Dia duit (a Gaelic Irish greeting)! St. Patrick’s day is almost upon us. Read on to learn some surprising things about Irish saints.
Also in this issue, learn how an Earth sciences professor gets a true view of the destruction caused by the war in Ukraine, discover how a history degree proves to be perfect for a genealogy career, and gain insights into what hyperpartisan politics are doing to democracy.
NEWS
1 Big Thing: Cutting Through the Fog of War
A USC Dornsife Earth scientist used publicly available satellite and military intelligence data to visualize the destruction in Ukraine resulting from the war with Russia.
Why it matters: The methods developed by the researchers enable anyone with the appropriate technical expertise to analyze public data and gain a true, unbiased understanding of a conflict’s impact, free of misinformation.
Social mediahas generated a wealth of detailed online information about the war in Ukraine, with an active community documenting aspects like troop movements and infrastructure damage.
Sylvain Barbot of Earth sciences and a team of researchers used this information, along with satellite data, to track the war.
The team tracked the battles of Rubizhne, Severodonetsk and Lysychansk from March to July 2022.
They also tracked battles in Bakhmut, which began in May 2022 and ended one year later when the city was completely decimated.
In his words: “After they’ve bombarded enough stuff, the front line begins to move to the west and the Russian army advances through the crumbles. … It looks like cancer spreading throughout the body,” says Barbot.
Using satellite-based synthetic aperture radar (SAR), researchers followed the destruction of cities and how military tactics evolve over time.
SAR uses electromagnetic waves and records the signal reflected back from Earth, regardless of sunlight and clouds.
The radar normally is used to monitor natural disasters but is equally adept at evaluating the damage of war.
Of note: Tracking the conflict with SAR revealed that other forms of open-source intelligence data weren’t always reliable.
For instance, SAR revealed fighting in Lysychansk that other forms of intelligence data missed.
Images captured by a satellite that is sensitive to artificial light gave the researchers a somber view of the conflict’s impact on the daily lives of Ukrainians.
“We looked at all of Eastern Europe and you can see those lights you’re familiar with, except an entire country is completely black — all of Ukraine was dark,” Barbot said. “You could see from space an entire country shutting down.”
USC Dornsife history alumna Christina Copland ’18 uses her skills as a historian to uncover family histories as a genealogist for Ancestry.com.
Why it matters: The skills gained through a history degree, such as the ability to contextualize how people lived in the past and accurately interpret primary (original) documents, can set the stage for a variety of rewarding careers.
Copland, who grew up in England, has had a long-time fascination with American politics and developed a particular interest in the influence of fundamental Christianity while working on her master’s degree in modern history at York University.
Her studies brought her to LA, where she met USC Dornsife history professor William Deverell, who encouraged her to earn a PhD in history at USC.
Nearing graduation, Copland delved into her own family history and quickly became captivated by genealogy, wondering how she could turn it into a career.
She turned to LinkedIn to find members of the Trojan family who worked at Ancestry.com, which led to an informational interview and eventually employment.
In her words: “At the interview, I sold myself as a candidate who was trained as a historian who could very quickly learn the specific skills I needed for that role. I think it was a good sales pitch,” said Copland.
As a professional genealogist at Ancestry.com, Copland helps clients build their family trees and overcome obstacles in genealogical research.
She also worked on celebrity genealogical projects for TV shows like NBC’s Who Do You Think You Are?
Word of advice: For those interested in a career in genealogy, Copland advises people to begin by researching their own family history.
As online hostility and physical threats against public officials and workers escalate, and public discourse grows increasingly strained, USC experts believe answers lie in education and the campus setting.
Why it matters: Hyperpartisan politics contributes to societal division by eroding trust in institutions like health and education while undermining the democratic processes.
The increasing dangers have severely impacted public officials’ privacy and safety, interfering with their ability to fulfill their duties.
Online vigilantes dox victims, releasing their private phone and home address to incite a torrent of harassment and threats.
In a terrifying example, a partisan radical attacked the husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi at their home in 2022.
In his words: “These modern realities are a major deterrent for careers in politics,” said Kamy Akhavan of the USC Dornsife Center for the Political Future. “Officials understandably fear exposing their spouses, children, extended families and themselves to the threats and ugliness on social media.”
Yes, and: Disinformation during the COVID-19 pandemic decreased the public’s trust in medical and scientific experts, leading to a surge in online attacks against physicians and the resignation of many health officials.
A study found that 66% of physicians reported online attacks during the pandemic, a jump from 23% in the months prior.
Orange County California’s chief health officer resigned in 2020 after receiving a death threat in response to mandating face coverings.
Public school boards have become one of democracy’s front lines, often serving as proxies in the country’s cultural wars.
Personal threats and attacks are resulting in resignations and turnover among board members, school health officers, superintendents, librarians and teachers.
“Education and educators have been drawn into the societal debates that find citizens on both sides of major issues about our youth, their curriculum and how they should be taught,” says Maria Ott of the USC Rossier School of Education
What to do? Universities offer critical solutions to the growing hostility and threats in public life.
“Schools are one of the few places in which individuals from different backgrounds … have opportunities to deeply interact and potentially recognize commonalities,” explains Julie Marsh of USC Rossier and USC Price School of Public Policy.
That’s why USC Dornsife launched the Center for the Political Future in 2018, fostering bipartisan dialogue and understanding among students, leaders and experts from diverse political backgrounds.
Said center Director Robert Shrum: “We believe in respecting each other, and expecting the truth.”
USC Dornsife professor of history and chair of the religion department Lisa Bitel shares some little-known facts about Ireland’s most famous patron saint as well as Ireland’s female patron saint.
10 Things About the Real St. Patrick
There are many myths associated with St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. But Patrick’s own writings and early biographies reveal surprising facts like:
The Irish government declared a national holiday for another patron saint of Ireland, St. Brigid. Born in Ireland around 450 AD, Brigid is remembered for her compassionate nature and numerous miracles, including:
Turning a wooden column into a living tree
Curing Christians of serious debilities such as blindness and muteness
Open to all USC Dornsife undergraduate and graduate students, as well as alumni, the USC Dornsife Magazine Creative Writing Contest is looking for original fiction, poetry, memoirs or essays on the theme of health and well-being.
The winning entry will be published in USC Dornsife’s award-winning alumni magazine this spring. Deadline: March 15.
USC Dornsife Dean Amber Miller highlights how the groundbreaking research and forward-thinking initiatives developed at USC Dornsife will shape the future and reshape the public’s view of research universities.
The Oscar-nominated film American Fiction is adapted from Erasure, a novel written by USC Dornsife Professor of English Percival Everett. Hear him discuss the inspiration behind his book and his reaction to Oscars buzz.