April is here, and we’re not fooling around. Time to spring into this month’s Dornsife Connect newsletter.
In this issue, discover how where you eat affects what you eat, read about the disturbing trend of dissidents disappearing in Tajikistan and uncover Dune’s connection to the environmental movement.
NEWS
1 Big Thing: You Are Where You Eat
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 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.
Increasing the number of restaurants selling healthy food options in areas rife with fast-food can increase the likelihood of a person choosing a healthier option.
There is no evidence that any socioeconomic group visits fast food outlets more than another.
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.
Previous research has shown that improvements to neighborhood food deserts and food swamps often fail to improve residents’ dietary habits or curb rising obesity and diet-related diseases.
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.
Increasing the number of healthy food options in these areas outside people’s home neighborhoods can have up to four times the impact compared to increasing the number of healthy restaurants exclusively near residential areas.
Tajikistan’s government systematically employs enforced disappearances to quell dissent, as they did in 2023 with Nasimjon Sharipov (pictured above), according to research by Steve Swerdlow, professor of political science and international relations.
What it means: The government practice of detaining, imprisoning or killing a person while refusing to acknowledge their whereabouts, leaving loved ones uncertain about their fate, is known as “enforced disappearance.”
The term entered the popular lexicon after the practice of enforced disappearances became the hallmark of brutal juntas that violently took power in Latin America 50 years ago.
Why it matters: As authoritarian governments proliferate, they’re turning to sanctioned disappearances as part of a troubling pattern of human rights abuses.
Case in point: Thousands are unaccounted for in Tajikistan since President Emomali Rahmon came to power in 1992, but an accurate count is difficult to achieve due to government interference.
A U.N. team investigating the disappearances noted an “unprecedented” indifference from the Tajik government.
The Rahmon government used enforced disappearances in 2022 to crack down on the Pamiris, an ethnic minority that opposed the president.
Hundreds of Pamiri intellectuals, journalists and religious and community leaders were imprisoned under the guise of a counterterrorism operation.
Tajikistan has allegedly partnered with Russia, Turkey and Belarus to disappear Tajik dissidents living in those countries.
What to watch: The European Parliament in January 2024 issued a resolution calling on Tajik authorities to “unconditionally release those who have been arbitrarily detained.”
Dune, a 1965 science fiction novel and the inspiration for the recent blockbuster movies, depicts a desert planet’s struggle over a precious resource.
Its narrative on ecology and resource exploitation drew from the emerging environmental movement of the time, explains Devin Griffiths, associate professor of English and comparative literature at USC Dornsife.
Why it matters: Works of art like Dune can highlight societal issues like conservation and the importance and benefits of sustainable practices.
In brief: The author, Frank Herbert, invented memorable metaphors to explore growing ecological concerns and the drivers of environmental and social harm.
The novel’s setting, Arrakis, mirrors the ecological degradation seen in Earth’s environments and emphasizes the impact of colonial exploitation.
The concept of the fictional “spice” in Dune reflects real-world resource wars and the environmental costs of exploiting valuable commodities.
Herbert’s exploration of ecology stems from his visits to the Pacific Northwest, where he observed indigenous conservation practices and sustainable resource management.
Fremen, natives of Arrakis, carefully manage the planet’s ecology, mirroring the sustainable practices of Earth’s Indigenous peoples.
Herbert also found inspiration in Leslie Reid’s landmark book The Sociology of Nature, which explained ecology to a popular audience.
The idea behindDune’s contested resource of spice draws parallels to historical disputes over Peruvian bird guano, highly valued in the late 1800s as fertilizer.
The bottom line: Published amid fears of industrial pollution, Dune was embraced by the fledgling environmental movement and became a rallying flag for the new science of ecology.
Bibliophiles rejoice! The 2024 L.A. Times Festival of Books is almost here and will feature many USC Dornsife alumni and faculty speakers. Go deeper >>
The solar eclipse made for a breathtaking show, but what did it mean for the electric grid fed by solar panels? Go deeper >>
The Tyler Prize, known as the environmental Nobel Prize, goes to Johan Rockström, whose work defined Earth’s “vital limit.” Go deeper >>
The Dean’s Corner
The Pivotal Role of Research Universities
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.
Sign-up to receive NewsRound, a weekly listing of news stories featuring USC Dornsife scholars.
“Mundane, everyday interactions that occur outside of staged lab-based conflicts may, over time, contribute to relationship dissolution.”
Yana Ryjova of psychology was quoted by Psychology Today about the need for more naturalistic research on couples’ communication patterns.
“Typically, container ships can access the Port of L.A. and Port of Long Beach without ever going under a bridge.”
James Fawcett of environmental studies spoke with the Los Angeles Times about the likelihood of a cargo ship striking a bridge in the Southern California region.
“Our thoughts and our feelings and emotions are not just influenced by our bodies but [are] actually inconceivable without them. All of our mental activity is a consequence of body/brain interactions.”
Antonio Damasio of psychology, philosophy and neurology was quoted by the BBC for a story about how interoception plays a crucial role in shaping our overall mental health.
Events
Stories of Resistance and Protest
Apr. 20, 1:30 - 2:30 p.m. PT
USC Main Campus, ANN
USC Dornsife scholars shed light on how individuals and communities have stood against oppression throughout history. Learn more>>
This is just one of many presentations by USC Dornsife faculty and alumni at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books.
10th Anniversary Celebration
Apr. 25, 12:30 - 2 p.m. PT
Virtual
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. Learn more >>
Happy Hour in Torrance
May. 2, 6 - 8:30 p.m. PT
Torrance, CA
Connect with fellow Trojans to expand your network and create lasting relationships at a world-class brewery and sports bar in Torrance. Learn more >>
Alumni Perks
Skill Up
USC Dornsife alumni receive free access to Skill Up, a resource for online professional advancement courses designed to address career skills gaps.
