Sustainability stories from the greater USC community in Los Angeles, the media, and other organizations.
- Could Africa’s largest water dispute be avoided with open science?Researchers suggest a framework for sharing the Nile’s water and hydropower resources under prolonged drought.
- Want to raise concern about climate change? Tell someone’s storyA new study co-written by a USC professor finds that indirect experience with severe weather drives public concern about climate change around the world.
- Code GreenBy upcycling plastics, reducing environmentally harmful anesthesia gases and transforming medical supply chains, the USC health system and health sciences schools are working to shrink health care’s carbon footprint.
- Aroussiak Gabrielian’s research and design work reimagines AIWhat if artificial intelligence systems were built differently? How might they function if they were modeled not on human intelligence, but rather on plant intelligence?
- USC-led CLIMA Center awarded $4.1 million by NIH to study impact of wildfire smoke and extreme heat on human healthWith a $4.1 million grant from the National Institutes of Health, USC researchers will characterize climate-related exposures and gaps in adaptation capacity to understand their combined impacts on human health.
- Global sustainability pioneer named dean of the USC Price School of Public PolicyChristopher Boone joins USC Price after decades of work supporting the growth of sustainability programs in colleges and universities across the country.
- What triggered Nepal’s catastrophic 2021 flood – and could it happen again?Using cutting-edge technology, USC Dornsife scientists discovered how a deadly combination of factors led to disaster. They hope their research will help identify other regions vulnerable to similar flooding events.
- UN climate negotiations end on shaky geopolitical ground, but I see reasons for hopeNational leaders may be struggling to agree, but businesses see the economic benefits of clean energy, states are cutting emissions, and people everywhere are more cognizant of their actions.
- Newly established Antevy Innovation and Entrepreneurship Fund Empowers the Solution of Grand Challenges Addressed with the Civil and Environmental Engineering DisciplinesThe newly established fund inspires students and faculty at the USC Sonny Astani Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) to transform their research into high-impact solutions.
- Watching USC Trojans football has never been more sustainableNumerous 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 lifeResearchers 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 showsThe 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 industryThe 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 successesA 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 BayCoastal 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 controlNew 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 riseWith 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 PlanningBy designing projects to achieve multiple goals, the funding could deliver better outcomes for Angelenos.
- Revitalizing the Los Angeles River Through Community Design & Innovative ToolsClimate change is straining the ability of our aging infrastructure to withstand the impacts of floods, wildfires, heat waves, and hurricanes.
- Climate Change in Unscripted TelevisionBuilding upon our research on climate change issues in scripted film/TV, this study looks at the prevalence of sustainability and climate-related topics in unscripted television.
- Contemporary Architecture and the Natural EnvironmentProf. Yo-ichiro Hakomori’s latest projects include the renovation of the Berkshire Museum and a sustainable residence in the Yucca Valley.
- USC Dornsife Public Exchange and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) work together to advance use of nature-based solutions to tackle climate changeAt USC’s Capital Campus in Washington, D.C., policymakers, researchers and practitioners from across the country explored how nature can be used to address increasingly frequent climate-associated risks, such as floods, heatwaves and fires.
- Wrigley Institute Names 2024 Faculty Innovation Award WinnersThe Wrigley Institute for Environment and Sustainability (WIES) has named its 2024-2026 cohort of Faculty Innovation Award winners.
- How Buildings can Improve Life — A TED Talk by Doris SungFaculty Doris Sung delivered a TED Talk about reimagining building facades as active contributors to urban life and public health.
- Five USC Students Named Summer Sustainability FellowsThe USC Libraries have named five students as their summer 2024 sustainability fellows.