Welcome to summer! Father’s Day coincided with the summer solstice this year, giving us a strong launch into beach season this past Sunday. We hope you’re enjoying the extended sunshine. Stay hydrated!
In this month’s newsletter:
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Newly revealed earthquake evidence could aid risk forecasting.
- He just graduated and already he’s earned a global prize for innovation.
- Test of gravity across immense distances shows dark matter is still in play.
- Future scientists converge en masse at USC.
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Myanmar Quake Offers Fresh Warning Signs |
A powerful earthquake in Myanmar is helping scientists better understand how major faults behave — and what that could mean for future seismic risk.
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Researchers led by Sylvain Barbot of Earth sciences say the event offers a rare window into how strain builds and releases along active fault systems.
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Why it matters: Understanding earthquake mechanics can improve hazard forecasts and help communities prepare for future disasters.
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Large earthquakes can expose hidden weaknesses in fault zones.
- Insights from one region can help scientists assess risks elsewhere.
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What’s new: The study may reshape how scientists think about future quake potential along the fault.
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The rupture suggests stress may have shifted to neighboring fault segments.
- That could influence where future earthquakes occur.
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The big picture: Earthquakes are not isolated events.
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One major quake can change stress conditions across a region.
- Those changes may alter the likelihood of future quakes nearby.
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Between the lines: Scientists are still working to determine how much risk changed after the earthquake.
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New observations will help refine models of fault behavior and seismic hazards.
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What’s next: The scientists will continue analyzing geological and seismic data to better understand the rupture and its implications.
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Grad Wins Global Innovation Prize |
Just weeks after graduating, USC Dornsife economics alumnus Darnell Adler won Red Bull Basement’s 2026 World Final.
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Red Bull Basement encourages students and entrepreneurs to turn ideas into products using mentorship and AI-powered tools.
- The competition drew more than 135,000 ideas from 40 countries.
- Adler’s winning Lifeline AI app is designed to help people discreetly call for help in dangerous situations.
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Why it matters: Personal safety tools often require users to unlock a phone, speak or dial for help — actions that may not be possible during an emergency.
What’s new: Lifeline AI lets users trigger a silent SOS and share critical information without taking a phone out of their pocket.
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- The win earned him $100,000 in equity-free funding, $25,000 in Microsoft Azure credits and mentorship from Red Bull Ventures.
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In his words: “Being the Red Bull Basement global winner means that I can help people at scale, hopefully making the world a safer place for everybody,” Adler said. “And that means the world to me.”
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The bottom line: Adler’s victory highlights how USC Dornsife students are turning ideas into real-world solutions — and how one recent graduate hopes to make emergency response safer for people everywhere.
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Future Scientists Converge at USC |
More than 2,000 of the nation’s top middle and high school STEM students gathered at USC for the 42nd annual Science Olympiad National Tournament, co-sponsored by USC Dornsife — the first time the event has been held in California.
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The number of living USC Dornsife alumni after last commencement day.
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Testing a Fundamental Law of Gravity | A USC Dornsife professor was part of a team that tested how gravity works across hundreds of millions of light-years and found it still follows Newton’s law.
The big picture: Researchers are probing whether the universe needs new laws of physics or simply contains matter we can’t yet see.
Why it matters: If gravity behaves as expected on cosmic scales, then unseen mass (dark matter) remains the leading explanation for how galaxies move.
How they did it: Using data from the Atacama Cosmology Telescope and large-scale galaxy maps, they measured how galaxy clusters move toward one another across vast distances.
By the numbers: The study probed clusters separated by hundreds of millions of light-years — among the largest direct tests of gravity ever.
Between the lines: By confirming gravity behaves normally, the study puts pressure on theories that try to replace dark matter with that of modified gravity.
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“We were able to essentially rule out one popular alternative in this analysis,” says study co-author Kris Pardo of physics and astronomy.
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Go deeper: Gravity still works as expected — making it harder to explain the universe without dark matter.
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Rare Scholarship for Staffer/Alum |
Diego Andrades ’23, assistant director of the USC Dornsife Center for the Political Future, has earned the rare distinction of being named one of just 20 Samvid Scholars for 2026.
The two-year program — which he obtained in part due to collaboration with USC’s Academic Honors and Fellowships program — will support Andrades as he studies law at Yale University.
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Excellence Honored – 15 faculty and staff members received awards recognizing their exceptional contributions. See who shined >>
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Leading Communicators – Five scholars were honored for exceptional public engagement. See the winners >>
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We Are Here – “What does it mean to be an Armenian in Turkey today?” asks the Institute of Armenian Studies’ Maral Tavitian. Get her insights >>
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Magazine Merit – USC Dornsife Magazine earned one of the communications field’s most prestigious awards. Get the scoop >>
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James Webb Telescope: A Defining Achievement |
Dean James Bullock gave the keynote address at the 42nd Annual Science Olympiad National Tournament, describing how cutting-edge science allows humanity to look back in time and unravel the mysteries of the cosmos.
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From Patient to Future Physician |
What started with a single cold email to a neurosurgeon on his very first day at USC evolved into four years of research in neuroimaging for recent graduate Jason Toliao.
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| The Declaration of Independence |
 | July 18, 2 - 4 p.m. PT |
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 | Autry Museum of the American West |
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Part of LA2026, this guided reading and discussion explores The Declaration’s ideals as part of a living story.
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| “The more dads wanted to engage in parenting and were invested in it, the more the brain changed.”
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Darby Saxbe of psychology explained how fatherhood affects men’s brains in an op-ed for The New York Times
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“Any flash or spark or even temperature can cause what is known as a runaway reaction.”
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Elias Picazo of chemistry discusses the Orange County chemical leak with CBS News
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| “Our hope is to give these populations a chance to keep up.”
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Cameron Egan of biological sciences on efforts to save Joshua Trees in the Los Angeles Times
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Cooling It. From left, Michelle Barton, Katie Vega and Max Teirstein of USC Dornsife Public Exchange and ShadeLA take a moment to relax with David Leyzerovsky and Hannah Brunelle of Los Angeles Metro, enjoying the shade of a USC student-designed structure created to give L.A. citizens a respite from the heat.
The temporary, portable structure — which won ShadeLA’s 2025 Shade Zones Design Competition — debuted at the Downtown-Inglewood Metro Rail station on June 12 and was later moved to a location near the L.A. Memorial Coliseum in time for World Cup fans to enjoy. (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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