Stand Out

Sustainability: Human Factors

RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT

Effective technology is available to move the needle on sustainability. The challenge is to implement these solutions quickly and at scale.

That’s why USC Dornsife is thinking differently. Our researchers explore how to overcome the economic, political, and psychological challenges that stand in the way of a sustainable future.

Two side-by-side photos of Los Angeles, one of a treelined street and the other of a street with concrete sidewalks and a dried plant in the foreground.

USC Dornsife Magazine

As Climate Disparities Divide LA, Researchers Aim to Heal the Scars of Environmental Injustice

In a county reft by heat, USC Dornsife plants the seeds of change.

Dornsife Global

In Central Asia, Students Advocate for Human Rights Amid Geopolitical Tensions

A USC Dornsife Maymester course offers undergraduates an opportunity to engage with human rights activists, politicians and diplomats in one of the world’s least studied, most fraught regions.

USC students and their instructor tour Hazrat Sultan mosque in Kazakhstan’s capital, Astana.

Health

Falling for Financial Scams May Signal Early Alzheimer’s

New USC Dornsife research reveals a link between the thickness of a certain brain region and vulnerability to financial exploitation in older adults.

A woman holding a credit card looks at her smart phone.

Homecoming Is Nov. 16 — Let’s Celebrate!

Calling all Trojans! Enjoy the thrill of game day on campus and create new memories at our family-friendly Homecoming picnic before the showdown against the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Tickets include food, games, souvenir photos and more. Early-bird pricing is available through Sept. 30.

Get Tickets

A group posing in USC gear at a Homecoming event.

Professor Peter Kuhn sits in his office.

‘Cancer detective’ wants to use liquid biopsy to change how the disease is diagnosed and treated

A 2022 drone image of the Yukon River and its floodplain downstream from Beaver, Alaska, shows accumulations of sediments, which harbor the toxic metal mercury.

‘Mercury bomb’ threatens millions as Arctic temperatures rise

Water color painting of coastal wetlands

What is ‘blue carbon’? Inside USC’s research on carbon capture in Upper Newport Bay

An illustration of a doctor talking to a patient

Going beyond the diagnosis, narrative medicine can transform patient care

An illustration of honey bees with exes over their eyes

Keeping native bees buzzing requires rethinking pest control

Two prestigious grants fund PhD research in marine and molecular biology

From left: USC Dornsife professor Jessica Marglin, PhD students Katie Googe and Jordan Chancellor, and lecturer Nina Kang earned Fulbright awards.

Fulbright Scholar awards go to USC Dornsife professor and 2 PhD students

Composite image of Earth and nature elements.

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 change

A family having a meeting at a table with a white board

Moms think more about household chores − and this cognitive burden hurts their mental health

An illustration of butterflies on map points

When it comes to butterflies, people prefer pretty ones. That’s a problem for scientists.

A man in a suit in the stacks of a library

From witnessing oppression to investigating resistance

Volunteers tend to an insect trap in Los Angeles.

Bugs thrive in urban Los Angeles – volunteers’ traps reveal biodiversity hot spots for city insects and spiders

Graphic design of a person's head made of puzzle pieces.

$59 million boost enhances USC Dornsife’s Understanding America Study and nationwide research

A plate on a yellow background, on one side is processed fried food, on the other side is fresh food

LA County faces dual challenge: food insecurity and nutrition insecurity

Microscope slide of small copepod with male and female symbols

Discovery of vast sex differences in cellular activity has major implications for disease treatment

A still from Disney's Inside Out featuring several colorful animated characters representing various internal emotions at a pink command center console

Are mixed emotions real? New research says yes

A person in a white chef smock and head wrap holding a tray of golden Mexican pastries on their shoulder and smiling

USC Dornsife Food Equity Institute, local experts launch web resource for L.A. food entrepreneurs

Composite image of a bus driving on a city street and an electric car charging.

Still riding L.A.’s Metro after the pandemic? You probably think it’s safer than those who don’t anymore

An aerial view of an ocean liner carrying multi-colored shipping containers crossing a turquoise blue ocean

Ocean-inspired tech could speed up carbon capture from ships

Students in building walking up the stairs

Stand Out, Together

At USC Dornsife you’ll study the things you love the most. You’ll explore ideas that you’ve never thought about before. You’ll learn how to make sense of the world from all different angles. And, as part of our community, you will help to define a dynamic academic environment focused on improving lives and the world around us.

Meet the Students

USC Dornsife students demonstrate an impressive combination of academic excellence, accomplishment, creativity, and hard work. Each and every student is hand-selected because they bring something special and unique to our community.

Discover what makes our USC Dornsife community strong

A Brighter Future Isabella Pangilinan Environmental Studies major

The Power of “And” Joshua Senior Biological Sciences major, East Asian Languages and Cultures minor

A Trojan Family Like No Other Victoria Quon-Chow Human Biology major, Nutrition and Health Promotion minor

A Brighter Future

Isabella Pangilinan Environmental Studies major

USC Dornsife student Isabella Pangilinan is passionate about finding solutions to some of our world’s most pressing challenges like climate change and social and economic inequity. The multidisciplinary courses offered through her major are preparing her for a career in environmental law.

The Power of “And”

Joshua Senior Biological Sciences major, East Asian Languages and Cultures minor

USC Dornsife student Joshua Senior is studying to become a neurosurgeon. He explains how his liberal arts education at USC Dornsife prepares him for his career goals – and for life.

A Trojan Family Like No Other

Victoria Quon-Chow Human Biology major, Nutrition and Health Promotion minor

As a student at USC Dornsife, Victoria Quon-Chow is bouyed by the support of the Trojan Family as she prepares to become a doctor.

Public Exchange

Unprecedented Access to Academic Expertise

Public Exchange fast-tracks collaboration between academic researchers and the public and private sectors to define, analyze, and solve complex problems that organizations face. Through our first-of-kind model, we amplify social impact by making academic expertise more easily accessible than ever before.

Partner with Public Exchange

Life in L.A.

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Experiential Learning

group of students linked in line, laughing together

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Belonging

News and Events

A group of college students pose with professor Stephen Bradforth flashing the Trojan salute

Summer Sustainability Internship Equips Community College Students for Success

The USC-Cerritos College Summer Research Internship in Sustainability at USC Dornsife opens academic and career pathways for aspiring science majors.

Oct 16

How Underrepresented Voters Could Shape the 2024 Election

12:00 pm Virtual The presidency may be determined by razor-thin margins in swing states this November. Join us live with your questions for our panel who will explore the key issues driving engagement among these underrepresented voters.