Skip to main content
search
Monthly Archives

July 2013

Excelling at Teaching and Science Alike

By Featured
Provost Beth Garrett and Dr. John Walsh

Provost Beth Garrett and Dr. John Walsh

Long recognized as an enormously effective and creative leader both in the classroom and in the lab, John Walsh, an associate professor of gerontology at the USC Leonard Davis School specializing in neuroscience, saw his exceptional work recognized with two major awards.

Earlier this year, he won one of only two Associates Awards for Excellence in Teaching given out annually at USC. In her remarks on his selection, provost Beth Garrett highlighted the flair for innovation that helped make Walsh a standout throughout his twenty-plus years as a Trojan.

“He capitalized on the multimedia revolution, realizing that it offered an opportunity to further his connection to students and to develop cutting-edge instruction tools and methods. Professor Walsh’s students esteem him for his enthusiasm, kindness, approachability and easygoing style, and his stellar reputation attracts students not only to his classes, but also to his movement disorders laboratory,” she said.

Receiving this high-profile award helped pave the way for Walsh to earn another, in fact, when he won a nearly $200,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to pioneer the use of multimedia, social media and gaming to teach neuroscience via mobile devices.

“‘Digital aging’ is an important focus for the USC Leonard Davis School, but we have to remember that it’s not just digital aging—it’s digital everything. Current and future generations will expect easy and reliable access to digital information and resources on retirement, housing, disease and cultural support,” Walsh said. “I have always been dedicated to using the latest technology and innovative approaches to further both my science and my students’ understanding, and I’m proud to help the Davis School advance its mission of being the world’s best source of information on aging—digital and otherwise.”

“John Walsh manages to be that extremely rare combination: a world-class scientist as well as a world-class teacher. We are so proud to see his creativity and vision recognized with these awards,” said Pinchas Cohen, dean of the USC Leonard Davis School. “His passion for science and students inspires us all. It is amazing to realize the impact he has had on the field, both through his own work and that of the many gifted alums who spent time in his lab or his classes.”

As grateful as he is for the recognition as both a scientist and a teacher, Walsh says that success in one area helps inspire him in the other.

“Research in education is a means for keeping teaching fresh and exciting, and it means so much to me to know that my methods are not only effective but also enjoyable for students,” Walsh said. “Teaching, like science, is an ever-changing art form, and I feel rewarded every day when I see the impact I can have on my students—and that they can have on me.”

USC Davis Joins World Congress on Digital Aging

By Featured

conferenceAs befitting its status as the world’s oldest and largest school of gerontology, the USC Leonard Davis School was well represented at the 20th International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics (IAGG) World Congress, held from June 23-28 in Seoul, South Korea.

Highlighting the Congress’s theme of “Digital @geing: A New Horizon for Health Care and Active Ageing,” USC Leonard Davis dean Pinchas Cohen and associate dean Maria Henke were on hand to discuss the School’s own proposed Digital Aging Center.

“We are deeply honored to join this global conversation on how to apply cutting-edge technology to the study of aging and to the service of the aged,” Cohen said. “Aging is the most universal of human experiences and it is our great pleasure to discuss the future of this exciting field with our international colleagues.”

Established in Belgium in 1950, the IAGG boasts organizations in 64 countries, a worldwide membership of nearly 50,000 and a consultant position to the United Nations. Its mission is to improve the global quality of life for older adults by serving as a network dedicated to sharing research results on health, welfare and rights.

“The ageing society is now a global challenge faced by not only advanced countries, but by the entire world,” said Heung Bong Cha, president-elect of IAGG in his invitation to attendees. “With the full support of the Korean government, I am confident that the Congress will be a successful global academic festivity of exchanging relevant research findings from all five continents and six oceanic regions of the world.”

Close Menu