Robots

Sometimes you need a helping hand—and it doesn’t have to be a human one.

Robot aides can tackle lots of useful tasks. They can assist a patient recovering from illness. They can help children with autism adjust to social situations, too. Across USC, students and researchers are teaming up to test out these benevolent bots.

“We want these robots to make the person happier, more capable and better able to help themselves,” says Maja Matarić, the Chan Soon-Shiong Chair and Distinguished Professor of Computer Science, Neuroscience and Pediatrics at USC. “We also want them to help teachers and therapists, not remove their purpose.”

Here are some of our favorite next-generation helpers, all designed to make our lives safer, easier and more joyful. ERIC LINDBERG Dynamic droids are ready to assist humans—and they come in some surprising forms.

SOFT SKILLS

For people with anxiety and depression, a cuddly companion can be invaluable— especially when it helps them practice breathing exercises and mindfulness. A robot called Blossom, designed at Cornell University, might soon offer support to USC students. “We’ll give the robot a bunch of tools to try with the user and see what they like and what works,” Matarić says. “This could be a really versatile and supportive buddy.”

▲ CRAWLY CRITTERS

Inspired by starfish and octopi, these flexible robots could one day navigate unusual and inhospitable environments. Their creators envision sending the droids to inspect structures in space, search disaster sites and monitor hazardous materials.

▲ QUIET SWIMMERS

When marine biologists study underwater life, their tools can sometimes unintentionally disturb the ocean habitat. So, student engineers devised a camera-equipped robot inspired by a goldfish—for less than $200—to blend in with its scaly brethren.

▲ GOOD BOY

It can crawl, crouch, climb—and clean. A USC Viterbi team built the doglike LASER-D robot to help with COVID-19 disinfecting, but its inventors imagine it sprucing up shared office spaces, cleaning shopping centers and watering gardens, says Satyandra K. Gupta, Smith International Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Computer Science.

BOT BUDDY

Matarić’s team has used a cute robot called QT to motivate children with cerebral palsy to exercise their wrists with a thumbs-up, thumbsdown number-guessing game and to encourage people with vision impairment to use a magnifier to read medication instructions or simply enjoy a good book.

A NEW FRIEND

With a special headset, children can see Kuri’s thought bubbles and other augmented reality objects that help them learn through dynamic play. “We can make it look really expressive,” Matarić says. “Mixed reality with robotics is a whole new frontier.”

A White House Welcome

USC alumnus Doug Emhoff is the country’s inaugural “second gentleman.”

Growing up, Doug Emhoff JD ’90 hated bullies.

Maybe it was because of something he saw on TV, Emhoff muses, but “I just knew as a 6 or 7 year old, I wanted to be a lawyer.” He saw it as a way to stand up for others.

After attending the USC Gould School of Law—“the best choice I could have made,” he says—Emhoff went on to a career as a successful entertainment lawyer at high-profile Los Angeles-based firms. These days he lectures on entertainment law at Georgetown University Law Center, but he has another role that may be more prominent: the first second gentleman in American history.

“I wouldn’t be in this role if we didn’t have our first female vice president,” he says proudly, referring to Vice President Kamala Harris, whom he married in 2014.

As second gentleman, Emhoff embraces the opportunity to study issues affecting Americans, and he travels frequently in support of administration policies like the COVID-19 vaccination effort. He sees his place in national politics as an important signal for the future of female leaders: “For me to have this job, and for my wife to be vice president, means we’ve come a long way.” LESLIE RIDGEWAY To read more about the second gentleman, go to uscne.ws/DougEmhoff on the web.

Trojans in the House

Seven alumnae take their place among a record number of women in Congress.

Seven USC alumnae recently made history: They were among 143 women seated in the 117th Congress, the largest number ever in the U.S. legislature. Here are a few notable facts about these record breakers. Rep. Ashley Hinson ’04, the first woman to represent her district, was a broadcast journalist for more than a decade and won two regional Emmy Awards for her reporting, among other honors. She represents Iowa’s 1st district, which includes Cedar Rapids and Dubuque.

Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks MS ’80, a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel and former ophthalmologist, was the director of the Iowa Department of Public Health. She represents Iowa’s 2nd district, which includes Davenport and Iowa City.

Rep. Young Kim ’94 was the first Korean American woman to represent Southern California in the state assembly. She started her career as a small business owner and financial analyst and represents California’s 39th district, which includes parts of Los Angeles, Orange and San Bernardino counties. Rep. Nanette Barragán JD ’05 is the vice chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and serves on the House Committee on Homeland Security and the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. She represents California’s 44th congressional district, which includes Carson, Compton and San Pedro.

Rep. Carolyn Bourdeaux MPA ’98 has been a professor of public policy at Georgia State University since 2003. She worked at Georgia’s Senate Budget and Evaluation Office to help the state balance the budget. She represents Georgia’s 7th district, which includes the northeast section of Atlanta. Rep. Michelle Steel MBA ’10 chaired the Orange County Board of Supervisors and served as a county supervisor since 2015. She is a former member of the California State Board of Equalization. She represents California’s 48th district, which includes Costa Mesa, Laguna Beach and Newport Beach.

Rep. Karen Bass MSW ’15 serves on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, is a member of the House Judiciary Committee and recently chaired the Congressional Black Caucus. She represents California’s 37th congressional district, which includes South Los Angeles, Century City and West Los

Tapping Hidden Potential

Abandoned oil wells could get new life as storage spaces for solar and wind energy.

What happens when oil and gas wells run dry? Usually nothing good.

It costs anywhere from $70,000 to $500,000 to cap them safely. Costs can soar if engineers need to clean up contaminated soil.

Some owners simply walk away. California alone has 5,540 orphan wells and another 37,000 wells destined for abandonment, which could cost taxpayers millions.

But Iraj Ershaghi, the Omar B. Milligan Chair in Petroleum Engineering at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering, and his team have developed an innovative alternative that could turn idle, hazardous wells into something valuable.

They want to convert these wells into conduits that can carry excess solar and wind-generated power into underground storage. This could prevent future rolling blackouts in California and enhance the nation’s energy security. Here’s how it works: Sustainable power created from nearby solar panels and windmills is converted into high-pressure air. The air is piped down the repurposed well to wet sands 1,000 to 5,000 feet underground. These sands can safely store massive amounts of energy in the form of compressed air until needed. A few repurposed wells could hold the equivalent of several megawatts of energy beneath the surface, while a repurposed oil or gas field could hold thousands of megawatts.

“Compressed air can be released to make electricity using turbines and allow you to send the power to the grid,” Ershaghi says. “So, if you expand this throughout California and other places, you’ll have these massive, massive geological storage sites that could be accessed when you have a blackout.”

Petroleum engineers and geoscientists use similar methods to trap greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide underground. But unlike carbon dioxide, compressed air is harmless, Ershaghi says.

Collaborators include USC Viterbi’s Don Paul, research professor of engineering and William M. Keck Professor of Energy Resources, and Birendra Jha, assistant professor of petroleum engineering. The researchers are enthusiastic about the potential.

“Utilities, which desperately need massive storage sites to meet deadlines for alternative energy solutions, would also benefit, as would the entire economy,” Ershaghi says. “This is a win-win.” MARC BALLON

Trusted Leader

Trojan ties run deep for the newest member of the USC Board of Trustees.

Steve Keck ’97, MBA ’05, a double Trojan who earned his degrees from the USC Marshall School of Business, brings business and philanthropic knowledge to the leadership role. The financial analyst and co-president of the W.M. Keck Foundation can also draw on a long family history with USC: His father, William M. Keck II ’64, MBA ’66, earned degrees from USC Marshall as well and served as a trustee for 32 years. His mother, two brothers and wife are also alumni.

In addition to his work in corporate credit at asset management firm TCW Group, Keck oversees one of the largest philanthropic organizations in the nation. The Keck School of Medicine of USC was named in recognition of the foundation’s generosity and longtime support of the university. Keck says he plans to strengthen USC’s medical enterprise as a trustee.

“In this century, in order for a university to be successful, it needs to have a strong research component, and I think USC is well-positioned,” he says. “With the partnership of the W.M. Keck Foundation, USC has developed not only a world-class school of medicine but a clinical health system as well.”

The 6 Degrees of August Wilson and USC

American playwright August Wilson is having more than a moment. Sixteen years after his death, his stories are more powerful than ever. See how USC connects to the Pulitzer Prize-winning writer—and how some of the people linked to his work are bringing acclaim to the university this fall.

ALICIA DI RADO PROFESSOR-PERFORMER

USC hired Michele Shay as a new professor of theatre practice in acting. The veteran actress, director and educator is a leading interpreter of August Wilson’s plays. She earned a Tony Award nomination for her work in the Broadway production of Wilson's Seven Guitars.

USC IN HISTORY

The Great Debaters tells the story of the underdog 1935 debate team from historically Black Wiley College, which in real life defeated the national champion team from USC.

STUDENT VOICE

August Wilson put USC School of Dramatic Arts musical theater student Nia Sarfo on the national scene. She starred in Netflix ’s Giving Voice, which follows six students who competed in the 2018 National August Wilson Monologue Competition. Many USC alumni have participated in this contest for high school students over the years.

ACTOR AMONG US Actor Colman Domingo appeared in a 2020 film adaptation of August Wilson’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. Domingo joined the USC School of Dramatic Arts faculty this fall.

AWARD WINNER Producer Todd Black ’82 co-produced the Academy Award-winning Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom …

THE GREAT DEBATERS

…and so did Denzel Washington, who also directed The Great Debaters in 2007. Another star of The Great Debaters: Forest Whitaker ’82, who was honored by the School of Dramatic Arts this fall at its 75th anniversary event.

Stories Untold

The USC School of Cinematic Arts aims to diversify voices in Hollywood, games and beyond.

Every year, the prestigious Director’s Guild of America Student Film Awards recognizes outstanding work from young filmmakers. USC is always well-represented, but this time students outdid themselves: Trojans won gold in six of eight categories showcasing Black, Latino, Asian and female directors.

That was no accident.

Over the last 10 years, the USC School of Cinematic Arts has grown its scholarship funding for students tenfold—reaching more than $4.5 million last year—to increase diversity and establish gender parity in its student body. That investment has largely come from alumni and industry donors who see USC as a pipeline to a field that has been criticized for lacking diversity, says Marcus Anderson, the school’s student services director.

The school developed ways to recruit students from diverse backgrounds that

are based not only on ethnicity but also on geography and socioeconomic status. Staff approach prospective students to dispel myths about the application process. They also recruit from historically Black colleges. These strategies have enabled the school to increase the number of student from minority communities.

The school’s efforts not only diversify the voices at USC but also build a foundation for the future of film, television, games and animation storytelling.

Change of Heart

An engineer-turned-surgeon heals patients with the latest high-tech tools.

In college, Mark Cunningham studied turbines, engines and propulsion systems to prepare for a career as an aeronautical engineer. Naturally tech-minded, he seemed destined to design complicated aircraft and gizmos. Today, decades later, he devotes his time to fixing a machine that may be unrivaled in its complexity.

Is it the International Space Station? Or NASA’s Mars rover, perhaps? No, this machine might be even more challenging than spacecraft.

Cunningham repairs the human body.

The Keck Medicine of USC cardiothoracic surgeon treats heart disease and dysfunction with a distinctly innovative spin. As surgical director of Keck Medicine’s heart transplant program, he constantly looks for ways to improve surgery and teach improved procedures to up-and-coming doctors.

But don’t get him wrong: He strives to bring the latest technology into the field for the sake of his patients—not for the novelty of tech.

“All these techniques we develop are so we can treat people sooner,” says Cunningham, associate professor of clinical surgery at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. “That way, they don’t have to get to death’s door before we help them.”

People are the reason Cunningham made a shift in his career path many years ago.

As an aspiring pilot, the Connecticut native enrolled at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, where he found a passion for aircraft design. He even interned at NASA Langley Research Center, where he worked after college with a group that designed rockets and space shuttles. Yet he also was interested in medicine—so much so that he took anatomy and biology classes in his spare time. Eventually, he made the switch for a simple reason: He liked working with people more than being in a computer lab.

Now he combines both worlds—humanity and technology—to benefit his patients. It’s a perfect fit. “When you think about it, heart surgery is really technical and detail-oriented,” he says. “It’s basically fluid dynamics, which I had studied in aerospace engineering.” He embraces modern tools like the da Vinci Surgical System, a robot that assists doctors as they perform delicate operations like heart bypasses. He helped pioneer new procedures that are easier on patients than traditional surgeries, like replacing faulty heart valves with new ones delivered through a narrow

tube threaded through an artery in the leg. He also works with medical device companies as they design and test their newest tech. “The latest thing we’re working on are these new mitral valves that you put in through a tiny incision in the chest,” he “That way, they says enthusiastically. “As along, we try to push that the field moves new technology don’t have to forward. I really like learning new things.” Sometimes device companies have proget to death’s totypes and want his expert opinion. Who better to give feedback on their design than door before we a surgeon-engineer? “I’ll say, ‘I like this feature, I don’t like that help them.” feature, this handle is too small, this is too awkward,’” Cunningham says. “When they finally have the device all tuned up, then they’ll come ask us to find a group of patients to try it out. “With an engineering degree, I can work with them at a lot of different touch points in the process of bringing a technology along.”

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