USC Rossier celebrates four new federal grants this fall
USC Rossier faculty
Brendesha Tynes, Yasemin Copur-Gencturk, Erika Patall and Stephen Aguilar

“These grants show that our faculty are engaged in cutting edge research that has the potential to make major contributions to the field of education. We are extremely proud of those who have received these awards.”

Professor Rob Kozinets delivers a new expanded playbook on influencer relations
Rob Kozinets giving a lecture
Photo / Courtesy of John Davis

“I think it’s really eye-opening for students to see just how much diversity and variety there can be in these influencer campaigns…But in reality, there’s a lot more choice, variety and often many better ways to spend your money than that.”

Buu Van Nygren EdD ’21 elected to Navajo Nation president
Buu Van Nygren in front of desert landscape
USC Alum Buu Van Nygren (Photo/Navajo Times)

“I’ve studied past leaders. I tried to learn from their mistakes and their successes … In order to win this election, you had to be very strategic and motivated.”

Devon Kennard makes an impact
USC Annenberg student Devon Kennard
Devon Kennard (Photo / Idara Ekpoh)

“Annenberg gave me all the tools I needed in my toolbox when it comes to communicating…Some of the broadcasting classes helped me realize that I’m constantly selling myself, whether it’s an interview after a game or going to a networking event for business opportunities.”

Mahdi Soltanolkotabi Receives NIH Director’s New Innovator Award for Reliable AI for MRI
USC Viterbi Professor Mahdi Soltanolkotabi
Prof. Mahdi Soltanolkotabi with a low-field MR machine in the USC Dynamic Imaging Science Center. (USC Photo / Xenia Xu)

Soltanolkotabi, the inaugural director of the USC Center on AI Foundations for Science, says his team is working on a new generation of algorithms to ensure this extra reliability.

How a USC Filmmaker Helped Create a New Style of Journalism
Mike Saltz with the cover of his book, 'The Winding Road'

“It came out of my deciding that I had something to say and this was the way to say it, and it was something that meant something to me…I was slightly terrified that they might not like it. But I really knew what I was doing.”

Alum’s Platform Brings the Farm Right to You
USC student, Erika Hang, in a sustainable garden

“We learned a lot about breaking things down and trying to create solutions that were helpful and not just a bandaid.”

USC trailblazer encourages others to live authentically
Headshot of Karrie Kingsley

“That comes with validation, feeling like people see your whole self and that I can share a more authentic version of myself with people.”

Mark Hankins leans on Big Ten success to guide Trojan men’s golf program
Mark Hankins, USC Golf Coach
Mark Hankins’ experience as a head coach at three Big Ten schools will serve the Trojans well when USC joins that conference next year.

“At USC, you just have this unbelievable university where kids want to come and the education is sought after…USC has such an international footprint to where we can go out and recruit those kids at the highest level.”

Urban Planning Master’s Graduate Provides Equitable Disaster Relief
USC alum wearing a USC sweatshirt
As the director for Houston Organizing Movement for Equity (HOME), a Texan coalition focused on repairing the state in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, Chrishelle Palay hopes the EMUP will deepen her impact on helping her community. (Photo / Courtesy of Chrishelle Palay)

“I want to be doing all I can to be a policy advocate and a bridge builder for equitable disaster recovery so that low-income communities — the most vulnerable communities that are impacted by disaster — are able to have the tools to recover.”