Watching USC Trojans football has never been more sustainable
USC football sustainability: Zero Waste Team

Numerous efforts at USC are underway to ensure football games are as close to zero waste as possible.

Restricting sugar before birth and in early childhood greatly reduces risk of chronic disease later in life
A boy puts a marshmallow in his mouth under a “do not” symbol of a circle with a slash through it.

Researchers at USC Dornsife, UC Berkeley and McGill University take advantage of a “natural experiment” from World War II to analyze how sugar rationing influences long-term health.

Exposure to certain pollution sources harms children’s learning and memory, USC study shows
Young person looking at polluted sky.

The peer-reviewed study contributes to mounting evidence that the fine particulates PM2.5 are detrimental for memory and cognition for people of all ages.

USC Sea Grant receives nearly $2 million from NOAA for novel technology to turn marine debris into laundry detergent and sustainable dyes for the fashion industry
USC Ph.D. students Shayna Kohl (left) and Anvi Surapaneni (right), both from the lab of Professor Travis Williams, carry a discarded tire on Santa Catalina Island, where trash from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch often washes up. Photo credit: Vanessa Codilla

The University of Southern California Sea Grant Program was awarded nearly $2 million to develop a disruptive and sustainable method for upcycling ocean-bound plastic waste across Southern California waterways.

During Green Week, USC celebrates sustainability successes
Staff members Chelsea Graham, Sam Schongalla and Michael Wallich plant a tree in Founders Park for Arbor Day last year. (Photo/Gus Ruelas)

A host of changes are underway to make the university more sustainable. USC celebrates its fourth annual Green Week as September begins.

What is ‘blue carbon’? Inside USC’s research on carbon capture in Upper Newport Bay
The wetlands of the Upper Newport Bay Ecological Reserve support populations of shorebirds, waterfowl, native plants, and rare and endangered species. (Painting/Nina Raffio)

Coastal wetlands — threatened by rising seas — are nature’s powerhouses for capturing and storing carbon. USC researchers are studying how to protect these essential ecosystems.

Keeping native bees buzzing requires rethinking pest control
Wild bees play a crucial ecological and agricultural role, but pesticide use is making sightings of wild species increasingly rare. (Composite: Rhiannon Montelius. Image sources: Wikimedia Commons; Unsplash.)

New research adds solid evidence to the suspicion that steep declines in America’s wild bee populations stem in large part from pesticide use. Saving the crucial pollinators requires new approaches to managing pesky insects, say USC Dornsife researchers.

‘Mercury bomb’ threatens millions as Arctic temperatures rise
A 2022 drone image of the Yukon River and its floodplain downstream from Beaver, Alaska, shows accumulations of sediments, which harbor the toxic metal mercury. (Photo: Michael P. Lamb.)

With Arctic permafrost melting at a record pace, vast stores of toxic mercury put the food chain — and communities that depend on it — in grave danger. USC Dornsife scientists find a better way to assess the hazard.

Making Los Angeles More Resilient Through Inclusive Planning
A reimagined Los Angeles skyline with greenery and water features.

By designing projects to achieve multiple goals, the funding could deliver better outcomes for Angelenos.

Revitalizing the Los Angeles River Through Community Design & Innovative Tools
The Los Angeles River with rushing water and greenery.

Climate change is straining the ability of our aging infrastructure to withstand the impacts of floods, wildfires, heat waves, and hurricanes.