Spring semester is almost over and commencement is just around the corner. Let’s take a moment to collectively recognize the achievements of our USC Dornsife students!

In this issue, discover the benefits offered to students from scholarships and fellowships, find out what L.A.’s original inhabitants can teach us about sustainability, and learn why where you eat affects what you eat.

Supported by USC Dornsife scholarships and fellowships last year, students were able to study social justice in Africa, set up health clinics in Vietnam, dig at archeological sites in Egypt and much more.

Why it matters: Practical experience is key to building important skills and opening a range of career pathways for students.

Scholarship funds enabled Connor Castillo to pursue research at USC’s Environmental Health MATTERS program without financial concerns.

The Schlegel Fellowship supports Jiyoun Seo, a PhD candidate in computational biology who conducts cancer research to improve early detection.

In her words: “Scholarship support is crucial in allowing students to attend USC, lightening the financial burden on them and their families, and allowing them to focus and engage more in their academic pursuits,” says USC Dornsife Dean Amber D. Miller.

USC Dornsife students can find information about scholarship opportunities on the Continuing Student Scholarships webpage. 

USC Dornsife researchers are reviving and studying Indigenous sustainable practices and maritime heritage.

The Tongva tribe, Los Angeles’ original inhabitants, lost many of their traditions, including sustainable living practices that could be beneficial today, when Spanish settlers moved in.

Why it matters: Preserving Native American traditions and raising awareness of Indigenous ecological knowledge could help safeguard oceans and foster sustainability, especially as the planet confronts climate change.

Archaeologist Lynn Dodd of religion and spatial sciences secured a $50,000 Library of Congress grant supporting a collaboration between USC scholars and the Ti’at Society, a group reviving Tongva maritime practices by restoring a traditional canoe called a “ti’at.”

What to watch: The AltaSea-Tongva partnership connects the Indigenous practice of kelp forest cultivation to the research Professor of Biological Sciences Sergey Nuzhdin conducts at his AltaSea-based aquaculture lab.

Food choices are primarily shaped by the food environments people encounter during their daily activities, rather than the options available near their homes, according to new research.

Why it matters: Poor diets are a leading cause of illness and death, and research suggests exposure to environments saturated with fast-food outlets makes choosing healthy foods harder.

What’s new: A new USC Dornsife study suggests that improving Americans’ diets requires focusing on foods they consume outside their home neighborhoods and ensuring healthy options are available.

How it works: Using anonymized smart phone data (i.e., “mobility data”), the researchers examined more than 60 million visits to food outlets in 11 American cities over 6 months.

The findings: The more fast-food outlets people encounter during the day, the more likely they are to visit one.

The big picture: Past efforts to address nutrition insecurity concentrated on “food deserts” — areas lacking access to healthy, reasonably priced food — and “food swamps,” areas with an abundance of fast-food.

In her words: “Even when people want to eat healthy, there are too many things in their day-to-day lives and environments that make it hard,” said Kayla de la Haye, founding director of the Institute for Food System Equity at the USC Dornsife Center for Economic and Social Research. “Now we’re gaining a more comprehensive understanding of how food environments affect diet beyond the home.”

The solution: The researchers recommend that policymakers who want to improve food environments use mobility data to identify where fast food is more prevalent than healthier food and where food decisions are most susceptible to the food environment.

How can research universities play an even bigger role in tackling some of society’s biggest challenges? Dean Amber D. Miller shares her thoughts in an article for the Stanford Social Innovation Review and a video interview with Dornsife News.

Actor and USC Dornsife alumnus Jaren Lewison, star of the popular Netflix series Never Have I Ever, will give USC Dornsife’s commencement address.

Jaren Lewison plays “Never Have I Ever,” Trojan edition.

Commencement is right around the corner! Find out how your graduate can prepare for the big day by visiting the Before The Ceremony page.

Climate technology experts discuss some of the most promising emerging technologies and the potential risks from these technologies during this Dornsife Dialogues discussion.

Attend a screening of the award-winning documentary True False, Hot Cold, which covers climate change, empathy, civil discourse and building bridges among people with different beliefs. A discussion with the director will follow.

Apr. 24, 7 - 9 p.m.
USC Campus

Attend a candlelight vigil in honor of Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day held by the USC and UCLA Armenian Students’ Associations.

Apr. 24, 7 p.m.
UCLA Campus

Join this online event celebrating the Center for Advanced Genocide Research’s 10th anniversary and featuring an overview of the center and remarks by former fellows and visiting scholars.

Apr. 25, 12:30 - 2 p.m.
Virtual

View a student-curated exhibition that celebrates the 100th anniversary of the completion of the “Treasure House,” the Orientalist building that now houses the USC Pacific Asia Museum.

Apr. 25, 5 - 7 p.m.
USC Campus