Five Things You Need to Know

Creative Masterminds

The next time you go online, you might want to thank some Trojan geniuses. They laid the foundation for modern computing and the digital age.

But why stop there? Here are five things you should know about innovations from USC researchers and alumni that advanced technology, health and more. CYBER STARTER

In 1972, ISI scientists created an interface for ARPANET, the U.S. Department of Defense’s experimental computer network. ARPANET paved the way for what’s now known as—drumroll, please—the internet.

BOING BOING After playing tennis or basketball for a few hours, spare a thought for product developer Michael Bergmann ’83 —especially if you wear Nike shoes. The USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences alum was behind XDR, a highly durable rubber compound still used today in footwear with that trademark swoosh.

LET’S TALK

When you chat with the kids over Skype, you’re using VoIP, or voice over internet protocol. VoIP was the brainchild of the late Danny Cohen, longtime researcher at the USC Information Sciences Institute (ISI). CANCER CURER

If you or a loved one went through chemotherapy to fight diseases like breast or colon cancer, you’ve probably heard of the drug fluorouracil, or 5-FU. But you might not know that one of its creators was the late Charles Heidelberger, a researcher at USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center. Discovered in 1957, 5-FU is still one of the most commonly used cancer drugs.

BUY, BUY, BUY Nowadays, you can pay for a novel or contribute to a friend’s Kickstarter with a mouse click, but it wasn’t always so simple. That easy online transfer of money goes back to NetCash and NetCheque, the world’s first secure online payment systems, which were devised by ISI researchers.