USC junior Madeline Koldos builds rockets, tests the Mars 2020 rover and encourages young girls to learn about science. Financial aid made it all possible.

USC Marshall’s Sarah Townsend and colleagues interviewed 30 first-generation MBA students about the college-to-work transition. They found that low-income first gen graduates experience familiar economic, social and cultural barriers when they get to work.

USC Annenberg’s Sarah Banet-Weiser argues for the need to translate the rage and frustration felt from the #MeToo movement into structural changes for society. “We need ... to be a kind of army,” she writes.

USC’s Joint Educational Project connects students with volunteer opportunities helping the homeless. It’s part of the university’s commitment to reducing homelessness in L.A. County.

Built with Japanese technology, it will be the first from students to use two engines on one flight vehicle.

USC’s Safiya Umoja Noble describes systemic racism built into internet search algorithms.

Joon-Ho Choi’s work connects indoor climate controls with physiological data. His work is being watched closely by manufacturing giants as a way to advance high-tech home and office indoor climate systems.

The national honor reflects the group’s strength in academic excellence, professional development and community outreach.