USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts & Sciences
@dornsife.usc.edu
The original, largest and most diverse of USC’s academic schools ✌️
Congratulations, Prof. Lloyd!
My book Intraterrestrials: Discovering the Strangest Life on Earth was long-listed for the PEN E.O. Wilson Award! I've been inspired by E.O. Wilson's science writing since I was a kid, so this is a huge honor!
pen.org/announcing-t...
pen.org/announcing-t...
Announcing the 2026 PEN America Literary Awards Longlists
PEN America is honored to announce the Longlists for the 2026 Literary Awards, which will confer nearly $350,000 to writers and translators.
pen.org
December 19, 2025 at 6:22 PM
Congratulations, Prof. Lloyd!
As Avatar: Fire and Ash hits theaters, we’re revisiting the story behind Na’vi — a language crafted by a @usc.edu Dornsife linguistics alumnus.
From phonetics to grammar, every word was built with science. dornsife.usc.edu/news/stories...
From phonetics to grammar, every word was built with science. dornsife.usc.edu/news/stories...
The Science of Language (Na'vi, That Is)
From harmony (meoauniaea) to brainworm (eltungawng), Paul Frommer Ph.D. ’81 creates a brand new language for the film Avatar.
dornsife.usc.edu
December 19, 2025 at 6:12 PM
As Avatar: Fire and Ash hits theaters, we’re revisiting the story behind Na’vi — a language crafted by a @usc.edu Dornsife linguistics alumnus.
From phonetics to grammar, every word was built with science. dornsife.usc.edu/news/stories...
From phonetics to grammar, every word was built with science. dornsife.usc.edu/news/stories...
Reposted by USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts & Sciences
How researchers are learning what makes police stops feel respectful dornsife.usc.edu/news/stories...
How researchers are learning what makes police stops feel respectful
USC Dornsife led effort analyzes bodycam video from 1,000 L.A. traffic stops to train AI tools to improve safety, accountability and respect
dornsife.usc.edu
December 18, 2025 at 6:53 PM
How researchers are learning what makes police stops feel respectful dornsife.usc.edu/news/stories...
Reposted by USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts & Sciences
From community dream to academic force in contemporary Armenian studies @dornsife.usc.edu dornsife.usc.edu/news/stories...
From community dream to force in contemporary Armenian studies
USC Dornsife Institute of Armenian Studies marks 20 years of amplifying the community’s experiences, advancing a globally relevant future
dornsife.usc.edu
December 10, 2025 at 3:59 PM
From community dream to academic force in contemporary Armenian studies @dornsife.usc.edu dornsife.usc.edu/news/stories...
Reposted by USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts & Sciences
USC Nobel laureate in Chemistry Arieh Warshel is using AI to predict how HIV and other viruses evolve as a means of overcoming drug resistance.
@dornsife.usc.edu
today.usc.edu/decoding-the...
@dornsife.usc.edu
today.usc.edu/decoding-the...
Decoding the chemistry of life, with the aid of AI — USC News
USC Nobel laureate Arieh Warshel attempts to predict evolution of viruses.
today.usc.edu
December 9, 2025 at 10:56 PM
USC Nobel laureate in Chemistry Arieh Warshel is using AI to predict how HIV and other viruses evolve as a means of overcoming drug resistance.
@dornsife.usc.edu
today.usc.edu/decoding-the...
@dornsife.usc.edu
today.usc.edu/decoding-the...
The rate of food insecurity in L.A. County hasn’t changed much since last year. But higher-income Angelenos now make up a growing share.
dornsife.usc.edu/news/stories...
dornsife.usc.edu/news/stories...
Food insecurity still high in LA County, but who it affects is changing
USC Dornsife study finds food insecurity stayed at 24% in 2025, with improvements for low-income households and rising strain for others
dornsife.usc.edu
December 9, 2025 at 11:48 PM
The rate of food insecurity in L.A. County hasn’t changed much since last year. But higher-income Angelenos now make up a growing share.
dornsife.usc.edu/news/stories...
dornsife.usc.edu/news/stories...
Tomorrow: New USC Dornsife Public Exchange data on food and nutrition insecurity in L.A. County — and what it reveals about who’s being affected.
December 8, 2025 at 8:24 PM
Tomorrow: New USC Dornsife Public Exchange data on food and nutrition insecurity in L.A. County — and what it reveals about who’s being affected.
Reposted by USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts & Sciences
Only 16% of Angelenos live on well-shaded streets. But nearly half think they do. A study by @dornsife.usc.edu breaks down L.A.’s “shade perception gap.”
LA’s shade gap: Many think their streets are covered – they’re not
New LABarometer report: Half of Angelenos say their block has enough shade even though most live on tree-sparse streets
dornsife.usc.edu
November 29, 2025 at 12:28 AM
Only 16% of Angelenos live on well-shaded streets. But nearly half think they do. A study by @dornsife.usc.edu breaks down L.A.’s “shade perception gap.”
We may be rivals on the field, but off it, @usc.edu and UCLA often team up as powerful partners — from public service projects like our @weareshadela.bsky.social coalition to breakthroughs in tech, medicine and more. today.usc.edu/usc-and-ucla...
USC and UCLA: 10 ways these football rivals are partners off the field
Trojan and Bruin faculty and students often work together to tackle societal challenges and spark discovery in medicine, technology and more. (They even play games together!)
today.usc.edu
November 25, 2025 at 6:26 PM
We may be rivals on the field, but off it, @usc.edu and UCLA often team up as powerful partners — from public service projects like our @weareshadela.bsky.social coalition to breakthroughs in tech, medicine and more. today.usc.edu/usc-and-ucla...
Reposted by USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts & Sciences
On 34th Street sits one of USC’s greatest legacies. For 50+ years, @dornsife.usc.edu's JEP has sent Trojans into local classrooms to tutor, mentor, and uplift students.
USC Dornsife’s Joint Educational Project – generations of service
JEP, launched 50 years ago, is one of USC’s most enduring initiatives, serving and educating generations in nearby communities
dornsife.usc.edu
November 20, 2025 at 12:29 AM
On 34th Street sits one of USC’s greatest legacies. For 50+ years, @dornsife.usc.edu's JEP has sent Trojans into local classrooms to tutor, mentor, and uplift students.
Reposted by USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts & Sciences
AI feels like magic, but it’s math. @dornsife.usc.edu's new MS in Mathematical Data Science trains students to master the formulas powering tomorrow’s algorithms.
Training the minds behind the AI algorithm
New master’s program teaches mathematical foundations behind artificial intelligence, so grads can build the algorithms shaping our future
dornsife.usc.edu
November 15, 2025 at 1:11 AM
AI feels like magic, but it’s math. @dornsife.usc.edu's new MS in Mathematical Data Science trains students to master the formulas powering tomorrow’s algorithms.
Reposted by USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts & Sciences
Trojan scientists are one step closer to designing safer painkillers. At @dornsife.usc.edu, biologists visualized how opioids engage brain receptors.
A path to safer painkillers – revealed by freezing opioids in motion
In a first, USC Dornsife scientists visualize how opioids and Narcan engage a key brain receptor, opening new avenues to safer drugs
dornsife.usc.edu
November 9, 2025 at 5:09 PM
Trojan scientists are one step closer to designing safer painkillers. At @dornsife.usc.edu, biologists visualized how opioids engage brain receptors.
Reposted by USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts & Sciences
Happy Halloween! 🎃
Here’s an interesting short read on the historical popularity of ghosts and by folklore expert Tok Thompson of anthropology at @dornsife.usc.edu
Boo! 👻
dornsife.usc.edu/news/stories...
Here’s an interesting short read on the historical popularity of ghosts and by folklore expert Tok Thompson of anthropology at @dornsife.usc.edu
Boo! 👻
dornsife.usc.edu/news/stories...
Why believing in ghosts can make you a better person Why believing in ghosts can make you a better person
Ghosts could be offering us important lessons on how to lead moral lives. [4 min read]
dornsife.usc.edu
October 31, 2025 at 2:59 PM
Happy Halloween! 🎃
Here’s an interesting short read on the historical popularity of ghosts and by folklore expert Tok Thompson of anthropology at @dornsife.usc.edu
Boo! 👻
dornsife.usc.edu/news/stories...
Here’s an interesting short read on the historical popularity of ghosts and by folklore expert Tok Thompson of anthropology at @dornsife.usc.edu
Boo! 👻
dornsife.usc.edu/news/stories...
Reposted by USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts & Sciences
Research led by @dornsife.usc.edu Professor Emilio Valadez shows how combining two types of brain scans significantly improved predictions of future anxiety in teens.
=> One day we may use brain imaging to help teens most at risk for anxiety disorders
dornsife.usc.edu/news/stories...
=> One day we may use brain imaging to help teens most at risk for anxiety disorders
dornsife.usc.edu/news/stories...
2 brain scans are better than 1 in predicting teen anxiety
Combined brain imaging methods helps forecast which adolescents are most at risk for anxiety disorders well before symptoms appear
dornsife.usc.edu
October 24, 2025 at 9:51 PM
Research led by @dornsife.usc.edu Professor Emilio Valadez shows how combining two types of brain scans significantly improved predictions of future anxiety in teens.
=> One day we may use brain imaging to help teens most at risk for anxiety disorders
dornsife.usc.edu/news/stories...
=> One day we may use brain imaging to help teens most at risk for anxiety disorders
dornsife.usc.edu/news/stories...
Reposted by USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts & Sciences
Global dementia costs are expected to hit $2 trillion by 2030. Duke Han of @dornsife.usc.edu is co-leading a $39M national push to detect Alzheimer’s earlier.
USC Dornsife psychologist co-leads $39M push to detect Alzheimer’s earlier - USC Dornsife News Briefs
Spotting the earliest warning signs of Alzheimer’s disease could help delay or even prevent the disease. Duke Han of psychology at USC Dornsife is co-leading a new, nationwide effort to make that possibility a reality.
dornsife.usc.edu
October 27, 2025 at 4:04 PM
Global dementia costs are expected to hit $2 trillion by 2030. Duke Han of @dornsife.usc.edu is co-leading a $39M national push to detect Alzheimer’s earlier.
Register today, to join us for this live virtual event tomorrow!
Join ICW co-directors Bill Deverell and Elizabeth Logan for tomorrow's @dornsife.usc.edu Dialogues!
From Gold Rush to Gigabytes: California’s 175 Years of Change and Reinvention
Oct. 23, 2025 at 12:00 pm PT
RSVP: dornsife.usc.edu/dornsife-alu...
From Gold Rush to Gigabytes: California’s 175 Years of Change and Reinvention
Oct. 23, 2025 at 12:00 pm PT
RSVP: dornsife.usc.edu/dornsife-alu...
October 22, 2025 at 8:24 PM
Register today, to join us for this live virtual event tomorrow!
Reposted by USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts & Sciences
Did you know scientists use dog DNA to study foxes? @dornsife.usc.edu researchers found that this common practice can mislead conservation efforts for endangered species.
Genomic reference DNA affects genetic research results
USC Dornsife research shows studies relying on stand-in reference DNA can distort findings and put vulnerable species at greater risk
dornsife.usc.edu
October 17, 2025 at 11:45 PM
Did you know scientists use dog DNA to study foxes? @dornsife.usc.edu researchers found that this common practice can mislead conservation efforts for endangered species.
“In this place of sadness, injustice, and pain, we will do something joyous, righteous, and healing. We will play baseball.”
At a former Japanese American incarceration camp in California, descendants returned to play on a restored ball field — reclaiming memory through the game.
bit.ly/47sEFIq
At a former Japanese American incarceration camp in California, descendants returned to play on a restored ball field — reclaiming memory through the game.
bit.ly/47sEFIq
Baseball returns to a Japanese American detention camp after a historic ball field was restored
The restored baseball field at Manzanar Relocation Center celebrates the resiliency of so many prisoners and memorializes this dark period in U.S. history.
dornsife.usc.edu
October 17, 2025 at 8:56 PM
“In this place of sadness, injustice, and pain, we will do something joyous, righteous, and healing. We will play baseball.”
At a former Japanese American incarceration camp in California, descendants returned to play on a restored ball field — reclaiming memory through the game.
bit.ly/47sEFIq
At a former Japanese American incarceration camp in California, descendants returned to play on a restored ball field — reclaiming memory through the game.
bit.ly/47sEFIq
Students: Have you entered the competition? Today is the deadline to register!
We and @dornsife.usc.edu have launched a #ShadeLA design competition to create cooling shade zones across public places in LA. @weareshadela.bsky.social uses our national Shade Map to identify areas that need it the most.
Read in @nbcla.com: www.nbclosangeles.com/weather-news... #UCLA #UCLALuskin
Read in @nbcla.com: www.nbclosangeles.com/weather-news... #UCLA #UCLALuskin
Cool ideas wanted. USC launches Shade Zones Design Competition
USC is launching a first-of-its-kind student design competition to tackle one of the region’s growing threats — extreme heat. The Shade Zones Design Competition kicks off in the fall and will run annu...
www.nbclosangeles.com
October 15, 2025 at 8:36 PM
Students: Have you entered the competition? Today is the deadline to register!
Reposted by USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts & Sciences
No one knows what the world will look like 15 years from now. New dean of @dornsife.usc.edu, James Bullock, says that’s exactly why liberal arts matter — they give students skills that never expire.
New USC Dornsife dean touts the value of the liberal arts
Astrophysicist and former UC Irvine dean James Bullock discusses public scholarship’s power and why asking big questions matters
dornsife.usc.edu
October 13, 2025 at 4:17 PM
No one knows what the world will look like 15 years from now. New dean of @dornsife.usc.edu, James Bullock, says that’s exactly why liberal arts matter — they give students skills that never expire.
Congrats to all our new -- and newly promoted -- faculty! 👏
Great time celebrating new and promoted faculty @dornsife.usc.edu yesterday.
From folks in the writing program helping students communicate, listen, speak, and write… to physicists working on superconducting qubits, it was an amazing celebration of excellence in the liberal arts @usc.edu
From folks in the writing program helping students communicate, listen, speak, and write… to physicists working on superconducting qubits, it was an amazing celebration of excellence in the liberal arts @usc.edu
October 8, 2025 at 4:22 PM
Congrats to all our new -- and newly promoted -- faculty! 👏
This is what collaboration for climate resilience looks like. We're proud to partner with you to help cool LA's hottest neighborhoods.
LA's scaling up shade ahead of the 2028 Olympics, and our Shade Map is helping guide where it’s needed most. Partnering w/ @dornsife.usc.edu, we’re working to turn shade deserts into cooler, healthier spaces.
@latimes.com: www.latimes.com/environment/... #UCLA #UCLALuskin @weareshadela.bsky.social
@latimes.com: www.latimes.com/environment/... #UCLA #UCLALuskin @weareshadela.bsky.social
Ahead of the 2028 Olympics, Los Angeles launches a program to expand shade across the city
L.A. is partnering with colleges and nonprofits to launch ShadeLA, an initiative focused on tree planting, canopy design and urban heat resilience before the 2028 Games.
www.latimes.com
October 7, 2025 at 9:26 PM
This is what collaboration for climate resilience looks like. We're proud to partner with you to help cool LA's hottest neighborhoods.
Reposted by USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts & Sciences
The world knew her as a trailblazing primatologist who redefined evolution. We knew her as an integral part of @dornsife.usc.edu. Jane Goodall’s legacy will keep inspiring the Trojan Family.
Honoring Jane Goodall’s legacy at USC Dornsife
Trailblazing primatologist Jane Goodall advanced the study of great apes at USC Dornsife, and left a lasting mark on its students and faculty
dornsife.usc.edu
October 3, 2025 at 11:45 PM
The world knew her as a trailblazing primatologist who redefined evolution. We knew her as an integral part of @dornsife.usc.edu. Jane Goodall’s legacy will keep inspiring the Trojan Family.
Reposted by USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts & Sciences
Blink and you’ll miss it! @dornsife.usc.edu's Stephen Bradforth won a US-UK grant to study ultrafast quantum chemistry with potential in solar energy & drug design.
US-UK quantum chemistry grant goes to USC Dornsife scholar
Chemistry professor Stephen Bradforth will explore how quantum entanglement can influence the outcome of ultrafast molecular events
dornsife.usc.edu
October 4, 2025 at 11:45 PM
Blink and you’ll miss it! @dornsife.usc.edu's Stephen Bradforth won a US-UK grant to study ultrafast quantum chemistry with potential in solar energy & drug design.
Reposted by USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts & Sciences
They swam the English Channel before starting college. Now twins Amelia and Sarah Batt are diving into Trojan life at @dornsife.usc.edu. 🏊♀️
The twins making waves at USC Dornsife
Extreme swims and a father’s cancer diagnosis prove incoming freshmen Amelia and Sarah Batt know resilience and commitment
dornsife.usc.edu
October 2, 2025 at 4:31 PM
They swam the English Channel before starting college. Now twins Amelia and Sarah Batt are diving into Trojan life at @dornsife.usc.edu. 🏊♀️