists at USC have pinned down the region of the brain responsible for a key survival trait - people’s ability to comprehend a scene, even one never previously encountered, in a fraction of a second. Findings of the study appears in the June 1 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience.

Dispatches From the Oceans of Micronesia

What happens when 24 students take to the ocean to study the fragile ecosystems of Micronesia’s coral reefs?

USC Awarded Two Department of Defense Grants

Two USC Viterbi School of Engineering professors have received highly competitive and sought-after five-year grants for interdisciplinary basic research.

Swedish Institute Confers Honorary Doctorate on Margaret Gatz

Margaret Gatz knew she was onto something special when she arrived in Sweden 25 years ago. She was invited to join a group of researchers who had discovered a sample of twins raised apart that largely had been forgotten.

Leadership Lessons From the Top of the World

Conrad Anker and Geoff Tabin are two of the world’s foremost adventure seekers. Each has made several death-defying climbs of the world’s highest peaks.

Music Meshed With Science

Meet this year’s poster child for the joys of intellectual exploration. Samantha Ancona is graduating with a perfect 4.0 GPA biological sciences and oboe performance.

Navigating the ‘Political’ Web

Truthdig, co-founded by USC Annenberg communication professor and journalism alumna, wins a second consecutive Webby Award for best political blog.

Online Communication Master's Program Set to Launch in Fall

USC Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism is set to launch an online version of its Master of Communication Management program this fall.

Celis and McKnight Awarded Technology Prize

Bill Celis and Anne McKnight were awarded the Provost’s Prize for Teaching With Technology.

Peeling Off the Layers

For the first time, an active delamination of continental lithosphere has been found beneath the Colorado Plateau. Meghan Miller, assistant professor of earth sciences at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, and her team’s discovery is featured in Nature.

Postcards From the Edge of a Leaf

Entomologist May Berenbaum is bugged by Rep. Joe Baca. Seeking to forever squash the Delhi sands flower-loving fly, the congressman for California’s 43rd district is pushing for a bill that would amend the federal Endangered Species Act.

Engineering Fresher American Flowers

It is an unlikely connection - a partnership between the California Cut Flower Commission and the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering.

Gene Therapy Has Potential to Restore Sight to the Blind

Researchers at the Keck School of Medicine of USC have developed a potential therapy for blindness that involves delivering a gene encoding a light-sensitive protein to inner retinal cells, enabling photosensitivity in these cells and restoring visual function in mouse models.

Science Writing for Everyone

Do Japanese people have a special sushi-digestion gene? What are 10 things everyone must know about comets? Can giraffes swim?

Nothing Fishy About Sardine Kill

The few million silvery sardines that recently went belly up at Redondo Beach have been removed and the rotten egg smell nearly has dissipated.

Beyond Geography

Jack Dangermond, founder of Esri, the world’s largest and most successful geographic information system (GIS) software company, shared his vision for spatial sciences at the inaugural USC Spatial Sciences Institute event.

Pharmacy Student Participates in Global Forum

For Dimple Modi, being part of an international pharmacy community has been an enriching experience.

USC Experts Present Findings From Japan’s Quake

Within hours of Japan's catastrophic earthquake and tsunami on March 11, scientists from the Sonny Astani Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the USC School of Engineering were heading to coastal communities to survey damage.

Motors on a Mission

Within each of our bodies are billions of neurons. These cells relay chemical and electrical signals, forming vast networks that comprise the human nervous system.

Dana and David Dornsife Honored for Their Gift

USC president C. L. Max Nikias on Wednesday held up two engraved, long golden chains - an honor presented to only one other person in USC’s 131-year-history.

Ocean Education for the Masses

USC College scientists are working with staff and volunteers at informal education centers across Southern California to bring the results of their ocean research to education programs aimed at the general public.

New Director Appointed for USC Wrigley Institute

Roberta Marinelli has been appointed the new director of the USC Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies by USC College dean Howard Gillman.

USC Delegation Meets With Congressional Leaders

A delegation of USC administrators and trustees led by President C. L. Max Nikias met with congressional leaders March 15 to discuss the importance of federal research funding in education, innovation and job creation.

Valter Longo Receives $11.5 Million NIH Award

USC Davis School of Gerontology cell biologist Valter Longo received an $11.5 million award from the National Institute of Health for a research program focusing on dietary restriction and mechanisms of differential cellular protection.

USC Receives Largest Single Gift in Its History

USC has received $200 million - the largest single gift in its history - from longtime supporters and international philanthropists Dana and David Dornsife.

MAT@USC Wins 2011 Innovation Award

MAT@USC, the USC Rossier School of Education’s online master of arts in teaching program, was honored with a 2011 International Award for Innovative Practices in Higher Education in Washington, D.C., for melding new technologies with hands-on classroom teaching experience.

Mark Thompson: A Scientist With Influence

Mark Thompson, professor of chemistry, materials science and environmental sciences at USC College, is ranked 12th on Thomson Reuters’ Science Watch list as one of the world’s most influential chemists.

Forsburg Lauded for Commitment to Women in Science

Susan Forsburg, professor of biological sciences at USC College, has received the 2011 Roche Diagnostics Alice C. Evans Award from the American Society of Microbiology for contributions to the advancement of women in science.

Professors Receive Millions in NIH Funding

Faculty in USC College’s Department of Biological Sciences earned exceptionally high priority scores from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) during the past year, which will translate to generous funding for their diverse research projects.

Geo-immersion Inspires Students and Faculty

One of the longest-running research efforts at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering recently assembled an enthusiastic audience to hear about its new realm of expertise: space.

New Robotic Surgery for Kidney Cancer

USC urologists have developed a new method of robotic surgery for kidney cancer, which could help reduce organ damage.

Research That Sparks New Ideas

Students of the Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC presented research projects and received awards as part of this year’s annual Research Day.

Dwarfism Gene Linked to Protection From Cancer and Diabetes

A 22-year study of abnormally short individuals suggests that a growth-stunting mutation also may stunt two of humanity’s worst diseases.

USC School of Pharmacy Leaps Up in NIH Funding

The USC School of Pharmacy climbed up the rankings for total National Institutes of Health funding for pharmacy schools nationwide, moving from the No. 17 spot in 2009 to the No. 2 spot in 2010.

Talk About Jeopardy! It’s Humans vs. Computer

The USC Viterbi School of Engineering announced that members of its Information Sciences Institute are among scientists collaborating with IBM to advance the Question Answering (QA) technology behind the IBM Watson computing system.

USC Targets Neurosciences as Key University-wide Focus

Provost’s Professor Pat Levitt has been named chair of a faculty committee that will work to raise USC’s neuroscience programs to a level of undisputed academic excellence and to recruit transformative faculty to accelerate that rise.

How Much Information Is There in the World?

A study appearing Feb. 10 in Science Express, an electronic journal that provides select Science articles ahead of print, calculates the world’s total technological capacity — how much information humankind is able to store, communicate and compute.

Humayun, Requicha Elected to National Academy of Engineering

Mark S. Humayun and Aristides A. G. Requicha have been elected members of the National Academy of Engineering.

USC Smart Fence Recognizes Bad Airport Neighbors

Smart Fence, a perimeter-protection system created by a team from the USC Viterbi School of Engineering, soon will be implemented at a Florida airport.

Stories Set in Stone

When four members of the USC College Department of Earth Sciences took a fieldwork expedition to the United Kingdom, they didn’t have to venture out to the middle of nowhere, drive on dirt roads for hours or hike miles to reach their destination.

USC, SETI Institute Team Up

An affiliation between USC and the SETI Institute will create formal ties between one of America’s premier research universities and one of the most innovative and highly regarded scientific research institutions.

Digital Makeover Improves USC's Learning Locales

USC's Information Technology Services (ITS) has launched a major redesign of the university's learning spaces intended to foster diverse approaches to learning and teaching.

Study: Pharmacists Improve Clinical Outcomes for Diabetes Patients

A study led by USC School of Pharmacy faculty members Kathleen Johnson, Steven Chen, Mel Baron and Jeffrey McCombs demonstrates that integrating pharmacist-led management of type 2 diabetes into safety net clinics with the patient-centered medical home model improves clinical outcomes.

Eight USC Professors Named AAAS Fellows

Eight USC professors have been named fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in recognition of distinguished accomplishments in advancing science and serving society.

New Study on Adults With Type 2 Diabetes

High-risk adults with type 2 diabetes whose long-term blood sugar levels very high or very low, may be at greater risk of heart attack and stroke.

USC Research Among Year’s Top Breakthroughs

Groundbreaking research by Keck School of Medicine of USC scholars has been selected as one of Science magazine’s top 10 breakthroughs of 2010.

USC Viterbi Nanosatellite Blasts Off

All systems were go Dec. 8 at Cape Canaveral where a newly developed Falcon 9 heavy lift vehicle sent into orbit a packet of nanosatellites.

Smartphones, Videogames Let Public Monitor Health

While the public's yearning for health news and information can be seen in the popularity of such TV shows as The Doctors and Web sites such as WebMD, these outlets only hint at the possibilities that technology will have on health care in the near future.

Reaching Toward the Fountain of Youth

To understand the promise and pitfalls of anti-aging therapies, start with the research and lifestyles of anti-aging scholars.

Robotics Gains Traction in Military and Civilian Sectors

A captivated audience of Naval Postgraduate School students, faculty and staff in Monterey, Calif., attended a lecture on autonomous systems, presented by George Bekey, Emeritus Professor of Computer Science at USC.

Groundbreaking Surgeries Save Kidneys of Two Patients

Two groundbreaking surgeries recently performed by a team of surgeons led by Keck School of Medicine of USC professor Inderbir Gill have allowed two patients who might otherwise have lost their kidneys to keep the organs, with the likelihood of resuming their normal lives.

Sour Research, Sweet Results

This Thanksgiving, when you bite into the cranberry sauce and the tartness smacks your tongue as hard as that snide comment from your sister, consider the power of sour.

Speed Heals

Both the rate and direction of axon growth in the spinal cord can be controlled, according to new research by USC College professor Samantha Butler and her collaborators.

Mobile Voices Wins U.N. Technology Award

Mobile Voices/Voces Móviles has won a United Nations-sponsored World Summit Award for innovative mobile applications.

Who We Are and Why

The brain, mind, self and consciousness, on their own and in relationship to each other, are the focus of Antonio Damasio's lifelong research and his latest book Self Comes to Mind: Constructing the Conscious Brain.

One Bear of a Research Trip

Dressed in layers of thermal underwear, a wool sweater, raincoat and balaclava, Cara Magnabosco trekked 2.5 miles in below-freezing weather, lugging 30 pounds of gear to her research destination each morning.

New ICT Building Opens in Playa Vista

USC President C. L. Max Nikias and guests from the military, state, city and entertainment industry joined the USC Institute for Creative Technologies executive director Randall W. Hill Jr. in a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the institute’s new campus in Playa Vista on Oct. 28.

The Future of Biodiversity

In the Sichuan province of China, there is an abundance of orchards but no bees.

Essential Vitamins in the Marine Environment

Two USC College biologists have received support from the National Science Foundation to examine the conditions that lead to the synthesis of B vitamins in the marine environment and the influence of those vitamins on marine life.

Breaking Curveball Too Good to Be True

Curveballs curve and fastballs go really fast, but new research suggests that no pitcher can make a curveball “break” or a fastball “rise.”

Space Is Not Limited

Two years ago, the facilities and technology department at the USC Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism faced a dilemma.

Microbial Hair: It’s Electric

Some bacteria grow electrical hair that lets them link up in big biological circuits, according to a USC biophysicist and his collaborators.

Professor Directs $16 Million ‘Smart Vision’ Project

Laurent Itti is heading a $16-million effort by the U.S. Department of Defense’s Defense Advanced Research Project Agency to build machines that see the world in the way he discovered humans see.

USC Researchers Investigate HIV Shedding in Saliva

Research led by the Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC has documented the important relationship between oral and overall health and the likelihood of passing HIV through saliva.

Breakthrough Award Goes to Artificial Retina Team

Keck School of Medicine of USC scientists Mark Humayun and James Weiland are recipients of a Popular Mechanics Breakthrough Award for their role in developing the Argus II retinal implant.

Fighting Cancers by Tagging Their Triggers

Imagine the day a machine can draw your blood, screen it for genetic mutations and chemical variations that can cause cancer and pop out a drug tailor-made for your DNA.

Kast Named Eminent Scientist of the Year

W. Martin Kast, professor of molecular microbiology and immunology, and obstetrics and gynecology at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, was named the 2010 Eminent Scientist of the Year.

Brain Finds Gestures Not So Familiar

What could be simpler to understand than a simple “thumbs up”? Apparently a lot of things: New research suggests that the brain uses deliberate thought to respond even to familiar gestures.

Sparkling Drinks Spark Pain Circuits

You may not think of the fizz in soda as spicy, but your body does.

Antonio Damasio Wins Honda Prize

The Honda Foundation of Japan has announced that its annual Honda Prize, one of the most important international awards for scientific achievement, will go to Antonio Damasio.

Monitor the Air - With a Smartphone

USC Viterbi School of Engineering researchers have found a way to combine smartphone resources with a novel application that allows the phones’ users to help monitor air quality.

Hit and Myths

Grant Imahara ’93 may have the most fun job in the world.

No Rest for the Narcissist

Narcissists spend their resting time deep in thought, a new imaging study shows, though such reflection likely revolves entirely around the thinker.

A Memory Aid: Consistent Brain Patterns

People are more likely to remember information if the pattern of activity in their brain is roughly the same with each review, according to psychologists at USC, the University of Texas at Austin and Beijing Normal University.

Povinelli Lauded as a Top Innovator

USC Viterbi School of Engineering assistant professor Michelle Povinelli has been recognized by Technology Review magazine as one of the world’s top innovators under the age of 35.

USC Labs Open Doors to LAUSD Science Teachers

Eight teachers from Los Angeles middle and high schools spent five weeks this summer working in science and engineering labs at USC.

Cool Science

At the bottom of the Earth - the planet's coldest, driest, windiest place - the sky radiates a lavender-yellow hue in the midnight sun.

Professor Awarded Grant for Alzheimer’s Research

The Alzheimer’s Association has awarded USC School of Pharmacy research assistant professor Liqin Zhao with a $200,000 Investigator-Initiated Research Grant for her study of insulin-degrading enzyme.

Stiles Awarded Grant for Diabetes Research

USC assistant professor Bangyan Stiles has received a five-year, $283,500 grant from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Stem Cell Technology Yields First ‘Knockout’ Rats

Researchers at the Keck School of Medicine of USC have, for the first time, generated “knockout” rats

New Study Examines the Brain’s Wiring

The brain has been mapped to the smallest fold for at least a century, but still no one knows how all the parts talk to each other.

Roberta Diaz Brinton Honored at White House

Roberta Diaz Brinton, director of the USC Science Technolgy and Research Program, was presented with the prestigious 2010 Presidential Citizens Medal by President Barack Obama in a ceremony at the White House on Aug. 4.

He Has It All Mapped Out

Not long ago, people referred to their Thomas Brother guides to find out how to get across town. Now they access GPS navigation systems or tap into mapping programs on iPhones, Blackberries or other devices.

Not Your Typical Summer Class

One of the new courses in the summer lineup of USC College's Problems Without Passports program takes students to the USC Wrigley Marine Science Center on Catalina Island.

A Conversation With Lucy Hood

If you used your mobile phone during the recent season of American Idol to vote for your favorite contestant, you can thank Lucy Hood for making it possible.

The Building Blocks of Discovery

Scientific research is a process whereby scientists from around the world make stepped discoveries, building on each other’s work along the way.

Making the Most With Yeast

There is good reason Susan Forsburg’s laboratory smells of sourdough.

Microbes on the Menu

The functioning of marine ecosystems depends on the size and flavor of microbes at the base of the food chain. Changes to the Earth's atmosphere might rearrange that microscopic menu.

Key Protein Shown Important for Memory

A protein implicated in many biological processes also may play a role in memory, according to a study led by USC and the National Institute on Aging at the National Institutes of Health.

Tweet as Can Be

Loud and lively singers, some liken the sound of finches to toy trumpets.

What’s the (Gray) Matter?

USC Viterbi School of Engineering graduate students Viviane Ghaderi and Sushmita Allam have won a $100,000 grant from Qualcomm, the wireless telecommunications and technology company.

USC Awarded $56.8 Million Grant for Clinical Research

USC has received a prestigious $56.8 million Clinical and Translational Science Award from the National Institutes of Health to support and promote scientific discoveries and their application in real-life settings to health and health care.

New Experiences for Pharmacy Students

This summer, 32 students from Taipei Medical University, China Medical University and Kaohsiung Medical University in Taiwan are participating in a four-week program at the USC School of Pharmacy.

Mixed Practice Makes Perfect

Struggling with your chip shot? Constant drills with your wedge may not help much, but mixing in longer drives will, and a new study shows why.

Seasons in the Sun

Behind the wheel of his Cadillac SRX, Edward Rhodes slows to a stop at Big Tujunga Canyon Road, where a crew works on asphalt leading to the Mt. Wilson Observatory.

Let There Be Light

Let’s consider what New Jersey is famous for. The birthplace of Ol' Blue Eyes? Where Thomas Edison invented the light bulb? Or, heaven help us, Jersey Shore?

Of Plants, Flies and Men

A torrent of fluorescent light rushes out onto the cement floor as Marie-Stanislas Remigereau opens the door to the growth chamber.

Nature Versus Nurture

Keck School researchers have reached surprising findings about the role of nature versus nurture in the development of the neural circuits in the auditory cortex.

When Do Newborns First Feel Cold?

Cold sensing neural circuits in newborn mice take around two weeks to become fully active, according to a new study.

Space Probe Peers Into Dark Cosmos

Imagine watching the birth of the universe - the Big Bang - from the outside. What would you have seen?

People, Power and Information Technology

After six months of intensive negotiation and planning, the Department of Energy-funded Los Angeles Department of Water and Power Smart Grid Project is set to start turning green keys.

Science Students Earn Trip to Catalina

Environmental educators at USC have been showing the university’s research facilities on Catalina Island to hundreds of students from middle schools and high schools since the conclusion of the 2010 QuikSCience Challenge.

Dismantling a Volcanic Puzzle

If tectonic plate collisions cause volcanic eruptions, as every fifth grader knows, why do some volcanoes erupt far from a plate boundary?

Finding the Right Application

USC journalism, business, engineering and computer science students presented entrepreneurial ideas and plans for the future of journalism at the USC Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism.

USC Viterbi Tapped to Advance Robotics

The USC Viterbi School of Engineering is one of 11 worldwide universities that have won grants to research and develop robotics. As a result, a Personal Robot 2 soon will arrive at the Robotics Research Lab in Tutor Hall.

Between a Rock and a Shard Place

Hang around the Department of Earth Sciences at USC College in the spring, and you might notice posters on the walls asking pointed questions.

Closing the Gender Gap

Nonlinear partial differential equations (PDEs) are difficult mathematical problems to study. Notice it didn’t say "solve."

Potential Bummer for Baby Boomers

There was no faulting the consistency of the message at a USC conference on aging - just its unwelcome content for U.S. baby boomers.

Swanson Elected to National Academy of Sciences

Larry Swanson has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences for his excellence in original scientific research.

R&D Plus Wizardry

You don’t have to penetrate a Microsoft bunker in Redmond, Wash., to find out what may be coming after Apple’s iPad or to learn about the newest trends in 3-D graphics, serious games and smartphones.

Social Work Sets Virtual MSW Program

USC has announced a second virtual master’s degree program, this time at the School of Social Work.

Marsella, Gratch Honored for Virtual Breakthroughs

Stacy Marsella and Jonathan Gratch strive to broaden the understanding of emotion and how it can make for more believable computer-driven characters and environments.

Geography Courses Now Mapped Out

USC College has launched a new Web site for its online Geographic Information Science and Technology Master of Science and Graduate Certificate Programs.

Richard F. Thompson Is Good as Gold

Memory expert wins a gold medal for his lifetime achievement in science.

Water Retreat Quenches Thirst for Knowledge

USC’s first “Water Retreat”: simple name, complicated issues.

Searching for Genes Behind a Trait

A method pioneered to find the genetic basis of human diseases also holds promise for locating the genes behind important traits in plants, according to a study published online today by the journal Nature.

From Discovery to Real-World Application

The USC School of Pharmacy has launched a new Ph.D. program designed to train translational scientists to bridge the gap between scientific discovery and clinical application.

A Collaboration With Lots of Class

Throw together an engineer, an artist and a marketer and ask them to develop the next hot commercial product — together.

Breast Cancer Drug Tested at USC Norris

The USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center is among 20 leading cancer centers in the United States and Canada that will recruit and treat patients as part of a large-scale clinical trial aimed at quickly developing new breast cancer drugs.

The Mechanisms of Memory

It's not a unique situation in scientific research to have a hypothesis disputed. But finally having visual evidence that basically closes the books on decades of scientific debate is a unique and sweet success. For Michel Baudry, a USC College...

Winners of 2010 Tyler Environmental Prize Announced

Two conservationists whose careers have centered on understanding ecosystem functions as the essential foundation for ecosystem restoration will share the 2010 Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement.

These Two Are Virtually Unforgettable

Ada and Grace, two bright and bubbly young women, literally stopped visitors in their tracks in the National Science Foundation booth at the recent American Association for the Advancement of Science conference.

USC Sea Grant Director Headed to China

Linda Duguay, director of the USC Sea Grant program, has been selected to participate in a National Science Foundation workshop in China to discuss a foundation-supported ocean science education project.

USC Viterbi Professors Lead Underwater Research

Say you let loose a dozen robots into the ocean. The launch is easy. What’s harder is figuring out how best to program this “search party” to collect data.

USC Awarded $25 Million NSF Grant

The National Science Foundation support will establish a new center to study the biosphere beneath the oceans.

USC Rossier Lauded for Innovative Technology

The American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education has selected the USC Rossier School of Education as this year’s recipient of the Best Practices Award for the Innovative Use of Technology.

Aeneas Satellite Program Blasting Off

The USC Information Sciences Institute, in conjunction with the USC Space Engineering Research Center, is now at work on Aeneas, a dedicated USC satellite mission.

A Pill Against Chemo?

The researchers who proposed limited fasting as a protective strategy against chemotherapy now say that existing drugs may be able to do the job without the hardship and risks of fasting.

Scientist Takes a Quantum Leap

First, the highly popular Asymptotia is not a science blog. It’s a blog that happens to be written by a scientist.

Unfulfilled Promise in Mapped Genome

Donald Kennedy, President Emeritus at Stanford University, spoke about the promise of — and the problems associated with — the human genome map and society’s use of it.

Beaming With Joy

For the second consecutive year, archaeologist Lynn Swartz Dodd of USC College has won “beam time,” enabling her and her students to conduct research on ancient artifacts using the nation’s most powerful X-ray.

Does Music in Speech Equal Empathy in Heart?

Some people are annoyed by upspeak: the habit of making a sentence sound like a question?

NSF Extends Funding for Research

Rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere might indirectly fertilize the ocean with nitrogen in places that are now poor in this essential nutrient.

Teens Recruited for Science Challenge

An aquatic science challenge in Southern California that is sponsored in part by USC reached a new audience of middle school and high school students this year.

Memory Molecule, Deja Vu

A second high-profile paper in as many months has found an important role in learning and memory for calpain, a protease whose academic fortunes have ebbed and flowed for 25 years.

Support Hiked for Amazon River Study

An enormous plume of freshwater leaves the Amazon River and spreads across the tropical Atlantic Ocean, setting the stage for the symbiosis of some bacteria and algae.

Experts Help Redraw Tsunami Hazard Maps

Costas Synolakis, Jose Borrero and Aggeliki Barberopoulou of the USC Tsunami Research Center provided basic research for a new set of inundation maps recently released jointly by USC, the California Geological Survey and the California Emergency Management Agency.

Go South, Young Scientist

What land mass a) holds 70 percent of the world’s fresh water but almost no animal life, b) was settled only about a hundred years ago and c) hosts exactly one prestigious summer workshop for young biologists?

The Fly Could Prove Fruitful

Michelle Arbeitman, the Gabilan Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences at USC College, has received a $325,148 federal stimulus grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences.

Five Faculty Named AAAS Fellows

Five USC faculty members have been named fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in recognition of their outstanding contributions in science and engineering.

New Bacterial Behavior Discovered

Bacteria dance the electric slide, officially named electrokinesis, in a new study by USC geobiologists.

Professor Wins Grant for Geothermal Research

USC Viterbi School of Engineering professor Fred Aminzadeh and his colleagues have won Department of Energy funding for a 3-D geothermal mapping and modeling effort.

Viterbi, Boehm to Receive IEEE Medals

USC trustee Andrew J. Viterbi and USC professor Barry Boehm have been honored by IEEE, the professional society dedicated to the advancement of electrical and computer sciences.

Cut Out the Middleman

Estrogen seems to act like a middleman in its positive effect on the brain, raising the possibility that future drugs may bypass the carcinogenic hormone altogether while reaping its benefits.

A Nanoscale Development With Macro Potential

The future of cancer treatment might be microscopic in size, at least according to USC School of Pharmacy assistant professor Andrew MacKay’s groundbreaking research.

Quake Prediction Model Developed

The third in a series of papers in the journal Nature completes the case for a new method of predicting earthquakes.

New Nanoscience Labs Are Completed

After four years - a blink of an eye in research time - the USC Biomedical Nanoscience Initiative has built out the core laboratories specified in Executive Vice President and Provost C. L. Max Nikias’ original vision.

USC Leads Way in Transformative Grants

USC recently learned that it fared remarkably well in a new grant program from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Zumberge Awards Call for Proposals

A call for proposals for USC’s annual faculty research grant programs has been announced by the Office of the Provost.

Can Cleft Palate be Healed Before Birth?

In a study published in the journal Development, investigators at the USC School of Dentistry describe how to non-surgically reverse the onset of cleft palate in fetal mice - potentially one step in the journey to a better understanding of similar defects in humans.

Supercomputer Rises to Sixth Nationally

USC’s Center for High-Performance Computing and Communications houses the nation’s sixth fastest supercomputer in an academic setting, according to TOP500 Supercomputer Sites, which ranks the 500 most powerful computer systems in the world.

Ruvkun and Ambrose Receive Massry Prize

Gary Ruvkun has come a long way from living in his van after being denied medical school admission by USC and UCLA in the early 1970s.

Hydrogen Peroxide’s Link to Living Cells

If a circadian rhythm is like an orchestra - the united expression of the rhythms of millions of cells - a common chemical may serve as the conductor, or at least as the baton.

Once More, With Robotic Feeling

Emily Mower, a Ph.D. student in electrical engineering at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering, is making robots more friendly.

Prep Student Excels in University Lab

Be on the lookout for possibly USC College’s youngest researcher.

Science Is Never Geek to Him

You’ve seen him in the blogosphere, you’ve seen him on TV. He’s no reality star or guitar god, but he plays with both stars and strings.

Brinton Research Earns Wide Support

Roberta Diaz Brinton recently won the 2009 North American Menopause Society/Wyeth Pharmaceuticals SERM Award.

The Other Oppenheimer

People know all about Robert Oppenheimer, the Promethean figure who gave us the atomic bomb.

USC Neuroscientists to Map Gene Expression

Two USC neuroscientists have been awarded nearly $9 million to map how genes are expressed in different regions of the human brain throughout development.

Jordan Receives $1.6 Million Stimulus Grant

Thomas Jordan was awarded a $1.6 million federal stimulus grant to continue developing the PetaShake Project, an advanced computational research platform.

Fossils Fuel Their Imagination

David Bottjer and Luis Chiappe have established the College’s Center for Chinese Fossil Discoveries.

Lake Research That Isn’t All Wet

The federal government may not have been able to save California from massive budget cuts, but at least a stimulus research grant will help scientists understand the biology of western lakes.

USC Researchers Win Two ‘Big Idea’ Awards

The first group of winners of a prestigious award from the National Institutes of Health includes two USC scientists working independently to mine the proteome - the universe of proteins and protein-like molecules - for important new compounds.

Sergey Nuzhdin Awarded Stimulus Grant

Sergey Nuzhdin, professor of molecular biology at USC College, has been awarded a $563,000 stimulus grant to purchase an Illumina/Solexa Genome Sequencer.

Carroll, Nikias and Garrett Visit ICT

USC football coach Pete Carroll took a break from real world football training to explore the world of virtual training during a recent visit to the USC Institute for Creative Technologies on the Marina del Rey campus.

Bucks Stop Here for Building Blocks

Computational biochemist Frank Alber compares determining the architecture of a macromolecular machine to solving a jigsaw puzzle.

USC Engineer to Lead Study on CO2 Storage

Stanford’s Global Climate and Energy Project has initiated an international collaboration to address fundamental issues associated with large-scale sequestration of carbon dioxide in China’s saline aquifers.

USC Gets $2.9M in Stem Cell Funding

Keck School of Medicine of USC researchers have been awarded $2.9 million in grants from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine to support research into stem cell discoveries that lay the foundation for future therapies.

The WiSE Women of Science

For the past decade, USC’s Women in Science and Engineering program has been working to make academic research and scholarship more hospitable to women scientists. The reason is simple: In today’s global economic competition, American research universities need all the brainpower they can get.

Grants Boost New Pharmacy Developments

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has awarded five grants supplementing support for current research at the USC School of Pharmacy.

Life Is Looking Up

The federal stimulus package came too late to help Morgan Hawkins - his own strength of character had already set him back on his feet - but a stimulus-funded research job will let him take the next step.

USC Program Offers STAR Power

The USC Science Technology and Research (STAR) Program provides an opportunity for seniors at the Bravo Medical Magnet High School to work as an integral part of a USC research team.

Rizzo Honored for Virtual Reality Innovations

Institute for Creative Technologies research scientist Albert “Skip” Rizzo was selected as the first winner of the Intellectual Leadership Award established by the Los Angeles chapter of Mensa to recognize, honor and celebrate the region’s leaders in research and innovation.

Grant to Fund Look at Tongue Development

Though the intricate movements of the human tongue are so vital to everyday activities such as speaking and eating, the process by which the tongue forms during development largely remains a mystery.

ICT Director Wins Major AI Award

William Swartout, director of technology at the USC Institute for Creative Technologies (ICT), received international recognition for his pioneering work, including efforts toward creating virtual humans that look and behave just like real people.

DNA Repair Is a Quirky Process

The “sloppier copier” discovered by USC biologists is also the best sixth man in the DNA repair game, an article in the journal Nature shows.

Complex Concepts That Really Add Up

An annual outreach program run by USC’s Collaboratory for Advanced Computing and Simulations is helping shape the future of computational science.

USC Researchers Support Genetics Study

An international research consortium that includes researchers from the Keck School of Medicine of USC has discovered that many common genetic variants contribute to a person’s risk of schizophrenia and explain at least a third of the risk of inheriting the disease.

Key Mutation in Lymphoma Identified

Researchers at the Keck School of Medicine of USC have identified a key mechanism that causes chromosomes within blood cells to break — an occurrence that marks the first step in the development of human lymphoma.

The Artifacts of Life

USC’s first pilgrims to a temple of high-energy physics will be seeking answers to worldly questions about ancient commerce.

Family Time Decreases With Internet Use

More and more of America’s Internet-connected households report erosion of face-to-face family time, increased feelings of being ignored by family members using the Web and growing concerns that children are spending too much time online.

Biologist Brings Hands-on Science to Kids

According to the National Science Foundation, 80 percent of jobs in the future will require some math and science skills. “Math and science are the new foundational literacy for everyone,” said Tom Luce, chief executive officer of the Math and Science Initiative.

Teaching With Technology Grant Winners Announced

USC faculty members Steven Anderson, Glenn Clark and Mark Redekopp were awarded the provost’s Teaching With Technology grants on May 26.

The Chatter of Neurons

USC College neurobiologist Tansu Celikel and his fellow researchers examine how the brain processes sensory data.

The Case for Fish and Oyster Farming

Super corn and soybeans are so 20th century. With the world's population nearing 7 billion on its way to 9 billion by 2050, marine scientists are looking for reliable new food sources through a Blue Revolution -- the intelligent use of aquaculture to supplement depleted wild fish stocks with farm-raised oysters and other valuable ocean "crops."

Mara Mather Wins Award for Career Development

Mara Mather, associate professor of gerontology and psychology, has received a K02 award from the National Institutes of Health.

Teaching With Technology Prize Winners Announced

USC faculty members Steven Anderson and Virginia Kuhn were awarded the Provost’s Prize for Teaching With Technology at a conference held at the Radisson Hotel.

Energy Research Center Coming to USC

The U.S. Department of Energy has designated USC as the site of an Energy Frontier Research Center. P. Daniel Dapkus of the USC Viterbi School of Engineering will direct the center for Emerging Materials for Solar Energy Conversion and Solid State Lighting.

Tyler Prize Laureates on Global Warming

Scientists estimating ice-sheet shrinkage and subsequent sea-level rising would occur in the next century believe the phenomenon is happening now, glaciologist Richard Alley said during a lecture at USC.

Nobler Instincts Take Time

Emotions linked to our moral sense awaken slowly in the mind, according to a new study from a neuroscience group led by corresponding author Antonio Damasio, director of the Brain and Creativity Institute at USC College.

New Opportunity for Energy Research Awaits

The $787 billion federal economic stimulus package provides more than $43 billion for energy efficiency and renewable energy programs, opening a major door for new university research initiatives, according to Donald L. Paul, executive director of the USC Energy Institute.

A Flying Fountain of Youth

Fruit flies may be small enough to squish with your finger when they invade your kitchen, but these tiny creatures may soon play an important role in answering a question: Why does one person live longer than another?

Fresh Thinking and Startling Ideas at USC

The university plays host to an experimental conference that embraces the unexamined.

The Machine That Goes Ping

USC’s top-of-the-line gene sequencer on Catalina Island is literally shedding light on the secrets of life.

Science Event Gets ‘Bigger and Better’

The Edison Challenge, an annual competition overseen by the USC Wrigley Institute, marks its third anniversary with an awards ceremony at the California Science Center.

National Engineering Summit Reaches Heights

Fifty deans, policymakers and students from across the country take part in the two-day event co-sponsored by USC Viterbi.

$10M Contract Goes to USC Institute

Interactive technology will help soldiers recognize and react to improvised explosive devices, the leading cause of casualties in Iraq.

Engineers Use MRI for Linguistic Studies

Imaging the soft tissues of the vocal tract in real time could explain some mysteries of human speech production.

MySpace Exec to Teach at USC This Fall

Chief technology officer Aber Whitcomb will work with teams of students to develop a social application.

Tiny Brain Region Better Part of Valor

Piece of hypothalamus is key to animals’ fear of territorial rivals and predators, according to a study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Computer Exercises Improve Memory

Nearly 500 adults over 65 participate in a controlled trial. Half of them use a fitness program intended to ‘retrain the brain’ over the course of eight weeks.

Another Dimension in Technology Awaits

Starting next month, a Home 3-D Experience Lab at USC will explore the promise of new innovations for the consumer.

Alum to Say Yea or Nea for Satellite Launch

Engineer Ralph Basilio also manages the mission designed to measure concentrations of natural and human-induced carbon dioxide around the world.

Iron From the Deep May Feed Oceans

Katrina Edwards' study published in Nature Geoscience reveals a new way for iron from the sea floor to reach life at the surface.

Olah, Scholtz Named to National Academy

The USC Viterbi School is one of only six schools in the nation with two or more elected members in the National Academy of Engineering.

Anti-aging Strategy May be Pointless

Eating less only benefits obese mice, according to a study by professor Raj Sohal in the Journal of Nutrition.

USC Gets Grant for Biomedical Research

The five-year, $22.5 million grant will support the computerized analysis of biological data at the university.

Predictions for New Technologies Released

Susan Metros of Information Technology Services helps to identify emerging trends that may change both teaching and learning on campuses across the country.

A Tradeoff for Educators and Students

USC Viterbi engineers train to teach aspiring young scientists. In return, they learn about keys to communication.