Spring has arrived! Or did we jump right into summer? Either way, we hope you’re excited to enter the semester’s home stretch, with commencement on the horizon (and closing fast).

In this month’s newsletter: 

The Eaton fire’s smoke didn’t just darken Los Angeles skies — it overwhelmed the region’s air. A new USC Dornsife study shows how the blaze created a massive pollution surge across the county.

Why it matters: Urban wildfires are increasingly common, so understanding the composition, spread and volume of pollutants they produce is important to public health.

What’s new: This one fire produced pollution far beyond what’s generated by normal human activity.

Berelson tracked pollution in near real time using satellite data, smoke plume modeling and ground sensors, including his Carbon Census monitoring network.

Between the lines: What burned mattered as much as the amount that burned.

What to watch: Future fires may hit harder in cities as urban growth increases fuel sources in the form of structures and as climate conditions worsen smoke exposure.

Which globally renowned USC Dornsife program is currently celebrating its 125th year?

A - The Marine and Environmental Biology program

B - The School of International Relations

C - The School of Philosophy

D - The Center for Applied Mathematical Sciences

A tiny ocean microbe that helps sustain marine life may be far less resilient than scientists thought.

Why it matters: Known as SAR11, these bacteria are among the most abundant organisms on Earth, helping regulate ocean food webs and the movement of carbon through the sea.

What’s new? Research led by Cameron Thrash of biological sciences and Earth sciences found that SAR11 can fail to divide under environmental stress – a weakness that may stem from its unusually streamlined genome.

The big picture: Shedding genes to survive in low-nutrient parts of the ocean may help explain both SAR11’s abundance and its vulnerability to changing conditions.

The bottom line: Weakness in such a dominant microbe could have broader effects on marine life as ocean conditions change.

What do an Olympic Gold Medalist, a paleontologist and a cookbook author all have in common?

They’re all graduates of USC Dornsife and part of the inaugural USC Dornsife 10 to Watch list, which highlights recently graduated alumni making an impact in their professional field each year.

“The liberal arts are an incredible vehicle for success. They teach you how to think critically, communicate powerfully, and adapt quickly in a changing world,” says Dean James Bullock. “That’s why so many USC Dornsife alumni are thriving and leading today.”

Do you know of a recent USC Dornsife graduate who is accomplishing great things? Nominate them for the 2027 10 to Watch list >>

When it comes to teaching physics, Professor Vahe Peroomian nails the fundamentals — and stuns students to help them remember important principles.

Life is emerging where scientists once thought it impossible — deep beneath Earth’s surface, under crushing pressure, extreme heat and total darkness.

Hear from U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin on how Jewish values and faith shape American public life, policy and civic engagement.

Frustrated by litter in parks, bus stops, beaches or other public spaces? Now you can join others to help. Volunteer to help Megan Fieser of chemistry and her team to give these spaces a little TLC.

Join a discussion of ways to respond to artificial intelligence’s arrival to daily university life. Topics include pedagogical approaches, ethics, creativity, environmental and social impacts, and surveillance.

The Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter and alumnus partners with USC Dornsife’s Black Studies Center to explore how Black culture shapes popular culture across music, media, art and social movements.

The USC Dornsife Marine and Environmental Biology program has been doing swimmingly since 1901, when USC President George Finley Bovard and zoologist Albert Ulrey initiated aquatic biology studies at the university.

You’ll find program history highlights at an exhibit in the Allan Hancock Foundation building’s Torrey Webb Room. Contact Evson Posas (eposas@usc.edu) to request access.

“I find remodeling across the brain in areas that look similar to areas that have also been seen in new moms.”

Darby Saxbe of psychology discusses changes to father’s brains in The New York Times.

“There’s something vampiric as well as ghostly about these AI engagements.”

Emily Hodgson Anderson of English in an essay for Literary Hub on ghost-writing and AI.

“When I write down a proof, it feels like a puzzle coming together.”

Cymra Haskell of mathematics on the joys of math in Big Think.

Semiquincentennial. The United States marks the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence this year. As part of LA2026, led by the USC-Huntington Early Modern Studies Institute based at USC Dornsife, USC Libraries will stage an exhibition and host programs exploring Bicentennial events in Los Angeles.

“The notion that all people are created equal and that each of us has inalienable rights that no government can violate remain core ideas in our society,” said EMSI director Peter Mancall. “USC’s location … enables a wide public to view documents that helped establish these ideals.” (Ad Astra per Aspera mural by Robert Arenivar and Jose Luis Gonzalez, 1975.)