Happy New Year! We hope you had a great winter recess and your semester is off to a terrific start — and any resolutions you’ve made are still in tact! (Hint: Scroll down for helpful tips.)

In this issue: 

Two coral species in the eastern Pacific became “functionally extinct” after a severe marine heatwave, according to USC Dornsife researchers.

Why it matters: Coral reefs support marine biodiversity, fisheries and coastal protection — and extreme ocean heat is pushing some species past recovery.

What’s new: The study found that staghorn and elkhorn coral species in the lower Florida Keys and Dry Tortugas National Park failed to recover after a major heatwave in 2015.

The big picture: Marine heatwaves are increasing in intensity and frequency as oceans warm.

In their words: “Climate change is the reason all this is happening, and if we don’t address that, nothing we do is going to fix this,” says USC Dornsife PhD student Jenna Dilworth.

The flip side: Despite the setback, Dilworth and Gomez remain hopeful.

Researchers are analyzing 1,000 L.A. traffic stops to see what makes encounters feel respectful — and to train AI that could improve safety and trust.

Why it matters: Traffic stops are among the most common police-public interactions, yet there’s no shared standard for what “respectful” looks like during a stop.

How they did it: They start with people, not algorithms.

Between the lines: Researchers focus on tone, language and behavior to see what de-escalates encounters and what causes them to break down.

What’s next: After validating the model on videos of the first 1,000 stops, AI tools will analyze 30,000 more stops. The findings will be shared publicly to improve policing practices nationwide.

New Year’s resolutions: Did you know “try harder” isn’t the fix? A USC Dornsife psychologist says habit cues — not willpower — will help you succeed. Learn how to do it.

Led by a Democrat and a Republican, USC Dornsife’s Center for the Political Future (CPF) is training the next generation of leaders to engage civilly across party lines.

Why it matters: Political polarization is at a historic high, and students often have a zero-sum view of politics.

Opportunity: Politically diverse professionals are invited to serve as teaching fellows and to speak at CPF events, helping students see how cooperation works in practice.

In her words: “Helping advance CPF’s mission, providing students with a safe space to learn and talk politics of all kinds, seeing its impact on campus — it’s been one of the most special parts of my college experience,” says senior Eleanor Love, a former CPF student employee.

The bottom line: CPF demonstrates that respectful, cross-partisan dialogue is teachable and key to sustaining our democracy.

At spring convocation, 3,000 students gathered to mark the start of their inclusion in the Trojan Family. USC Dornsife’s Alice Baumgartner, associate professor of history, encouraged attendees to allow themselves to be transformed by their time at USC. She referenced Uriah Parmlee, whose studies inspired him to enlist in the Union Army during the Civil War. 

“I hope you will pursue what genuinely, deeply calls to you, showing up, day after day, for what you believe in, as Uriah Parmelee did,” said Baumgartner.

Physics professor Nick Warner’s popular GE course is often the last science class many USC students take — so he wants it to be memorable.

More than a degree, the M.S. in Applied Economics and Econometrics at USC Dornsife is like a “dress rehearsal” for the world after graduation. Students go beyond economics to tailor their courses to their interests and connect with renowned alumni and faculty.

Through traditional media, podcasts, our partnership with The Conversation and more, USC Dornsife faculty and researchers helped make sense of the world in 2025.

Registration for the USC Dornsife Academic School Ceremonies will open Feb. 9. Eligible Dornsife students with graduation terms of Fall 2025, Spring 2026 or Summer 2026 will be invited to register for their ceremony via their USC email. To view assigned ceremony groups, please visit the USC Dornsife Commencement website’s FAQs. Note: Ceremony group changes cannot be accommodated. 

For questions regarding registration, please email events@dornsife.usc.edu. And make dornsife.usc.edu/commencement/ your first stop for commencement announcements, FAQ’s and more!

Open to USC Dornsife undergraduate and graduate students, as well as alumni, the USC Dornsife Magazine Creative Writing Contest is looking for original fiction, poetry, memoirs or essays on the theme of “America’s 250th Anniversary.” The winning entry will be published in USC Dornsife’s award-winning alumni magazine this spring. Deadline: March 15.

USC Dornsife embedded therapists are offering two February events to support students.

Learn how networking doesn’t have to feel fake or transactional. Networking expert and USC alumna Christy Conner shows you how.

Join USC Dornsife Dean James Bullock and USC researchers and alumni to explore how life thrives in Earth’s extreme environments, how it guides the search for life beyond our planet and what it reveals about our origins and future.

Universal Life. USC Dornsife Dean James Bullock recently took students in “Introduction to Quantitative Biology Seminar” (QBIO 105) on a guided tour of the known universe. An accomplished cosmologist, Bullock explored galaxies, black holes, dark matter, dark energy and more. (Photo: Mike Glier.)