USC LEADS FIGHT AGAINST TERRORISM

A May 7 reception celebrated an $11 million renewal grant funding USC's terrorism risk and economic analysis center for three more years. USC's Center for Risk and Economic Analysis of Terrorism ( CREATE ) became the first U.S. Department of Homeland Security Center of Excellence when it opened in March 2004. With the $11 million, three-year grant announced last week, it becomes the first such center to be renewed.

PLASTIC SURGERY FOR GRADUATION?

It's become trendy for nose jobs, breast implants, teeth whitening, skin resurfacing and liposuction to top a grad's wish list, says Dr. Roxanne Guy, American Society of Plastic Surgeons president. From 2002 to 2006, procedures performed on kids ages 13 to 19 nearly doubled to 244,124, including about 47,000 nose jobs and 9,000 breast augmentations, according to the ASPS.

ENERGY TALK AT CALTECH

The latest in clean alternative-energy resources and the promise for transportation was the focus of the California Clean Innovation 2007 (CACI) conference held May 11, on the campus of the California Institute of Technology. The event was designed to provide an inside look at the latest research, to address the challenges ahead and to provide information for new opportunities in alternative clean energy.