Jim Key

Friday the 13th: Luck and superstition throughout the world Superstitions vary from culture to culture. For Friday the 13th, USC Dornsife faculty trace beliefs about what brings good and bad luck.

It’s Friday the 13th — how did this date get such a bad rep?

Our scholars explain the mix of folklore, fear and cultural storytelling that gave it its eerie reputation. dornsife.usc.edu/news/stories...

We’re finding life where we once thought nothing could survive.

On Feb. 26, Dean James Bullock hosts a Dornsife Dialogues conversation with a USC Dornsife prof and a NASA JPL alum on extreme environments and the search for life beyond Earth.

Save your spot: dornsife.usc.edu/dornsife-alu...

James Bullock officially installed as USC Dornsife dean USC president calls him “the perfect person to steer Dornsife into the future.”

Officially official: James Bullock (@jbprime.bsky.social) has been installed as the 23rd dean of the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences.

He’s championing a “modern approach to the liberal arts” — rooted in tradition, tuned to today’s students and job market. bit.ly/4kqtMMd

Can we prevent AI from acting like a sociopath? Researchers are investigating how to keep artificial intelligence aligned with human values.

If powerful #AI systems can sometimes start behaving like sociopaths, how do we keep them aligned with human values?

We explore what it might take to keep them in check — including a built-in sense of “vulnerability,” so it has something to lose by causing harm. dornsife.usc.edu/news/stories...

Copy Editing Matters, from HHS's release on the new childhood vaccine schedule: All the diseases will still be available to anyone who wants them

The Science of Language (Na'vi, That Is) From harmony (meoauniaea) to brainworm (eltungawng), Paul Frommer Ph.D. ’81 creates a brand new language for the film Avatar.

As Avatar: Fire and Ash hits theaters, we’re revisiting the story behind Na’vi — a language crafted by a @usc.edu Dornsife linguistics alumnus.

From phonetics to grammar, every word was built with science. dornsife.usc.edu/news/stories...

USC and UCLA: 10 ways these football rivals are partners off the field Trojan and Bruin faculty and students often work together to tackle societal challenges and spark discovery in medicine, technology and more. (They even play games together!)

We may be rivals on the field, but off it, @usc.edu and UCLA often team up as powerful partners — from public service projects like our @weareshadela.bsky.social coalition to breakthroughs in tech, medicine and more. today.usc.edu/usc-and-ucla...

Honoring Jane Goodall’s legacy at USC Dornsife Trailblazing primatologist Jane Goodall advanced the study of great apes at USC Dornsife, and left a lasting mark on its students and faculty

“Jane Goodall’s spirit lives on in the questions we ask, the way we study, and the deep respect we hold for the natural world.”

Prof. Goodall left an enduring mark on USC Dornsife and inspired generations of students and faculty.
dornsife.usc.edu/news/stories...

USC today announced ShadeLA, a bold new effort to cool Los Angeles by expanding tree canopy and shade infrastructure in key public and community spaces.

ShadeLA is led by USC Dornsife Public Exchange in collaboration with UCLA @luskininnovation.bsky.social

today.usc.edu/usc-teams-up...

After a child care worker is detained by ICE, a community is left reeling Nicolle Orozco Forero is one of the thousands of immigrant women who provide child care for American children, and one of the few who cares for children with disabilities. Now she and her seriously il...

Our federal government is currently spending more money deporting childcare workers than fixing our broken, patchy childcare system. 19thnews.org/2025/07/chil...

Civic Education As We Look To Our Nation’s 250th Anniversary More than seven out of 10 U.S. adults give a grade of C or worse to K-12 public schools' efforts to prepare students "to be good citizens."

A USC Dornsife study finds rare bipartisan unity: both parties back civic education for kids.

Love seeing this turnout

Trump will end crisis hotline for LGBTQ+ youth. But L.A. has options for those in need The Trump administration is planning to slash specialized services for LGBTQ+ youth on the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

Trump will end crisis hotline for LGBTQ+ youth. But L.A. has options for those in need

Researchers call on Newsom to pay for post-fire soil testing in Los Angeles County A group of environmental researchers is calling on the Newsom administration to step in and pay for soil testing at thousands of homes destroyed in the Eaton and Palisades wildfires.

Researchers call on Newsom to pay for post-fire soil testing in Los Angeles County

USC Dornsife’s Percival Everett Wins 2025 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction The English professor’s novel 'James' offers a searing retelling of a Mark Twain classic — and has now earned fiction’s highest honor.

This little story was a particulalry fun one to turn around quickly. dornsife.usc.edu/news/stories...

Claude

Archetype: The gentle philosopher who brings tea to debate club and apologizes for breathing too loud

Three words: Thoughtful, earnest, cardigan

Vibe: Writes long letters you’ll treasure forever and never quite understand

Gemini

Archetype: The gifted kid who already has three internships and corrects your grammar for fun

Three words: Polished, competitive, calculating

Vibe: Google Doc in human form

Meta AI

Archetype: The social climber who copies your notes and then filters them into a Reel

Three words: Trendy, eager, repost

Vibe: Still figuring out who they are — but in five apps at once

Perplexity

Archetype: The know-it-all valedictorian who shows their work even when it’s not required

Three words: Precise, caffeinated, citation-happy

Vibe: Won’t say “I love you,” but will hyperlink it

Grok

Archetype: The edgy transfer student who runs the underground zine and smokes code behind the gym

Three words: Rebellious, meme-lord, libertarian

Vibe: Probably got banned from Discord… again

Siri

Archetype: The salty yearbook editor who peaked in sophomore year and knows it

Three words: Sarcastic, loyal, done

Vibe: Will help you, but makes you feel judged

Alexa

Archetype: Perky overachiever who’s in every club and reminds the teacher to collect the homework

Three words: Organized, cheerful, eager

Vibe: Bakes cookies with QR codes for the ingredients

ChatGPT

Archetype: The charismatic overachiever who edits the school paper and secretly writes poetry

Three words: Witty, helpful, golden retriever

Vibe: Everyone’s go-to for homework and heartbreak advice

What if Alexa, Grok, Siri, Gemini & other AIs were all in high school together?

I asked ChatGPT to imagine each AI as a teen, complete with archetypes, 3 word descriptions, and yes… yearbook photos.

Who would you sit with at lunch?

#AIhumor #ChatGPT #Claude #Gemini #Grok #Siri #Alexa @openai

Free soil testing for lead helps L.A. residents after wildfires Those affected by L.A. wildfires can submit soil for testing courtesy of USC Dornsife Public Exchange’s project assessing contamination

Federal agencies may not be testing for lead near homes hit by wildfires in Altadena and the Palisades—but USC Dornsife is. At no cost.

USC Dornsife’s Public Exchange launched the CLEAN project, a free soil testing effort led by our Earth Sciences faculty. Learn how to get yours checked:

*CLUELESS JOE DOESN’T KNOW WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!!

*JOE’S BEEN ASLEEP & NO ONE WOKE HIM TO TELL HIM WHAT HAPPENED

*WORSE THAN CROOKED HILLARY’S SERVER. ALL SHOULD BE FIRED, BUT HE’S TOO WEAK TO DO IT!

It’s not hard to imagine what Trump would be saying about Biden if he had claimed he “didn’t know anything about” such an egregious error during his presidency.

Opinion | How Covid Remade America It feels as if the pandemic is behind us. But we’re living in the world it made.

I was remade by learning how to make craft cocktails and appreciate bourbon.
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

Beautifully written story, Joe