university of southern california

#080 – On this episode, Jankel and I present a very important person in the college admission aspirations of high school students, the high school college counselor. We discuss the enormous workloads that are placed on the desks of counselors, who on the average are assigned with guiding 500 students through their college admission process. In some states, high school college counselors are assigned as many as 1,200 students. Considering the huge time and resource limitations in which counselors have to carry out their duties, we provide advice for high school students to follow to create the best working relationship with their counselors. Additionally, we go over 15 questions that all high school students should ask their high school college counselors, regardless of their grade level. These questions are designed to ensure that students achieve a successful college preparation and are able to meet or exceed the admission requirements of the colleges and universities to which they want to apply. You can find the show notes for this episode at https://collegemetropolis.com/80.  Please help our efforts by giving our show 5 stars and by leaving us a positive review on the platform you used to download this episode. Your review will ensure that we reach more high school students and parents who need the information we share each week. Thank you!

For a few days this week, we’re highlighting the work of students from USC’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.

Maya Abu-Zahra started college with every intention of becoming a doctor. But about half of pre-med students end up choosing a different path. Today, she brings us down two of those paths, speaking with former pre-meds who ended up in very different careers.

For a few days this week, we’re highlighting the work of students from USC’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.

Today, Cari Spencer guides us through her journey of figuring out her identity. Half Taiwanese and half white, she felt all her life that she had to “pick a side” — or that she wasn’t enough of one thing or the other. Then she found another option.

Host: USC student Cari Spencer

More reading:

Five takeaways from the new U.S. census data

From the archives, 2001: Census’ multiracial option overturns traditional views

Science isn't just about white guys in white lab coats these days.  Joining us are Rigoberto Hernandez from the Johns Hopkins University,  Amber Krummel from Colorado State University and Stephen Bradforth from the University of Southern California.  They talk about the importance of diversity on scientific teams with hosts Judy Muller and George Lewis. 

Topics Discussed:

• Declining birth rates round the world 
• Countries that are paying women to have babies!
• The situation in China
• Economic and Demographic ramifications
• Abortion’s connection to immigration 
• The road to euthanasia
• How one Danish travel agency is selling traveling as a way to “save Denmark.”

 Links Mentioned:

• Experts sound the alarm on declining birth rates among younger generations: "It's a crisis” - CBS News
• View Fertility Rates For Countries Around The World
• European Nations Offer Incentives To Have Kids -SF Gate
• When Governments Pay People To Have Babies - NPR
• The Government Will Pay You to Have Babies in These Countries - Money
• Thinking of Starting a Family in Japan? These Are the Government Benefits You Need to Know About! - Tsunagu Local
• Can China Recover From Its Disastrous One-Child Policy? - The Guardian
• The hilarious commercial: "Do It For Denmark!"
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On this episode, special guest host Nick Kallins interviews pioneer in education, Professor Andrew Stott.  

As the former Dean of Undergraduate Education at the University of Southern California Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, Stott played a leading role in ensuring that undergraduate programs at USC Dornsife reflect USC’s mission of creating the college of the 21st century. Andrew Stott has recently been appointed Vice Provost for Academic Programs and Dean of the Graduate School at USC. He is also a professor of English, the author of four widely-acclaimed books, and the recipient of multiple fellowships. In this episode, Vice Provost Stott highlights the power of a liberal arts education and how it benefits the mind and future of next generation scholars.  

Before joining USC, he held the position of Vice Provost and Dean of Undergraduate Education at the University at Buffalo, SUNY, repeatedly distinguishing himself for his innovative leadership. His day-to-day activities included overseeing the core undergraduate experience, general education, academic policy, and program approvals. Most notably, Stott designed and implemented the first major overhaul of the university’s undergraduate liberal arts curriculum in more than 20 years. This nationally recognized, four-year project bridged all areas of the university’s academic enterprise and centered on global citizenship, integrative learning, and high-impact educational practices. 

Whether you live in the USA or have just been watching the circus from afar, chances are that you agree: “polarization” dominates descriptions of the social landscape. Judging from the news alone, one might think the States have never been so painfully divided…yet nuanced public polls, and new behavioral models, suggest another narrative: the United States is largely moderate, and people have much more in common with each other than they think. There’s no denying our predicament: cognitive biases lead us to “out-group” one another even when we might be allies, and the game of politics drives a two-party system into ever-more-intense division, until something has to give. But the same evidence from social science offers hope, that we might find a way to harness our collective thinking processes for the sake of everyone and row together toward a future big enough to hold our disagreements.

Welcome to COMPLEXITY, the official podcast of the Santa Fe Institute. I’m your host, Michael Garfield, and every other week we’ll bring you with us for far-ranging conversations with our worldwide network of rigorous researchers developing new frameworks to explain the deepest mysteries of the universe.

In this episode we talk to SFI External Professor Henrik Olsson and SFI Complexity Postdoctoral Fellow, Omidyar Fellow, and Baird Hurst Scholar Vicky C. Yang about their work on social cognition and political identity. In a conversation that couldn’t be more timely, we ask: How can we leverage an understanding of networks for better political polling and prediction? What are the meaningful differences between one’s values and one’s affiliations? And is the American two-party system working for or against a cohesive republic?

If you value our research and communication efforts, please consider making a donation at santafe.edu/give — and/or rating and reviewing us at Apple Podcasts. You can find numerous other ways to engage with us at santafe.edu/engage. Thank you for listening!

Henrik’s Google Scholar Page

Vicky’s Google Scholar Page

Research we discuss in this episode:

Falling Through the Cracks: A Dynamical Model for the Formation of In-Groups and Out-Groups

A Sampling Model of Social Judgment

Harvesting the wisdom of crowds for election predictions using the Bayesian Truth Serum

Why are U.S. Parties So Polarized? A "Satisficing" Dynamical Model

Do two parties represent the US? Clustering analysis of US public ideology survey

Project Page for the SFI-USC Dornslife Polling Research Collaboration

For more on social cognition and collective decision-making, listen to COMPLEXITY episodes 9 with Mirta Galesic and 20 with Albert Kao.

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Podcast Theme Music by Mitch Mignano

Chief Thomas Bio 

USC Public Safety Chief Thomas Addresses the Death of George Floyd

The President's (Obama) Task Force on 21st Century Policing  (referenced in the interview)

Amanda and Nathan discuss common misconceptions and stigmas while answering  questions about addiction and substance use. The questions and stigmas were provided by listeners of the podcast and followers on Instagram and Facebook.  Nathan uses some of his professional knowledge of working in behavioral health as a Clinical Director and his academic knowledge to break down stigma around addiction.   

Thank you for listening, subscribing, sharing and rating!  None of this would be possible without support of our listeners!

Email questions and comments to theblessedlifepodcast@gmail. com

Links to Resources:
https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2015/10/biology-addiction
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/addiction

Here is to a blessed day! #blessedlifepodcast #BL #Blessedlife #Blessedlove

Jennifer Marotta is an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Trumpet at the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music. An active freelance musician based in Los Angeles, she regularly performs with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, San Diego Symphony, Los Angeles Opera, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Los Angeles Master Chorale, and the St. Louis Symphony.

Marotta is currently a member of the Grand Teton Music Festival and the Music of the Baroque in Chicago. She was a member of “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band from 2001 to 2005.

Originally from Naperville, Illinois, she earned her Bachelor of Music degree from Northwestern University and her Master of Music degree from DePaul University.

Marotta was a visiting trumpet professor at UCLA in 2016 and was Assistant Professor of Trumpet at Kennesaw State University from 2006 to 2012. She was also a visiting professor at Illinois State University in 2006 and was an artist-in-residence at Emory University from 2006 to 2010.

Jennifer, along with her husband Thomas Hooten, is the most recent editor for Arban’s Complete Conservatory Method for Trumpet, published by Carl Fischer. She serves on the board for the International Women’s Brass Conference and is the editor for their bi-annual newsletter.

Episode #119: Chuck talks with NAMIC Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Jimi Grande about how a divided Congress could impact the insurance advocacy landscape for years to come.  Plus, the losses expected from the most destructive wildfire in California state history.