Trojan Together Again: Fall 2021

Summer Highlights

Our faculty and students kept the honors coming over late spring and summer. Important publications, new collaborations and major research grants reinforce the intellectual strength of the university. Our medical center continues its ascent as an institution caring for patients and raising quality of life in the region, as well.


Fountain in front of Doheny Library

USC reaccredited after inclusive review of university standards, curriculum, quality and culture

The university’s convergent spirit and cultural transformation are commended, along with a commitment to transparency and affordability.

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Hanna Reisler

USC Dornsife chemist named to prestigious American Academy of Arts and Sciences

University Professor Hanna Reisler joins luminaries including civil rights attorney and activist Kimberlé Crenshaw, neurosurgeon and CNN medical correspondent Sanjay Gupta and Oprah Winfrey in being elected to the academy’s class of 2021.

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Jeremy Pathmanabhan, left, and Héctor Reyes

2 USC grads named Knight-Hennessey Scholars

Alums Jeremy Pathmanabhan and Héctor Reyes were awarded full-tuition scholarships to Stanford graduate programs. They’re the first Trojans to be named Knight-Hennessy Scholars.

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Graphic of different types of transportation

USC collaborates in $20 million effort to push new frontiers in AI and optimization 

The NSF Artificial Intelligence (AI) Institute for Advances in Optimization will fuse AI and mathematics to tackle tough challenges, such as food security, supply chain operations and hardware design.

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Keck Medicine ranked in most specialties ever

For 2021-22, Keck Medical Center of USC, which includes Keck Hospital of USC and USC Norris Cancer Hospital, was ranked among the top 50 in the country in 12 specialties, as well as the top three hospitals in metro Los Angeles and top five hospitals in California.

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3d illustration Ciliated Cells

Could mapping tiny hairlike structures help treat lung illnesses?

With a $2.3 million NIH award, USC researchers will study how cilia behavior and structure impact their function, which is key in improving diagnostics and treatments for lung illnesses like COVID-19.

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Illustration of prototype airplane

Engineers push envelope on electric aircraft to encourage sustainable travel

USC researchers awarded a new NASA grant to make air travel cleaner, greener and more adaptable.

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Four month old baby with a helmet

The risks of antidepressant use during pregnancy

Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC researchers awarded five-year grant to investigate how a popular antidepressant interacts with pregnant women’s genes to cause craniofacial birth defects.

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Abstract illustration of artificial intelligence

USC Viterbi to lead consortium for launching tech startups with $15 million award

Along with seven collaborating research universities, USC will help cultivate deep technology businesses in the Western United States.

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Grace Ryu, left, and Linda Truong brought faculty and staff together to form the Asian Pacific Islander Faculty and Staff Association.

New group seeks to build community among Asian faculty and staff

The Asian Pacific Islander Faculty and Staff Association, or APIFSA, offers a space where USC faculty and staff can come together to address common concerns.

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