The University of Southern California (USC) has developed a robust internal funding track to support faculty members in their efforts to obtain federally funded grants. As part of this, USC’s Office of Research and Innovation (OORI) has announced a new award made with joint support from the President’s Sustainability Initiative Award and the Humanities & Humanistic Social Sciences (HHSS) Program.
The President’s Sustainability Initiative Award is an internal funding program designed to support projects that advance sustainability on campus. It encourages interdisciplinary collaboration among faculty, staff, and students, promoting innovative solutions to environmental challenges. The award provides financial backing for initiatives that align with USC’s sustainability goals, such as reducing carbon emissions, conserving resources, and enhancing environmental awareness. Through this program, USC aims to foster a culture of sustainability and drive impactful change within the university community. The Humanities & Humanistic Social Sciences (HHSS) Program offers internal funding awards to support research and scholarship in the humanities and related social sciences. These grants aim to foster innovative, interdisciplinary work that deepens understanding of the human experience, culture, history, and society.
The awarded proposal, led by Dr. Andrew Lakoff, Professor of Sociology and Anthropology in USC’s Dornsife College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences, addresses the critical areas of interest and strategic priorities of both the President’s Sustainability Initiative Award and the Humanities & Humanistic Social Sciences Program Award.
Dr. Lakoff’s proposal, titled The City on Life Support: Los Angeles as a Laboratory for Planetary Health, brings together USC faculty in the humanistic social sciences in collaboration with environmental health researchers to generate a public humanities project focused on the challenges of planetary health as they are experienced in Los Angeles.
Congratulations to Dr. Lakoff and his team!