ALL IN GOOD TIME The Memory Issue - In the past lie the keys to a better future - University of Southern ...
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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 2020 / WINTER 2021 MAGAZINE
The Memory Issue
ALL IN GOOD TIME
In the past lie the keys to a better future.
Remember This
USC Dornsife scholars remember an early moment of discovery that filled them with
fascination, curiosity and a thirst to learn, sparking their lifelong academic passion.
“Scholarship came naturally in my youth.
I observed, pondered, and absorbed the world
from a distance, privileged to eschew guidelines
and restraints. My single mom was a geologist,
distracted by course prep and my more complex
sisters. Homework was light. The joy from
“When I was four years old, I contracted polio. Was it due
insights during desultory solo bike forays and
to bad weather at the beach in Atlantic City, or maybe
voracious, indiscriminate late-night reading
the greenhead flies that tormented me that summer?
under the covers presaged my now decades-
Whatever the cause, for the next several months I
long obsession with seismograms and all their
spent a lot of time in bed reading comic books, first
surprises and perks.”
for the pictures, then for the language. To learn to be
JOHN VIDALE, Dean’s Professor of Earth Sciences
comfortable, alone, reading, loving stories, was the gift
the disease gave me.”
LEO BRAUDY, University Professor and professor of English,
art history and history, and Leo S. Bing Chair in English and
American Literature
“My immigrant family spoke only Spanish at home,
and when I first went to school, I often felt lost. I got
into trouble for not paying attention. Then later that
year, I came down with pneumonia. Recovering at
home, I watched endless hours of television. I started
to gain a sense of the language. (I can still identify
any I Love Lucy episode within five seconds!) And
I discovered books — fiction, how-to, encyclopedias.
Books were my gateway to all the things I was
curious about. To this day, reviewing the literature
is a balm for me. It opens up worlds, and everything
becomes attainable.”
NATALIA MOLINA, professor of American studies and ethnicity
“We were walking through a pitch-dark summer night in the early
1990s, making our way from a train station to our weekend house in
rural central Serbia. That’s when I saw my first-ever shooting star. It was
beautiful. I remember a profound sense of comfort and awe, realizing
I am a tiny part of this immense universe. I now study the universe for
a living … this feeling still remains.”
VERA GLUSCEVIC, Gabilan Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy
“When I was an eighth-grade student in Romania,
I desperately wanted to try out for a coveted spot in
Message from the Dean
a National Chemistry Olympiad. A chemistry teacher I’m often asked if I remember the moment when I decided to become a scientist.
I know that for many, this choice was motivated by something specific — a eureka
encouraged me and provided practice tests. She also moment that pointed them down the path to their future career. But for me, there
took an extraordinary step by giving me the keys to the really wasn’t such a moment. What I do remember is growing up curious.
lab and telling me to, ‘Go have fun.’ With the freedom I’ve always been interested in not just how the natural world works, but also how
to experiment with mixing different chemicals on my people and societies work. My dad was a do-it-yourselfer, and I remember following
him around, asking why this or that happens. Not every question had a simple answer,
own, I mastered the basics and moved on to compete
and I would often be sent to search through an encyclopedia (remember those?), to take
in that Olympiad, as well as others through my high a trip to the library, or to call a relative or friend of my parents who was an expert. That
school career. I really enjoyed making molecules then, sense that questions were answerable, and that I had the ability to find those answers,
and that’s what I do now.” was empowering. It led me to deeply value the research university environment, which
SMARANDA MARINESCU, associate professor of chemistry is all about asking hard questions, challenging assumptions and pushing the boundaries
of knowledge.
We tend to expect the sensational story of that moment when a perspective changed or
an idea formed. But perspectives don’t always take shape in a moment. It is an accumula-
tion of knowledge and lived experiences that influence the way we understand the world.
We at USC Dornsife embrace the idea that the most valuable memories are not those of
facts, but of experiences. We don’t expect our students to remember every idea or theory
or experiment. Instead, we want them to remember how to explore issues broadly and
deeply. We want them to remember how to approach complex problems, how to separate
fact from fiction, and how to debate with civility. By the time our students graduate, we
want them to leave us with the confidence that they have developed the capacity to solve
a wide range of problems on their own. It is that memory that sets our students up for
careers as leaders and innovators — no matter what they have chosen to study.
This issue of USC Dornsife Magazine explores a wide range of ideas related to memory.
I think about what we will remember about this uncertain moment, and I hope it is the
human kindness, innovation and creativity that has surfaced amid so much tragedy and
frustration. And I believe it will be the memories we continue to create together through
this challenging time that will keep us strong.
AMBER D. MILLER
Dean, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
Anna H. Bing Dean’s Chair
“As a child I was diagnosed with a medical condition
called Henoch-Schönlein purpura. Many of the hospitals
my mother took me to had doctors who dismissed my
symptoms as the flu. Finally, I was properly diagnosed
and treated by a compassionate doctor who took time
to figure it out. My experience with the condition as a
child led to my academic passion of studying health and
health care disparities.”
APRIL THAMES, associate professor of psychology and
psychiatry
Fall 2020 / Winter 2021 | 1
COVER STORY
Memories are made of this …
SENIOR ASSOCIATE DEAN
FOR STRATEGIC INITIATIVES AND COMMUNICATION Memory forges who we are. It is both a bridge to our past and — if we succeed in
Lance Ignon absorbing the lessons it has to offer — a valuable resource to illuminate our path
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
toward a better future.
Susan Bell
But memory is tricky. A double-edged sword, it brings comfort and joy, pain and
ART DIRECTOR / PRODUCTION MANAGER
Letty Avila regret. “I have a terrible memory; I never forget a thing,” wrote novelist Edith Konecky
in 1976.
WRITERS AND EDITORS Arguably the world’s most celebrated writer about memory, Marcel Proust may have
Michelle Boston
Margaret Crable summed it up best almost a hundred years ago: “We are able to find everything in
Darrin S. Joy our memory, which is like a dispensary or chemical laboratory in which chance steers
Jim Key our hand sometimes to a soothing drug and sometimes to a dangerous poison.” The
Stephen Koenig French author and essayist made real for generations of readers the idea of involuntary
Meredith McGroarty memory with his unforgettable evocation of how the prosaic act of dunking a small
DESIGNER French sponge cake known as a madeleine into his tea as an adult unleashed a flood of
Dennis Lan childhood experience in his novel A La Recherche du Temps Perdu (In Search of Lost Time).
VIDEOGRAPHER AND PHOTOGRAPHER Memory is also unreliable. “There are things I remember which may never have happened,
Mike Glier but as I recall them so they take place,” wrote Nobel Prize-winning British playwright
Harold Pinter in his Proustian play, Old Times, in 1971. Or as American novelist, essayist
SENIOR WEB SPECIALIST and poet Barbara Kingsolver put it, “Memory is a complicated thing, a relative to truth
Michael Liu
but not its twin.”
COMMUNICATIONS ASSISTANT But if memory has its drawbacks, it also has the power to transport us to paradise.
Deann Webb In a letter to a friend in 1879, Emily Dickinson wrote, “I think Heaven will not be as
good as earth, unless it bring with it that sweet power to remember, which is the staple
CONTRIBUTORS
Eric Lindberg, Abigail McCann, Marc Merhej, Gary Polakovic
of Heaven here.”
This issue of USC Dornsife Magazine explores memory from many different angles:
USC DORNSIFE ADMINISTRATION
from a history scholar’s research into the deadly floods of 1861–62 to the ways politicians
Amber D. Miller, Dean • Jan Amend, Divisional Dean for the Life Sciences •
Emily Hodgson Anderson, Interim College Dean of Undergraduate Education •
and advertisers create memorable messaging, and from a profile of an alumna who, as a
Stephen Bradforth, Divisional Dean for the Physical Sciences and Mathematics • child, escaped the Liberian civil war to begin a new life in the United States to how new
Steven Finkel, College Dean of Graduate and Professional Education • Kimberly technologies are revolutionizing the ways we remember and commemorate those we love
Freeman, Associate Dean, Chief Diversity Officer • Lance Ignon, Senior and admire.
Associate Dean for Strategic Initiatives and Communication • Peter Mancall, Our cover, by graphic designer Dennis Lan, illustrates the vivid private world we all carry
Divisional Dean for the Social Sciences • Renee Perez, Vice Dean, Administration with us inside our heads. Dennis wrote of his inspiration, “My main idea is how digging into
and Finance • Eddie Sartin, Senior Associate Dean for Advancement • Sherry
memory can be an inward-looking adventure. I also try to suggest our memory is not fixed
Velasco, Divisional Dean for the Humanities
or sealed but a growing, fluid thing. I try to create imagery that evokes emotions (and maybe
COMP OSITE BY LE T T Y AVIL A: MARCEL PROUS T PAINTING BY JACQUES-EMILE BL ANCHE
USC DORNSIFE BOARD OF COUNCILORS a tad of nostalgia, as well).”
Kathy Leventhal, Chair • Wendy Abrams • Robert Alvarado • Robert D.
We think he has succeeded magnificently. We hope you agree. — S.B.
Beyer • David Bohnett • Jon Brayshaw • Ramona Cappello • Alan Colowick •
Richard S. Flores • Shane Foley • Lisa Goldman • Jana Waring Greer • Pierre
Habis • Yossie Hollander • Janice Bryant Howroyd • Martin Irani • Dan COVER ILLUSTRATION BY DENNIS LAN
James • Suzanne Nora Johnson • Bettina Kallins • Yoon Kim • Samuel King •
Jaime Lee • Arthur Lev • Roger Lynch • Robert Osher • Gerald Papazian •
Andrew Perlman • Lawrence Piro • Edoardo Ponti • Kelly Porter •
Michael Reilly • Harry Robinson • Carole Shammas • Rajeev Tandon
USC DORNSIFE MAGAZINE
Published twice a year by the USC Dornsife Office of Communication
at the University of Southern California. © 2020 USC Dornsife College.
The diverse opinions expressed in USC Dornsife Magazine do not necessarily
represent the views of the editors, USC Dornsife administration or
USC. USC Dornsife Magazine welcomes comments from its readers to
magazine@dornsife.usc.edu or USC Dornsife Magazine, SCT-2400,
Los Angeles, CA 90089.
2
Contents FA LL 2 0 2 0 / W I N T E R 2 0 2 1
REMEMBER THIS
USC Dornsife scholars remember an
early moment of discovery that filled
them with fascination, curiosity and a
thirst to learn, sparking their lifelong
academic passion.
4 FROM THE HEART OF USC
Literary journal launches; Virtual
marine internships; Science kit
deliveries; Research could lead
to extending lifespan; The water
footprint of blue jeans.
5 Curriculum
353
6 Profile
9 Lexicon
12 Academy in the
Public Square
14 Our World
38 Archive
39 DORNSIFE FAMILY
Molina and Flint feted; A fabled
diamond; The unexpected spy.
39 Faculty News
40 Faculty Canon
40 Alumni News
Inspired by the poetry and process of Emily Dickinson, this collage on the theme of visual memory was created by Stephanie Saunders, then a junior,
in the Spring 2020 course “Women Writers in Europe and America,” taught by Professor of Italian and Comparative Literature Margaret Rosenthal. 42 Alumni Canon
43 Remembering
THE MEMORY ISSUE
44 TROJAN COMMUNITY
16 When the Floods Came 30 Why Is It Important to Remember A trip down memory lane: Capturing
From 1861 to ’62, much of Southern California was USC’s past in photographs.
underwater after a series of deadly winter storms. What Came Before?
USC Dornsife history scholar Will Cowan says it Memory lies at the heart of many academic
could happen again. By Susan Bell disciplines. By Meredith McGroarty and Susan Bell
22 The Landscape of Memory 32 “Among the Dragons, CONNECT WITH USC DORNSIFE
Our memory holds our past, builds our future There Will Always Be Heroes” Facebook.com/USCDornsife
COLLAGE BY STEPHANIE SAUNDERS
and forges our personal identity. It also shapes the Wayétu Moore ’09 pens a memoir that explores her Instagram.com/USCDornsife
historical record. By Margaret Crable escape from Liberia’s civil war and her immigrant Twitter.com/USCDornsife
experience in America. By Margaret Crable
LinkedIn.com/school/USCDornsife
26 Satisfaction Guaranteed 36 Remember Me YouTube.com/USCDornsife
Ever wondered how marketers and politicians create From virtual memorials to digital keepsakes,
memorable messages? This article could change your technology allows us to reimagine ways to remember
life. By Stephen Koenig and celebrate the dearly departed. By Michelle Boston dornsife.usc.edu/magazine
Fall 2020 / Winter 2021 | 3
FROM THE HE ART OF USC
Viewpoint
A new literary journal
EXPERT OPINIONS
“If we don’t protect
America’s most reliable
engine for solutions to USC Dornsife’s Department of English launches Air/Light, a free, online publication featuring exciting new
far-reaching health, writing from a California perspective in a wide range of narrative and multimedia formats — including video
games. By Susan Bell
environmental, and
national security In Lawrence Weschler’s 1998 New Yorker essay “L.A. Book Award in poetry; Natashia Deón, discussing race
challenges, it could Glows,” a climate scientist uses the word “airlight” to and policing; Wendy Ortiz, writing on pandemic TV
cost America our describe why Southern California light is sometimes crisp viewing; award-winning young adult author Lilliam
competitive edge.” and clear, so everything can be seen with clarity, and Rivera; alumna Susan Straight; and poet Vickie Vertiz.
sometimes the light is diffused and hazy, so everything Air/Light is the brainchild of Ulin, who also teaches
AMBER D. MILLER, dean of
USC Dornsife, in an Aug. 6 op-ed seems obfuscated. within the progressive M.A. degree in literary editing
for The Hill on the importance From this comes the inspiration for the name of and publishing, and University Professor David St. John,
of federal support for research USC Dornsife’s new international literary journal, Air/Light. professor of English and comparative literature and chair
universities. “We were looking for a name that would reflect the of the Department of English.
“In just six months, complexity of L.A., rather than the kind of false simplicity Aaron Winslow, a postdoctoral researcher in the
nearly two million with which people look at the place,” says David Ulin, Department of English, is Air/Light’s managing editor.
associate professor of the practice of English and the editor The trio were keen to create a magazine that was
Americans have of Air/Light. not about California or the West, but would be an inter-
experienced an “I think that’s about as great a metaphor that really national publication with a sensibility firmly rooted in
irreplaceable loss that represents something fundamental about the complexities of California and the West.
not only leaves them the place as I can think of, the way that it sometimes is so “I think we often get caught up in a navel-gazing exer-
grieving and possibly confounding and sometimes it’s so clear and the idea that it cise, but I’m much more interested in the California point
is always shifting.” of view and how we build a publication that grows out of,
traumatized, but may Launched on Oct. 5, the first issue is packed with new or reflects that perspective,” says Ulin, formerly the
come with long-lasting writing from national and international literary stars, Los Angeles Times’ book editor and book critic. “I don’t
health and economic including Victoria Chang, longlisted for the 2020 National think there are any literary journals that are doing that.”
consequences.”
EMILY SMITH-GREENAWAY,
associate professor of sociology
and spatial sciences, in a Sept. 23
Boston Globe article on her re-
search tracking loss from COVID-19.
“Think of good nutri-
tion as a seat belt for
your health; it doesn’t
guarantee you won’t
get sick, but it helps
to ensure the best
outcomes.”
GRAYSON JAGGERS,
assistant professor (teaching) of
biological sciences, in a Sept. 17
op-ed in The Conversation about
how a healthy diet can protect
people from disease.
“Part of the problem
is people saying this
IMAGE COURTESY OF AIR/LIGHT
could never happen
in America.”
ADRIAN DE LEON, assistant
professor of American studies and
ethnicity, in a Sept. 22 National
Geographic article on the history
of discrimination against Asian
Americans in the United States.
4
Curriculum ASTR 200LG
PEROOMIAN PHOTO COURTESY OF VAHE PEROOMIAN; SEDONA PHOTO BY VAHE PEROOMIAN
LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE on Earth, says Peroomian. The age of the universe also Some, like the infamous life in the galaxy should be
Instructor: Vahe Peroomian, Students dive into the birth of ensures plenty of time for Roswell incident, in which a encouraged. “We want to
associate professor (teaching) the universe and the formation complex organisms to form. UFO crash was purportedly be part of the galactic civiliza-
of physics and astronomy of life on our planet, from “There are planets out there masked by the government tion,” he argues. —M.C.
the Big Bang to the initial that could have started their as a weather balloon, seem
squirming of microorganisms evolution of life 7 billion years doubtful, he says. Others, like The Milky Way rises over the
in salty, primordial seas. ago,” says Peroomian. In other the 1977 narrowband “Wow!” red rocks of Sedona, Arizona,
Along the way, students words, they had as much as signal, remain a possible a designated International Dark
discover that Earth’s capacity a 4-billion-year head start indicator of intelligent life out Sky Place. With the building
for life is, well, average. on us. there, says Peroomian. But blocks of life such as carbon and
Essential ingredients for life In the final class, Peroomian when it comes to the “little nitrogen common throughout
like carbon, water and nitrogen takes students through a green men” of popular culture, the universe, it’s not unlikely
are abundant in the universe. tour of UFO sightings, alien he’s skeptical. that life has formed somewhere
Space is dotted with countless encounters and deep space Regardless of the exact other than Earth. But is it
To consider the possibility of planets, and likely trillions orbit signals that may (or may not) physical characteristics of any intelligent life?
life on other planets, one must stars at distances similar to prove that intelligent, other- extraterrestrials, Peroomian
first understand how life began that of Earth’s from the sun. world civilizations exist. feels a continued push to find
Fall 2020 / Winter 2021 | 5
PROF ILE
From Cushing Crude to the City of Angels
PHOTO BY KELLI GUINN OLSSON
MacArthur Fellow and
distinguished medievalist
Jay Rubenstein is the director
of USC Dornsife’s Center for
the Premodern World.
6
FROM THE HE ART OF USC
NOTHING PREDISPOSED all crammed together in such “It’s an exciting opportunity Rubenstein says. “It also apocalypse. He’s now planning
JAY RUBENSTEIN TO BECOME a small city square. It was a because I get to build a center startled me, just how similar a third volume on the Crusader
A MEDIEVAL SCHOLAR. stunning place to be.” from the ground up and put these modern conspiracy Kingdom of Jerusalem.
The small Midwestern town But Rubenstein says the my own stamp on it,” says theories are to medieval ideas, “The question that will
of Cushing, Oklahoma, where moment he really became Rubenstein, whose research that you find the same tropes drive the narrative is, okay,
he was born and raised, is a hooked was when he took a focuses on the Crusades, coming up — the pederasty, you fulfilled the apocalypse,
refining center, best known as a paleography class to learn how apocalyptic thought, and the anti-Semitism.” you’ve captured Jerusalem,
trading hub for crude oil. There, to read medieval handwriting. religious and intellectual life Next fall, the center is plan- now what do you do with it?”
his parents ran a scrap metal The final exam was held in an in the Middle Ages. ning to hold a major exhibition he says.
and recycling company. Oxford college library built
“In the summer, I would be in the early 17th century. The
in charge of the aluminum can
machine,” Rubenstein recalls.
assignment? To translate a
medieval manuscript.
“I still get a contact high every time
But when he wasn’t recycling
cans, the American teen was
“That was the first time I’d
worked with an actual medieval I get to handle an old manuscript.”
nurturing a severe case of book,” Rubenstein says. “Here
adolescent Anglophilia, fueled I am with a pencil in hand,
by a deep love of the BBC sci-fi copying a book that somebody He’s particularly excited by on the Silk Road in collaboration Rubenstein spent four years in
series Doctor Who and the had copied out about 700 years the fact the new center won’t with Doheny Library. Oxford, one in Rome and four in
music of The Kinks. By the time ago with a quill pen. That gave be confined to Medieval Europe Other projects include Paris where he lived at “possibly
he had joined Carleton College me an electrifying sense of but will also embrace antiquity establishing a summer program the best address in the whole
in Northfield, Minnesota, as connection to the past. and pre-history. He is also for scholars of the premodern world — 13 rue Edgar Poe.”
an undergraduate, Rubenstein “I still get a contact high looking forward to working world, major outreach to the Now he’s traded life in some
was determined to spend a every time I get to handle an with USC Dornsife faculty in public and the wider academic of the world’s most historic
semester in England. old manuscript.” classics, art history, history, community via campus-wide cities for a post in arguably
He focused on getting His connection with Oxford religion and East Asian studies. events, and the creation of its most relentlessly modern
accepted into one of the only flourished. A grant enabled “I think job one of a center research symposia in conjunc- metropolis: Los Angeles. As a
U.K. study-abroad programs him to return in the summer like this is to get as many people tion with The Getty. medievalist, how is he adapting
available to him at Carleton — to research miracle cults. He as possible from different Rubenstein strives to present to living in the archetypal
which happened to be at the wrote his senior thesis on the departments talking to one academic research in a way 20th-century city?
University of Oxford’s Center city’s patron saint. another, exchanging ideas and that remains accessible to a From an academic perspective,
for Medieval and Renaissance A Rhodes Scholarship sharing some of their mutual wider audience. he says the fact that L.A.
Studies. Realizing the program awarded during his senior year interests,” Rubenstein says. “I want to use the center as a is home to both The Getty
would be his golden ticket allowed him to return to Oxford The center has maintained a forum for figuring out ways to and The Huntington Library,
to England, Rubenstein took as a postgraduate. His home- full slate of programming this write well and with intellectual Art Museum, and Botanical
a medieval history class in town was so excited by the year, despite the challenges rigor but also in a way that will Gardens means he’s fortunate
preparation. news, they named a street — of the pandemic. Key events enable what we’re doing to be of to have major historical
“For the first three quarters Jay Rubenstein Avenue — in his have included seminars on the interest to the wider world.” resources at his fingertips.
of the class I just hated it,” he honor. The son of scrap metal premodern Mediterranean, He is clearly meeting that goal Rubenstein also claims a
recalls. “But then we read The merchants was on his way to a held in conjunction with the with his own writing. The late personal affinity with the City
Art of Courtly Love, a guide glittering academic career. Early Modern Studies Institute; Terry Jones of Monty Python of Angels. Citing Raymond
book from the period on how In 2007, Rubenstein was knightly culture in the Holy Land fame, himself an author of Chandler’s The Long Goodbye
to be a good lover in the Middle awarded a prestigious MacArthur and during the Crusades; and a tome on medieval history, as his favorite book, he reveals
Ages.” As the class debated Fellowship — popularly known iconoclasm in the premodern described Rubenstein’s 2011 that while in Paris he developed
whether the art of courtly love as a “Genius Grant.” Following and modern worlds, including book Armies of Heaven: The a passion for old American
had actually existed or was teaching posts at the University the destruction of monuments First Crusade and the Quest for cinema, particularly noir films
just an intellectual construct, of New Mexico, Syracuse in the ancient world. Apocalypse (Basic Books) as of the 1930s and ’40s.
Rubenstein was captivated. University, Dickinson College and In the spring, the center will “a page-turner” and “the most “So now coming to L.A.
Then he got to Oxford. the University of Tennessee, hold an event in partnership fascinating and readable book makes perfect sense. This is
The oldest buildings in Knoxville, he joined USC Dornsife with USC Dornsife’s Center about the Crusades I have read.” exactly where I want to be
Cushing date from the 1920s, in 2019 as professor of history, for the Political Future on Rubenstein’s latest book, living right now.”
so the medieval city and its becoming department chair in conspiracy theories, medieval Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream: The One thing is certain: When
university were a revelation. August 2020. Last year, the distin- and modern. Crusades, Apocalyptic Prophecy campus reopens, Rubenstein
Oxford, he says “just struck me guished medieval scholar became “Reading about QAnon, and the End of History (Oxford will be easy to spot. He has a
as dumbfoundingly beautiful. the director of USC Dornsife’s I thought these widespread University Press, 2019), explores predilection for wide-brimmed
All of these gorgeous Center for the Premodern beliefs about conspiracies are how people in the Middle hats that he says would make
medieval, Renaissance- and World, which had been launched going to survive the elections, Ages thought about the first him look right at home in a
Enlightenment-era buildings, at the request of faculty. whatever the outcome,” Crusade in connection with the Humphrey Bogart movie. —S.B.
Fall 2020 / Winter 2021 | 7
FROM THE HE ART OF USC
Insight
FIGHTING COVID-19
Virtual Internships of Southern California’s marine ecosystem by using biodi-
versity data. Reports about their findings were compiled into
a draft of a scientific paper to be submitted for publication.
USC students conduct marine research through virtual “I was impressed that the internship happened at all under
internships with leading environmental scientists. these circumstances,” Carlson says. “But I never expected to
be a co-author on a paper while sitting in my bedroom this
summer.” —S.K.
DNA Replication
“A health threat
Unexpected glitch in a gene that supervises cell division
anywhere is a health has important implications for cancer treatment.
threat everywhere.
We have to work USC Dornsife researchers peering deep inside a living cell
together around the discovered that its system for preventing genetic damage
linked to diseases can fail so badly that the cell would be
world to address better off without it.
infectious disease This paradoxical finding challenges the idea that tiny
threats because viruses Nathalie Benshmuel, a junior majoring in environmental protein guardians of cell division always offer protection,
do not care about studies at USC Dornsife, spent her summer conducting showing that they can at times allow bad things to happen
VO R A P H O T O C O U R T E S Y O F N E I L VO R A ; V I R T UA L I N T E R N S H I P P H O T O C O U R T E S Y O F U N I V E R S I T Y O F C A L I F O R N I A , S A N TA B A R B A R A , T O D D OA K L E Y L A B
behavioral analysis using hours of video in which octopi simply by doing their job too well.
nationality.” were pitted against eels in a controlled laboratory environ- The findings have important implications for treating
ment. She is one of 19 students who recently completed a cancer. In addition, glitches in DNA replication lead to
Neil Vora ’04, a physician and virtual Zinsmeyer Summer Internship at the USC Wrigley other genetic diseases, including birth defects, autism and
epidemiologist with the U.S. Institute for Environmental Studies, headquartered at neurological impairments. A cell’s ability to make new
Centers for Disease Control USC Dornsife. cells is also important to sustain tissues and organs.
and Prevention, leads COVID-19 Benshmuel hypothesized the eels would use specific “Generally, cells respond to errors during DNA replica-
contact tracing efforts in New strategies for hunting different sexes of the two-spot tion by deploying monitoring proteins, called checkpoints,
York City. octopus, based on variation in defense mechanisms related that serve to recognize the problem and stop cell division
A commander within the to contrasts in their reproductive anatomy. Her research so that chromosome damage is prevented,” says Susan
Commissioned Corps of the U.S. indicates that eels are able to detect certain pheromones in Forsburg, Distinguished Professor of Biological Sciences
Public Health Service, Vora was the females, provoking a more active hunt. and the study’s senior author. “This study makes the unex-
a USC Renaissance Scholar and During a more traditional year, these internships pected finding that in certain forms of replication stress,
graduated from USC Dornsife would have included a fieldwork component, likely at the an active checkpoint actually allows cells to divide, causing
with a double major in biology USC Wrigley Marine Science Center on Santa Catalina worse damage than if it were missing entirely.”
and international relations and Island. When the COVID-19 pandemic compelled How can a gene that seeks to keep the cell healthy
a minor in philosophy. students to isolate themselves, plans understandably mess up so badly that it perpetuates harm to the tissue
Vora stresses how important it changed. While it’s easy to assume that environmental or organ?
is to get accurate information on projects without the environment are missing a key Forsburg explains: “Our experiments examined a very
COVID-19. component, the virtual internships proved to be engaging specific defect in DNA replication, and it appears that this
“Sometimes there seems to be and memorable learning opportunities. created a perfect storm. The checkpoint didn’t know what to
an epidemic of misinformation Under the guidance of faculty and graduate student do with it. Its best effort to protect the cells actually allowed
and that is really harmful,” he mentors, interns worked on a wide range of projects them to slip into lethal divisions.”
says. “We see misinformation related to marine ecosystems. From generating data on coral The findings help advance understanding of the inner
that has been deliberately growth using 3D models of colonies in the Florida Keys workings of cells and how cancer treatments can be
spread on vaccines. We are to exploring the genes that allow “sea fireflies” to glow improved. —G.P.
also seeing deliberate attempts Santorini blue, students helped uncover new knowledge about
to spread misinformation on the natural world — even while at home in their pajamas.
COVID and that hampers efforts In addition to their research, interns participated in many
to control this virus. It’s really of the activities that are always offered through the Zinsmeyer
important that people get their Internships, such as resume development, weekly seminars
information from reliable sources, on marine science topics and communication workshops.
such as the CDC website, the After the summer internships wrapped up, many of
World Health Organization the students, including junior Harold Carlson, continued
website or their city’s health to monitor their projects. Carlson worked on a team that
department website.” —S.B. explored whether there are easier ways to assess the health
8Lexicon BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
SOLASTALGIA
/,s lə’stældʒə/ noun/
A form of homesickness
experienced while still at home
that is caused by environmental
change and exacerbated by a
sense of powerlessness or lack
of control.
Origin: A newly coined
definition derived from the
combination of the Latin word
sōlācium (comfort) and the
Greek root -algia (pain) by
Australian philosopher Glen
Albrecht in 2005.
Usage: In 2015, the medical
journal The Lancet included
“solastalgia” as a contributing
concept to the impact of
climate change on human
health and well-being.
“Solastalgia describes
a form of emotional or
existential distress caused
by environmental change,
whether from local impacts
such as drought and wildfires;
to global consequences like
mass coral bleaching resulting
from human-induced climate
change; or even natural
disasters such as volcanic
eruptions or earthquakes.
It can be ascribed to mourning
what is already lost or to
eco-anxiety linked to what
may happen.”
Carly Kenkel, Gabilan
Assistant Professor of Biological
K E N K E L P H O T O C O U R T E S Y O F C A R LY K E N K E L
Sciences, studies how ecological
interactions influence and are
influenced by the evolutionary
trajectories of populations and
species. As her work largely focuses
on critically endangered coral,
she also has a strong interest in
translational ecology — turning
basic research into practical
applications for reef management.
Fall 2020 / Winter 2021 | 9FROM THE HE ART OF USC
Numbers
Science Kit Deliveries Enable Students
FOOD INSECURITY
Research spearheaded by
USC Dornsife’s Public Exchange
to Tackle Experiments at Home
reveals the extent of the
COVID-19 pandemic’s impact
on the ability of Los Angeles
County residents to afford
food. Peaking in April, food
insecurity — a lack of access to A physics professor arranged delivery of more than 1,000 lab kits to USC students around the world so they
affordable and nutritious food could still do experiments while studying remotely during the pandemic. By Eric Lindberg
— remains significantly higher
than pre-pandemic levels, over- “I want to give them a
whelmingly impacting women,
people with low incomes and
taste of what it’s like to be
the unemployed, and Latinos. a real scientist. There’s a
Higher income groups that don’t certain joy in doing some-
typically struggle to afford food thing yourself,” he said.
were also affected. “It’s the difference between
From April through July: watching a surf movie and
being in the ocean. There
really is no comparison.”
1 in 4
More than
After he secured approval
— and funding — from
leaders at USC Dornsife,
Feinberg hunted for simple
of L.A. County households experiments that could be
experienced food insecurity;
done at home.
Then he called Anton
42%
Skorucak.
Skorucak earned his
master’s degree in physics
of low-income L.A. County at USC Dornsife in 1999,
households experienced studying under Feinberg.
food insecurity; He went on to found xUmp
(pronounced zump), an
online science supply store.
> 250,000
Angelenos remain food insecure;
When USC Dornsife senior Elizabeth Zhou pulled the
wires, alligator clips and other electrical parts from a
When Feinberg asked him about putting together
physics kits for at least 800 USC students, Skorucak called
package that showed up at her doorstep in Dallas, she felt in every favor he could with his many overseas vendors.
a jolt of excitement tinged with apprehension. “It was a little bit of twisting some people’s arms and
The physics and computer science major had drawn count- a little bit of luck,” he said.
1 in 5
less diagrams of electrical circuits in her class notebook. But A container ship carrying many of the needed supplies
she had much less experience connecting wires, batteries and cruised into the Port of Long Beach in mid-August.
households
experiencing other gadgets in real life. After some fiddling and a few Skorucak assembled and shipped the kits in time
food insecurity moments of frustration, she flipped a dial and a tiny lightbulb for USC’s labs to start during the third week of the
were not low- on the circuit glowed. Eureka! fall semester.
income; Zhou also glowed — with pride at her newfound know- At last count, 1,053 shoebox-size parcels went out
ledge and abilities. to students and teaching assistants across the country and
“Even if it’s a small circuit, it feels really gratifying to know beyond. Nearly 100 kits traveled abroad to places like
25%
that I made this circuit,” she said. China, Brazil, Vietnam, Costa Rica, Singapore, Canada
That hands-on experience is precisely why her instructor, and Hong Kong.
Jack Feinberg, devised science experiments all summer. Zhou enjoys the troubleshooting she has to do when
PHOTO COURTESY OF ELIZABETH ZHOU
When the COVID-19 outbreak kept away from campus plans go awry in one of her experiments. She is taking
more than 1,000 USC undergraduates enrolled in physics Feinberg’s advanced lab this semester and hopes to pursue
of Angelenos said they ate more labs, he organized kits to be shipped to their homes this a doctorate in physics.
than usual. fall instead. “For those of us who want to continue to do hands-on
The longtime professor of physics and astronomy and work or applied physics, we’ll have to make that transition
Data supplied by the Under- electrical engineering-electrophysics at USC Dornsife knows from theoretical proofs and diagrams we draw in our note-
standing Coronavirus in America
tracking survey, administered that often the best way to learn is to do. And he wasn’t about books to actually implementing them and working with
by the USC Dornsife Center for to let a global pandemic keep his students from that thrill the materials,” she said. “It’s humbling to realize that even
Economic and Social Research. of discovery. with basic circuits, I’m still building my intuition.”
10FROM THE HE ART OF USC
Spotlight
A path to a longer life? Science, Stories and Yoga
Research on the drug mifepristone could lead to USC Dornsife’s Joint Educational Project shares
extending lifespan in humans. videos to promote fun, learning and relaxation.
D R O S O P H I L A P H O T O BY J O H N T O W E R ; C O M P O S I T E BY D E N N I S L A N: I M AG E S C O U R T E S Y O F A N G E L I N A C R I T T E N D E N , Z O E B AU T I S TA , I S T O C K ; C OV I D C H I L D C A R E P H O T O C O U R T E S Y O F S A N A A B B A A L I A N D O L I V I A F R A RY
Lined up in front of Angelina Crittenden, a human biology
major, are a bottle of water, some vegetable oil, a drinking
glass, tablets of antacid and various bottles of food coloring
— everything she’ll need to teach someone how to make a
lava lamp. SANA ABBAALI ’21 AND
Crittenden fills the glass halfway with vegetable oil and OLIVIA FRARY ’21
then tops it off with water. After adding drops of food color- POLITICAL SCIENCE
ing — Trojan cardinal and gold, of course — she crumbles
up the tablets of antacid, setting off a colorful bubbling effect.
As the steps are captured on video, she explains the “This pandemic has
scientific concepts viewers encounter. By the end of her
demonstration, viewers have learned how to create a very
really made me see how
cool final product. much of a problem
Her step-by-step scientific tutorial is part of a video series affordable child care is,
that features students in USC Dornsife’s Joint Educational especially in communities
Project (JEP) bringing learning, literature and relaxation
Studying a common laboratory model used in genetic techniques to children and members of the Trojan Family right here at home.
research — the fruit fly Drosophila — John Tower, professor during the pandemic. It’s something that
of biological sciences, and his team found that the drug Typically, JEP participants would lead these activities in the people taking care
mifepristone extends the lives of female flies that have mated. the elementary school classrooms where they tutor students
During mating, female fruit flies receive a molecule called in the neighborhoods surrounding USC’s campuses. But, of you need.”
sex peptide from the male. Previous research has shown that with measures to stop the spread of the coronavirus, they
sex peptide causes inflammation and reduces the health and are taking their know-how and love of teaching to the When seniors Olivia Frary
lifespan of female flies. community via video. and Sana Abbaali left the
Tower and his team, including Senior Research Associate The series includes science experiments, led by students USC campus this spring due
Gary Landis, found that feeding mifepristone to female from JEP’s Young Scientists Program, that children and to the COVID-19 pandemic, they
fruit flies that have mated blocks the effects of sex families can do at home; stories read aloud by tutors from the quickly turned their energies to
helping those medical workers
peptide, leading to longer lifespans than their counterparts JEP ReadersPLUS program; and short, powerful yoga routines who were scrambling to find —
who did not receive the drug. that anyone can do for strength and relaxation, led by Tina or, perhaps more importantly,
The drug’s effects in Drosophila appear similar to those Koneazny, director of the JEP Little Yoginis program. afford — child care after schools
seen in women who take it. Crittenden, who was born and raised in South Los and most day care services
shut down.
“In the fly, mifepristone decreases reproduction, alters Angeles, feels it’s her duty to share the knowledge she So, they and a group of friends
innate immune response and increases life span,” Tower gains at USC Dornsife with members of her community. founded COVID Child Care, an
explained. “In the human, we know that mifepristone “You get to encourage young students to pursue STEM organization that provides free
decreases reproduction and alters innate immune response, and become more inquisitive thinkers,” she says. in-home child care and other
so might it also increase life span?” The video series is available to view on USC Dornsife’s services, including tutoring and
grocery shopping, for medical
Similar results were found in separate research using the YouTube, Facebook and Instagram accounts. —M.B. workers, from custodial staff
small roundworm C. elegans. The drug had the same life- to surgeons. Originally offering
extending effect on mated worms. services only in the Coachella
Because Drosophila fruit flies and C. elegans worms sit on Valley, the organization has grown
to several other cities,
relatively distant branches of the evolutionary tree, Tower including Los Angeles and
believes the similar results in such different species suggest Seattle, and now numbers
other organisms, including humans, might see comparable hundreds of volunteers.
benefits to lifespan. “We’ve grown our network. It’s
“In terms of evolution, Drosophila and C. elegans are been a testament to how much
people are willing to step up for
equally as distant from each other as either one is distant their communities,” Frary says.
from humans,” he said, and the fact that mifepristone can In total, COVID Child Care has
increase lifespan in both species suggests the mechanism is saved medical workers a median
important to many species. of $680 per week in child care
expenses, and Frary and Abbaali
Tower emphasizes that a clearer understanding of the say they plan to continue helping
intricacies of mifepristone’s actions is needed before drawing run the organization for as long as
any firm conclusions. —D.S.J. the services are needed. —M.M.
Fall 2020 / Winter 2021 | 11Academy in the Public Square CENTER FOR ECONOMIC
AND SOCIAL RESEARCH
ANGELENOS AND
CLIMATE CHANGE
Most Angelenos say climate L.A. COUNTY RESIDENTS ENGAGING IN
change is a threat, but few ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY BEHAVIORS
act accordingly and many are
unaware of opportunities to
75%
fight it.
A USC Dornsife-Union Bank
LABarometer survey shows a
solid majority of Los Angeles
County residents believe
12%
climate change is caused by
human activity and that it poses recycle
a threat to their well-being.
And the more mindful they are
of the threat, the more willing
they are to adopt practices
compost food
that benefit the environment.
However, less than half of
residents are aware of govern-
ment incentives to help them
adopt those practices, and a
large majority are unprepared
for the threat posed by climate
change, including its ability to
exacerbate wildfires.
“The majority of Angelenos
want to help fight climate
change, but many of them are
not adopting greener practices
and are unaware of the support
that would allow them to do
so,” said Marco Angrisani, an
economist with the USC Dornsife
Center for Economic and Social
Research (CESR), which
prepared the USC Dornsife-
34%FROM THE HE ART OF USC
Nearly 70 percent of
respondents realize that
Blue Jeans Footprint attitudes, Vos says, citing “buy-nothing” groups and sharing
circles on social media as ways people can pool their resources
and find support for their decisions to make do with what
climate change is a threat to Manufacturing denim is a water-intensive process. they have. —M.M.
their well-being and agree with Can it be made more eco-friendly?
the statement that climate
change is mostly due to human
activity. A slightly lower share,
64 percent, believe that their
COVID Isolation
actions can make a difference USC Dornsife experts explain why some people are
in fighting climate change. suffering from extreme lockdown fatigue.
But only a minority own
energy-efficient systems, such As politicians consider ways to stem the rising number
as solar panels, solar water of COVID-19 cases, public spaces have become battle-
heaters and electric vehicles. grounds for those tired of the closures.
Interestingly, less than half of But the controversy has roots deeper than political or
respondents were aware of tax economic interests.
credits and cash rebates to “Isolation is not healthy for us. People have a strong need
help them switch. Even if they rarely see the inside of a laundromat, blue jeans to bond with other people; it’s important for our mental
Scientists say climate have one of the largest water footprints of any clothing health,” says Jonas Kaplan, assistant professor (research) of
change is helping to fuel the material. psychology and a cognitive neuroscientist at USC Dornsife’s
recent wildfires in the region. Cotton is by nature a notoriously thirsty crop. And Brain and Creativity Institute.
But the survey found that the according to a recent study conducted by Robert Vos, assistant Our brains are wired to seek human interaction, including
vast majority of L.A. County professor (teaching) of spatial sciences at USC Dornsife, subconscious behaviors to promote bonds, Kaplan explains.
residents are not well prepared depending on the supply chain, facilities involved in denim And while Zoom and other social media platforms help
for fires or other disasters: manufacturing may be located in “hot spots” — water-scarce overcome isolation, they are inadequate surrogates for
Just 8.5 percent report being areas in which a lot of water is used for textile production. real contact.
very or extremely prepared Such hot spots include regions of India, Pakistan and But how did we get this way? The answer lies in our
for a disaster, and less than Mexico, as well as parts of California, and the water- ancestral past, says Craig Stanford, professor of biological
a third have developed an intensive activities range from growing the cotton for the sciences and anthropology.
emergency response plan. denim to laundering the resulting fabric. “Being in social groups is central to us as a species,”
The study was originally commissioned by global blue jeans he says. “One of the very top things that makes us human is
“GREEN” ACTIVITIES brand Guess Inc. Vos conducted a “spatially explicit” analysis being social. One of the worst things we can do to someone
VARY IN POPULARITY of the life cycle and water footprint of Guess denim, mapping is to isolate them or exile them.”
The LABarometer survey out water use and identifying hot spots in the company’s Other cultural forces cause Americans to chafe at
found that Angelenos production line. Most of the water use came from producing restrictions.
concerned about climate the raw materials — mainly cotton — for the denim. Alison Dundes Renteln, professor of political science,
change engage in a greater Guess has undertaken several changes as a result of Vos’ anthropology, public policy and law, says that the corona-
number of environmentally work, including an increased use of recycled and organic virus challenges the concepts of American exceptionalism
friendly behaviors, though cotton and the development of zero-cotton denim styles that and individual liberty.
their commitment to those use renewable, sustainably sourced materials. “America’s national identity is about political freedom.
behaviors varies widely: Consumers, meanwhile, can also work to minimize the Our identity is we don’t stay still long, we go conquer
75 percent say they recycle, effects of textile production. Vos notes that there are several things, like the American conquest of the wilderness. But
57 percent limit food waste nonprofit organizations, such as the Better Cotton Initiative, now nature, and the coronavirus, control us when we are
and 34 percent limit car use dedicated to informing people about the ecological footprint used to conquering nature, so it goes against the grain and
B L U E J E A N S IL L U S T R AT I O N C O U
but less than 19 percent say of a variety of clothing brands. is contrary to American mythology.” —G.P.
they eat sustainable foods and But education is just one part of the solution. Vos believes
only 12 percent compost food. that people ultimately need to take a different approach,
L.A. might have cleaner air if both individually and culturally, to shopping and
more people drove electric and fashion. Unfortunately, the proliferation of cheap clothing
hybrid cars, but only about has masked the “real” cost — in terms of ecological impact
10 percent of residents own and labor — of many items, he notes.
such vehicles. About a third of “I think our consumer culture is inherently damaging to
I MRAT G
the environment. People buying new clothes all the time and
E SE YS O
respondents say they are
somewhat likely to buy or lease throwing out clothes after a few wears is very impactful,”
B YF D
RO
an electric car, with the percent- Vos says.
EN
B ENRI ST LVAONS
age jumping to 41 percent for Social media may be one of the biggest drivers of this
hybrid cars. — L.I. mindset, but it ultimately could help people shed these
Fall 2020 / Winter 2021 | 13Our World
FACULTY/STUDENTS STUDENT Washington, D.C. FACULTY/STUDENTS Los Angeles; Taiwan
Los Angeles
From a pupuseria in Pacoima
to a bistro in Beverly Hills and
Bugs and Butterflies
from a falafel shop in Tarzana The coronavirus pandemic didn’t stop students in Julie Hopper’s ecology class from
to a Sichuan eatery in San catching and studying insects from yards and fields all around the world.
Gabriel, Los Angeles County’s
food choices reflect its
vast diversity of people and
cultures. Understand its food Senior Kelley Xuereb’s desire
and you can begin to under- to create a better world
stand the city. led her to pursue a major in
That’s the premise of the international relations (global
Maymester course “From business) with a minor in
Pueblo to Postmates: Food and environmental studies. Last
Class in Los Angeles,” taught Spring semester, she gained
by Michael Petitti, assistant not one but two internships
professor (teaching) of writing. in her field: first, in the office
“I wanted to do a course that of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi,
looked at food but didn’t side- and then, over the summer,
step issues like homelessness, with the Environmental
food insecurity, poverty, class,” Protection Agency.
Petitti says. As an intern in the speaker’s
Drawing its inspiration from office, Xuereb’s duties encom-
great food writers — including passed nearly every step
the late Jonathan Gold, who of the legislative process,
used food as a passport to from tracking legislation —
every corner of the city — especially that related to the
the course teaches students environment — for several
about L.A. and its people, House committees to creating Every semester, students in Julie Hopper’s ecology course get a chance to play Charles
how gentrification affects voting recommendations based Darwin. Throughout the term, they snare insects while on class excursions, then pin
LOS ANGELES COMPOSITE BY LE T T Y AVIL A; IMAGE SOURCE IS TOCK
them, how neighborhoods have on her research. and label specimens onto a board. By the conclusion of their classes, each student has a
changed, and how food can Working online for the EPA, keepsake insect collection.
start conversations and bridge she spent most of her time Forced by the pandemic to abandon her usual in-person activities for the course, like
cultural divides. —L.I. reading and analyzing tech- tracking down parasites from snails in wetlands or examining cricket behavior in the lab with
nical documents and evaluating her students, Hopper, a lecturer in environmental studies and biological sciences, got creative.
data, and then translating that With her students scattered across the globe, she outfitted home collection kits so that they
information in a way that is could hunt in their own backyards, allowing them to catch and study insects from yards and
accessible to the public. She is fields all around the world.
also creating a website for public Pins, boxes and an aspirator (used to safely suck bugs into a jar) were packed by Hopper and
awareness about COVID-19 handed out to those near campus.
during wildfire season. Students farther afield, like Yunqian Hsu, an animation and digital arts major at the
The EPA internship proved USC School of Cinematic Arts, received theirs in the mail. Hopper shipped Hsu’s all the way
especially fruitful — Xuereb to Kaohsiung City, Taiwan.
has accepted a full-time job Hsu used the kit to trap insects near her home in the city and at her grandmother’s house
with the agency starting after in the countryside, enabling her to compare the diversity of insects between rural and
graduation. —M.M. urban areas. —M.C.
14FROM THE HE ART OF USC
FACULTY/STUDENTS FACULTY/STUDENTS Hungary ALUMNA/FACULTY Kenya
New York City
Rather than retool her
Maymester course — which
Monkey Business
originally had involved Alumna Laura Loyola, lecturer in spatial sciences and director of
traveling to India to study death undergraduate studies at USC Dornsife’s Spatial Sciences Institute,
and its cultural contexts — is using geographic information science to help preserve the habitat
Professor (Teaching) of Gender of Africa’s most endangered primate: Kenya’s Tana River red
and Sexuality Studies Diana colobus monkey.
Blaine scrapped her syllabus Only about 1,000 individuals of the species remain. They don’t
and created a whole new class survive in captivity. And, unlike their relatives the western gorilla
that did not work around the and chimpanzee, there’s little global awareness of their existence
COVID-19 pandemic, but made — or their plight.
it the core of the instruction. Loyola is working to change that. Using geographic information
The resulting course, titled science and remote sensing technology, her research tracks the
“Death and Gender in Urban habitat changes caused by upriver dams, climate change and
Contexts: The Human Response human conflict that are leading to the red colobus’ decline.
to Pandemics,” examined the While a graduate student at USC Dornsife, Loyola spent a year
bubonic plague, Spanish flu, conducting research in Kenya.
HIV/AIDS and COVID-19, as well After graduating in 2015 with a Ph.D. in biological sciences and
as cultural responses to each a certificate in geographic information science and technology,
of these pandemics. The loss of the travel component of Maymester courses due she chose to make the colobus the focus of her research.
To achieve this, Blaine’s to the COVID-19 pandemic was disappointing, but Saving the Tana River colobus requires complex solutions.
course used several interactive faculty have ensured students’ educational experience has Loyola uses remote imagery to measure changes in land cover
tools, including a virtual tour still been very rich. For example, Antónia Szabari, associate and forest loss to calculate how much of the remaining forest
of USC Shoah Foundation — professor of French and comparative literature, didn’t back can actually feed the colobus.
The Institute for Visual History down from the challenge of providing her students with an Her work has contributed to the International Union for
and Education’s Visual History immersive virtual Maymester experience, using music, Conservation of Nature’s Red Colobus Conservation Action
Archive and a virtual tour of cooking instruction, films and virtual street tours to Plan, a comprehensive strategy for preserving the habitat and
Hart Island, part of the Bronx “make the city present” for the students of her “Urban continuation of these threatened animals. The plan, Loyola says,
in New York City, which has Crossroads: Budapest” Maymester course. also has the potential to save other species who share their
served as a mass burial site for Szabari’s class focused on both the historical background habitat. —M.C.
more than a century. During the of Budapest and the intersection of different cultures in the
tour of Hart Island, students city — and Hungary more broadly — today.
clicked on grave sites to see “I wanted to show Budapest as occupied by different social
the names (or lack thereof) of groups — minorities, women, LGBTQ people, immigrants,
people buried there, along with refugees, etc. — and discuss how they are able to make their
any information that has been voices heard or be present in the city,” Szabari says.
found about them. To this end Szabari enlisted community organizers
Blaine noted that by being with Aurora, a cultural center in a working-class, minority
in their own homes scattered neighborhood in Budapest, to give a virtual tour of their
throughout the world, the center and the immediately surrounding area. She also
students themselves brought screened Hungarian films about refugees in the country.
a unique element to the course, And to give her students a taste of the cultural heritage of
comparing how COVID-19 was Hungary, she hosted a cooking demonstration of a beloved
affecting their particular city national dish (chicken paprikash) and had the students listen
or country. —M.M. to Hungarian music. —M.M.
Fall 2020 / Winter 2021 | 15You can also read
