Season’s Greetings and good tidings we bring to you and your kin! We hope your holiday is safe and full of cheer.

In this issue, find out how low-income L.A. neighborhoods are getting some much needed shade, discover how cutting sugar early in life can lead to healthy benefits and learn about a new curriculum to support the discussion of controversial topics in the classroom.

The Urban Trees Initiative, spearheaded by Public Exchange, is planting and maintaining trees in the Los Angeles neighborhoods that need them most — low-income communities.

Why it matters: Low-income communities often lack greenery and miss out on the benefits trees offer like providing shade, boosting air flow and filtering out pollutants.

Tree shade can reduce temperatures by up to 15 degrees, making hot summer days more bearable and helping to prevent heat-related illnesses like heat stroke.

USC Dornsife’s Public Exchange pinpointed the city’s most vulnerable areas and collaborated with community partners to plant and maintain trees there.

The big picture: The Urban Trees Initiative highlights how Public Exchange uses academic scholarship to tackle important societal issues.

In her words: “[This] is a great example of what we can do when we work together — and just the beginning of our work to protect residents from rising temperatures and improve quality of life,” says Kate Weber, executive director of Public Exchange.

A surprising legacy of World War II sugar rationing reveals how early-life nutrition shapes long-term health. USC Dornsife researchers found that restricting sugar during pregnancy and infancy significantly reduced risk of chronic diseases like diabetes and hypertension in adulthood.

Why it matters: Chronic diseases significantly shorten life expectancy and increase health care costs.

The big picture: During WWII, the United Kingdom limited sugar to 8 teaspoons per day while the rest of their diet did not change much.

In her words: “It is hard to find situations where people are randomly exposed to different nutritional environments early in life and follow them for 50 to 60 years. The end of rationing provided us with a novel natural experiment to overcome these problems,” explains Tadeja Gracner, the study’s lead author and economist at the USC Dornsife Center for Economic and Social Research.

How they did it: Researchers examined U.K. Biobank data, comparing health records of people born just before and after sugar rationing ended.

What they found: Sugar restrictions during the first 1,000 days of life substantially reduced the risk of chronic diseases in adulthood.

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The number of centers and institutes within USC Dornsife.

A new curriculum promises to teach K-12 students how to think about and discuss controversial topics, but is it effective?

What’s new: Anna Saavedra and Amie Rapaport of the Center for Economic and Social Research (CESR) at USC Dornsife received nearly $4 million from the U.S. Department of Education to evaluate the efficacy of Talking About Current and Contested Issues in Schools (TALCCS).

Why it matters: TALCCS is designed to improve classroom discussion of current and contested issues. It may also boost student attendance and academic performance, and prepare them for the responsibilities of citizenship.

Over the next five years, Saavedra and Rapaport will study TALCCS as about 250 California civics and social studies teachers implement the curriculum.

Researchers will assess short term and long term outcomes like:

What to watch: Researchers will produce their first report in 2027 and a second in 2029–2030, incorporating data from the 2028 presidential election.

In her words: “Productive discussion about contested topics is a learned skill. Clearly, given the state of our national political discourse, many adults have not learned this skill. With support, the next generation can do better,” says Saavedra.

This year’s main stage commencement will be at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Thursday, May 15, 2025 at 7 p.m. 

We are excited to announce that the USC Dornsife Academic School Ceremony will be at the same location on Friday, May 16, 2025, beginning at 9 a.m. There will be one ceremony for Dornsife students of all majors, departments and programs.

Eligible graduates can expect to receive an email inviting them to register in early February..

USC Dornsife scholars explore “home” — from its depiction in historic artwork to nature’s architectural miracles. Wishing you, your family and your loved ones a wonderful holiday season and a happy, healthy new year.

The new MS in Mathematical Data Science program offers rare advanced training and unparalleled, hands-on experience in an ever-expanding field. From AI to finance, health care to sustainability, nearly every industry relies on data for strategic advantage.

This guided gratitude meditation is here to help you find calm and center yourself. Take a deep breath and join us in a few mindful moments of thanks. Share with your family so everyone can enjoy.

Also, current USC Dornsife students have access to a number of wellness and mental health services at the university and  student health counselors who are conveniently located at our school.