USC Dornsife News

Buoyed by their experiences, participants in the USC Scientific Diving program aim to advance their respective fields while making a global impact.

A new study led by biologist Donal Manahan finds that organisms defend themselves against climate change — to a point. Increasing carbon dioxide levels can force a sea urchin’s metabolism into overdrive just to stay alive.

Juan Carlos Aguilar is a certified scientific diver and relief captain for the USC vessel Miss Christi at USC Dornsife’s Wrigley Marine Science Center on Catalina Island.

Gathering information on the sea’s reaction to climate change, marine biology research at the San Pedro Ocean Timeseries (SPOT) station receives nearly $3 million in new funding.

Karla Heidelberg, new Environmental Studies Program director, believes “we cannot steer a ship by looking in the rearview mirror.”

Beloved and respected by students for his enthusiasm and encyclopedic knowledge of flora and fauna, the intrepid professor’s career at USC Dornsife spanned more than half a century.

Graduate students from throughout the world attend a USC Dornsife summer course in geobiology. Some of their research takes place at the USC Wrigley Marine Science Center on Catalina Island.

Students spend Spring break at the USC Wrigley Marine Science Center on Catalina Island studying the science of sustainable food. After lessons on aquaculture and aquaponics, they get their hands dirty creating compost in an edible garden.

A USC Dornsife linguist and marine biologist join forces in a National Science Foundation study that uses octopuses to shed light on speech disorders such as those associated with Parkinson’s disease.