A FEAST FOR THE SENSES - The Senses Issue Indulge them all in this issue - USC Dornsife
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F O R A L U M N I A N D F R I E N D S O F U S C D A N A A N D D AV I D D O R N S I F E C O L L E G E O F L E T T E R S , A R T S A N D S C I E N C E S
FALL 2022 / WINTER 2023 MAGAZINE
The Senses Issue
A FEAST FOR
THE SENSES
Indulge them all in this issue.
M ESSAGE F ROM
THE DEAN
Making
Sense of It
As humans, we construct our reality through an
intricate, subconscious balancing act between
biological sensory perception and prior knowledge.
That balance was impacted over the past few years
as many of our interactions shifted to virtual modes
of socializing and communicating.
As this shift took place, it was fascinating to me to see
how some people thrived in tha t recalibrated world, while
others found online interaction exhausting and couldn’t
wait to return to in-person interactions.
But it isn’t just the evolving technological landscape and
our individual makeup that complicates the ways in which
we experience the world. Our sensory pathways are under-
going alterations and recalibration all the time to keep up
with an external environment that’s rapidly transforming
— from the increased noise and bustle of growing cities to
the effects of climate change.
Fortunately — through advances in neuroscience and
imaging, along with better understanding of the ways
that culture affects our perception of the world — we can
develop strategies to navigate new sensory environments.
We can also begin to anticipate what reality might look,
feel and sound like in a technologically enhanced future.
This issue of USC Dornsife Magazine taps our academic
researchers for insights on a wide range of topics related
to the ways in which our senses help us perceive the
world. You’ll read about different ways that scent has
been conceptualized in India, how taste is a passport
to experience Los Angeles, the ways sound shapes our
world, touch deprivation in the internet age, and more.
I hope you enjoy the experience.
AMBER D. MILLER
Dean, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
Anna H. Bing Dean’s Chair
Fall 2022 / Winter 2023 | 1
COVER STORY
Contents FA LL 2 0 2 2 / W I N T E R 2 0 2 3
1 MESSAGE FROM
A Feast for the Senses THE DEAN
6 FROM THE HEART OF USC
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Susan Bell Ever turned a blin d eye? Touched a nerve? Played it by ear? Smelled a rat? Celebrating 50 years of JEP;
Been left with a bad taste in your mouth? First comprehensive list of
ART DIRECTOR / PRODUCTION MANAGER
We have heard these idiomatic phrases so often that we take them for granted and imprisoned Japanese Americans
Letty Avila
yet if we stop for a moment to think about them, we realize the vital role our senses during WWII; Research advances
SENIOR ASSOCIATE DEAN FOR COMMUNICATION AND MARKETING play in conveying meaning. After all, our senses are the conduit to how we experience fight against COVID-19 variants;
Jim Key and learn about the world — how it feels, tastes and smells, what it looks like and how Largest endowment gift to any
WRITERS AND EDITORS it sounds — so perhaps it isn’t surprising that these references are so ingrained in our United States university history
Margaret Crable everyday language. department; Clarifying climate
Darrin S. Joy In this issue, we explore our principal senses — sight, hearing, taste, smell and touch — messaging to inspire action;
Meredith McGroarty
through the lens of our scholars’ teaching and research. But we don’t stop at five. Inactive sitting increases
VIDEOGRAPHER AND PHOTOGRAPHER Neuroscientists and philosophers now think we may have up to 33. We explore some dementia risk.
Mike Glier of these lesser-known senses, along with the so-called “sixth sense,” altered states and
SENIOR WEB SPECIALIST visions. We also meet USC Dornsife mathematician Felicia Tabing who has synesthesia, 7 Curriculum
Michael Liu a neurological condition that causes her to see numbers as particular colors. Tabing uses her
AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT EDITOR synesthesia to inspire her art. 10 Academy in the
In writing about taste for this issue, I interviewed Karen Tongson, chair and professor
Christopher Ortiz
of gender and sexuality studies, and professor of English and American studies and
Public Square
ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT
ethnicity, who uses Los Angeles as a laboratory to teach about food. The first task she
Crisann Smith
sets her students is to reflect on their “Proustian moment” — their most memorable
12 Our World
CONTRIBUTORS or meaningful taste and how it inspired them. Our conversation led me to think about 20 HOW OUR SENSES WORK
Tania Apshankar, Maddy Davis, Greg Hardesty, Stephen Koenig, my own defining taste moment. I was 14 and my father had taken me to London for Understand at a glance how each
Rachel B. Levin, Paul McQuiston, Nina Raffio, Vanessa Roveto, the first time. For lunch one day we went to an old pub by the Thames — sawdust on of our senses works and how they
Grayson Schmidt
the floor and scrubbed pine tables. On the menu were “escargots” (snails). I ordered connect to different regions of
USC DORNSIFE ADMINISTRATION them, curious about this impossibly exotic — and possibly disgusting — French delicacy. Argentina’s “Cueva de las Manos” (Cave of the Hands) is named for hundreds of paintings of hands stenciled on the rock walls. Created between the brain.
As the buttery, garlicky taste and oddly rubbery texture filled my mouth, I knew I was 7,300 BCE and 700 CE, it is considered by some scholars to be the best material evidence of early South American hunter-gatherer groups.
Amber D. Miller, Dean • Jan Amend, Divisional Dean for the Life Sciences •
Emily Hodgson Anderson, College Dean of Undergraduate Education • tasting another culture, another world that was larger and very different from my own, 38 Archive
Stephen Bradforth, Senior Advisor to the Dean for Research Strategy and until then, sheltered existence in a small Scottish town. I knew then that that’s what I THE SENSES ISSUE
Development • Steve Finkel, College Dean of Graduate and Professional wanted: to live a bigger, wider, wilder life, to explore and taste all of it, in all its strange, 39 DORNSIFE FAMILY
Education • Moh El-Naggar, Divisional Dean for the Physical Sciences and
diverse, exotic glory. 4 Nourishing the Soul Manuel Pastor elected to American
Mathematics • Jim Key, Senior Associate Dean for Communication and Marketing • Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Stephen Koenig, Senior Associate Dean for Creative Content • Peter Mancall,
That day, I experienced an eye-opening feast for my senses; we hope that this issue A beloved Los Angeles landmark, the Nayarit, founded by the grandmother of USC Dornsife historian Natalia Molina,
Divisional Dean for the Social Sciences • Renee Perez, Vice Dean, Administration provides you with a feast for yours. — S.B. fed the senses but also provided a haven where the marginalized could feel seen and find belonging. By Susan Bell
and Finance • Eddie Sartin, Senior Associate Dean for Advancement • 39 Faculty News
Sherry Velasco, Divisional Dean for the Humanities COVER ARTWORK BY TATJANA JUNKER 14 The Eyes Have It
USC DORNSIFE BOARD OF COUNCILORS Sight allows us to explore our world, to orient ourselves within it and to find joy in its myriad manifestations of 40 Creative Writing
beauty and wonder. By Rachel B. Levin
Kathy Leventhal, Chair • Wendy Abrams • Robert D. Beyer • David Bohnett •
Jon Brayshaw • Ramona Cappello • Alan Colowick • Richard S. Flores •
Contest
Shane Foley • Vab Goel • Lisa Goldman • Jana Waring Greer • Pierre Habis • 18 Hear, Hear!
Yossie Hollander • Janice Bryant Howroyd • Martin Irani • Dan James • 42 IN THE PUBLIC SQUARE
MESSAGE FROM THE DEAN AND COVER STORY IMAGE SOURCE: ISTOCK
Whether it takes the form of a rousing rock concert, a friendly greeting or the lulling buzz of cicadas on a summer evening,
Omar Jaffrey • Bettina Kallins • Yoon Kim • Samuel King • Jaime Lee • USC Dornsife scholars in the media.
sound holds the power to energize us, to cheer us, to soothe us and — above all — to connect us. By Meredith McGroarty
Arthur Lev • Roger Lynch • Robert Osher • Gerald Papazian •
Andrew Perlman • Lawrence Piro • Edoardo Ponti • Kelly Porter •
Michael Reilly • Carole Shammas • Rajeev Tandon • Matthew Weir
22 A Question of Taste 43 Remembering
From sautéed grasshoppers to fusion food, USC Dornsife scholars use taste as a passport to explore diverse
USC DORNSIFE MAGAZINE
cultures, histories and identities. By Susan Bell 44 TROJAN COMMUNITY
Published twice a year by USC Dornsife Office of Communication
USC Dornsife alumni Fight On!
at the University of Southern California. © 2022 USC Dornsife College of
Letters, Arts and Sciences. The diverse opinions expressed in USC Dornsife
28 The Most Powerful Scents? at inaugural Homecoming picnic.
Magazine do not necessarily represent the views of the editors, USC Dornsife From aiding romance to communicating with God, scent has long been attributed near mystical abilities. CONNECT WITH USC DORNSIFE
administration or USC. USC Dornsife Magazine welcomes comments from By Margaret Crable
Facebook.com/USCDornsife
its readers to magazine@dornsife.usc.edu or USC Dornsife Magazine,
SCT-2400, Los Angeles, CA 90089. 32 The Human Touch Instagram.com/USCDornsife
IMAGE SOURCE: ISTOCK
From cradle to grave, touch brings us comfort, pleasure and sometimes pain, reminding us of our countless connections Twitter.com/USCDornsife
to the world and to humanity — including our own. By Meredith McGroarty
LinkedIn.com/school/USCDornsife
36 How Many Senses Do We Have? YouTube.com/USCDornsife
If we think of our senses as limited to only five, we might be missing out. By Margaret Crable dornsife.usc.edu/magazine
2 Fall 2022 / Winter 2023 | 3
Nourishing the Soul
A beloved Los Angeles landmark, the Nayarit, founded by the grandmother of USC Dornsife historian Natalia Molina,
of respect, community and her grandmother’s efforts to Spanish-language broad- turn a profit, she could
mutual support, as well as serve authentic regional food caster for the team. have focused on just hiring
fed the senses — not only with its acclaimed regional Mexican cuisine but also by providing a haven
an “urban anchor.” while still turning a profit. “Latino baseball players experienced Mexican wait
where the marginalized could feel seen and find belonging. By Susan Bell
Molina explains that urban “Sometimes she served had money, but they wanted staff, but she used the
anchors are usually consid- much less expensive cuts of to go somewhere where restaurant as a way to bring
ered to be civic projects, meat — pigs’ feet, organs. they could feel comfortable, over family legally from
such as libraries or hospitals, As the business developed speak their language and not Mexico by providing jobs
but in our daily lives, the and she had more money, be discriminated against,” and the necessary paper-
places where we feel seen, she was able to offer whole Molina says. “When I asked work to obtain visas.”
where we feel safe, are fish when it was available. Señor Jarrín why he enjoyed Barraza was attentive
often places that we choose She would travel down to going there, he said, ‘I to the needs of women,
to go: bars, restaurants, Tijuana for ingredients, wanted to see friends, bump helping many single and
cafes. These urban anchors,
she says, are a different way
to look at the city — not as
a city planner envisioned it,
“Anyone who was facing
but as immigrants finding
their place in their new
hometown.
discrimination could go to the
“These are more than
businesses,” Molina says.
Nayarit and find acceptance.”
“They are sociocultural
spaces, nourished by the like moles and chiles. She into people I knew and divorced women immigrate.
countless small acts of offered a taco enchilada speak Spanish.’ She also hired gay men and
everyday life that build combo and served freshly “Everybody that I inter- made them feel welcome.
and sustain affective made flour tortillas, more viewed, both in the U.S. As the book description
relationships.” associated with Northern and in Mexico, said that the says, “In a world that
The Nayarit was to Mexico, that became one of Nayarit was the place to sought to reduce Mexican
become a prime example, the restaurant’s claims go,” Molina says. “And those immigrants to invisible
providing a supportive to fame.” that I interviewed in Mexico labor, the Nayarit was a
“family” for immigrants The restaurant was a place said, ‘If you visited L.A., but place where people could
and other marginalized where you could go, not just didn’t visit the Nayarit, it become visible once again,
people in L.A. to eat food from Nayarit, but was like you hadn’t really where they could speak out,
to meet people from Nayarit, visited L.A.’ ” claim space and belong.”
NOURISHING THE SOUL Mexico, Cuba and other parts But in addition to the Today, the Nayarit is long
OF AN IMMIGRANT of Latin America, and speak stars, the locals and the gone, yet its spirit lives on.
COMMUNITY Spanish. It became an tourists, many others Sold by Molina’s mother in
Molina notes that most immigrant hub. And, Molina came to the Nayarit to find 1976 after Barraza’s death
Mexican restaurants of that explains, because the acceptance and a sense in 1969, the space continued
period were called some- food was so good and the of belonging, among them to operate as a Mexican
thing more accessible, such atmosphere so lively, and immigrants and members of restaurant until the turn
as El Cholo or El Zarape. because Echo Park was both the LGBTQ community. of the century, when it was
“That my grandmother a geographic and cultural “Anyone who was facing transformed into a very
This image by celebrated photographer Edward Ruscha shows the Nayarit in 1966 at the height of its popularity. Although the Echo Park restaurant is long gone, the building on Sunset Boulevard chose to name her restaurant crossroads, it drew people discrimination could go different urban anchor,
GET T Y RESEARCH INSTITUTE, 1966.
O F S U N S E T B O U L E VA R D A N D H O L LY W O O D B O U L E VA R D ,
PHOTO: EDWARD RUSCHA, EDWARD RUSCHA PHOTOGR APHS
with its iconic sign remains — a cherished part of local history. at age 21. As she realized for her home state of Nayarit from all walks of life. to the Nayarit and find The Echo — a music venue
her own American dream, signals to me that she had Musicians would go there acceptance,” Molina says. celebrated for its punk
Drive through Echo Park described by a Los Angeles immigrants or members Distinguished Professor restaurant. Molina reveals running a successful business “patria chica” — literally, after finishing their set, concerts, where another
and you can still see the Times restaurant critic as of the LGBTQ community — of American Studies and her findings in a new book, — the Nayarit — and ‘love of a small country,’ ” movie stars would eat there MAKING THE INVISIBLE often-marginalized
original sign, faded now but one of the best Mexican who struggled to meet these Ethnicity and a 2020 A Place at the Nayarit: adopting two children, she Molina says. after a premier or a long VISIBLE population finds
still elegant, spelling out dining rooms he had basic human needs in mid- MacArthur Fellow. Intrigued How a Mexican Restaurant also sponsored, housed It also created a beacon day’s work, and Hollywood So, how did Barraza establish acceptance. The Echo’s
“Nayarit” in the slanting ever visited. century Los Angeles, by her formidable ancestor, Nourished a Community and employed dozens of to others from that region. celebrities in mixed-race the Nayarit as a place where owners opted to leave
script of a bygone era. In its But to its devoted patrons, where discrimination and Molina plumbed her family’s (University of California other Mexican immigrants, “When they wanted some- relationships would marginalized people felt the Nayarit’s iconic sign
heyday in the 1950s, ’60s this beloved restaurant was segregation were rife. history to understand Press, 2022). encouraging them to lay claim thing familiar, they knew celebrate there because they belonged? rather than put up their
and early ’70s, people came much more than a place to The Nayarit was founded Barraza’s story, and in the to a city long characterized that regional food would they felt accepted. When the One way in which her own. It still remains —
from far and wide, eager to eat. For a quarter century, in 1951 by Natalia Barraza, process illuminated many COOKING UP THE by anti-Latino racism. Along really satiate not just their L.A. Dodgers were in town, grandmother achieved this, a reminder to anyone
enjoy the authentic regional the Nayarit was a beacon of a Mexican immigrant facets of the immigrant AMERICAN DREAM the way, the Nayarit became stomachs, but their souls,” Latino baseball players would Molina says, is through her seeking a home away from
cuisine served at this popular belonging and acceptance and the grandmother of experience through the Barraza immigrated alone a vibrant cultural space she says. come to the Nayarit, as hiring practices. home, a place to be seen
neighborhood eatery, for those — many of them USC Dornsife’s Natalia Molina, lens of her grandmother’s from Mexico to L.A. in 1921 that embodied her vision In her book, Molina details would Jaime Jarrín, the “If she had just wanted to and a place to belong.
4 Fall 2022 / Winter 2023 | 5
FROM THE HE ART OF USC CUR R ICU LU M: GLOBA L SECUR IT Y ST U DIES
Half a Century of Service Protecting Against Tomorrow’s Threats
Some 100,000 USC students have provided more than a million hours of service to neighborhoods near USC campuses through the auspices New degree program adopts holistic approach to educate students on how to improve global security.
of the Joint Educational Project, recognized as one of the oldest, largest, and best university service-learning programs in the country.
Jasmin Sanchez might not have chosen a science major in college if not organizations such as Chrysalis, which prepares people to reenter the
for the work of USC Dornsife’s Joint Educational Project (JEP), which workforce.
enables participating USC students to assist in local classrooms. Alumni of JEP are as impacted by the program as the young students
In elementary school, most of her science lessons came from books or they teach.
lectures, with little hands-on learning. When USC students from JEP Tom Chan ’96 originally majored in business, but participating in JEP
showed up in Sanchez’s classroom one day, it changed everything. ignited a new enthusiasm for social service and teaching. He switched to
“They provided all the materials for the students to have hands-on a liberal arts major, served in the Peace Corps in Thailand, then earned a
experiments,” she says. “One of the reasons I got into science was because master’s degree in educational administration.
I had these students coming in and teaching me.” “If I had never served in JEP, I don’t think I would have been brave enough
Sanchez graduated from USC Dornsife last spring with a degree in to change my major to liberal arts as a junior,” says Chan. “I never would have
health and human sciences and plans to become an occupational therapist. become a professional journalist, certainly never would have joined the Peace
During her time at USC, she came full circle, teaching science to third Corps, and never would have chosen education as a career path.”
graders through JEP, just as she had been taught a decade earlier. He also would not have met his wife. The two connected while hanging
This was the exact outcome that the early organizers of JEP, which is out at the JEP House on campus.
celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, hoped for when the organization Fifty years of success doesn’t mean the JEP crew is content to rest on their
began in 1972. laurels. In partnership with the global educational organization Room to
In the early 1970s, tension marred USC’s relationship with its neighbors. Read, JEP recently released a series of 10 children’s books exploring subjects
Barbara Seaver Gardner, a research associate at USC’s Center for related to science, technology, engineering, arts and math. Some 9,000 sets of
Urban Affairs, had the vision to make a change by bringing USC and its the books will be distributed to children and schools through USC neighbor
surrounding neighbors together around a common goal: helping children. educational programs.
Gardner arranged for USC students to teach in elementary school “I’m just so incredibly proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish in
classrooms near campus, providing valuable support to schools that were these 50 years,” says Susan Harris, executive director of JEP. “So many
often underfunded and short-staffed. JEP grew out of this vision, with students have come through JEP’s doors and been able to make a mean-
Gardner becoming its inaugural director. ingful change in communities and then go on to do amazing things in
Around 2,000 USC students now participate in JEP programs each year. their own lives.” —M.C.
While they gain valuable
teaching experience in
the classroom, their young
students benefit, as did
Sanchez, from hands-on
learning, and teachers get a
little help with their work-
load. Since its founding,
some 100,000 JEP students
have provided over a million
hours of service to schools.
JEP offers more than just
classic educational support
focused on math, literacy Connecting climate change The two-year, full-time program’s spatial sciences “Government agencies, resources, including the
or science. The Peace Project with Canada’s recent program, which launched element is one thing that and non-governmental and testimonies of survivors of
trains USC students in increases in naval defense in fall 2022, is especially sets it apart from similar private sector actors are war and genocide, will also
peace education curriculum spending might not seem geared toward students offerings at other institutions. looking for people who have give students a unique opp-
that they then bring into obvious, but this type of looking to pursue or advance It is spatial sciences data the skills in spatial sciences ortunity to study the human
classrooms. A program holistic perspective is the a career in government; that allows analysts to to do things like assess impact of mass violence.
called Little Yoginis provides focus of USC Dornsife’s with nongovernmental make connections between attacks made during war and “Because we have connec-
elementary school children new Master of Arts in organizations such as those actions taken on the world how the populations there tions with partners around
with yoga instruction. Global Security Studies. dealing with human rights or stage and the various are affected, using mapping the world that are doing
Students also go beyond The program seeks to disaster relief; or at private causes and catalysts of data,” Lamy says. work that is related to human
the classroom in their understand our changing firms, including those spe- these actions. One example Amy Carnes, acting chief security and the aftermath
IMAGE SOURCE: ISTOCK
PHOTO BY STEVE COHN
mission to connect with the world through the lens of cializing in national security, might be how Canada’s of staff for USC Shoah of mass violence, we have
surrounding community. experts in political science, says Steven Lamy, Professor naval spending is affected by Foundation — The Institute many resources and bring
The Understanding Home- Los Angeles City Council President Paul Krekorian presents a commemorative anniversary plaque at JEP’s 50th Anniversary Gala on Nov. 3. From left, international relations, Emeritus of International warmer temperatures leading for Visual History and a lot to the table in terms of
lessness Through Service Suzanne Nora Johnson, chair of the USC Board of Trustees; Susan Harris, executive director of JEP; Tammara Anderson, associate dean of experiential economics, spatial sciences Relations and Spatial Sciences. to ice loss that exposes more Education, explains that practical, hands-on experi-
program pairs students with and applied learning; USC President Carol L. Folt; Krekorian; USC Dornsife Dean Amber D. Miller. and environmental studies. Lamy explains that the of the coastline. her institute’s extensive ence,” Carnes says. —M.M.
6 Fall 2022 / Winter 2023 | 7
FROM THE HE ART OF USC
We Finally Know All Their Names Battling New Variants One for the History Books
The list of names of Japanese Americans forcibly interned during WWII has always Pioneering research could help predict — and protect Alumna Elizabeth Van Hunnick’s $15 million endowment puts the history department on a path to preeminence. By Darrin S. Joy
been woefully inaccurate. Now, a USC Dornsife scholar sets the record straight. against — new COVID-19 strains.
A USC Dornsife alumna donated $15 million in her family’s name to the attain that degree of wide-ranging excellence.”
Researchers have found the first experimental evidence Department of History at USC Dornsife, the single largest gift to a USC Van Hunnick’s parents, Garrett and Anne, emigrated to the United
explaining why the COVID-19 virus produces variants humanities department. States from the Netherlands in the 1920s.
such as delta and omicron so quickly. The landmark gift from Elizabeth Van Hunnick follows her donation in “Since both my parents were born in the Netherlands, we were raised
The findings could help scientists predict the emergence 2016 to establish the Garrett and Anne Van Hunnick Chair in European learning about European culture and history, and we traveled frequently
of new coronavirus strains and possibly even produce History. Combined, Van Hunnick’s gifts to the department represent one of to Europe,” Van Hunnick said.
vaccines before those strains arrive. the largest endowment contributions to any university history department in A teacher, she journeyed to dozens of storied locations around
Scientists led by USC Dornsife’s Xiaojiang Chen, the United States. the globe, documenting her excursions on film and sharing them in
professor of biological sciences and chemistry, figured out The gift endows three faculty chairs, establishes a faculty research her classroom.
the COVID-19 virus hijacks enzymes within human cells fund, creates a graduate student fellowship and names the department “I was interested in going to centers of ancient cultures,” she said, including
that normally defend against viral infections, using those the “Van Hunnick History Department.” Greece, Rome, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. “I took thousands of 35mm
enzymes to alter its genome and make variants. The three new faculty chairs will be named after Van Hunnick and her slides, and I would show them to my students. Or maybe the term is ‘bored
The scientists infected human cells with the coronavirus late father and sister: the Elizabeth J. Van Hunnick Endowed Chair in them,’” she added, laughing, “but I thought it was valuable to share what I
in the lab and then studied changes to the virus’ genome History; the Garrett Van Hunnick Endowed Chair in History; and the saw and learned.”
as it multiplied. They noticed that many mutations that arose Wilhelmina Van Hunnick Endowed Chair in History. This spirit of seeking broader knowledge led to Van Hunnick’s support
as the virus replicated itself were caused by changing one The previously established Garrett and Anne Van Hunnick Endowed of USC Dornsife and the history department.
particular nucleotide, cytosine (C), to Uracil (U). Chair in European History was named in honor of Elizabeth Van Hunnick’s “I agree with the Greeks that in order to be a well-educated person you
The high frequency of C-to-U mutations pointed them late parents. should study many, many different things,” she said. “It’s not just taking a
toward a group of enzymes called APOBEC, which cells “This landmark gift will not only provide essential support for our course to get a job. That’s fine, but it’s important to be — I guess the old-
often use to defend against viruses by converting Cs in the researchers to pursue cutting-edge scholarship, it will help the department fashioned term is — ‘well-rounded.’”
In 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt and his administration, fearful that those of virus’ genome to Us with the aim of causing fatal mutations. become a magnet for outstanding new faculty, propelling this already strong For History Department Chair Rubenstein, the gift is nothing short
Japanese descent would remain loyal to their ancestral home rather than to the United In an experimental first, Chen and the team found that department to a position of national preeminence,” said USC Dornsife Dean of historic.
States during World War II, issued Executive Order 9066. The order forced Japanese the C-to-U mutations actually helped the COVID-19 Amber D. Miller. “This moment is — and as a historian, I don’t use this term lightly —
Americans from their homes to remote camps throughout the U.S. Some 1,600 prisoners virus to evolve and develop new strains faster than expected. Van Hunnick, an alumna of USC Dornsife’s history department a revolution.”
died during their incarceration and many lost property and businesses they were forced “Somehow the virus learned to turn the tables on these and resident of San Diego County, said
to abandon. host APOBEC enzymes for its evolution and fitness,” she hopes her gift will help elevate the
A complete and accurate list of victims of the executive order has remained elusive over Chen says. department to even greater prominence
the years. Many names were misspelled and others lost while identities of those born in the Fortunately for researchers looking to overcome and support the development of more
camps were often omitted. The Reagan administration’s Civil Liberties Act of 1988 issued COVID-19, every good offense has its weakness. In this informed leaders.
an apology to those interned as well as a check for $20,000 to the roughly 80,000 people — case, the mutations created by APOBEC enzymes are “I am encouraged by the fact that we’ll
including survivors and their families — that the government was able to trace. However, a not random — they happen at specific places in the virus’ have an outstanding history department,
lack of technology at the time meant that the total number of victims remained inaccurate. genetic sequence. So, scientists can look for these hotspots hopefully known nationwide and attracting
The first comprehensive accounting of those imprisoned is now complete, thanks to and possibly use them to predict what new COVID-19 many prominent scholars,” she said.
B O O K O F N A M E S PH O T O BY K R I S T EN M U R A KO S HI; C OV ID -19 PH O T O C O U R T E S Y O F U N S PL A S H
the work of Duncan Williams, professor of religion, American studies and ethnicity, and variants might emerge and suggest how to update vaccines “That’s important because you can see
East Asian languages and cultures and director of the USC Shinso Ito Center for Japanese so they protect against any new variants that are likely to what’s happening in the world today; you
Religions and Culture. spread. —D.S.J. see leaders and politicians making the
Williams spent years collecting names from camp rosters and other primary source same mistakes over and over again.
documents, building a list that not only accurately spells each name, but also produced an “Things could be different,” she said,
accurate tally of the number of people sentenced to the camps. “if they would just look at history and under-
“Up until this point, everybody’s been guessing,” says Williams. “We came to a total of stand what happened in other cultures and
125,284 when we finished the project.” civilizations. You can truly learn a lot from
The names are printed in a book titled Ireichō, or The Book of Names, a choice inspired by the past.”
the Japanese tradition of “Kakochō,” or “The Book of the Past.” A kakochō lists those who Jay Rubenstein, professor of history,
have passed away and is placed on altars and read during memorial services. chair of the newly renamed Van Hunnick
PHOTO COURTESY OF ELIZ ABE TH VAN HUNNICK
The book is part of Williams’ and the center’s ongoing effort to memorialize History Department and director of the
the victims of Executive Order 9066. Their project, Irei: National Monument for USC Dornsife Center for the Premodern
the WWII Japanese American Incarceration, received a $3.4 million grant from the World, noted that the “astonishing” gift
Mellon Foundation. It will eventually include an online archive and a series of monuments will transform the department.
at former camp sites in memory of those imprisoned. “The world has always been a highly
In September, The Book of Names was put on display at the Japanese American National interconnected place, and the story of its past
Museum in Los Angeles, where it will remain for a year. Relatives of victims can stop by to is a tangled and serpentine tale,” he said. “To
place a Japanese “hanko,” or seal, by their family member’s name, as a way to acknowledge tell that story properly requires history
their memory. Relatives can also request changes or additions to the list. departments with great geographic and
Once any edits have been entered at the end of the book’s residency, the list of those who chronological reach. Thanks to this gift,
were interned in the camps will be considered finally complete. —M.C. USC Dornsife’s history department can USC Dornsife history alumna Elizabeth Van Hunnick and her family have long been supporters of USC.
8 Fall 2022 / Winter 2023 | 9
ACA DE M Y I N T H E P U B L I C S Q U A R E FROM THE HE ART OF USC
How Alumni Continue to Learn From USC Dornsife Faculty
If you don’t see the connection between black holes,
COVID-19 and the economics of happiness, you’re probably
Climate Clarity with the topic. Then we can move to heighten their
motivations to pay attention to messages around climate
change and to perhaps take actions in their own life to
one of our few readers who hasn’t yet discovered the TOP 3 FOR LIVE VIEWING Experts aim to inspire action on climate change by mitigate its effects by adopting more sustainable practices,”
monthly, virtual event series known as Dornsife Dialogues. refining messaging to increase public engagement. Sinatra says. —P.M.
The hour-long forums, which skyrocketed in popularity A series of free, virtual events enable alumni to connect
during the pandemic, feature USC Dornsife scholars (and with USC Dornsife experts and savor the joys of lifelong learning —
others) engaged in fascinating discussions on a wide range
of topics.
without the stress of quizzes, essays or finals.
Risky Behavior
SHARING EXPERTISE “The Unexpected Spy” aired May 6, 2020 Watching TV might be relaxing but research shows
“Unless you’re a student, you’ve got few opportunities to sedentary inactivity may increase risk of dementia.
hear our brilliant scholars share their expertise on a wide
range of interesting and topical issues,” says USC Dornsife “My job was to get imminent threat information Adults aged 60 and older who sit for long periods watching
Dean Amber D. Miller. “Dornsife Dialogues changes that TV or engaging in other passive, sedentary behaviors may
dynamic, offering our alumni and others the opportunity to from them in an effective manner.” be at increased risk of developing dementia, according
not only hear directly from our faculty and researchers, but to a new study by researchers at USC Dornsife and the
to ask them questions.” —Tracy Walder, (BA, history, ’00), former CIA/FBI field agent University of Arizona.
D O R N S I F E D I A L O G U E S A R T W O R K B Y U S C D O R N S I F E O F F I C E O F C O M M U N I C A T I O N / I M A G E S O U R C E : I S T O C K ; C L I M A T E C H A N G E A N D D E M E N T I A I M A G E SS O
Launched in 2017 as a limited series of in-person forums The study used self-reported data on sedentary behavior
that were recorded and shared via USC Dornsife’s YouTube Recipients of the 2022 Faculty Innovation Awards, for more than 145,000 participants aged 60 and older
channel, Dornsife Dialogues was revived in early 2020 “The Evolution of COVID-19” aired January 19, 2022 presented by the USC Wrigley Institute for Environmental in the United Kingdom — all of whom did not have a
as a series of live Zoom events. The first event of the new Studies, based at USC Dornsife, are taking steps to explain diagnosis of dementia at the start of the project. After an
series, “The Pandemic Election,” featured the leaders of the
USC Dornsife Center for the Political Future, Robert Shrum “This process of scientific progress is to the public the threat posed by climate change — such
as more powerful tsunamis and hotter temperatures — in
average of nearly 12 years of follow-up, the researchers
used hospital inpatient records to determine dementia
and Mike Murphy, in a lively discussion about the impact
of the COVID-19 pandemic on the 2020 election. important for us to wrap our heads around. ways that inform and inspire action rather than deepen
cultural divisions.
diagnosis, and after adjusting for certain demographics (such
as age and gender) and lifestyle factors (such as smoking
“To make the best use of climate change research, and alcohol use), they arrived at their findings.
There have been 38 events since then; collectively they
have had well over 60,000 views. I think there is a big part of the overall experts need to share that knowledge with the public in ways Researchers found the link between sedentary behavior
that are clear and meaningful,” says Jessica Dutton, executive and dementia risk persisted even among participants who
HUNGER TO CONNECT community that is actually coming along on director of the USC Wrigley Institute and adjunct assistant were physically active. However, the risk is lower for those
“We sensed there was a hunger among our alumni, MOST POPULAR professor (research) of environmental studies. who are active while sitting, such as when they read or
particularly early on in the pandemic, to not only connect that journey and that might speak to a future ON YOUTUBE For example, Matthew Kahn, Provost Professor of use computers.
with their alma mater, but to hear from experts on timely Economics and Spatial Sciences, and Rob Metcalfe, “It isn’t the time spent sitting, per se, but the type of
and interesting topics,” says Sarah Sturm, senior executive where we take public health and our own Dornsife Dialogues associate professor of economics, both at USC Dornsife, sedentary activity performed during leisure time that impacts
director of USC Dornsife alumni relations. “What we didn’t The Truth of are using cutting-edge digital tools to accurately convey dementia risk,” says study author David Raichlen, professor
know was how intense the interest would be and that more health much more seriously.” Being Black
in America
potential long-term environmental risks for homebuyers. of biological sciences and anthropology at USC Dornsife.
than two years later, it would remain so strong.” They have partnered with Redfin and the First Street He adds that sitting for long periods has been linked to
Ben Wong ’78, who has a PhD in cellular and molecular — Peter Kuhn, Dean’s Professor of Biological Sciences and Foundation to incorporate historical and current weather reduced blood flow in the brain, but intellectually stimulating
biology, says he has watched about 20 Dornsife Dialogues. data to assign properties with a risk score for flooding or activities may counteract some of these negative effects.
professor of biological sciences, medicine, biomedical engineering,
“I truly enjoy learning new things,” says Wong, “especially wildfire. The two are also investigating the effect this data “What we do while we’re sitting matters,” Raichlen adds.
since there are no quizzes, midterms or final exams.” His aerospace and mechanical engineering and urology is having on purchasing tendencies. “This knowledge is critical when it comes to designing
favorite event was titled “How to Have Fearlessly Curious Dornsife Dialogues “More homebuyers are asking: Is the home in a fire targeted public health interventions aimed at reducing the
Conversations in Dangerously Divided Times.” “Witches: Beyond Myths and Magic” aired October 31, 2022 How Pandemics zone? Is there a risk for flooding?” Kahn says. “Thus, buyers risk of neurodegenerative disease from sedentary activities
Impact Art are less likely to regret their purchase and sellers can take through positive behavior change.” — N.R.
PROVIDING BALANCE steps to offset Mother Nature’s punches so that they can
“I trust the information to be current, accurate, reliable and “You can’t get rid of belief in the supernatural. still sell their asset for a high price.”
presented without an agenda, other than to inform,” Wong Meanwhile, experts on science communication are
says. “Certainly, speakers have their own viewpoints, and It’s in your pockets like lint.” investigating how political affiliation may distort under-
frankly if they didn’t, they wouldn’t be very interesting. standing of climate terms.
But USC Dornsife does an excellent job of providing balance.” — Lisa Bitel, Dean’s Professor of Religion and professor of religion Dornsife Dialogues
Gale Sinatra, professor of education and psychology,
The politically themed events were some of the most and history The Afro-Latinx says personal emotions and motivations play a large role
popular for Larry Goodkind ’84, who says he watches to Experience in an individual’s receptivity to climate-related messaging.
enjoy “a discussion that’s well-rounded and thoughtful Race, Equity and
Community Organizing
For instance, the term “climate crisis” can prompt a
on ways forward.” But the double major in political science different emotional response than “climate justice” or
and broadcast journalism says he has also enjoyed some Scan the QR code to watch highlights from past Dornsife Dialogues. “global warming,” she notes.
B YU RDCE EN:NI ISST O
of the discusions that “were lighter in nature,” including Visit dornsifedialogues.usc.edu to watch past events and subscribe “The goal is to leverage emotions in a positive way —
one regarding the history of the Olympics, hosted by a to the email list. in other words, not to get people upset or angry, but rather
L AC N
student. —J.K. to elicit emotions that heighten concern and engagement
K
10 Fall 2022 / Winter 2023 | 11
Our World
FROM THE HE ART OF USC
FORMER POSTDOC/STUDENT Megiddo, Israel FACULTY/STUDENT South China Sea
Armageddon’s Amphitheater Undersea Resilience
USC Dornsife scholars uncover region’s first-known Roman amphitheater, yielding Which ocean creatures were first to recover after history’s largest mass extinction?
clues about lives of ancient Roman soldiers stationed outside fabled city.
In 1902, the archaeologist Gottlieb Schumacher conducted the first survey of the ancient
city of Megiddo in northern Israel. The area is better known as Armageddon, where the
Christian Bible prophesizes that the armies of the world will clash in a final battle.
Schumacher uncovered evidence of occupation by the Roman army and a large, circular
depression in the earth that he guessed was an ancient amphitheater. In July, an excavation
led by historian and archaeologist Mark Letteney, a former postdoctoral fellow at the
USC Mellon Humanities in a Digital World Program, finally proved his hypothesis correct.
The amphitheater was built for the local military base, occupied by Legio VI Ferrata (the
6th Ironclad Legion), which protected Rome’s holdings in what was then the Province of
Judea. It’s the first Roman military amphitheater uncovered in the Southern Levant, which
encompasses Israel, Jordan and Palestine.
Assisting Letteney was Krysta Fauria, a doctoral
student in religion, who found a gold coin that helped
the team more accurately date the structures. The
coin, which has lost none of its brilliance over the
centuries, dates from 245 AD, during the reign
of Emperor Diocletian.
Research on the site will continue next summer,
D.C. MEMORIAL PHOTO COURTESY OF U.S. W WI CENTENNIAL COMMIS SION; SE ABED PHOTO COURTESY OF UNIVERSIT Y OF MICHIG AN
with Letteney back in the trenches. He’s hoping
to uncover more of the east and west gates of
A M P H I T H E AT E R P H O T O C O U R T E S Y O F J E Z R E E L VA L L E Y R E G I O N A L P R O J E C T; Y O G A P H O T O C O U R T E S Y O F I S A B E L L E M A Z U M D A R
the amphitheater, enabling the team to achieve FACULTY Los Angeles ALUMNUS Washington, D.C. More than 90% of the Earth’s ocean species died off in a mass extinction caused by global
more precise dating and better understand Roman warming and ocean acidification at the end of the Permian period, some 252 million years
construction style of nearly 1,700 years ago. —M.C.
Greener Research Labs Memorial to Those Lost ago. USC Dornsife paleobiologist David Bottjer and PhD student Alison Cribb, along with an
international team of researchers, have found ancient clues on the seafloor that show how
life bounced back.
STUDENTS Tulum, Mexico Pioneering researchers forge path to more sustainable Alumnus helps finally establish a national World War I By studying trace fossils and ancient seabed burrows and trails, they discovered that
laboratory practices. memorial in the nation’s capital. shrimps, worms and other bottom-burrowing animals were among the first to recover
Balancing Body and Mind At USC Dornsife, two chemistry professors have recently
implemented techniques to make their respective research
Although the United States mobilized more than 4 million
troops and lost nearly 120,000 soldiers during World War I,
after the catastrophic event. The research team — which included scientists from China,
the United States and the United Kingdom — were able to piece together the revival
of sea life by analyzing samples representing 7 million years and that showed details at
A new health-focused minor teaches students how to tackle stress and stay fit. labs greener. no official memorial had been built at the nation’s capital in 400 sampling points.
In 1998, the American Chemical Society developed the ensuing century since the conflict. “One of the most remarkable aspects of the data is the breadth of ancient environ-
Some 800 years ago, the Maya worshipped the god of honey in the sacred town of Tulum 12 principles of green chemistry, which include measures It took a years-long effort from people like alumnus ments we could sample,” says Bottjer, professor of Earth sciences, biological sciences
on Mexico’s Caribbean coast. The town’s importance as a site of spiritual practice remains, such as energy efficiency, pollution prevention and the proper and former Navy captain Chris Isleib, who served as director and environmental studies.
with thousands of people visiting the area each year to attend yoga and meditation retreats. disposal of wastes. of public affairs for the World War I Centennial Commission, Trace fossils mostly document soft-bodied sea animals with little to no skeleton. But the
This year’s visitors included a group of USC students on a week-long Maymester In her freshman laboratories, Jessica Parr, professor to secure land and funding to build a memorial. Finally data can indicate how the behaviors of these animals also affected the evolution of other
course. Led by Isabelle Mazumdar, senior lecturer in physical education, the students (teaching) of chemistry, has nearly eliminated the use of opened in April 2021, the memorial is inscribed with the species, including those with skeletons.
M U S E U M O F N AT U R A L H I S T O RY/A L L R I G H T S R E S E R V E D
took yoga lessons, meditated and explored the region’s history. mercury in experiments. Her students now also use waste words of poet and WWI veteran Archibald MacLeish: It is estimated that it took about 3 million years for the ecological recovery of soft-bodied
The trip was part of USC Dornsife’s new containers, rather than a drain, for water and salt disposal. “We were young, they say. We have died. Remember us.” animals to match pre-extinction levels.
Mind-Body Studies minor, which aims to help “If we introduce students to these practices early, they The memorial is a fitting accomplishment for Isleib. “The first animals to recover were deposit feeders such as worms and shrimps,” says
students tackle stress and stay fit by teaching hopefully will retain some of these ideas and sustainable After graduating with a Cribb. “The recovery of suspension feeders, such as brachiopods, bryozoans and many
them the fundamentals of good health, from processes as they go on to other laboratory experiences,” degree in creative writing bivalves, took much longer.” Cribb suggests that the deposit feeders may have churned mud
sleep to physical exercise. Parr says. in 1985 and serving on that prevented suspension feeders from settling on the seafloor or that prohibited them
For neuroscience and cognitive science Meanwhile, Travis Williams, professor of chemistry, says the USS Iowa, he spent from feeding efficiently.
major Christina Maineri, the new minor also his lab has cut energy use. his career in communica- Understanding mass extinctions of the distant past and how soft-bodied species recovered
connects directly with her career interests. “I “We upgraded to a new microfocus diffractometer, which tions telling stories of the can provide important insights relevant to the present and future.
hope to use what I learn from the Mind-Body is not only a much better scientific instrument, but uses a military, from Hollywood Bottjer said the team’s findings show a variety of ways different groups of seafloor dwellers
Studies minor, particularly in regard to how fraction of the electricity,” Williams says. “Then we put some to the Pentagon, to ensure responded to changing environmental conditions over time, and how that may have played
we train our brain, to assist dementia patients,” blinds on the windows to keep the solar heat out, and now they are not forgotten. a more important role in the evolution and ecology of species as life recovered than previously
she says. —M.C. we’ve nearly halved the amount of electricity we use.” —G.S. —M.C. understood.
12 Fall 2022 / Winter 2023 | 13
The Eyes Have It
From Inuit hunters in their endless snowy landscape who have no concept of what it
means to be lost to profound leaps in microscopy that enable scientists to watch an eye
as it forms — sight allows us to explore our world, to orient ourselves within it and
to find joy in its myriad manifestations of beauty and wonder.
By Rachel B. Levin
Though there is no consensus about which of our five senses the lens. This double bending means that whatever you’re
is the most important, sight has an edge. Philosophers from looking at appears upside down on your retina. Your brain
Aristotle to Galileo have exalted vision above other sensory makes sure you perceive it as right-side up. Likewise, you
capacities, tying it to humanity’s noblest pursuits. From a perpetually receive two images of the world, one through
neuroscientific perspective, visual processing is the most each eye, and your brain combines them into one.
dominant sensory function in the brain. And culturally The role of the brain in sight is most apparent when
speaking, most Americans believe there could be no health we’re confronted with visual stimuli that are ambiguous.
outcome worse than losing their eyesight. For example, the “impossible” staircase in M. C. Escher’s
The perceived value of sight is reinforced by the fiercely Ascending and Descending appears to climb up and down
visual nature of contemporary life. Screens are now constantly simultaneously because, as your brain attempts to translate
at our fingertips. They saturate us with visual information to the 2D image into 3D reality, it falls back on assumptions
process, and the remote social interactions they facilitate are that lines are straight and corners are 90 degrees.
devoid of embodied inputs like smell and touch. Perhaps you remember the bad cellphone photo of “the
Our sense of sight confers power. We use it to investigate dress” that went viral in 2015? Some insisted the dress
and surveil the planet (and beyond) and take pleasure in its was white and gold; others swore it was black and blue.
splendors. But sight is also a source of vulnerability. The Research revealed that people’s life experiences influenced
biological processes that allow our visual system to observe their color perception.
the world accurately can also lead us to perceive illusions — Night owls were more likely to see the dress as black and
and we don’t always know the difference. blue, whereas early risers tended to see it as white and gold.
That may be because of assumptions each group made about
BRAIN GAME whether the garment appeared in bright daylight or under
Sight begins in the eye. Light passes through the dome- an indoor bulb — a difference of illumination that cues our
shaped cornea and enters the eye’s interior through the visual system toward divergent color interpretations. Those
opening called the pupil. The iris (the colored part of the who burn the midnight oil were more inclined to assume
eye) controls how much light the pupil lets in. Next, light artificial lighting than those who rise with the sun, perhaps
passes through the lens, the clear, inner part of the eye that because of more exposure to it.
focuses light on the retina. This light-sensitive layer of “We rely so much on our sense of sight that we trust
tissue at the back of the eye contains special cells called what we see with our own eyes,” says USC Dornsife’s
photoreceptors that turn the light into electrical signals. Norbert Schwarz, Provost Professor of Psychology and
Yet even as the eye receives visual input, “seeing” actually Marketing. “Seeing is believing, as the saying goes. But
happens in the brain. Electrical signals travel from the retina our visual processing can be fallible.”
through the optic nerve to the occipital lobe, an area toward
the back of the brain that contains the visual cortex. Half YOU ARE HERE
of the brain then becomes involved, directly or indirectly, in Making accurate visual judgments is a core part of human
interpreting the signals. survival. We evolved to rely on sight for orienting our-
There’s quite a lot that needs interpreting. Light passing selves to our environment, avoiding danger and navigating
through the eye is bent twice — first by the cornea, then by through space. Jennifer Bernstein, a visiting scholar at the
14 Fall 2022 / Winter 2023 | 15
USC Dornsife Spatial Sciences Institute, notes that all sophistication of an artist’s vision — a sort of “inner eye” that
cultures have developed practices for wayfinding, which interprets what it sees in a unique way. But USC Dornsife’s
involves figuring out where you are and how to get where Kate Flint, Provost Professor of Art History and English,
you need to go. explains that artistic and social norms of each era influence
Inuit hunters in the Canadian Arctic provide an example both the creation and reception of art.
of how sharply developed our visual perception can become “Beauty in a work of art … is incredibly culturally deter-
in the service of wayfinding. Amid the snowy landscapes mined,” she says. “There are conventions of what constitutes
of the Igloolik region, few topographical landmarks stand the beautiful at certain times, which then get upended by
out to differentiate routes. Young Inuit learn through years other generations, other traditions.”
When of tutoring by elders to orient themselves by attending to
visual cues as subtle as snowdrift shape and wind direction. SEE FOR YOURSELF
technology Amazingly, up until the recent adoption of GPS devices,
the Inuit had no concept of being “lost.”
Romantic poet William Blake once mused on the possibility
of seeing a world in a grain of sand. He was alluding to not
“sees” the path If you’ve ever felt directionally challenged without your only the grandeur but also the knowledge we can access with
mapping app — or gotten lost even while using one — our powers of sight — if we pay close enough attention.
for us, our sense you’re probably aware that digital tools are eroding our Of course, with the naked eye, we can’t actually see the
visual attentiveness to navigational cues in the landscapes (microscopic) world in a grain of sand or, for that matter,
of sight is no we traverse. Bernstein points to research linking GPS use the (telescopic) world in a speck of celestial light. Our
to lower spatial cognition and poorer wayfinding skills. desire to know and understand truths beyond our visual
longer just a tool But she cautions against demonizing the technology, limits has driven the development of increasingly powerful
arguing that GPS tools can function as visual “prostheses” sight-enhancing technologies.
of survival — that augment our powers of sight. GPS can help those with State-of-the-art telescopes have offered astrophysicists
visual or spatial impairments navigate the world indepen- like USC Dornsife Dean Amber D. Miller the opportunity
it’s a window dently. For sighted individuals, mapping apps can facilitate to visualize faraway stars and look back in time. The first
a shift in visual attention from the “how” of navigation to an images released from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope
into pleasure. appreciation of the sights along the route. earlier this year revealed the presence of never-before-seen
“If I can just get in the car and drive, I can look at the galaxies, whose light originated more than 13 billion years
fog and the Golden Gate Bridge,” says Bernstein of letting ago — around the time of the Big Bang. Miller has likened
GPS guide her around the Bay Area. In other words, when such images to “‘baby pictures’ of the cosmos.”
technology “sees” the path for us, our sense of sight is no Much closer to home, USC Dornsife scientists are making
longer just a tool of survival — it’s a window into pleasure. profound leaps in microscopy. At the USC Michelson Center
for Convergent Bioscience, the cryo-electron microscopy
CHASING BEAUTY core facility that opened last year is enabling researchers to
Our visual system is designed for delight. The neural path- glimpse molecules as tiny as individual proteins. And the
way that extends from the retina to the occipital cortex Translational Imaging Center (TIC), based at USC Dornsife
contains opioid receptors, which, when activated, trigger a and USC Viterbi School of Engineering, is at the forefront
cascade of chemical changes linked to feelings of pleasure. of developing new tools that enable scientists to watch the
The late Irving Biederman, Harold Dornsife Chair in biological processes of cells as they are unfolding — building
Neurosciences, and professor of psychology and computer microscopes that can collect technicolor images with a speed
science, and director of USC Dornsife’s Image Understanding and sensitivity once thought impossible. TIC researchers
Laboratory, explained this neural system in a previous issue can watch the circuit changes in the brain that accompany
of USC Dornsife Magazine. “When [our eyes] are not engaged learning down to the single synapse level. Their collab-
in a deliberate search, such as looking for our car in a parking orators at Keck School of Medicine of USC, Brian Applegate
lot,” he said, “they are directed towards entities that will give and John Oghalai, are even able to observe and measure the
us more opioid activity.” nanometer-sized movements in the human cochlea, part of
Gazing at beautiful things — natural vistas, compelling the inner ear, as it converts sound to neuronal signals.
artworks, attractive people — stimulates our brain’s reward These technological advances are making it possible
system and makes us feel good. But the old adage is also true: for biologists to see the eye itself in impactful new ways.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Scott Fraser, Provost Professor of Biological Sciences,
According to Schwarz, individuals develop an aesthetic Biomedical Engineering, Physiology and Biophysics,
preference for visual stimuli that they find easy to process. Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Pediatrics,
In one of Schwarz’s experiments, subjects were given a list Radiology, Ophthamology and Quantitative and Compu-
of words to learn. In one group, the word “snow” was on tational Biology, directs the TIC. He and his team have
the list; in the other, the word “key” was featured. Both been able to peer into an animal’s eye as it takes shape and
groups were then shown pictures of a snow shovel and forms connections in the brain. Recently, Fraser and his
a door with a lock. Those in the “snow” group rated the team have turned their tools to the human eye, observing
shovel as prettier; those in the “key” group rated the door the changes wrought by age and disease. Their hope is that
as more attractive. better understanding the eye’s cellular processes can lead
“Any variable that makes processing easier increases to new treatments for vision-robbing diseases like macular
perceived beauty, even if it’s a variable that has nothing to degeneration and diabetic retinopathy.
do with beauty,” says Schwarz. Fraser’s research captures the fragility of sight and its
In addition to neurochemical and cognitive factors, strength all at once. Our eyes may be susceptible to a host
cultural norms also influence what we see as beautiful. of pathologies, but they also have the potential to bring
When viewing paintings or sculptures, we often prize the clarity to life’s greatest mysteries.
16 I L L U S T R AT I O N S B Y E G L E P LY T N I K A I T E F O R U S C D O R N S I F E M A G A Z I N E Fall 2022 / Winter 2023 | 17You can also read
