Winter is nearly here — officially arriving on the 21st — and L.A. is finally getting the memo. Foggy mornings and cooler days are easing us toward the end of the semester and a well-earned winter recess.
In this final newsletter of 2025:
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- Discover a project that aims to use AI to improve police interactions.
- Learn how Angelenos underestimate their neighborhood’s shade needs.
- Explore a popular program that has shaped generations of Trojans.
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Find out why a certain professor rides a makeshift rocket.
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Enjoy your winter recess, and we look forward to seeing you in the new year!
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AI Could Improve Police Interactions |
What makes a police stop feel respectful? USC Dornsife researchers are leading a multi-university team that has analyzed body camera video from 1,000 Los Angeles traffic stops to find out.
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Why it matters: Trust between police and the communities they serve hinges on day-to-day encounters — especially traffic stops, one of the most common.
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Yet, little is known about what actually happens during those stops or what makes them feel respectful to the people involved.
- AI could help, but only if it’s trained on what respect looks like.
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By using body camera footage to examine these encounters in detail, researchers with the Everyday Respect Project aim to identify patterns that foster trust and those that erode it.
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Their findings will help inform AI tools that will eventually scale up that work to many thousands of interactions.
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Zoom in: The researchers aim to understand how tone, language and behavior shape perceptions of respect — and to support practices that build mutual trust.
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Surveys, interviews and focus groups help define what “good” communication looks like from multiple stakeholder perspectives.
- A team of 43 annotators — including community members and retired officers — rate bodycam footage to train machine learning tools
- Researchers will identify what drives respectful communication and what causes interactions to break down.
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Initial findings are available in the Everyday Respect Project Report.
What’s next: The team is refining tools that can teach AI to recognize respectful communication — along with a variety of other stop features — and evaluate some 30,000 videos of real-world traffic stops.
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They hope the model can help cities nationwide evaluate and improve everyday policing practices.
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Angelenos Misjudge Their Neighborhood’s Shade |
Many Angelenos believe their streets have enough shade, yet most blocks lack meaningful amounts, according to the latest LABarometer survey.
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- While just 16% of residents live in areas with moderate or high tree cover, nearly half believe their block has enough shade.
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Why it matters: Shade is among the simplest ways to cool neighborhoods, but a gap between perceived and actual canopy leaves many Los Angeles County residents more exposed to rising heat and its harmful effects than they realize.
By the numbers: Many Angelenos agree with adding trees, but support varies across demographics.
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Nearly 80% of residents favor public spending on planting and maintaining trees.
- Less than a quarter of residents say their nearest bus or Metro stop offers enough protection from the sun.
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Black residents, who are more likely than most other groups to live in low-shade neighborhoods, were nearly three times less likely than white residents to strongly support funding new planting
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The big picture: Some Angelenos may not recognize how little shade surrounds them, which can mask real heat risks.
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“If you’ve lived in a neighborhood with few trees your whole life, that environment becomes your norm and you adapt,” said Kyla Thomas, LABarometer director and a sociologist at the Center for Economic and Social Research. “You might not realize what’s missing. … And as heat intensifies, it’s possible that what feels adequate today may not tomorrow.”
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What’s next: ShadeLA, a coalition led by USC Dornsife and regional partners, is already prioritizing bus stops and other high-traffic areas for new shade.
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It’s part of their mission to create a cooler, healthier L.A. before the 2028 Olympics.
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Many cherished Christmas traditions can be traced back to one 1843 novella.
Two USC Dornsife professors explain how a British author helped shape Christmas as we know it now.
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JEP’s Generational Impact Runs Deep |
Joint Educational Project at USC Dornsife ties generations of students and L.A. families together — with many returning as tutors, volunteers or beneficiaries years later.
Why it matters: JEP connects USC and its neighboring communities — shaping lives, reinforcing opportunity, and strengthening civic bonds over decades.
The impact: JEP now spans more than 50 years and helps thousands each cycle.
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It started modestly but today involves around 2,000 USC students volunteering annually in nearly 120 K–12 classrooms.
- Some local families and Trojan alumni are now part of multigeneration JEP networks, returning as volunteers or seeing their children benefit.
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Zoom out: JEP reflects USC’s long-term commitment to community engagement through education and service.
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This continuity transforms campus life and neighborhood opportunity, and builds lasting community ties.
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In her words: “When students form real relationships with the community around them, it changes how they see their education — and their responsibility to the world,” says USC Dornsife and JEP alumna Itzel Whyte-Aguayo.
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- She is now pursuing a master’s in public policy at the USC Price School.
- Her father, USC Dornsife alumnus Juan Carlos Whyte-Lira ’94, also volunteered through JEP as a student.
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Strong future: JEP continues evolving, offering diverse service-learning paths — including tutoring, wellness programs and STEM outreach — and strengthening partnerships between USC and the community.
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- For 20 years, the Institute of Armenian studies has advanced the field toward a more globally relevant future. Go Deeper >>
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In Memoriam: Gerald Segal, former dean of USC Dornsife, elevated the College’s science research. Go Deeper >>
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CALIS has taught local high schoolers how to examine the forces shaping global events for 25 years. Go Deeper >>
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Lead Testing Initiative Makes the News |
USC Dornsife Public Exchange’s post-wildfire lead testing program has grown into the largest of its kind in L.A. County, thanks in part to widespread media coverage. Soil from more than 4,000 properties (and counting) have been tested to date.
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Why Is This Professor Riding a Makeshift Rocket? |
Nick Warner’s popular GE course is often the last science class many USC students take. The professor of physics and astronomy and mathematics wants it to be memorable.
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Nominate a Communicator of the Year |
The awards honor scholars from USC Dornsife who engage with the public to improve its understanding of issues, influence policy and/or raise the level of public discourse.
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Self-nominations are welcome.
- Open to every faculty member, researcher, center/institute leader and currently enrolled PhD student whose primary affiliation is with USC Dornsife.
- Winners will be selected based on the activities they have engaged in during calendar year 2025 to share their expertise.
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Nomination Deadline: Dec. 22.
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Applications for the 2026 Storymakers program have opened. The one-week storytelling intensive from the USC Wrigley Institute for Environment and Sustainability is for faculty in any discipline — natural, social or physical sciences, or humanities — whose research intersects with the environment or sustainability.
Deadline: Feb. 1, 2026. (But acceptance is on a rolling basis, so don’t wait.)
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|  | Jan. 10, 12:15 - 12:45 p.m. PT |
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 | Virtual |
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Find practical tips, hands-on demonstrations and resources to help you make balanced food and lifestyle choices.
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Sign-up to receive NewsRound, a weekly listing of news stories featuring USC Dornsife scholars.
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| “This is the kind of person who some Democrats in California might be excited to learn more about.”
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Christian Grose of political science and international relations, for Spectrum News NY1 on Eric Swalwell’s bid for California governor.
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| “We can all expect stronger storms, stronger winds, and more frequent extreme weather that threatens grid stability.”
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Victoria Petryshyn of environmental studies speaking with Crain’s Cleveland Business about how some Ohio utilities are asking state regulators to loosen standards.
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“The chance that a given place will sell a winning lottery ticket is just related to how many tickets they sell.”
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Ken Alexander of mathematics for myNewsLA commenting on the Powerball drawing.
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Voices Above the Fray. Armenian rapper Lyoka performs during the “Artsakh Uprooted: Aftermaths of Displacement” symposium, one of many initiatives undertaken by the USC Dornsife Institute of Armenian Studies over the past 20 years to elevate the field and the community. Read about the institute’s evolution and see more photos on USC Dornsife News. (Photo: Brandon Balayan.)
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University of Southern California Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences | Los Angeles, CA 90089 US
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