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What does “research” even mean?

Feb 16th, 2013 by

Every time I would attend some sort of informational session about USC during my senior year of high school, the speakers would talk about SOAR and SURF. I had heard and understood that research was supposed to be a big part of the college experience, and USC would apparently give me a grant in order to do it. The issue was: how was I supposed to figure out what to research, and even more so, how to put together a research proposal? I had no plans to be a science major, so it’s not like I could work in a chemistry lab or something, and the only other type of research that came to my mind was either digging in the dirt for ancient artifacts or doing a bunch of behavioral surveys to figure out trippy things about the way people think.

Now, I prefer having clean finger nails, so digging in the dirt was out of the question. And as far as conducting surveys and simulations to figure out ways people think, this idea seemed somewhat interesting, but I didn’t really have natural propensity or curiosity or even knowledge enough to begin designing my own psychological research question. So, I kept on listening to people talk about this great SOAR and SURF and hoped that, as I progressed through college, I would come up with some brilliant research question that I could pursue.

My complacency was interrupted first semester freshman year, however, at a presentation specially for Dornsife Scholars. International Relations Professor Steve Lamy talked about a SOAR and SURF Board that existed online, where faculty members would list their research projects and indicate whether they were open to undergraduate involvement. Sure enough, I checked out this board and was able to find a research project that International Relations Professor Carol Wise was working on that I was genuinely interested in.

I arranged a meeting with Professor Wise, and now, over a year later, I can confidently say that I have never again doubted the potential for research within social sciences such as Economics and International Relations. I have been working as a research assistant for Professor Wise since my freshman year, and through this process have learned so much about the scope of my classroom knowledge and the process of how research works. In addition, I am now lucky enough to be able to turn to Professor Wise as a mentor and gain her guidance in mapping out my educational and career path. And, of course, the multiple research grants that I have received are just the icing on the cake.

When I reflect upon this experience as a whole, however, I realize that the biggest lesson I learned through doing research was to not be afraid to inquire more about things which I don’t fully understand. USC is filled with so many different opportunities and avenues and resources that it is easy to become intimidated or even overwhlemed, but as I found out, help and clarification is always available. All I had to do was ask, and I am so glad that I did.

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Year of the Cake

Feb 12th, 2013 by

Daniella Chinese New Year photo 3For some, January 1st marked the beginning of the New Year, but for millions of others, the New Year did not begin until February 10th. This year, the Chinese New Year was celebrated on February 10th, and for the first time ever, I celebrated it. I mean, I’m a first generation American, and I don’t even celebrate the Persian New Year even though my parents were born in Iran!

As I hopped in the car with my four friends smiling and dressed in red, I opened my purse just to make sure one last time that my camera was indeed there. Check! Now I was finally ready to head to Chinatown for the celebrations. My professor, Dr. Woo, gave us a guided walking tour of Chinatown before letting us split up to watch the parade, shop, and eat. Dr. Woo is a professor of American Studies at USC who teaches various classes on Asian American history, culture, and identity. The class of hers I’m currently taking, History of the Asian American, teaches us to think critically about the intersections of race, gender, and class, while also giving us a solid foundation of Asian American history from 1850 to the present. Throughout the year, we have attended Visions & Voices events and lectures given by visiting professors as well as participated in peer workshops to get a well-rounded view of the life and history of various ethnic minority groups living in the US. Despite this class being an introductory course on the subject, the small class size (12 students) really enabled us to get to know each other well and have active discussions.

But back to the parade! It took place in New Chinatown, located directly north of Downtown Los Angeles, between Dodger Stadium and the Civic Center. New Chinatown was established in an area formerly known as Little Italy in the late 1920’s after the residents of the former Chinatown were evicted to make room for Union Station. The architecture is a blend of American and Chinese. Many of the buildings are brightly colored, and the streets are adorned with beautiful red lamps. The parade in honor of the New Year brought many tourists to the center of Chinatown. One of the local business listed on our walking tour, Sincere Imports, was a store that sold Chinese lanterns, dragons, and special effects. Our classmate, David, told us that his family has owned and operated this store for four generations, since 1938! David took us inside and showed us the different lights and beautiful decorative pieces. After all of that shopping, we made our way to Phoenix Bakery, a spot famous for their traditional Chinese pastries and colossal custom cakes. The strawberry whipped cream cake is unbelievable!Daniella Chinese New Year photo 1 It is so light and sweet, honestly a perfect way to usher in a new year. But these cakes are so good that I can come up with tons of excuses to eat the fresh strawberries and whipped cream cake regularly, especially considering the fact that the cakes are reasonably priced. The Chinese New Year, may have been officially termed the Year of the Snake, but for me the New Year could have easily been renamed to Year of the Cake!

This short field trip with my class not only introduced me to a brand new culture, but also brought me closer to my classmates and my professor. Everyone knows that LA is filled with adventure, but how many universities bring adventure to you? College is a dynamic learning process, and I’m glad that I am part of it. Fight on!

Daniella Chinese New Year photo 2

This is a link to all the cool events in Chinatown located only 10 minutes from USC! Check it out! There is a Dim Sum Crawl coming up soon, yummy!!
http://www.chinatownla.com/index.php

Posted in Academic Life in USC Dornsife, USC Dornsife Students in Los Angeles | No Comments »

Adventures of a Foodie

Feb 12th, 2013 by

“There is no sincerer love than the love of food.”

I don’t know if I would take things as far as George Bernard Shaw, but I do love food. Luckily for me, LA is a foodie heaven. We have everything you could possibly want, everything you can even imagine, and even more. I recently found a few downtown spots that I am excited about! The Arts District is only a few miles from USC and truly a hidden gem. Even as an LA native, I had never heard of it. The Arts District houses small theaters, many art galleries, and shops. But perhaps the coolest art is the art on the streets. The streets are colorful, and paintings are everywhere.

Also, the Arts District houses independent restaurants, coffee shops, and small businesses, which are becoming more and more rare these days. One of these restaurants is Wurstkuche, an “exotic sausage grill.” Wurstkuche is actually owned by a USC alumnus who even came to a USC class to speak with entrepreneurship students about starting their own businesses. This place is so successful that people flew in from Canada to try these sausages! They loved the business model so much that they want to open a similar restaurant there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Even as a vegetarian, I love this place. When my friend first suggested it, I was reluctant, but when I got there I saw a good selection of vegetarian options. If you are an adventurous eater, try the rabbit, crocodile, or rattlesnake sausages. They really have it all.

If you are still hungry after all of that, you don’t have to look far. Across the street you will find the Pie Hole. The Pie Hole sells pie! But not just any kind of pie. This place has the most exotic apple pie I have ever seen: apple pie with cheese crumbles. It doesn’t seem like the two would go together, but the cheese really complements the sweetness of the apples, making it even better. Plus, every foodie knows that you need to be adventurous in order to find something really good. They also have other delicious pies (the pies rotate so you never have to get the same one twice if you don’t want to) like earl gray as well as many chocolaty options!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Downtown LA is full of surprises and great spots, many of which give you anywhere from 5-20% for being a USC student. Panini Café offers USC students 20% off and is always a good choice. If you go there, be sure to try the humus trio and the salmon kabob. They are awesome!

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Hey Macklemore, can we be in your music video?

Feb 5th, 2013 by

For Carnissa and I, the answer was yes! Both of us are from Seattle (and proud of it) so Macklemore holds a special place in our hearts. Needless to say, we wasted no time when he posted a Facebook status that he needed extras for a music video that he was filming in Los Angeles for “Can’t Hold Us”. We immediately sent in our pictures and within a few hours received a confirmation email telling us that we had been selected!

Melia - Macklemore Calltime

Believe me when I say that you have never witnessed a reaction like ours in your life. There were no words, just screaming (and a few tears on Carnissa’s end). We soon found out that it was being filmed at Phi Gamma Delta, one of the fraternities here at USC, approximately one block from where we both live. I slept at Carnissa’s, and we spent hours planning our outfits and squealing about how much we love our lives. Or as Carnissa put it when we woke up the next morning, “This is what I imagine I’ll feel like on my wedding day.” We were way too excited and arrived there an hour before anyone else showed up, even the crew. Oops!

The instructions in the email pretty much summed up our day: “This scene is a casual impromptu block party. Be prepared to act as if you’re at a concert, but silently.” Have you ever danced without any music playing? So weird, but we didn’t care. We danced our hearts out for hours. Carnissa’s face was bleeding from when Ryan Lewis crowd-surfed and fell on her, I am going to have an awkward vest tan for the next few months, and our feet still hurt, but it was so worth it. Look for us in the video!

Melia - Macklemore

Fight On!

Love, Melia

P.S. Follow me on Twitter!

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The Women of Troy: Basketball, Pancakes, and So Much Fun!

Feb 4th, 2013 by

Basketball is more than just a sport. Ever since my dad took me to the park and taught me to how to play 15 years ago, I have loved everything about it. I love going to games, from the Lakers to USC athletics to my little sister’s games! I love watching basketball on TV and listening to the announcers comment, but nothing is quite like being on the court yourself.

On the court, I feel like a superstar. Suddenly, I am fearless, able to challenge any player no matter how tall or how good. Tying up my shoelaces, I can already feel the blood running through my veins, preparing me for what is about to happen. As I begin to warm up, I lose myself in my focus on the court. Basketball taught me discipline: how to wake up at 5AM consistently, how to go through repetitive motions and be patient for success, how to not be afraid to take a risky move and learn from it. But basketball was more than an individual experience; it was a course in social interactions and networking. I learned how to work well on a team with a great group of girls, and basketball brought me closer with my own family.

I come from a large family (two sisters and a brother), and we all play basketball. That’s why I jumped at the opportunity to bring my little brother to USC’s women’s basketball game against the University of Colorado. The day began with an incredible breakfast buffet hosted by USC. The buffet included 5 different types of pancakes, eggs, potatoes, pastries, and fresh fruit. It was so delicious, look for yourself!


Michael Cooper, a former Lakers player and LA Sparks coach who now coaches the USC women’s team, even came in for a few minutes to speak to the guests about the season. Mr. Cooper was so positive and friendly, really making us all feel comfortable and welcome. At this point, my brother was in awe– Mr. Michael Cooper himself! Wow!

For those of you who don’t know, Michael Cooper is kind of a big deal…I mean he is the only person to win a championship, as either a coach or a player, in the NBA, WNBA, and the NBA Development League. And he was once the NBA defensive player of the year, playing alongside Magic and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar! Imagine the excitement.

Next, we went to the main gym to wait for the game. Lights, cameras, Song Girls, Dance Force, USC spirit leaders, and the USC marching band, the Spirit of Troy, all greeted the girls as they came onto the court.

It was incredible to watch the sport that I love with my friends and my brother. I could not have been happier! We watched from the front row, cheering and yelling “DEFENSE!” My 10-year old brother even explained some calls to my friends. Yes, we really love basketball, and in a family of three girls, we are used to watching (and loving) women’s basketball.

Dressed in USC gear, we took some fabulous pictures with the USC spirit leaders and song girls.

Needless to say, this was an experience that I will never forget. I mean, how often can you get pancakes coupled with basketball, USC, celebrities, and good friends?

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It Doesn’t Take a Rocket Scientist to Appreciate Neil deGrasse Tyson

Feb 2nd, 2013 by

One of the most amazing things about being at USC is the ability to see so many prominent scholars, professionals, and world leaders. In the past, USC’s campus has been graced by the presence of President Obama, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and countless other inspiring and worldly people.

This past Monday I had the pleasure of attending a lecture by Neil deGrasse Tyson, who is basically a celebrity astrophysicist. Pretty cool, right? He’s been on The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, and The Today Show, to name a few appearances, as well as written a number of books.

I jumped at the chance to see him for free in Bovard Auditorium and was fortunate enough to get a couple of tickets before they completely sold out.

I was a little nervous going in that I wouldn’t be able to understand anything he was talking about since I am nowhere near being a scientist, but he was an amazingly engaging speaker, explaining any sort of complicated terms or jargon the average non-scientist wouldn’t be able to understand. Neil deGrasse Tyson was hilarious and informative, broaching subjects from life on Mars to the questionable integrity of the legal system, all the while keeping the talk light and entertaining.

After taking off his shoes and sending out a tweet saying, “Just to settle it once and for all: Which came first the Chicken or the Egg? The Egg — laid by a bird that was not a Chicken” at the beginning of the night, Neil deGrasse Tyson gave one of the most memorable lectures I’ve attended thus far at USC.

Neil deGrasse Tyson's backdrop was out of this world!

Fellow Ambassador Rosie Murphy and I both live tweeted the event. Here are some of the quotes compiled during the evening:

“We’re just gonna tour the universe and everything in it…Mars. That’s cool.”

“To say there is life on other planets and it looks like us – that’s a profound lack of imagination.”

“Pluto…*Neil pauses and makes a sad face*…Get Over It.”

“I teach people that eyewitness testimony means nothing.”

“In America….in ‘Murica.”

“The good thing about science is that it’s true — whether or not people believe it.”

“This particle hands mass to other particles. You can’t get more [awesome] than that.”

“Science keeps our hubris in check.”

“The universe doesn’t make anything in ones, maybe not even itself. Maybe there’s not even one multiverse.”

“If we were all entirely rational, we’d never have painted Starry Night… The person felt what they created.”

“Not only do we exist in the universe, the universe exists in us.”

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The Hsi Lai Temple

Jan 28th, 2013 by

As part of my Chinese Civilization class last semester, we took a field trip to the Hsi Lai Temple in Hacienda Heights. It’s one of the largest Buddhist temples in North America, and truly a sight to see. We were given a tour by a monk, who showed us the beautiful gardens and statues found throughout the temple. Our class observed chanting rituals and learned about the varying disciplines of Buddhism. The trip to the Hsi Lai Temple was definitely one of the highlights of my first semester.

This trip is just one example of the types of opportunities available at USC. Classes have taken field trips to the Getty Center, the Griffith observatory, mosques, Catalina Island, tide pools, and much more. As students, we are given the chance to explore the city of Los Angeles and learn from more than just books.

Posted in Academic Life in USC Dornsife, USC Dornsife Students in Los Angeles | No Comments »

Dining in LA

Jan 27th, 2013 by

Hi everyone!

Let me tell you about a little something called dineLA. About twice a year, for two weeks, a bunch of restaurants in the LA area offer prix fixe deals, where you can choose a multi-course meal at a fixed price. This is a good opportunity to explore the restaurants that Los Angeles has to offer and eat at places that might normally be out of a starving college student’s price range (the usual favorite is a Brazilian barbecue restaurant called Fogo de Chao which I’ve been told by my carnivorous friends is really good… and normally really expensive).

Last night I went with a group of friends to Mohawk Bend, a  restaurant out on Sunset Boulevard that was offering a three-course meal for $25.  The restaurant itself was very laid-back–as you can see from the sign, it almost looks like a theatre, with fireplaces and bars surrounded by copious amounts of brick and unvarnished wood. The restaurant’s premise was that everything was sourced from California, except for the microbrewery beers offered from across the nation. Our waiter explained that they didn’t even carry Coca-cola or Pepsi, instead choosing to brew their own versions of the soft drinks in-house. In short, the place was very hipster, yet more popular than I’d expected, with wait times approaching an hour and a half for a table for two (luckily we had a reservation!).

The appetizers offered were a winter salad, squash chowder, and cured trout; main entrees included a peppercorn-crusted sweet potato, BBQ tofu pizza, and short ribs; and desserts were a pineapple upside-down cake or a chocolate flan. I’m sorry I’m not sorry for making you hungry, but thinking about it is making my stomach rumble a little too. My friend Janet, a freshman from Maryland, seemed absolutely in awe of the atmosphere, noting that it was probably the “classiest food she’d ever eaten.” I think this was her first time actually venturing into the city and eating at a place like this. I hope she’ll join us for more adventures through the LA area; it’d definitely be a shame to miss out on all the delicious things just waiting to be eaten!

My stomach is glad that I was able to eat here, and my wallet is glad that there was a deal; in fact, were it not for dineLA, I don’t see how I would’ve found myself at such a place! I just wish I had enough time (and money) to trawl through Los Angeles and find all the little gems that are just begging to be devoured.

Until next time,

~Kenneth!

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