USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

Just weeks after graduating, economics alumnus Darnell Adler won the top prize at a global innovation challenge, beating out more than 135,000 ideas from 40 countries.

For his startup, Lifeline AI, he won $100K in equity-free funding, Microsoft Azure credits and mentorship from Red Bull Ventures.

The goal: create a personal safety platform that helps people discreetly call for help when taking out a phone or speaking may be unsafe.

Congratulations, Darnell — and Fight On! ✌️

USC Dornsife grad’s global win could make calls for help safer Darnell Adler’s Lifeline AI took Red Bull Basement’s World Final top prize, giving him a chance to set a new standard for emergency alerts

We believe public scholarship matters.

USC Dornsife’s Communicators of the Year share their expertise with audiences far beyond campus, weighing in on topics ranging from war and global politics to climate change, coral reefs, artificial intelligence, literature and microbial life deep beneath Earth’s surface.

Congratulations to this year’s honorees: David Ulin, Robert English, Karen Lloyd, Carly Kenkel and Jackson Trager.

USC Dornsife honors 2025 Communicators of the Year 5 USC Dornsife scholars — including faculty members and a PhD candidate — recognized for exceptional public engagement

Please join us in congratulating this year's faculty and staff award recipients, honored at our Spring Awards Luncheon.

They all reflect the excellence, dedication and service that make USC Dornsife such an extraordinary place.

Fight On! ✌️

Outstanding USC Dornsife faculty and staff members recognized Albert S. Raubenheimer Awards and Outstanding Staff Awards shine a light on individuals demonstrating excellence

They designed, tested, calculated, collaborated and competed — all before heading back to middle and high school.

California just hosted the Science Olympiad National Tournament for the first time, and the University of Southern California was the stage, welcoming more than 2,000 of the nation’s top young STEM students.

Read about the competition, the winning teams and how USC Dornsife and the USC Viterbi School of Engineering helped welcome this extraordinary STEM community to campus.

Science Olympiad draws top middle and high school students The 42nd annual Science Olympiad National Tournament came to California for the first time, bringing more than 2,000 students to USC

Great research deserves great storytelling — and great stories can live far beyond the page.

We’re proud that USC Dornsife Magazine, our alumni magazine, has received a 2026 Bronze Anvil Award from the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), one of the communication field’s highest honors.

The award honors more than the quality of our print issue. It recognizes a holistic approach to magazine storytelling, with print and digital editions supported by video, social media, media outreach, live events and public forums that help research and alumni stories reach even wider audiences.

Thank you to everyone who reads, contributes to, and helps champion the magazine.

USC Dornsife Magazine honored with PRSA Bronze Anvil PRSA recognized the magazine’s storytelling strategy, which extends beyond print through video, social media and live events

Los Angeles City Planning’s Office of Historic Resources (OHR), with leadership from Councilmember Adrin Nazarian and in partnership with the USC Institute of Armenian Studies Institute of Armenian Studies has begun work on the City’s Armenian American Historic Context Statement, a comprehensive historic preservation framework for Armenian American heritage.

Historic context statements are concise documents that help identify and evaluate historical resources by focusing on how geography, history, and culture have influenced a community's development over time.

Help us identify, celebrate, and protect Armenian heritage in the City of Los Angeles with the survey: https://pln.la/3Wqq7b


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Tomorrow, more than 2,000 of the nation’s top K–12 STEM students will arrive at the University of Southern California for the 42nd annual Science Olympiad National Tournament.

USC Dornsife is proud to help welcome 120 teams from across the country — plus a Global Ambassador Team from Japan — for two days of science, engineering, collaboration and discovery.

We can’t wait to see what these future scientists, innovators and problem-solvers bring to campus. ✌️

Top K-12 students to compete in Science Olympiad at USC More than 2,000 students will attend the 42nd annual National Tournament.

Join us in congratulating one of our newest economics graduates, who is headed to the world final of a global innovation competition.

Darnell Adler was named one of three U.S. winners of Red Bull Basement, selected from more than 24,000 applicants, for his startup, Lifeline AI.

Lifeline AI is a personal safety platform designed to help people reach emergency responders and trusted contacts when taking out a phone may not be possible.

We’re cheering you on as you compete against founders from more than 40 countries on June 3, Darnell. Fight On! ✌️

USC grad wins US Red Bull competition, heads to world final Darnell Adler, who studied economics at USC Dornsife, is one of three to win Red Bull Basement, a competition for student innovators.

Still celebrating our Class of 2026.

Our newest undergraduate alumni represent 46 countries and all 50 states, with psychology, economics and human biology among the most popular majors. And they led USC schools in Academic Honors Awards, earning 37 of 58 universitywide.

Congratulations again, graduates. Fight On! ✌️