Uncovering the hidden chemistry of human survival
Original story by USC Viterbi staff
Jeremy Alexander’s dreams are out of this world – literally. The USC student, who is majoring in biomedical engineering and minoring in marine biology, hopes to design habitat systems for the first astronauts to explore Mars.
A recipient of USC Viterbi’s prestigious Doug Peacock Scholarship, which supports students pursuing boundary-pushing research, Alexander has completed an internship at TA Aerospace, whose parent company sponsors the Peacock Scholarship, and won second place in Viterbi’s Sonny Astani Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering Research Symposium.
But when he wanted to really understand alien environments, he turned to the Wrigley Institute for Environment and Sustainability. Through the institute’s scientific diving program, he earned his American Academy of Underwater Sciences diving certification, a key credential for internships, jobs, and graduate school in ocean science-related fields.
At the Wrigley Marine Science Center on Catalina Island, he journeyed to the ocean floor, studying invertebrates. His most memorable dives were at night, descending into total darkness to recover lost objects while lobsters crawled over rocks, and fish darted through kelp forests.
“That experience captured what I love about research in any setting — whether underwater, in soils, or in reactors,” Alexander says. “The most important discoveries often come when you step into places that feel unfamiliar and find novelty in what others might overlook.”