University of San Diego: College of Arts and Sciences

09/22/2026

Chair and Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry Timothy Clark, PhD, has been awarded a three-year, $417,323 grant from the National Science Foundation to advance research in synthetic chemistry while creating new opportunities for undergraduate student researchers.

The award, funded through the NSF Division of Chemistry within the Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences, supports Clark's project, “RUI: Metal-Catalyzed Borylation: Chiral Ligand Synthesis to New Tools in Organogermanium Chemistry.” The grant period runs from Sept. 1, 2026 through Aug. 31, 2029.

The project focuses on developing new chemical reactions that incorporate boron into organic compounds and using those organoboron compounds to form important molecular building blocks. The resulting compounds are expected to have applications relevant to the pharmaceutical industry, where efficient methods for constructing complex molecules remain a major area of research and development. Click the link below to read more!
https://www.sandiego.edu/newscenter/161141

09/09/2026

Tuesday evening, there were people with different views on the subject at hand. There were experts from different fields of study. There were faculty members, undergraduate and graduate students and various members of the campus community. Together, they were all united in one goal.

Conversation.

That was the objective organizers set out with when they drew plans for a University of San Diego forum on Pope Leo XIV’s first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas. Click the link below to read the whole story! https://www.sandiego.edu/newscenter/159586

09/09/2026

What an incredible night! Our Magnifica Humanitas forum was a collaboration between the Humanities Center, Mission Integration and the College of Arts and Sciences at USD, bringing together speakers from across campus to discuss major elements of the encyclical.

This event opened a conversation on the Pope’s thinking and on the challenges artificial intelligence poses to us all. Pope Leo XIV’s first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, offers a wide-ranging set of reflections on human dignity in the age of artificial intelligence.

Speakers included:
Julia Cantzler, PhD, JD | Sociology
Victor Carmona, PhD | Theology and Religious Studies and Associate Dean, College of Arts and Sciences
Brian Clack, PhD | Philosophy and A. Vassiliadis Distinguished Director of the Humanities Center
Darren Kew, PhD | Dean, Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies
Noelle Norton, PhD | Dean, College of Arts and Sciences
Darby Vickers, PhD | Philosophy

08/22/2026

Pope Leo XIV’s first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, offers a wide-ranging set of reflections on human dignity in the age of artificial intelligence. Rooted in the tradition of Catholic social teaching, the encyclical addresses the effects of A.I. on such varied matters as warfare, governance, human relationships and education.

This forum, a collaboration between the Humanities Center, Mission Integration, and the College of Arts and Sciences at USD, brings together speakers from across campus to discuss major elements of the encyclical. Occurring at the very start of the semester, the event will serve to open a conversation on the Pope’s thinking and on the challenges artificial intelligence poses to us all.

Tuesday, September 8
4-5:30 p.m.
Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice Theatre

Reception to follow.

Speakers:
Julia Cantzler, PhD, JD | Sociology
Victor Carmona, PhD | Theology and Religious Studies and Associate Dean, College of Arts and Sciences
Brian Clack, PhD | Philosophy and A. Vassiliadis Distinguished Director of the Humanities Center
Darren Kew, PhD | Dean, Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies
Noelle Norton, PhD | Dean, College of Arts and Sciences
Darby Vickers, PhD | USD Department of Philosophy

PLEASE REGISTER HERE: https://www.sandiego.edu/newscenter/146972

08/14/2026

Brian Clack, A. Vassiliadis Distinguished Director of the Humanities Center, joined the "At the Edge of it All" podcast to discuss the 10 year anniversary of the University of San Diego's Humanities Center and how the center has encouraged not only students and faculty, but the greater community, to be lifelong learners through their events, research opportunities and free art gallery on campus.

Clack also shared how the community is invited to the upcoming KPBS San Diego Book Festival next Saturday, August 22, that allows readers of all ages to enjoy the joy of reading on the university's campus.

Click the link below to watch the whole episode!

Brian Clack, A. Vassiliadis Distinguished Director of the Humanitie...

08/12/2026

University of San Diego professor of history, Thomas Barton, PhD, has been awarded a prestigious fellowship with the Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) for the coming academic year.

Barton joins a distinguished list of past and present IAS scholars that includes Nobel Laureates, MacArthur fellows, Pulitzer Prize winners and more. Click the link below to read more! https://www.sandiego.edu/newscenter/151903

08/04/2026

Saturday, August 22, 2026
10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
On the University of San Diego campus!

In partnership with KPBS, we are bringing our community closer together through the shared experience of reading and discussing great books!

Come to the KPBS San Diego Book Festival on the University of San Diego campus on Saturday, August 22, for this all-day free event for book lovers of all ages.

Attendees will enjoy panel discussions with award-winning authors, activities, live entertainment, exhibitors including local authors and independent booksellers, a whole fun children’s book and play area, lots of food and music and more! Check out the list of authors below who will be there! We will also have panels with several of our USD authors as well!

Please click this link below to register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/kpbs-san-diego-book-festival-registration-1989337228201?aff=oddtdtcreator

Authors include:
📚Andy Harkness ()
📚Julie Abe ()
📚Salina Yoona ()
📚Shugri Salh ()
📚Rasheed Newson (.newson.author)
📚Deborah Underwood ()
📚Vanessa Hua ()
📚Greg Karber ()
📚Alexandra Bracken ()
📚Sumayyah (Maya) Beck ()
📚Carlyn Greenwald ()
📚Oliver James ()
📚Jim Miller
📚Kelly Mayhew ()
📚Addie Thorley ()
📚T. Jefferson Parker
📚Kazim Ali ()
📚María Dolores Águila (.d.aguila)

See you there!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVmo8DVDVOk

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

08/02/2026

A new children's book is using academic research, poetry and illustrations to teach readers about ecology at the San Diego-Tijuana border.

It is called "Alas al Borde" or "Borderland Wings." It was illustrated by USD Associate Professor of Architecture Adriana Cuéllar! Click the link below to learn more!

The book, "Alas al Borde: Borderland Wings," tells the story of a migrant duck and a native bird exploring the border landscape. Then, KPBS' Beth Accomando previews two new plays opening this weekend. Finally, hear your weekend preview.

07/30/2026

Teaching Professor in the Department of Biology, Helen Jannke, and Hoover High School student researchers she is working with, were featured on San Diego’s CBS 8!

In collaboration with the Ocean Discovery Institute, the students are working in the Donald P. Shiley Center for Science and Technology this summer, studying pollution that is littering our coastlines- with an emphasis on microplastics.

Click the link to read more and watch the video! Great work!!

Hoover High students spent two weeks at the University of San Diego testing local beach sand for microplastics through Ocean Discovery Institute.

07/03/2026

Why do people root for the underdogs? And, what leads basketball players to throw a three-point shot with seconds left in a game?

Nadav Goldschmied, professor of psychological sciences, sat down with USD's "At the Edge of it All" team to share why he decided to pursue a niche career in sports psychology and what he hopes people can gain from his research in underdogs and taking risks in a high-stakes game.

Why do people root for the underdogs? And, what leads basketball pl...