Highlights

Sustainability stories from the greater USC community in Los Angeles, the media and other organizations.

2025 Wrigley Institute Graduate Fellow Bernadeth Tolentino, a PhD student in the USC Dornsife Department of Biological Sciences, studies how well giant kelp can survive different temperatures when it’s introduced to certain helpful bacteria (Anya Jiménez/USC Wrigley Institute).

“What do you do for a living?” a woman asked, sitting across from me at a local bar.

“I’m a marine biologist,” I replied, watching her apathetic expression transform into wonder.

2025 Wrigley Institute Graduate Fellow Josh Beckelhimer, a PhD candidate in the USC Dornsife Department of English, studies the fictional works of writers who narrate possibilities of climate change futures (Nick Neumann/USC Wrigley Institute).

As a reader, a literary scholar, and a lover of history, I love following in the footsteps of my idols. Even after five years as a transplant, my eyes still twinkle when I traverse Los Angeles, home to many beloved writers and artists.

2025 Wrigley Institute Graduate Fellow Priyanka Soni holds an endangered abalone specimen collected from Southern California in the 1900s. The specimen is currently part of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County’s special collection for educational purposes. Abalones have persisted for over 20 million years, but some species—such as the black and white abalone—are now critically endangered, according to the IUCN Red List (Nick Neumann/USC Wrigley Institute).

Growing up near the ocean, I was fascinated by the small creatures I found in tide pools—slow-moving snails, tiny bivalves, and the colorful shells used by hermit crabs.

Jane Goodall

The trailblazing primatologist helped to advance the study of great apes at the College, and left a lasting mark on its students and faculty.

2025 Wrigley Institute Graduate Fellow Jason Tuấn Vũ, a PhD candidate in the USC Dornsife Department of American Studies and Ethnicity, examines the relationship between war legacies and climate change in contemporary Vietnam (Courtesy of Jason Tuan Vu).

On my first-ever research trip to Vietnam, I was confronted with two extremes.

2025 Wrigley Institute Graduate Fellow Catherine “Cat” Odendahl stands underneath an archway in Altadena that withstood the destruction of the January 2025 L.A. wildfires, a symbol she believes conveys hope for the community (Nick Neumann/USC Wrigley Institute).

The smell of smoke lingered in the air for weeks, a quiet reminder of what the community had endured.

Image announcing the 2025 Shade Zones Competition Jury

The USC School of Architecture is proud to announce the jury for the Shade Zones Design Competition.

A rooftop rainwater harvesting system, developed by a Mexico-based NGO to address water scarcity issues. (Courtesy of Paulina Olvia)

The second episode of our #FridayFacts video series features Paulina Oliva, Professor of Economics and Spatial Sciences at USC Dornsife, who is a recipient of a 2024-2026 Wrigley Institute Faculty Innovation Award

Rachel Wang presenting her project, "The Flowscape".

Rachel Wang (B.Arch 2028) has received a Merit Student Award from AIA California’s 2025 Urban Design Awards for her project “The Flowscape.”

Modular shade structures in LA.

The annual competition invites students across the L.A. region to create modular shade structures that protect Angelenos from extreme heat and reimagine public spaces for a more resilient climate future.

2025 Wrigley Institute Fellow Zohaib Suhail, who works with the Prakash Lab at USC’s Loker Hydrocarbon Research Institute, carefully pries open a reactor to analyze the results of a reaction. (Nick Neumann/USC Wrigley Institute).

We are on the cusp of a great energy transition. 

2025 Wrigley Institute Graduate Fellow Mia Franks changing a filter for water sampling on the San Pedro Ocean Times Series cruise in June (Nick Neumann/USC Wrigley Institute).

The human microbiome is described as the collection of all the microorganisms in and on our bodies that contribute to our health and wellness.

2025 Wrigley Institute Graduate Fellow Jenna Dilworth uses an airbrush to remove tissue from a coral fragment so it can be further processed for molecular analyses (Nick Neumann/USC Wrigley Institute).

It’s not always easy for scientists in my field to think about the future.

Follow & Subscribe to USC Architecture Connect with us on social media and sign up for our mailing list to receive information about upcoming events, exhibitions, school news and more. Three fifth-year Bachelor of Architecture students from the USC School of Architecture — Natalie Darakjian, Noelle Osborne, and Reed Wilson — have won first place in the 2025 Design for Freedom Student Competition in the category of Material Research.

Their project, Unmasking Greenwashing: Creating an Ethical Timber Supply Chain,” was recognized for its bold approach to addressing ethical sourcing and transparency in the global building materials supply chain.

The Wrigley Marine Science Center sits on Catalina Island’s Big Fisherman Cove, which is part of California’s network of marine protected areas. The USC Wrigley Institute for Environment and Sustainability, along with local Catalina Island groups, stewards the cove and the broader marine reserve that encompasses it. (Photo: Nick Neumann/USC Wrigley Institute)

Wrigley Marine Science Center’s Big Fisherman Cove is part of state network accepted to IUCN Green List.

Students in Alexander Robinson’s ARCH-546 elective pose for a group photo.

Students will work to revitalize Rainbow Canyon in Northeast Los Angeles with the aid of two new grants from the Rose Foundation and the Water Foundation totaling $115K. 

2025 Wrigley Institute Graduate Fellow Bradley Mackett uses a plankton tow net to collect phytoplankton from the surface ocean. Back in the lab, he will test how exposure to fire debris affects their physiology. (Nick Neumann/USC Wrigley Institute)

Most of my childhood memories are rooted in the Florida Panhandle—white sand beaches, crystal-clear emerald waters, and vibrant marine life. It felt like paradise. But even amid those idyllic scenes, I remember moments of devastation: the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the lingering effects of Hurricane Katrina, and most vividly, the toxic algal blooms.

A rooftop rainwater harvesting system, developed by a Mexico-based NGO to address water scarcity issues. (Courtesy of Paulina Olvia)

The second episode of our #FridayFacts video series features Paulina Oliva, Professor of Economics and Spatial Sciences at USC Dornsife, who is a recipient of a 2024-2026 Wrigley Institute Faculty Innovation Award. Her research explores a rainwater harvesting system developed in Mexico City as a response to water shortages.

Wrigley Institute-supported experts are aiding threatened species and ecosystems, including ocean corals, giant kelp, and the critically endangered Channel Islands fox. (Illustration: Maria Francesca Melis)

How USC Sea Grant and partners came together to save two species of fish during the 2025 Los Angeles fires.

Aerial view of a steaming volcanic crater with a green lake, surrounded by rugged terrain and forested hills under a clear sky.

Discover a vast, previously unknown world of microbial life that survives — and even thrives — for hundreds of millions of years in some of the planet’s harshest environments.

Collage of students in APRU global climate change leadership program

Students from the University of Southern California participated in the Global Climate Change Leadership program hosted by The Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU).

Topanga Lagoon to release the gobies

How USC Sea Grant and partners came together to save two species of fish during the 2025 Los Angeles fires.

The latest LABarometer survey queried Angelenos’ thoughts on wildfire smoke, public transportation and electric vehicles. (Composite: Letty Avila. Image source: iStock.)

The latest USC Dornsife LABarometer survey finds Angelenos grappling with climate stress, doubting transit readiness for the Olympics and losing interest in electric vehicles.

Grueter Residence by Yo-Ichiro Hakomori

Beyond recognizing excellence in architectural and design projects within California, the SARA awards acknowledge the creativity, innovation, and social impact of architectural and design work.

Barbara Aguirre, Masters of Architecture and MS in Building Science

Her unique background in mechanical engineering, combined with her dual Master’s degree, allows her to bring a fascinating perspective to anything she does with an in-depth understanding of building systems.