The following is the first in a series of interviews with MCM students completing their capstone project, an optional self-directed research or practical project that students conduct over their last two semesters in the program.  

Amy Herman’s project examined the concept of “Danger”, particularly with regards to overseas travel. 

The following are some of her responses to the capstone project and overall experience. 

I lived in the Middle East, and honestly, I got tired of everyone saying that I was "crazy" for living somewhere so "dangerous." So, I decided to see what really factors into the idea of "danger" - it turns out that there are at least 11 different things (corruption, sanitation, etc.) that can make a huge difference…and removing any single one makes the definition of "danger" less reliable. One of the challenges I faced along the way with this project was with a survey I created. If you ever do a survey, don’t translate it into six languages! But, I have real data and original research that may actually mean something, which is the coolest part.  I hope to make people think just a second more before they write off a destination or culture. If you want to stay posted on this project, just shoot me an e-mail and I'll add you to my mailing list!

If interested, e-mail ajherman@usc.edu to keep up with the status of Amy’s research.