Students blogging from their Environmental Studies 495 Senior Seminar class focus on their study of the natural history of Southern California, the native organisms and threats of invasive species as well as the unique problems that we face. Over the course of the semester they will cover the Los Angeles River, the oil boom, municipal and agricultural water, Channel Islands biodiversity, and climate change. Students will take three field trips including spending a weekend on Catalina Island and a weekend in the interior of Santa Cruz Island.

In mid-Septemberr, USC Dornsife geobiologist Katrina Edwards her team of researchers will embark on a journey into the Atlantic Ocean, where they will drill deep into the ocean floor and study the microbial communities found there. Edwards will send regular reports through ScientificAmerican.com's Expeditions blog and share her experiences, trials, tribulations and scientific findings. Read about their 2009 expedition.

Learn what life is like as an undergraduate archaeology student at USC. Current students blog about their studies overseas, field work, conferences, internships, classes and more.

.hub, a service of USC Dornsife Advising, was created to provide a place for USC Dornsife students, staff and faculty to share opportunities and events that will enrich the educational experience of our students and facilitate an informed and engaged college community.

Students visited Oxford, England, through Problems Without Passports for the USC Dornsife class “Biological Sciences 499: Global Health.” In the program, taught by the Oxford University faculty, students were introduced to the major diseases and risks to health in developing world countries; review the major prevention strategies and challenges for control of these diseases; examine policy issues and determinants of public health and health policy in international health; learn to situate health in its wider social, economic and political context; and much more.

This internship was a partnership program between the USC Dornsife Environmental Studies Program, the USC Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies, and the Catalina Island Conservancy. Four students spent a week at the Conservancy headquarters in Middle Ranch, where they were trained in the cultural and natural history of the island, and then worked on building an interpretive hiking trail, eradicating the invasive fennel in the area, working with the Conservancy at their greenhouse and nursery, and helping with restoration on other areas of the island.

USC students explored Cambodia as part of their Problems Without Passports course “International Relations 318: Conflict Resolution and Peace Research.” The course examined the politics of bringing the Khmer Rouge leadership to justice for the crimes they committed during their rule in Cambodia. Students attended trials and worked with local organizations to document the court procedures and the reactions of the citizens to what the tribunal is attempting to accomplish.

This four-week experiential program offered to undergraduates in Summer 2011 took place at the USC Wrigley Marine Science Center on Catalina Island and throughout Micronesia. Students investigated environmental issues such as ecologically sustainable development, fisheries management, protected-area planning and assessment, and human health issues. The 24-student team collected data to support conservation and management strategies to protect the fragile coral reefs of Guam, Palau and other Micronesian islands. Featured contributions are posted on ScientificAmerican.com's Expeditions blog.

In May 2011, 19 undergraduates will depart for Southern Belize as part of USC Dornsife’s Problems Without Passports. There they will study the Classic Maya Civilization, examining the clues left by the ancient peoples, as they try to decipher what caused their societal collapse over 1,000 years ago.

Led by acclaimed poet Cecilia Woloch of English, this program offers a course in poetry-writing to undergraduates in Paris, France, over the month-long Maymester term. Students participate in intensive workshops, afternoon craft talks and discussions with French and expatriate poets living and working in Paris. Students read extensively from French poetry as well as the work of American poets whose time in Paris has influenced their creative work. Writing assignments draw inspiration from those readings and from students’ experiences in Paris.

Eight USC Dornsife students traveled to the central region of Ghana to serve as research fellows for Blue Kitabu, an organization that works with communities and community leaders to build educational infrastructure, needed business and markets, materials and teacher training for the most vulnerable populations. Students  participated in a farm-stay at the Asuansi Farm Institute to research agriculture, education and sustainable development. Elizabeth M. Barreras '07 is the co-founder and executive director of Blue Kitabu. Read more about the students' trip.

This multi-disciplinary blog written by MPW faculty and staff offers writing tips in multiple genres, book and stage/screen recommendations, writing exercises, reflections on being a working writer in L.A., and breaking opportunities.

In June 2010, USC Dornsife faculty and students took part in a month-long immersion program in Los Angeles and Japan to foster the understanding of social issues, culture and community. Participants began the June program with five intensive days in L.A. that included seminars and field trips in preparation for the two weeks in Japan. The two weeks in Japan were based in Tokyo with seminars, day trips and overnight trips outside of Tokyo. The program concluded with two days of debriefing in Los Angeles and final presentations at a retreat in August.

A behind-the-scenes look at a student-curated "intervention" into Four Rooms and a View: USC's Collection Highlights.

Armed with original research and innovative ideas, five undergraduates will re-curate the Fisher Museum’s current show, Four Rooms and a View: USC's Collection Highlights. Their resulting exhibition, re:View, is a thought-provoking reinterpretation of selected works in USC's permanent collection and presents new perspectives on traditional curatorial practice. re:View will be exhibited from March 27 through April 17, 2010 at the USC Fisher Museum.

Donal Manahan, founder of the program and director of the Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies in USC Dornsife, and a small group of colleagues have been accompanying some of the world’s best young biologists to Antarctica since 1994. More than 200 faculty and students representing 30 nations have participated to date. Look over the shoulders of polar scientists as they study the marine life that surrounds Antarctica. One of the group’s biggest goals: learning to work in teams to understand and predict the reaction of living things to climate change.