Inventing Solutions
Our world no longer fits into neat little buckets. Today’s issues dismantle traditional organizational structures and require interdisciplinary approaches. Our community of collaborators work across disciplines to apply new approaches to solving problems. We bring unconventional partners together — scientists, storytellers, visual artists — in an effort to inspire one another and find solutions in the space in between disciplines.
An Urban Mindset
Tracking food and nutrition security in Los Angeles County
USC Urban Trees Initiative
Measuring carbon dioxide and pollutant levels in Los Angeles
Having a critical mass of faculty across our different campuses, bringing in our different expertise areas, is really about ameliorating the risk that is associated with drug development. The other aspect of critical mass is that we also want to develop a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship.
Steve Kay, University and Provost Professor, Director of the USC Michelson Center for Convergent Bioscience
Interdisciplinary Answers
USC Stevens Center for Innovation
It’s one thing to discover; it’s another to move it to the marketplace where commercialization can maximize positive impact. USC’s technology licensing office plays a key role in the innovation ecosystem across Southern California.
Meeting Today’s Challenges, Head-on
The world is facing complex issues that often have conflicting factors: empty buildings amid housing shortages; climate-fighting technologies and red tape; clinical pain management and opioid addictions. Finding solutions requires new approaches and relentless determination.
Academic Rigor, Visionary Approaches
USC scholars and researchers rise to meet varied modern problems with groundbreaking innovations, cross-disciplinary collaboration and creative solutions — transforming how we tackle today’s most critical issues.
USC Leonard Davis faculty member receives Vincent Cristofalo Rising Star in Aging Research award
The American Federation for Aging Research recognized Bérénice Benayoun for her research.
Fluoride exposure during pregnancy linked to increased risk of childhood neurobehavioral problems
USC researchers conducted the first U.S.-based study examining the link between prenatal fluoride and childhood social, emotional and behavioral functioning.
A new ‘rule of biology’ may have come to light, expanding insight into evolution and aging
Living things usually prefer stability to conserve energy and resources, but instability might also play a vital role, USC Dornsife molecular biologist John Tower says.
U.S. schools are not racially integrated, despite decades of effort
May 17 marks the 70th anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education ruling that racial segregation in schools was unconstitutional. To learn how things have changed — and haven’t — read this piece USC Rossier Dean Pedro Noguera wrote in 2022.
Graduating engineer’s seeks solutions for global water challenges
COMMENCEMENT: Ana Luiza Behisnelian is using her environmental engineering degree to take on the mission of protecting one of our planet’s most important resources.
Detecting influence campaigns on social media with AI and network science
USC researcher Luca Luceri is co-leading an effort to identify and characterize influence campaigns on social media.
Jazz innovator named USC Thornton artist-in-residence
Acclaimed jazz pianist/composer Gerald Clayton returns to his alma mater as a role model for the next generation.
USC researcher discovers drug that may delay onset of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease and treat hydrocephalus
Young-Kwon Hong and his team have developed a drug that can help clear fluid and cellular debris from the brain.
Voters underutilizing free tool to track status of vote-by-mail ballots, USC report finds
Less than one-third of voters used the free BallotTrax tracking tool in 2022, USC Price’s Center for Inclusive Democracy says.
How can we make AI more humanlike — and how far should we go?
Researchers at USC’s Information Sciences Institute are exploring the possibilities of creating chatbots that are more conversational and humanlike.