Inventing Solutions
Our world no longer fits into neat little buckets. Today’s issues dismantle traditional organizational structures and require interdisciplinary approaches. Our community of collaborators work across disciplines to apply new approaches to solving problems. We bring unconventional partners together — scientists, storytellers, visual artists — in an effort to inspire one another and find solutions in the space in between disciplines.
An Urban Mindset
Tracking food and nutrition security in Los Angeles County
USC Urban Trees Initiative
Measuring carbon dioxide and pollutant levels in Los Angeles
Having a critical mass of faculty across our different campuses, bringing in our different expertise areas, is really about ameliorating the risk that is associated with drug development. The other aspect of critical mass is that we also want to develop a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship.
Steve Kay, University and Provost Professor, Director of the USC Michelson Center for Convergent Bioscience
Interdisciplinary Answers
Information & Computer Sciences
The USC Information Sciences Institute is a world leader in research and development of advanced information processing, computer and communications technologies.
Creative Technologies
For over 20 years, the USC Institute for Creative Technologies has been at the forefront of basic and applied research in immersive technology, simulation, human performance, computer graphics, artificial intelligence and narrative.
Convergent Bioscience
The USC Michelson Center for Convergent Bioscience brings together a diverse network of scientists and engineers from the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, the USC Viterbi School of Engineering and the Keck School of Medicine of USC to solve some of the greatest intractable problems of the 21st century — from cancer, to neurological disease, to cardiovascular disease and more.
Electrical & Computer Engineering
The USC Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering is one of Southern California’s major research institutions. The department has 11 different research areas that collectively contain over 70 research centers and labs.
Game Innovation
The USC Game Innovation Lab is the focal point of experimental game design research at USC, named the top university for game design by The Princeton Review. The Lab pursues daring, cross-disciplinary approaches that forge new paths in cultural realms using art, science, politics and learning.
Biomedical Engineering
The USC Alfred E. Mann Department of Biomedical Engineering conducts cutting-edge research in a wide variety of areas, including biomedical devices and imaging, cellular and molecular bioengineering, mathematical and computational biosystems, and neuroengineering.
USC Stevens Center for Innovation
It’s one thing to discover; it’s another to move it to the marketplace where commercialization can maximize positive impact. USC’s technology licensing office plays a key role in the innovation ecosystem across Southern California.
Meeting Today’s Challenges, Head-on
The world is facing complex issues that often have conflicting factors: empty buildings amid housing shortages; climate-fighting technologies and red tape; clinical pain management and opioid addictions. Finding solutions requires new approaches and relentless determination.
Academic Rigor, Visionary Approaches
USC scholars and researchers rise to meet varied modern problems with groundbreaking innovations, cross-disciplinary collaboration and creative solutions — transforming how we tackle today’s most critical issues.
No. 1 USC claims 2024 Pac-12 beach volleyball championship
It marks the fifth time in the eight stagings of the event the Trojans have claimed the crown.
Laws requiring doctors to report a dementia diagnosis to the DMV may backfire
USC researchers investigate whether state reporting mandates are associated with clinicians’ likelihood of underdiagnosing dementia.
USC researchers find genetic variant contributing to disparities in childhood leukemia risk
The variant helps explain why Latino children face a higher risk of acute lymphoblastic leukemia and offers insights about what causes the disease.
Keck Medicine of USC opens transplant care clinic in Las Vegas
The clinic is the first in Nevada to offer in-state heart transplant services.
People with rare longevity mutation may also be protected from cardiovascular disease
Patients with growth hormone receptor deficiency, or Laron syndrome, appear to have lower than average risk factors for cardiovascular disease, according to a new study.
USC announces 2024 commencement celebrations
Dozens of student-focused events will recognize the newest graduates.
USC welcomes reinstatement of Reggie Bush’s 2005 Heisman
Bush had a legendary career at USC and an electrifying 2005 season, scoring 18 touchdowns.
Can AI help us uncover unknown authors?
USC computer scientists are developing language technologies that could potentially identify who wrote anonymous text.
Few hospitals are promoting potentially predatory medical payment products
A recent USC study finds concerns about hospitals offering medical payment products may be overblown.
‘Be leaders in your community’: Students engage with university officials at sustainability town hall
EARTH MONTH: Representatives of the USC Office of Sustainability spoke with students about what’s been done, what’s in the works and what needs to happen to create a greener university.