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:
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- Student coral researchers find hope despite severe setback.
- AI analyzes body-cam traffic stops for respect and safety.
- USC Dornsife promotes civil dialogue across politics.
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‘Functional Extinction’ Threatens Florida Reefs |
Two coral species in the eastern Pacific became “functionally extinct” after a severe marine heatwave, according to USC Dornsife researchers.
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USC Dornsife coral biologists are collaborating with nationally esteemed marine labs to save the reefs.
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Why it matters: Coral reefs support marine biodiversity, fisheries and coastal protection — and extreme ocean heat is pushing some species past recovery.
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Functional extinction — when corals can no longer play their ecological role — signals ecosystem collapse, not just species decline.
- Losses can ripple through food webs and coastal economies.
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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.
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The corals are often used in coral restoration projects due to their fast growth and reef-building abilities.
- Tragically, juvenile corals transplanted by the researchers did not survive in sufficient numbers to rebuild populations.
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The big picture: Marine heatwaves are increasing in intensity and frequency as oceans warm.
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Even short-term heat stress can cause long-term damage.
- Recovery time between events is shrinking.
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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.
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The flip side: Despite the setback, Dilworth and Gomez remain hopeful.
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- “[The corals] weren’t dead yet. They could recover. And I hold on to that,” says Gomez. “And I hold on to the resilience of the researchers and restoration practitioners around me and the work that they are doing to respond and recover.”
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AI Could Improve Police Interactions |
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.
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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.
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How they did it: They start with people, not algorithms.
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Through surveys, interviews and focus groups, residents and officers help define what respectful communication means in a stop.
- Annotators, including community members and retired officers, rate real bodycam footage from 1,000 encounter.
- AI models learn from these ratings, so the team can test insights on tens of thousands of more stops.
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Between the lines: Researchers focus on tone, language and behavior to see what de-escalates encounters and what causes them to break down.
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“Body camera footage gives us a rare window into everyday interactions that shape public trust in policing,” said USC Dornsife’s Ben Graham of the Everyday Respect Project.
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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.
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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.
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Bridging the Political Divide
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“CPF serves as a model for how people across the ideological spectrum can unite around a shared commitment to core democratic values,” says USC Interim President Beong-Soo Kim.
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Why it matters: Political polarization is at a historic high, and students often have a zero-sum view of politics.
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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.
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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.
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The bottom line: CPF demonstrates that respectful, cross-partisan dialogue is teachable and key to sustaining our democracy.
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Inspiring Words Encourage Newest Trojans |
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.
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- A new master’s program teaches students the mathematical foundations that drive artificial intelligence. Go Deeper >>
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Tyler Prize winner honored for turning fungal science into global conservation. Go Deeper >>
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USC Dornsife Nobel laureate Arieh Warshel attempts to predict evolution of viruses to evade drugs. Go Deeper >>
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For 20 years, the Institute of Armenian Studies has connected Los Angeles, the diaspora and Armenia itself. Go Deeper >>
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Why Is This Professor Riding a Makeshift Rocket? |
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.
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Master’s in Applied Economics and Econometrics |
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.
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USC Dornsife Scholars Make the News |
Through traditional media, podcasts, our partnership with The Conversation and more, USC Dornsife faculty and researchers helped make sense of the world in 2025.
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Attention Graduating Seniors! |
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Enter Your Creative Writing |
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.
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USC Dornsife embedded therapists are offering two February events to support students.
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- Feb. 13, 12:30 to 2 p.m.: Self-Love Station provides candy, crafts and affirmations outside of the Lyons Center.
- Feb. 18, noon to 1 p.m.: PhD students can learn stress management skills at a workshop in Mudd Hall 203.
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|  | Feb. 4, 6 - 7:30 p.m. PT |
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 | MCB 101 |
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Learn how networking doesn’t have to feel fake or transactional. Networking expert and USC alumna Christy Conner shows you how.
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| Discovering Life in Unexpected Places |
 | Feb. 26, noon - 1 p.m. PT |
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 | Virtual |
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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.
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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.)
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University of Southern California Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences | Los Angeles, CA 90089 US
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