Senior Spotlight: Ava Noble’s Musical Theater Survival Guide

“I think the amazing thing about Kaufman is that we train in so many different styles. Every Broadway show is so different right now. To be successful in a career like musical theater, you truly have to be able to do it all. The more styles you can do, the more you will work.”

Fighting for gender equality within the new media landscape
Photo of Sarah Banet-Weiser
Sarah Banet-Weiser is the founding director of the Center for Collaborative Communication at the Annenberg schools at USC and the University of Pennsylvania. (Photo / Courtesy of USC Annenberg)

“To have students who are media makers and invested in transforming the media and this landscape to be more diverse and inclusive is incredible to me.”

USC Student Wins Big for Plastic Waste Capture Device

“Even a few of these instruments can make a huge change strategically placed in points across the city. I feel like it has the potential to make a real impact and a real change.”

USC Price School alum helps musicians with autism showcase their talents
Photo of Ifunanya Nweke
Ifunanya Nweke (Photo / Jazz Hands for Autism)

“When you see somebody on stage performing and they’re having the time of their life – singing their heart out and having so much stage presence – something powerful happens in the way that you perceive them.”

2 Trojans are blazing trails for Filipinos in slowly diversifying fields
Photo of Corina Irvin and Ernie Ocampo
Corina Irvin and Ernie Ocampo (Photos / Courtesy of Corina Irvin and Ernie Ocampo)

“These days, it’s much easier to find people in our community who hold those positions,” he said. “You don’t have to worry about being the pioneer or being the only person who looks like you in the field. We are trying to show that we are here — there are still too few of us, but we are here.”

Award-winning design from USC architecture professor saves energy while using none
Photo of USC Architecture Professor Doris Sung.
Doris Sung’s winning climate action project is called the InVert Self-Shading Window. (Photo / Doris Sung)

“I have huge hopes — which is probably why I enjoy being at a university — that either this technology or myself influences the next generation of designers, tinkerers, innovators and even the general public. The more that we can get this out there, the better our world is going to be.”

Grad Student’s ‘Pet’ Project Turned Business Sparks IYA Journey
Photo of female student with her dog

“I’m loving IYA and the group project aspect of it. I didn’t realize how collaborative it would actually be. That’s what I’m learning a lot of, because for so long I was alone working on my own. It’s really cool to figure out things in teams and bounce things off each other.”

Andrew T. Guzman named USC provost and senior vice president for academic affairs
Photo of new provost Andrew Guzman speaking with students
Andrew T. Guzman has served as dean of the USC Gould School of Law since 2015. (Photo/Larissa Puro)

“I believe higher education is the real engine of success in our society,” Guzman said. “The opportunity to have this leadership position at an institution that has the scale, scope and excellence of USC is incredibly exciting.”

USC Price Professor Elizabeth Currid-Halkett Wins a Guggenheim Fellowship
Photo of Elizabeth Currid-Halkett
Elizabeth Currid-Halkett (Photo/Deborah Farnault)

“The Guggenheim Fellowship recognizes the talents and accomplishments of scholars who have made significant impact across every area of knowledge,” said USC Interim Provost Elizabeth Graddy. “I am excited to congratulate and recognize Elizabeth and her groundbreaking scholarship through this well-deserved fellowship.”

Using Robots to Fight Toxic Algae
Viterbi students posing with their robot that detects toxic algae
Chris Denniston and Isabel Rayas are developing ways for autonomous robots to locate toxic algae in lakes. (Photo / Emilia Doda)

“Big problems don’t fit neatly into disciplinary boundaries — you have to think out of the box. For me, as a computer scientist and roboticist, collaborating with Professor Caron’s group has been an education,” Sukhatme said. “We’ve learned how to pose problems in new ways leading to solutions that would have never occurred to us before.”