USC Dornsife celebrates Tyler Prize winner for defining Earth’s vital limits
2024 Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement winner Johan Rockström. (Photo: Jadranko Marjanovic.)

Johan Rockström joins the ranks of environmental visionaries honored by the Tyler Prize, administered by USC Dornsife, for his pioneering work on the “Planetary Boundaries” framework.

USC researchers uncover biological circuit that protects plants from extreme conditions
Bioluminescent image of Arabidopsis seedlings expressing circadian clock reporter genes in response to water stress. Image by Tong Liang, PhD/ Kay laboratory, USC

A new study shows that plants use their circadian clocks to regulate responses to changes in water and salinity, offering a new avenue for creating drought-resistant crops.

Two USC Dornsife scientists elected senior members of the National Academy of Inventors
USC Dornsife professors Peter Kuhn and Travis Williams.

Travis Williams of chemistry and Peter Kuhn of biological sciences join a select list of innovators who “have brought or aspire to bring, real impact on the welfare of society.”

Evelyn Tickle’s Firm Grow Oyster Reefs Is Building Self-Healing Coastal Defense Infrastructures
A pile of oysters used in growing reefs.

The firm was awarded U.S. National Science Foundation Small Business Innovation Research funding.

USC’s sustainability efforts receive gold rating
An illustration collage of sustainable initiatives.

The rating is part of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education’s STARS system, and comes a year earlier than planned.

USC Sea Grant research, community outreach show approval of aquaculture can be earned
A cooking demonstration takes place at the South Central Sustainable Seafood Fest in November. (Photo/Nick Neumann)

People across all demographics could change their minds when they learned about the environmental benefits of seafood farming, USC research suggests.

Three USC Schools Collaborate to Reimagine the LA River
VIEW OF THE GLENDALE NARROWS SECTION OF THE THE LOS ANGELES RIVER.

Researchers in landscape architecture, fluid mechanics and augmented reality have created an interactive hydraulic model installed alongside the Los Angeles River.

USC launches first-of-its-kind podcast series and research focused on energy transition
Chip Zukoski, Host, Electric Futures and Sammy Roth, Climate Reporter, LA Times in the USC Annenberg studio. Photo courtesy of USC Annenberg Center for Climate Journalism and Communication)

The USC Annenberg Center for Climate Journalism and Communication (CCJC) announced the launch of Electric Futures.

Behind the Scenes at a National Renewable Energy Laboratory Internship
National Renewable Energy Laboratory Internship Program poses for a photo.

Mechanical Engineering PhD student Morgan Jones reports on his experience at the leading government research lab.

Are bugs bugging humans or the other way around? Study reveals surprises
Composite image of various bugs.
A yearlong project studying spiders and insects in Los Angeles turned up surprising results. (Composite: Letty Avila. Image sources: Wikimedia Commons, iStock and Kelsey Bailey.)

Researchers uncover factors in urban areas that affect diversity in insects and spiders. The study could help ensure the health of these crucial ecosystem contributors.