Water Works and Sustainability

Water Sustainability

Water is the great primordial home; the incubator of all life on the planet. It has been and continues to be the single most important resource for all known living things.

So, it’s not surprising that water is the focal point of an array of efforts by USC Dornsife researchers, students and alumni to address some of the world’s most pressing challenges. From building resilience in farmed marine species to charting the ocean floor to ensuring homeless Angelenos get the water they need to survive, USC Dornsife scholars are finding innovative ways to quench the world’s thirst for solutions.

Stronger Mussels

In March, USC President Carol L. Folt cut the ribbon at the opening of USC Dornsife’s Nuzhdin Lab in San Pedro, California.

The lab focuses on regenerative aquaculture — the breeding, rearing and harvesting of macroalgae and shellfish — that can help produce seafood resilient to climate change. It also centers on commercializing new green technologies such as biofuels, made from kelp, that could reduce fossil fuel demand.

“Our research has the potential to reduce global warming, produce biofuels from the ocean, restore kelp populations,and provide a natural solution for the security of the California shoreline,” says Sergey Nuzhdin, professor of biological sciences.

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