Our Impact
There is no more powerful mission than truly creating change. The USC community — faculty, students and staff — work side by side with partners in Los Angeles to solve immediate problems, creating a constellation of people and networks collaborating toward the public good. Worldwide, our efforts address global health inequities, develop leadership and research in key cultural areas, train diplomats from myriad countries and more.
Inventing Solutions
Exploring Medical Frontiers
Creating New Knowledge
Discovery, Creativity, Impact
USC is a premier research institution that provides a steady stream of new knowledge, art and technology. It has more than $1 billion in annual research expenditures, with the largest graduate program in science, engineering and health of all private research universities.
Research Highlights
From unexpected climate solutions to unearthing truths about today’s information ecosystem and more, USC researchers roll up their sleeves for the problems of today.
USC Iovine and Young Academy, collaborators open engineering lab offering South L.A. youth a path to STEM careers
STORY, VIDEO AND PHOTOS: The new material science and engineering lab at the SoLa Foundation will prepare students for careers in aerospace, robotics, engineering and more.
Nearly 1 in 3 retail pharmacies have closed since 2010
Recent chain store closures have driven an unprecedented decline in pharmacies, USC and UC Berkeley researchers find.
Over a million U.S. children scarred by drug overdoses
More than 1.4 million children have lost a family member to a drug overdose, with younger children increasingly affected, according to a USC Dornsife study.
President’s High-Tech Scholars program brings top tech students to USC
Donor support is growing for USC President Carol Folt’s program to recruit community college transfer students in computing and technology.
Partnership puts USC Master of Teaching students and faculty into local classrooms
Theory is put to use in classrooms at 54th Street Elementary School.
Black Friday, the economic environment and the evolution of America’s retail holiday
USC Marshall’s Lars Perner — a Black Friday expert — takes a look at what’s in store this year and how the big shopping day has changed over the last five years.
USC Dornsife’s Joint Educational Project helps local kids manage stress, find focus through yoga
Pioneering Little Yoginis program helps inner-city children in Los Angeles find peace.
In memoriam: George Wilson, 81, philosophy professor who focused on film, language and action
Wilson was one of the first philosophers to take a critical interest in cinema, writing several influential books on the subject.
Men’s water polo team beats UCLA to win third straight conference tournament title
The Trojans now head to their 20th straight NCAA tournament after beating the Bruins 15-13 in the MPSF final in Westwood.
Creative Expression
Los Angeles is considered the “Creative Capital of the World.” With six major arts schools, USC is one of the city’s driving forces for new ideas and emerging talent, playing a prominent role in the film, television, music, architecture and arts industries.
Faculty Spotlight
USC’s award-winning scholars and researchers look beyond the ordinary to bring new, much-needed insights and developments to a rapidly changing world with complex needs. Within the health and medical fields, this has translated to a wide range of breakthroughs and discoveries that affect every aspect of our daily lives.
An influential force at USC, Ellis Meng explores the intersection between technology and medicine. Meng directs the Biomedical Microsystems Laboratory, which specializes in advancing medicine using microsystems technologies. She is associate professor of biomedical and electrical engineering and chair of USC’s Women in Science and Engineering program.
Working in genetics since 1995, Marlena Fejzo’s research focuses on conditions and diseases that primarily affect women, including ovarian cancer, breast cancer and multiple sclerosis. Fejzo discovered the first genes associated with uterine fibroids, nausea and vomiting during pregnancy known as hyperemesis gravidarum. She is a science advisor and board member for the global nonprofit Hyperemesis Education and Research Foundation.
Paul Aisen is founding director of the Alzheimer’s Therapeutic Research Institute and professor of neurology. A distinguished Alzheimer’s researcher for over two decades, Aisen pioneers novel methodologies and extensive therapeutic trials to advance understanding of the continuum of Alzheimer’s disease, from the long pre-symptomatic phase through cognitive and functional decline.
Art & Science Interdisciplinary Collaborations
Bridge Institute & the USC School of Cinematic Arts
In pursuit of a cure for diabetes, faculty and students collaborate to explore the molecular structure of the pancreatic beta cell — the molecule responsible for creating insulin.
Brain & Creativity Institute
The Brain & Creativity Institute studies the effects of music processing on the developing brain, how the brain organizes narratives, and the role of feeling and consciousness in humans and machines. Applications include the diagnosis and treatment of neurological and psychiatric disorders, child development and education.
Wrigley Institute Storymakers Program
Scientists become storytellers through this weeklong intensive workshop that teaches hands-on tools such as podcasting, creative content production and more to empower the people behind the science to move hearts and minds with their work in order to accelerate change.
Arts and Climate Collective (ACC)
Inspired and fueled by students, the ACC is a collective commitment to sustainability and environmental justice using the building blocks of arts, culture and storytelling. Participation develops essential skills and attitudes that prepare students for long-term success and create a shared sense of USC community.