Sustainability stories from the greater USC community in Los Angeles, the media and other organizations.
Price professor brings big data insights to big cities
Associate Professor Geoff Boeing helps cities around the world measure their progress toward becoming healthier and more sustainable.
USC Astronautics PhD Student on the Emerging Area of Space Sustainability
At the 7th Summit for Space Sustainability in Paris, USC PhD student José Pedro Ferreira raised awareness of the potential impacts of space activities in the atmosphere and the need for emerging research to be reflected in global governance.
Closing the Gap in Water Reuse: USC Engineer Elected to National Academy
Professor Amy Childress recognized by the NAE for transforming wastewater into clean water and bridging academia with the real world.
Imagining a Desert Art Museum: Featuring Ten USC Architecture Student Projects
In a striking new feature on Dezeen School Shows, student work from the University of Southern California School of Architecture was published for its inventive proposals for an art museum set within the rugged landscape near Joshua Tree National Park — a remote yet culturally resonant corner of California’s high desert.
USC Annenberg announces inaugural class of Health and Climate Change Reporting Fellows
The USC Annenberg Center for Climate Journalism and Communication and Center for Health Journalism are pleased to announce the selection of 10 talented journalists who will be participating in the inaugural cohort of the Health and Climate Change Reporting Fellowship.
Traveling Fellowship Spotlight: Jenae Edwards ’27 Explores the Architecture of Sinking Cultures
Thanks to the Avi Gesundheit Traveling Fellowship through the USC School of Architecture’s Traveling Fellowships scholarship programs, Jenae Edwards is exploring the Pacific, not just as a destination, but as a living classroom for climate resilience.
How young Angelenos come to understand and shape their city
With immersive, hands-on learning, USC Dornsife’s Los Angeles Service Academy prepares the next generation of civic-minded leaders.
Adoption of electric vehicles tied to real-world reductions in air pollution, study finds
Using satellite data, Keck School of Medicine of USC researchers reported the first statistically significant decrease in nitrogen dioxide linked to zero-emissions vehicles.
Two essential coral species are now functionally extinct — but should we give up hope?
After a devastating marine heatwave hit the Florida Keys and Dry Tortugas in 2023, the populations of two essential reef-building corals are now too low to fulfill their ecological roles. However, coral researchers are not giving up hope yet.
PFAS exposure may limit improvements in blood sugar after bariatric surgery
Researchers from the Keck School of Medicine of USC studied the relationship between PFAS exposure and changes in markers of type 2 diabetes in teens who underwent bariatric surgery, finding that the “forever chemicals” were linked to worse metabolic outcomes five years later.
Study links rising temperatures to reduced sleep in U.S. adults
Sleep length and quality suffer in hot weather, especially for those living on the West Coast, according to a new analysis from the Keck School of Medicine of USC.
‘Forever chemicals’ may increase liver disease risk in adolescents by as much as 3-fold
A research collaboration co-led by the Keck School of Medicine of USC and the University of Hawai’i found that higher levels of two common types of PFAS in the blood were linked to an increased risk of early onset of MASLD, formerly known as fatty liver disease.
How past extinctions can help us manage climate change today
How can extinctions that occurred millions of years ago help us plan for and manage the effects of climate change today?
After summiting Everest, Price student researches the mountains she climbs
Lucy Westlake, the youngest American woman to reach the top of Mount Everest, has climbed glaciated mountains since she was 11 years old. Over the years, she’s seen them change.
Introducing the First Cohort of Astani Graduate Sustainability Scholars
A recently launched program at the USC Sonny Astani Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering provides a launchpad for young scholars to research major environmental challenges.
LA’s shade gap: Many think their streets are covered – they’re not
Nearly half of Angelenos say their block has enough shade even though most live on tree-sparse streets. A new LABarometer report also reveals how race, politics and education shape support for greening the city.
Case Study: Adapt unveils Climate-Resilient Home Designs in landmark USC Symposium
A major new chapter in Los Angeles’ architectural innovation unfolded last week as Case Study: Adapt (CSA), a nonprofit revival of the iconic mid-century Case Study House Program, debuted its Design Release Exhibition at the USC School of Architecture.
How climate finance to help poor countries became a global shell game
Assistance has often rested on fuzzy accounting, with funding for airports, hotels and even ice cream stores being counted as climate finance.
From water-generating fungi to plant-based AI, Aroussiak Gabrielian reimagines the future of co-existence with the biophysical world
Step into the landscape of Aroussiak Gabrielian’s creative practice, and you enter a strange and wondrous world where art, ecology and technology fuse into new forms of intimacy and survival.
Evelyn Tickle Awarded NSF Small Business Innovation Research Phase II Funding
USC School of Architecture lecturer Evelyn Tickle and her firm GRoW Oyster Reefs LLC have been awarded U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II research and development funding in the amount of $1.24 million over two years.
The Hidden Chemistry of Human Survival
Jeremy Alexander, Doug Peacock Scholar, finds innovation in overlooked spaces – from wastewater microbes to aerospace materials – to protect life on Earth and beyond.
High-tech architect: Doris Sung’s research and inventions focus on how buildings can improve life
Architects are not typically inventors working in high-tech. But Doris Sung is.
Doris Sung and Research Team Representing 4 USC Schools Receive 2025 AIA Latrobe Prize
The AIA Latrobe Prize — a $150,000 grant to support a two-year program of research — is the largest grant for architecture in the nation.
2 iconic coral species are now functionally extinct off Florida, study finds – we witnessed the reef’s bleaching and devastation
A recent marine heat wave had a calamitous effect on two of Florida’s most important coral species.
Familiar harms, familiar terms
Since visiting the Georgia Aquarium this summer, I’ve wanted to call something in my line of work orange cup coral. The acidic orange animal is considered invasive, which means it spreads more than it should, and if permitted, overruns native plants and animals.
Trump’s words aren’t stopping China, Brazil and many other countries from setting higher climate goals, but progress is slow
The Trump administration has been pressuring countries to back away from their climate commitments, but many are still pressing ahead.