USC Dornsife
USC Dornsife
USC Dornsife Office of Research Advancement
Descripton at end of newsletter                                                          Week of January 15, 2024          

Greetings Dornsife Faculty,
This week's report includes
  -  External funding success obtained by 3 College faculty;
  -  Current funding opportunities, including 4 limited submissions;

  -  Announcement from DCG regarding updated NIH requirements for eRA Commons credentials for Senior and Key Personnel on grant proposals.
 
Best regards,
Renee J. Perez, Vice Dean, Administration & Finance
Cathleen Crayton, Project Specialist
 
External Funding Successes
Cornelius Gati, Bridge Institute, Deconvolution of Galbulimima bark pharmacology through chemical synthesis and target assignment, Scripps Research Institute

Emily Liman, Neurobiology, Cellular physiology of Otopetrin Proton Channels, National Institute of General Medical Sciences

Manuel Pastor, Equity Research Institute, Indigenous Migrants of Los Angeles County, California Endowment


External Funding Opportunities
**Limited Submission*** 
(time sensitive)
Department of Energy (DoE) / Office of Science (SC) / Fusion Energy Sciences (FES)
Program: Research in Basic Plasma Science and Engineering
FOA #
: DE-FOA-0003254
Synopsis: Supports single investigators or small-group researchers from universities and non-profit organizations for projects that aim to expand current knowledge or explore new frontiers of knowledge leading to significant advances in the fundamental understanding of basic plasma science and engineering. Research projects are generally expected to support students, postdocs, or individuals from diverse backgrounds, including individuals historically underrepresented in the research community. Broadly, the areas of interest include
  -  Dynamical Processes in Plasma
  -  Non neutral, Ultracold Neutral, and Dusty Plasma Physics
  -  Low Temperature Plasma Processes
Details of these topic areas are in the solicitation. Integrated research projects, combining detailed laboratory experiments or data, theory, and advanced modeling or simulation, are encouraged. 
Award details: A multi-institutional team, whether applied for as a prime applicant with subawards or as collaborative applications, is limited to a request of no more than $770K for 3 years. The minimum award is $100K per year.
USC Internal announcement: https://rii.usc.edu/limited-submissions/de-foa-0003254/
External announcement on website: Research in Basic Plasma Science and Engineering 
USC Internal due date: January 26, 2024.
Letter of Intent due date: February 9, 2024.
External due date: March 29, 2024.
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**Limited Submission***
(time sensitive — 1 space)

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention / National Center for Chronic Disease
Program: Demonstration Projects to Research and Evaluate Strategies Aligned with CDC’s What Works in Schools Approach
Funding #:  RFA-DP-24-138
Synopsis: Supports research to aligned with CDC’s What Works in Schools (WWIS) approach for successful implementation in local education agencies and schools serving rural or American Indian and / or Alaska Native (AI / AN) adolescents to address students’ health behaviors, experiences and outcomes, particularly those related to sexual and reproductive health as well as suicidality substance use and experiences of violence. The purpose of the research is to build the evidence base for innovative, school-based or school-linked strategies that promote the health of youth across multiple health domains while also supporting translation and dissemination of the research findings. Strategies may include programs, policies, or practices that seek to improve sexual and reproductive health as well as improve mental and behavioral health in a manner that also addresses health equity among youth in local education agencies and schools serving rural or AI/AN adolescents. Additionally, strategies may also seek to reduce suicidality, substance use and experiences of violence among school-aged adolescents.
Award details: $5M. Anticipate 2 awards.
USC Internal announcement: https://rii.usc.edu/limited-submissions/cdc-rfa-dp-24-138/
External announcement on website: What Works in Schools Approach
USC Internal due date: January 26, 2024.
Letter of Intent due date: February 9, 2024.
External due date: March 11, 2024.
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***Limited Submission*** 
(1 slot)
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Program: Grant Funding to Address Indoor Air Pollution at Schools
Funding Opportunity #
: EPA-R-OAR-APS-24-02
Synopsis: Supports projects that propose to monitor and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and other air pollutants at schools in low-income and disadvantaged communities. Entities with experience conducting national, regional, or multi-state IAQ management capacity building programs, providing IAQ training, executing IAQ research in school settings, or disseminating IAQ standards / policies that have achieved positive outcomes (especially with schools and Tribal entities) are encouraged to apply. GHG reductions and IAQ improvements in buildings can be obtained through: 1) better facility design, construction, operation, maintenance, and renovation practices; 2) policies and programs that support behavior change among occupants, such as updating or adopting new building codes, local and state ordinances, and IAQ standards of practice; 3) training programs; 4) air quality monitoring programs; and 5) and education campaigns. Applications will be placed in separate Tracks depending on which project areas are addressed in the application. Applications that only address combinations of project areas 1 through 3 will be placed in Track A. Applications that include project area 4 (in addition to at least one of project areas 1 through 3) will be placed in Track B. Track B will be evaluated by an additional criterion, as described in Section V. Track A and Track B applications will be ranked separately. The EPA selection official intends to make selections from top ranked applications in each ranking list.
Award details: Program funding is $5-8M. Anticipate making 4-6 awards.
USC Internal announcement: https://rii.usc.edu/limited-submissions/epa-r-oar-aps-24-02/
External announcement on website: Indoor Air Pollution at Schools
USC Internal due date: February 2, 2024.
Letter of Intent due date: February 22, 2024.
External due date: March 19, 2024.
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***Limited Submission***
(2 slots)

U.S. Department of Agriculture / National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Program: Equipment Grants Program (EGP)
NOFO #
: USDA-NIFA-OP-010493
Synopsis: Supports the acquisition of a single, well-integrated piece of equipment/instrument. Well-integrated means that the ensemble of equipment that defines the instrument enables specific fundamental or applied research experiments in the food and agricultural sciences, including data science and data systems; separating or removing an element or component of such an integrated instrument would preclude that research from occurring or succeeding. An instrument acquired with support from EGP is expected to be fully operational by the conclusion of the first year of the project. In FY 2024, EGP will support the installation of equipment (but not the costs associated with building or modifying facilities to house the equipment), equipment warranty for the duration of the award, and one-time equipment use training.
Award details: Minimum award is $25K; maximum award is $500K. The grant period is 48 months.
USC Internal announcement: https://rii.usc.edu/limited-submissions/nifa-equipment-grants-program/
Announcement on website: https://www.nifa.usda.gov/sites/default/files/2024-01/FY24-EGP-RFA-P.pdf
USC Internal due date: March 1, 2024.
Application due date: May 3, 2024.
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Graham Foundation
Program: Production and Presentation Grants to Organizations
Synopsis
: Supports organizations with the production and presentation of significant programs about architecture and the designed environment to promote dialogue, raise awareness, and develop new and wider audiences. Specifically, supports organizations in their effort to take risks in programming and create opportunities for experimentation; recognizes the vital role they play in providing individuals with a public forum in which to present their work; and helps them to realize projects that would otherwise not be possible without Graham Foundation support. An organization of an academic department / unit may only apply for one grant per year. (In the case of large institutions with multiple departments, a subsidiary department/unit may apply for one grant per year. For example, an academic department / unit at a university may apply for one grant per year.)
Award details: Up to $30K for 2 years.
Announcement on website: http://www.grahamfoundation.org/grant_programs?mode=organization
Application due date: February 25, 2024.
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PEN America
Program: Emerging Voices Fellows
Synopsis
: Supports early-career writers from traditionally underrepresented communities in the publishing world with a virtual 5-month immersive mentorship program. Seeks to cultivate the careers of writers who identify as Indigenous, persons of color, LGBTQ+, immigrants, writers with disabilities, and those living outside of urban centers through curated one-on-one mentorship and introductions to editors, agents, and publishers, in addition to workshops on editing, marketing, and creating a platform, etc.
Award details: 5 months of mentoring; belonging to a community of writers; 1-year membership in PEN America; a writer’s toolkit including a professional headshot, submission guide for literary journals, agents, residencies, and fellowships, and more.
Announcement on website: https://pen.org/emerging-voices-fellowship/
Application due date: July 31, 2024.
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W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research
Program: 2024 Early Career Research Awards
Synopsis
: Supports junior researchers (within 6 years of earning a Ph.D.) to conduct policy-related research on employment issues. The Institute encourages research proposals on all issues related to employment and public workforce policy. Research of interest may examine how policies affect overall labor market outcomes or the labor market outcomes of different groups. Recipients are expected to write a research paper based on the funded work, submit the paper to the Institute’s working paper series, and prepare a synopsis of the research for use as a policy brief and for possible publication in the Institute’s newsletter, Employment Research.
Award details: $7.5K
Announcement on website: https://www.upjohn.org/sites/default/files/inline-files/24%20Grant%20Announcement.pdf
Application due date: January 21, 2024
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Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Program: Addressing the Harms of Financialization in Healthcare
Synopsis
: Supports actionable research that augments data on the intersection of financialization and structural racism to help counter the harms of financialization in the healthcare system. Proposals that are of interest are research projects that bolster advocacy campaigns and organizing efforts; build on opportunities afforded by the political and social landscape; and produce timely and useful information for use by advocates, community organizers, policymakers, and other decision-makers. Of particular interest are projects that explore the mutually reinforcing issues of financialization and structural racism in the U.S. healthcare system; that use racial justice as an entry point and / or lens; and community-engaged work that fosters new partnerships and allies among researchers and advocates. Projects should fall under 3, sometimes overlapping, topic areas: Policy and Systems; Narratives and Storytelling; and Financialization and Structural Racism.
Award details: Awards will range from $100K to $300K for projects 12 to 18 months duration.
Announcement on website: https://www.rwjf.org/en/grants/active-funding-opportunities/2024/addressing-the-harms-of-financialization-in-healthcare.html
Concept paper due date: February 12, 2024.
Full proposal due date (invited): April 8, 2024.
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American Federation for Aging Research
Program: Glenn Foundation Discovery Award
Synopsis
: Supports research projects with strong potential to develop pioneering discoveries for understanding the underlying biological mechanisms that govern normal human aging and its related physiological decline. Relevant proposals from any branch of biology are eligible. Projects that characterize aging as a disease or that focus on specific diseases are discouraged unless the research plan provides direct connections to the biology of aging and / or the prospect of a translational discovery relevant to improving human healthspan. This funding program specifically seeks to include principal investigators (who are full-time assistant professors or higher) who may not have previously worked in the area of aging, but whose research and expertise apply to understanding the biological mechanisms of normal aging and its relevance to age-associated health decline.
Award details: The award is for $525K payable in annual installments of $175K per year for 3 years. Up to 8% may be used for indirect expenses.
Announcement on website: https://www.afar.org/grants/gfmrdiscovery
Letter of intent due date: February 15, 2024.
Full proposal due date (invited): Late May 2024. The award begins in July 2024.
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American Psychological Association
Program: Dr. Christine Blasey Ford Grant
Synopsis
: Supports graduate students and early career researchers (10 years or less) conducting innovative work focusing on the understanding, prevention and / or treatment of the consequences of exposure to traumatic events such as sexual assault, sexual harassment, and / or rape.
Award details: Up to $3K
Announcement on websitehttps://apf.apa.org/funding/blasey-ford/
Application due date: February 21, 2024.
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Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR)
Program: 2024-2027 FFAR Fellows
Synopsis
: Supports Ph.D. students studying food and agriculture-related sciences in the United States and Canada. Led by North Carolina State University, Fellows are provided with training, networking opportunities, and peer support. Over the three years, members of each cohort (25-30 fellows) attend four in-person meetings plus monthly virtual sessions, create and execute annual professional development plans, and network and establish mentor-mentee relationships with industry scientists and others outside of academia. Supports fellows in 2 categories: Stipend / Professional Development Fellows are applicants who have at least 50% of the sponsorship pledged by a non-academic entity (e.g., company, commodity organization, foundation, state government) to be considered. The remaining funds can be from departmental or university accounts as long as the source is non-federal (examples of federal funds not accepted: USDA, NIH, or NSF grant funds); (2) Professional Development Fellows who have at least partial funding from a non-academic entity (e.g., company, commodity organization, foundation, state government).
Award details:  Stipend + Professional Development: The sponsor(s) will commit $32.5K per year to the Fellowship, matched equally by FFAR. The total of $65K / annually is distributed as follows: $49.5K for student stipend tuition, fees, etc.; $5.5K for university overhead; and $10K retained by the FFAR Fellowship Program lead institution, North Carolina State University, for program management and costs of the professional development training. Professional Development Fellow: Students accepted into the Professional Development category are full members of the cohort and take part in all professional development activities. Sponsors are invoiced for $5K per year for each of the three years of the program. Sponsorships cover the costs of participation in the program. Students do not receive direct payments.
Announcement on website: https://ffarfellows.org/apply/
Application due dates: Stipend /  Professional Development Fellowship: February 22, 2024; Professional Development Fellowship: April 15, 2024.
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Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation
Program: Prevention Request for Proposal
Synopsis
: Supports studies of cognitive symptoms due to health conditions, comparative effectiveness research, and epidemiological studies that probe whether the use or choice of drugs alters the risk for dementia or cognitive decline. Seeks studies in 3 areas: (1) Studies of cognitive decline and risk reduction; (2) Comparative effectiveness studies to generate an evidence base on whether choices in the routine clinical care of pre-existing conditions could protect from dementia; and (3) Studies Leveraging the Consortium of Cohorts for Alzheimer's Prevention Action (CAPA): Epidemiological studies contribute unmatched information on whether the risk of dementia or cognitive decline may be influenced by long-term exposure to supplements or medications. Researchers and clinicians worldwide are eligible to apply.
Award details: Up to $5M for clinical trials based on stage and scope of research over a multiyear period. The payment structure will be negotiated and based on milestone achievements and recruitment.
Announcement on website: https://www.alzdiscovery.org/research-and-grants/funding-opportunities/prevention-pipeline
Letter of Intent due dates: February 5, 2024; May 13, 2024; and September 30, 2024.
Full proposal due date (invited): April 8, 2024; July 22, 2024; and December 9, 2024.
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Fredrich’s Ataxia Research Alliance (FARA)
Program: General Research Grant
Synopsis
: Supports research through funding competitive grants across the spectrum from basic research through drug development and clinical research programs in Friedreich's Ataxia (FA). FARA promotes collaboration among scientists, advocates for public-private partnerships and hosts open forums for leading scientists to share their insights and ideas to advance therapeutic development for FA.
Award details: $125K per year for 1-2 years.
Announcement on website: https://www.curefa.org/grant
Letter of Intent due dates: February 15, 2024; August 15, 2024.
Application due dates: April 15, 2024; October 15, 2024.
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Hearing Health Foundation
Program: Emerging Research Grant
Synopsis
: Supports promising researchers who are in the early stages of their careers and focusing on hearing loss, hearing restoration, and hearing and balance-related conditions. Senior investigators are also eligible for grants in specific hearing and balance topics. Priority is given to new investigators in the field of hearing and balance and to projects that are likely to open new lines of inquiry. New and innovative projects developed by established scientists will also be considered. Both fundamental and clinical research proposals are welcome.
Award details: $50K for 1 year; Grantees may apply for a 2nd year of funding or for a 1 year extension without additional funds granted. (The Grantee may then apply for a 2nd year of funding following the one-year extension.) Up to 10% indirect costs allowed.
Announcement on website: https://hearinghealthfoundation.org/how-to-apply#
Application due date: February 29, 2024.
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Department of Health and Human Services / Health Resources and Services Administration
Program: Autism Field-Initiated Innovative Research Studies (Autism FIRST)
Funding Opportunity Number
: HRSA-24-048
Synopsis: Supports empirical research that advances the evidence on early screening and interventions to improve the health and well-being of children, adolescents, and young adults with autism and other developmental disabilities (DD) across the lifespan. Objectives to be accomplished during the period of performance are to:
  -  Generate new evidence to address the needs of underserved autistic / DD populations for whom there is limited evidence of the effectiveness of interventions, and limited access to screening, diagnosis, and treatment for autism / DD;
  -  Conduct and disseminate findings from applied an / or translational research on critical and emerging autism/DD issues using a research design including a collection of primary data among underserved populations, with a special focus on children, adolescents, and young adults up to the age of 26.
  -   Inform public health efforts to improve delivery of health and related services through studies that are generalizable and replicable for underserved autism/DD populations; and
  -  Align research with the Maternal and Child Health Bureau’s Strategic Research Issues and Blueprint for Change, with an emphasis on promoting health equity, family and child well-being, quality of life, and access to services.
Award details: Up to $300K for 3 years.
Announcement on website: Autism FIRST 
Application due date: April 3, 2024.
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NSF / Across Most Directorates (including STEM, MPS, BIO and SBE)
Program: Future Manufacturing (FM)
Solicitation #
: NSF 24-525
Synopsis: Supports inventive approaches to invigorate the manufacturing ecosystem and seed nascent future industries that can only be imagined today. FM supports research and education that will enhance U.S. leadership in manufacturing by providing new capabilities for companies and entrepreneurs, by improving our health, quality of life, and national security, by expanding job opportunities to a diverse STEM workforce, and by reducing adverse impacts of manufacturing on the environment. At the same time, FM enables new manufacturing that will address urgent social challenges arising from climate change, global pandemics and health disparities, social and economic divides, infrastructure deficits of marginalized populations and communities, and environmental sustainability. 3 thrust areas have been identified for support under this solicitation: Future Cyber Manufacturing Research, Future Eco Manufacturing Research, and Future Biomanufacturing Research.
Award details: Future Manufacturing Research Grants (FMRG) awards are up to $5M for up to 4 years; Future Manufacturing Seed Grants (FMSG) - up to $500K for up to 2 years.
Announcement on website: https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2024/nsf24525/nsf24525.pdf
Full proposal due date: April 11, 2024; January 13, 2025.
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NSF / Across several Dornsife-relevant Directorates; Ford Foundation; The Patrick J. McGovern Foundation; Pivotal Ventures; The Eric and Wendy Schmidt Fund for Strategic Innovation; and the Siegel Family Endowment
Program: Responsible Design, Development, and Deployment of Technologies (ReDDDoT)
Solicitation #: NSF 24-524
Synopsis: Supports multidisciplinary, multi-sector teams that examine and demonstrate the principles, methodologies, implementations, and impacts associated with responsible design, development, and deployment of technologies in practice, focusing especially on artificial intelligence, biotechnology, or natural and anthropogenic disaster prevention or mitigation including, but not limited to, climate change mitigation and environmental sustainability.
Award details: Phase 1 will fund an estimated ~10-12 Planning Grants (up to $300K each for no more than 2 years), 2 Translational Research Coordination Networks (up to $500K each for 3-4 years), and ~8-10 Workshops (up to $75K each); Phase 2 will fund an estimated 8-12 Project proposals ($750K - $1,500K each for 3 years).
Announcement on website: https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2024/nsf24524/nsf24524.pdf
Application due date: Phase 1: Planning Grants, Translational Research Coordination Networks, Workshops: April 8, 2024; Phase 2: Project proposals: April 22, 2024.
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NSF / Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences - Division of Mathematical Sciences and the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency
Program: Algorithms for Threat Detection (ATD)
Solicitation #
: 24-526
Synopsis: Supports research on new approaches to leveraging massive spatiotemporal datasets to analyze and understand spatiotemporally distributed phenomena. Program objectives include improved representation of complex spatiotemporal dynamics and the development of advanced computational algorithms that can process massive data in near real-time to rapidly, reliably, and securely identify aberrant phenomena and render actionable predictions about potential threats indicated by such phenomena. The program supports research projects in 2 topical areas:
(1) Projects that aim to develop novel mathematical, statistical, and computational algorithms for rapid, reliable, and secure analysis of massive spatiotemporal datasets, at scale. Research that effectively leverages spatiotemporal features of source data is of particular interest, e.g., project proposals developing new insights into characterizing human activities and impacts on the Earth's surface, made possible by new data sources.  (2) Projects that develop mathematical theory to guide the application of advanced artificial intelligence to processing massive spatiotemporal data (e.g., problems in computer vision, large language models, natural language processing).
Solicitation includes a list of specific areas of interest.
Award details
: Program funding is anticipated to be $3M annually. The estimated number of awards is 10-20, the amount of each award is subject to the availability of funds.
Announcement on website: https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2024/nsf24526/nsf24526.htm?WT.mc_ev=click&WT.mc_id=&utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery
Proposal due dates: April 10, 2024; February 19, 2025.
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NSF / Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences - Division of Mathematical Sciences and the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency
Program: Algorithms for Threat Detection (ATD)
Solicitation #: 24-526
Synopsis: Supports research on new approaches to leveraging massive spatiotemporal datasets to analyze and understand spatiotemporally distributed phenomena. Program objectives include improved representation of complex spatiotemporal dynamics and the development of advanced computational algorithms that can process massive data in near real-time to rapidly, reliably, and securely identify aberrant phenomena and render actionable predictions about potential threats indicated by such phenomena. The program supports research projects in 2 topical areas:
(1) Projects that aim to develop novel mathematical, statistical, and computational algorithms for rapid, reliable, and secure analysis of massive spatiotemporal datasets, at scale. Research that effectively leverages spatiotemporal features of source data is of particular interest, e.g., project proposals developing new insights into characterizing human activities and impacts on the Earth's surface, made possible by new data sources.  (2) Projects that develop mathematical theory to guide the application of advanced artificial intelligence to processing massive spatiotemporal data (e.g., problems in computer vision, large language models, natural language processing).
Solicitation includes a list of specific areas of interest.
Award details: Program funding is anticipated to be $3M annually. The estimated number of awards is 10-20, the amount of each award is subject to the availability of funds.
Announcement on website: https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2024/nsf24526/nsf24526.htm?WT.mc_ev=click&WT.mc_id=&utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery
Proposal due dates: April 10, 2024; February 19, 2025.
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Announcement of Interest for Dornsife Investigators
NIH has released a reminder and updated guidance to the requirement for eRA Commons IDs for all Senior / Key Personnel. An eRA Commons ID must be entered in the “Credential, e.g. agency login” field for all Senior / Key Personnel. Currently, applicants will encounter an eRA system warning if the “Credential, e.g. agency login” field is blank or does not contain a valid eRA Commons ID. The validation is anticipated to be updated from a warning to an error in mid-January in advance of due dates on or after January 25, 2024. See full NIH notice: eRA Commons Update  
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Book Cover: Bioethics and Human Rights  Contemporary Issues at Home and Abroad, Third Edition (Roman and Littlefield, December 2023) 
Wanda Teays and Alison Dundes Renteln, Political Science & International Relations




University of Southern California Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences | Los Angeles, CA 90089 US
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