Faculty Canon

FACULTY CANON

From Fishponds to a Nobel

Arieh Warshel intertwines personal life stories with major milestones in Israeli history and his scientific journey to the Nobel Prize.

Not many Nobel laureates were born in a kibbutz and spent time there working the fishponds. But that’s what a young Arieh Warshel did in Kibbutz Sde Nahum in Israel.

While there, he began exploring the technical world by constructing hot air balloons and parachutes. That early interest eventually took Warshel to the pinnacle in the field of chemistry.

Warshel shares many personal recollections, as well as his research, in his autobiography, From Kibbutz Fishponds to The Nobel Prize: Taking Molecular Functions into Cyberspace (World Scientific Publishing, 2021).

Warshel, 81, Distinguished Professor of Chemistry, Biochemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, and Quantitative and Computational Biology, and Dana and David Dornsife Chair in Chemistry, received the Nobel Prize in chemistry in 2013, together with Michael Levitt and Martin Karplus, for pioneering work in computational modeling of biological molecules.

Warshel’s leading-edge research led to the development of new pharmaceuticals, among other breakthroughs. Using computers, he created methods and programs that describe the action of biological molecules by “multiscale models.”

Winning the Nobel Prize remains the highlight of his storied career.

“It was unbelievable — really exciting,” says Warshel.

However, his work at USC Dornsife’s Warshel Center for Multiscale Simulations continues to break ground. For example, his team identified variants of COVID-19 — including the omicron variant, a month or so before it emerged.

In April 2017, he opened the Warshel Institute for Computational Biology at the Chinese University of Hong Kong campus in Shenzhen, China. There, he plans to build one of the world’s most advanced computational biology centers.

Warshel’s autobiography also recounts his struggles.

“I never wrote an important paper that was not rejected first,” he says. “And I’m perhaps the only Nobel laureate whose paper that led to the Nobel Prize was discussed in a promotion process when I was denied tenure.”

That denial, from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, where Warshel earned his master’s and doctorate in chemical physics, led him to join USC Dornsife in 1976.

He’s been here ever since. —G.H.

GOING REMOTE: HOW THE FLEXIBLE WORK ECONOMY CAN IMPROVE OUR LIVES AND OUR CITIES University of California Press / Matthew Kahn, Provost Professor of Economics and Spatial Sciences, takes readers on a journey through the new remotework economy, revealing how people will configure their lives when they have more freedom to choose where they work and how they live. Kahn explores how the rise of telecommuting will affect workers’ quality of life, companies’ profitability and the economic geography of our cities and suburbs.

H.D. & BRYHER: AN UNTOLD LOVE STORY OF MODERNISM Oxford University Press / Susan McCabe, professor of English, explores the connection between two queer women, one a poet and the other a historical novelist, living from the late 19th century through the 20th century, who pioneered gender fluidity long before anyone was familiar with the term. The book exposes why literary history has occluded this love story of the world wars and poetic modernism. 1990s

EDUARDO HERNANDEZ (BA, economics, ’92) cofounded EigenRisk, a technology company specializing in catastrophe and climate change risk analytics and modeling.

ROBERTO LARIOS (BA, Spanish, ’97) was appointed chief executive officer of the Employees Club of California, the third CEO in the organization’s 93-year history.

STEPHANIE SYLVESTRE (BA, international relations, ’93) was accepted into Harvard University’s Advanced Leadership Initiative.

2000s

MEGHAN GRAY (BS, geological sciences, ’07) was promoted to the rank of commander in the U.S. Navy in September 2021 and assigned to the USS Charleston. She previously served 14 years in the U.S. Navy as a surface warfare officer.

2010s

KAMERYN CRAIG (BA, sociology, ’10), an Olympic gold and silver medalist in water polo, was recognized by the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors during Dyslexia Awareness Month.

JILLIAN (KOVLER) SKINNER (BA, philosophy, politics and law, ’15) joined Dean Mead Orlando as an associate practicing in business litigation and labor and employment law.

Marriages

TERESA CHENG (BA, political science, ’09) and JOEL ULLOA (BA, environmental studies, ’09; BS, public policy, management and planning, ’09) married in July 2021.

In Memoriam

MITCHELL ANDREJICH (BA, sociology, ’09) of Los Angeles, CA (1/23/22) at age 36; worked for

family’s construction business, Tomovich & Associates; avid swimmer, competitive water polo player and skilled skier and surfer.

FRANK BESAG (BA, humanities (religion), ’57; MS, education, ’63; PhD, education, ’65) of Jacksonville, FL (4/25/2021) at age 85; professor, educator, activist, analyst and author; taught at several universities, including University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

EDRA BOGLE (PhD, comparative literature, ’69) of Denton, TX (9/13/2021) at age 87; active member of the Denton chapter of National Organization for Women; participated in Dallas Gay Alliance and Texas Gay Conference in Austin.

CHARLES BUSCH JR. (PhD, philosophy, ’77) of Rolla, MO (12/4/2021) at age 76; served in the U.S. Army from 1964 to 1967; taught at Arkansas Tech University for 29 years.

JAMES COBBLE (MA, chemistry, ’49) of La Jolla, CA (11/12/21) at age 95; leading scientist in high temperature water chemistry; professor of chemistry, vice president for research, and graduate division dean at San Diego State University; 1966 Guggenheim Fellow; 1970 E.O. Lawrence Award winner.

RICHARD COSWELL (BA, chemistry ’47; MA, chemistry ’51) of West Roxbury, MA (2/12/2022) at age 95; active in town government, serving on Board of Appeals and as town assessor.

WILLIAM EARNSHAW (BS, naval science, ’56) of Bedford, NH (2/6/22) at age 95; worked in sales and project management in the aeronautics industry at Bechtel Corporation, North American Aviation and Raytheon and in the nascent electronic publishing industry at Hendrix Electronics and Bedford Computer. DONALD GERMINO (BA, political science, ’61) of Los Banos, CA (1/19/22) at age 82; practiced law for 50 years, serving as Los Banos city attorney for 31 years and 27 years as Dos Palos city attorney; loved playing gin rummy; avid reader and student of history.

IRVING GORDON (BS, zoology, ’46) of Carlsbad, CA (11/6/2021) at age 95; taught at LAC+USC Medical Center for 30 years; in private practice in Panorama City for nearly 35 years; chief of staff at Holy Cross and Valley Presbyterian hospitals.

BARBARA HANCOCK REYNOLDS (BA, speech, ’58) of Hilton Head, SC (6/5/2021) at age 84; member of Delta Delta Delta.

ROBERT HARMON (BA, economics, ’71) of Grand Rapids, MI (6/28/2021) at age 75; highly regarded for his expertise in commercial real estate and economic development.

RICHARD HARRINGTON (BA, history, ’70) of Sun Valley, ID (8/10/21) at age 72; born in England; captain of the USC soccer team; began his business career manufacturing waterbeds; made his first million selling Rubik’s Cubes; CEO/chairman and owner of lifestyle apparel company Mauri and Sons; loved the beach, skiing, playing soccer and golf, fishing, flying airplanes and international travel.

ROBERT HASTINGS (BA, astronomy, ’76) of Las Cruces, NM (9/6/2021) at age 67; computer programmer; worked at Jet Propulsion Laboratory on the Voyager Project; and on NASA’s TDRSS Project, military simulations and HELSTAF; finished career at NMSU’s Physical Science Lab.

BRUCE HENRICKSEN (PhD, English, ’70) of New Orleans, LA (10/21/2021) at age 80; author and scholar; chair of English at Loyola University New Orleans; editor of the New Orleans Review; recipient of a National Endowment for the Humanities summer fellowship to Princeton University; published short stories in numerous magazines; finalist in the national Grace Paley Prize.

LAUREL HERBST (BS, biological sciences, ’65) of San Diego, CA (10/22/2021) at age 76; helped transform San Diego Hospice into a world-leading center for palliative medicine.

ELIZABETH SUMIKO ITATANI (BA, Slavic languages and literatures, ’72) of Los Angeles, CA (7/13/ 2021) at age 89; practiced law for more than 25 years.

BAILEY JONES (PhD, chemistry, ’73) of Sinking Spring, PA (12/20/21) at age 78; distinguished member of the technical staff at Bell Laboratories for 34 years; enjoyed mystery novels, sports cars, and tinkering with computers.

ROGER KRAUEL (BA, political science, ’66) of Escondido, CA (6/11/2021) at age 77; retired as a Superior Court Judge in San Diego County; most proud of his role in helping establish and lead the Veterans Court in San Diego.

JAMES LAMHOFER (BA, journalism, ’60) of Long Beach, CA (1/14/2022) at age 93; served in the U.S. Air Force; wrote for the Daily Tojan while attending USC; worked in advertising for several newspapers, including the Long Beach PressTelegram for nearly 20 years, before his final position with newspaper advertising firm Sawyer Ferguson and Walker in Los Angeles.

SAM LEONETTI JR (BA, geological science, ’75) of South Egg Harbor, NJ (11/5/2021) at age 70; served in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War; worked in the casino industry and for the Atlantic City Expressway. Continued on page 42. TROJANALITY

Social Justice Senator

Sydney Kamlager ’14 is advocating for social justice as a state senator for California’s 30th District.

When Sydney Kamlager discusses her family, the women take center stage.

Her grandmother was a political organizer for Harold Washington, Chicago’s first Black mayor; her mother was active in her actors’ union; and her great-great grandmother — “Gram,” to Kamlager — was born enslaved but later freed by President Abraham Lincoln.

“Gram had amazing stories of resilience, and she was someone who really demanded excellence. She instilled an incredibly strong work ethic in my mother, and she in turn shared that with me,” says Kamlager, who graduated from USC Dornsife with a bachelor’s degree in political science in 2014.

There she studied with Michael Preston, whom she describes as having an “oversized reach and impact” on Los Angeles politics. The experience was instrumental in introducing her to the local political scene and the issues central to it.

Raised in Chicago and New York City, Kamlager credits her Jesuit high school in Chicago with instilling an early sense of service.

“I spent one particular summer in the Appalachian Mountains, working with families who were poor and you get a very real and clear sense of the haves and the have-nots, a real sense of poverty and basic human rights,” she says.

Kamlager took a break from her undergraduate studies to start on her career, holding positions at several nonprofits before shifting to politics. In 2018, she was elected to the California Assembly, and in 2021 she won her current seat in the state Senate.

Recently, Kamlager has focused on issues related to homelessness and criminal justice system reform. One piece of legislation she hopes to reintroduce next year would create an L.A. County housing authority trust fund that would develop affordable living spaces.

Kamlager is excited about her role as vice chair of the California Legislative Black Caucus, which she says will allow her to “elevate the lives of Black Californians.” It’s her way of adding to the legacy of her foremothers. —M.M.