Nanoparticle: College researchers use supercomputers to visualize atoms and molecules. This is a simulation of oxidation of an aluminum nanoparticle.
|
Revolutionary Knowledge
USC College Research and Scholarship Grows and Shifts
The work of USC College faculty leads to new knowledge, understandings
and creative expression. But the impact of College research does not
stop there.
“Here at the College, we constantly seek new ways to create an
intellectual environment that fosters innovation, cross-pollination
between disciplines and helps to forge links between the fundamental
work that advances knowledge and the applied work that directly
improves human lives,” said USC College Dean Joseph Aoun.
Take, for example, College marine biologist Jed Fuhrman, who has
discovered new species in his explorations of the biodiversity of the
open ocean. Using many of the same techniques, he helped identify
sources of pollution in Catalina’s Avalon Bay.
Or political scientist and anthropologist Alison Dundes Renteln, whose
studies of unusual court cases have challenged the concept of “When in
Rome, do as the Romans do.” An acknowledged expert on the “cultural
defense,” her work has brought attention to what happens when local
laws and immigrants’ cultural customs and religious beliefs collide.
In his 17 books of fiction, author T.C. Boyle consistently breaks new
artistic ground, engaging countless readers with inventive storytelling
and unique insights into human nature, American culture and the
mysteries of existence.
These are just a few examples of the types of high profile, high-impact
work that is driving the growth and stature of the USC College research
enterprise.
The College is home to more than 40 research centers and institutes,
many of which have an interdisciplinary focus. External research
support has risen for five consecutive years. Boosted by successful
faculty recruiting it topped $56 million in 2005. The increase mirrors
the university’s — USC now ranks ninth amongst all private research
universities in attracting federal grant money.
Michael Quick, dean of research, has started work to sustain and expand
that growth. “We are working to become more pro-active in identifying
new sources of funding,” Quick said. That will be especially critical
this year, with no increase in the budgets of the National Science
Foundation and the National Institutes of Health, which fund as much as
80 percent of College research.
“The humanities and the social sciences are two areas that we’ve
targeted to increase external funding,” Quick said. “We must come up
with novel, creative ways of looking at our endeavors in these areas.”
He pointed to interdisciplinary efforts like the Center for Religious
and Civic Culture (CRCC) as a successful approach. Headed by Donald
Miller, the Leonard K. Firestone Professor in Religion, the CRCC has
sponsored talks on the visual representation of religions, studies of
L.A.’s homeless and investigations of the impact of spirituality on the
staff of non-governmental organizations confronting poverty in Tanzania.
College research emphases also are shifting: This year, the College
embraced USC’s revised strategic plan — and the philosophy of new USC
Provost C.L. Max Nikias — to concentrate on areas that can have
significant effects globally. These include the futuristic sounding
“info-bio-nano”; energy; and arts, culture and society. Provost Nikias’
recently unveiled Arts & Humanities Initiative offers College
humanities faculty a chance to widen their sphere of influence through
public lectures and events.
Info-Bio-Nano
Research at the confluence of information technology, life sciences and
nanotechnology promises to bring about major changes in personal and
public health, economics, social and political systems, and business
and commerce.
Innovations in information technology have given researchers the
ability to ask new kinds of questions and investigate ever-more complex
systems. College researchers from chemistry, physics, astronomy,
sociology, political science and earth sciences take advantage of USC
computing prowess, which ranks among the academic world’s most
powerful. Earth scientists use the supercomputers to produce detailed
models of the internal movements of the planet — and gain new insights
into the causes and potential consequences of an earthquake in the
southland.
In the life sciences, College biologists are paving the way for new
discoveries that could lead to new understandings of complex disease,
fundamental biological processes and evolution. Neuroscientists are
using advanced technology to examine the workings of the brain in a
living individual — studies that will shed light on learning, memory,
vision and brain-based disorders. Marine scientists study the causes of
harmful algae blooms and how to revive the depleted wild fisheries that
have fed humans for generations.
In less than a century, a computer has shrunk from the size of a house
to a chip that can fit in a cell phone. This miniaturization trend has
advanced into the realm where tiny is king — nanotechnology will enable
the creation of devices small enough to fit inside a vein, a human cell
or even a virus. Using supercomputers, College scientists are
optimizing designs for nanoscale semiconductors and other mini-devices.
Another team simulates the behavior of atoms and molecules to better
understand materials and build faster electronics.
Energy
Oil and natural gas are finite resources. To help meet the world’s
future energy demands, scientists at the Loker Hydrocarbon Research
Institute, directed by Nobel Laureate George Olah, are pioneering
research into alternative fuels and processes, and have developed a
non-polluting fuel cell.
Arts, Culture & Society
College scholarship in the arts, culture and society help us understand
who we are, where we have come from and where we might be headed. For
example, faculty in the program in American studies and ethnicity
explore the diversity that shapes U.S. society and popular culture.
They also create new understandings of the American identity, analyzing
how it has changed over time and place.
|
|
|
