Enlisting the power of AI to fight California wildfires
USC Viterbi artificial intelligence experts are helping firefighters strategize how best to plan controlled burns and manage unexpected blazes.
Summer at an island lab has undergraduates tackling questions about our oceans
Students scuba dive, snorkel and collect samples from the sea to solve problems such as how kelp’s circadian rhythm works and where sea cucumbers thrive best.
Citywide sensor network aims to measure carbon dioxide and pollutant levels across L.A.
The devices installed by USC’s William Berelson will help create a detailed map of greenhouse gases and other noxious emissions in various Los Angeles neighborhoods.
Study of nature preserve turns up more than 1,000 species and signs of changing oceans
To create a comprehensive inventory of marine species in Santa Catalina Island’s Blue Cavern Point nature preserve, USC scholars dived into kelp forests and came face-to-face with a great white shark.
Water dispute on the Nile River could destabilize the region
The rapid filling of a giant dam at the source of the world’s longest river could reduce the water supplies going to Egypt and increase tensions with Ethiopia, a new USC study finds.
USC Sea Grant program helps L.A. kids become young scientists and engineers
“Storytime with a Scientist” is just one of many university initiatives that teach local students about the wonders of the scientific world.
Nature and music come together unexpectedly for this 2021 grad
Cameron Audras has discovered how to mix his passion for conservation and his skill with the viola, interests that will culminate with degrees in environmental sciences and music.
Former USC Viterbi professor making his mark on EPA’s leadership team
Philip Fine has parlayed his prowess at monitoring air quality and interpreting hard science for diverse stakeholders into influencing rules and regulations at the highest levels.
USC experts say tree planting could double shade across L.A.’s Eastside
University scientists, working with the city of Los Angeles, have developed a plan to grow an urban forest in communities vulnerable to heat waves and air pollution.
Environmental scholars guide students telling stories of ecology and conservation
Scientists at the USC Wrigley Institute are collaborating with students at the USC School of Cinematic Arts to convey scientific research through creative outlets like video games, animation and screenplays.
As the world heats up, USC experts examine our early responses to climate change
Policymakers and scientists are pushing for — and in some cases, enacting — steps like lessening our reliance on fossil fuels and redesigning cities, but the question remains: Will it be enough?
How to Make Los Angeles Greener? Urban Gardens Could Help
Jose Miguel Ruiz inspires sustainable renewal through onions, celery and Swiss chard — and it’s happening one empty lot at a time.
USC biologists devise new way to track carbon buildup in the ocean
The universal accounting method measures how carbon-based matter accumulates in the ocean and can also model past conditions to predict what may be in store for the warming Earth.
USC and the city of L.A. launch urban forest project on the Eastside
A consortium of experts and students will help determine which communities would benefit the most from more trees. It’s part of a widening environmental partnership between the city and the university.
Wetlands have saved Australia $27 billion in storm damage over the past five decades
Tropical storms have caused about $3 billion in damage in Australia over 50 years — a figure that would have been 10 times larger if not for coastal wetlands, a USC researcher and colleague found.
Back to our roots: Native plants are growing again at USC, thanks to student-led effort
After sustainability-minded students replaced turf with native species, a university partnership flowered. Now, more water-sipping indigenous plants are getting started at test plots around campus.
Joe Árvai aims to grow USC’s Wrigley Institute into a true sustainability hub
The new director of USC’s environmental research institute wants to leverage all of USC Dornsife’s unique strengths to help ensure a more livable future.
Metals from Chinese coal plants are ending up in the Pacific Ocean, with uncertain consequences
Though marine life may benefit from the influx of iron, USC scientists reinforce that the pollution from burning coal will have an adverse effect on human health.
From L.A. to Taiwan, students hunt down insects to better understand ecology
The pandemic didn’t stop the Trojans in Julie Hopper’s ecology class from catching and studying insects from yards and fields all around the world.
Effects of West Coast wildfires go beyond evacuations and air quality
USC experts explain why the worst wildfires in California’s history are just a preview of climate change’s eventual impact on our everyday lives.
Undergrad turns to both science and policy to take on climate change
Before she even became a Trojan, Isabella O’Brien turned discarded oyster, clam and mussel shells into a means to deacidify ocean and lake waters.
Predicting drought in the American West just got much more difficult
A new, USC-led study of more than 1,000 years of North American droughts and global conditions found that forecasting a lack of precipitation is rarely straightforward.
Climate change could make toxic algal blooms even more deadly
Research funded by USC Sea Grant has found that these increasingly toxic blooms can poison marine mammals and contaminate seafood.
Two new studies explore how pollution affects the brain
USC researchers are investigating the impact of fine particle pollution on child brain growth and in older women who aren’t eating enough fish.