Every passing day seems to offer an alarming new report about the health of our planet. From endangered species and ecosystems, to wildfires and rising seas that are erasing landscapes as we know them, the message is clear: Our environment, the key to our wellbeing and survival, is in deep trouble.
Ironically, this is happening at a point in our collective history when it feels like our knowledge and ingenuity are boundless. We know, for example, how to manage a landscape so that species can thrive while fire risks are kept low. We know how to generate energy, and how to move ourselves from Point A to Point B, without emitting the greenhouse gasses that threaten our climate. We have at our fingertips the knowledge and the technology to make a more sustainable world.
And yet, for the most part, we fail to act.
It’s this irony that motivates the work of every single student, staff member, and scientist at the Wrigley Institute. And behind our interdisciplinary work is a mission that’s as bold as it is important: We strive each and every day to diagnose and understand the environmental challenges in front of us, to turn scientific discoveries into actionable solutions, and to account for the human factors that stand in the way of – or grease the rails toward – a more sustainable future.
Dr. Joe Árvai, Director
Our Mission and Vision
Every second counts. The sustainability challenges we collectively face pose a clear and present threat to us and to the environment we so dearly value. In light of this, the mission of the Wrigley Institute is to create a more sustainable and environmentally just future for our planet and all who live on it by:
Educating, training, and empowering the next generation of leaders and change agents;
Leading solutions-focused research at the intersection of people and planet; and
Engaging with the public and our partners to raise awareness and inspire positive change.
Environmental Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
Environmental justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion are central to our mission of inspiring global environmental solutions through frontier education and research. These values guide our work every day as educators, researchers, and staff to address existing and emerging inequities impacting our institution and communities. We pledge to provide a safe, inclusive, and responsive environment for members of our community to authentically engage in meaningful learning, research, and engagement opportunities; to create access to programs and resources for everyone; to uplift and give recognition to diverse voices; and to ensure that we remain accountable as an organization to prioritize equity in everything we do.
Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion-Focused Work at the Wrigley Institute
A typical early summer morning at the USC Wrigley Institute’s Wrigley Marine Science Center waterfront is a tranquil sight. The waves of Big Fisherman Cove ebb and flow, gently nudging floating kelp closer to shallow waters. Great blue herons, which nest in the cliffs next to the water, quietly hunt for breakfast as bright orange Garibaldi fish dart in and out of the rocky reefs along the shore.
On a recent July morning, however, the view was different. A small group huddled together at the dock, a palpable sense of urgency filling the air as they cheered loudly for two figures in the water.
Angelo Spinosa, a student in Wrigley Institute for Environment and Sustainability’s Scientific Diving Discovery Program (SDDP), was retaking his swim test for the sixth time. Jordyn Scott, another diver-in-training, was in the water to provide moral support and help Spinosa to keep his pace.
As part of the annual, month-long SDDP, students from underrepresented backgrounds complete training on the fundamentals of scuba diving and underwater research. For Spinosa, who navigated financial challenges while moving 13 times over the course of his educational career, the high cost of equipment and training had made scientific diving seem more like a lofty dream than an attainable achievement. So when he heard about the SDDP through a professor at L.A. Valley College, he jumped at the opportunity. He was determined to get certified in scientific diving before starting classes as a marine biology student at California State University, Long Beach this fall.
USC Sea Grant is invested in supporting aquaculture to maintain sustainable and equitable local seafood access across the Greater Los Angeles area. As part of an ongoing initiative in aquaculture to advance these efforts, USC Sea Grant has joined aquaculture producers Holdfast Aquaculture and Santa Barbara Mariculture, along with community organization Community Services Unlimited, to create the South Central LA Sustainable Seafood Hub.
On Saturday, November 11th, 2023, the South Central Sustainable Seafood Fest brought the Los Angeles community together to celebrate and learn about sustainably harvested seafood through cooking demonstrations from local chefs and family-friendly activities.
What or who gets to be the face of climate change? For years, imagery of polar bears on melting sea ice have been used to convey the pressing reality of the environmental crisis. While the effects of climate change are undoubtedly pronounced in the Arctic, its impacts in our local communities are often overlooked.
“My Story is a Climate Story” reshapes the narrative of climate change from one of a distant and abstract danger into one of a threat that is increasingly impacting how our neighbors work and live today. The exhibit is currently on display at the Wrigley Marine Science Center (WMSC) on Catalina Island.
Commissioned by Allison Agsten, the inaugural director of USC Annenberg’s new Center for Climate Journalism and Communication (CCJC) and the Wrigley Institute for Environment and Sustainability’s first curator, the project reflects CCJC’s mission of telling people-first stories that humanize the impacts and science behind climate change.
“My Story is a Climate Story” consists of portraits of South and East Los Angeles residents taken by Maria Eberhart (B.A., Journalism ‘23), with accompanying text by Shreya Agrawal (B.S., Geological Sciences, B.A., English; and M.A., Journalism ‘23) detailing the residents’ experiences in September 2022’s historic heatwave. During the heatwave, which covered Los Angeles in a “heat dome” over ten days, temperatures reached all-time record highs.
Initially, Eberhart sought to identify portrait subjects through Los Angeles-based social justice organizations. When Star Montana (M.F.A. ‘19) – who served as the visual advisor for the project and whose own art centers the stories of her Boyle Heights community – suggested that impromptu in-person interactions might elicit the most compelling photographs, Eberhart shifted course.
“I started walking around different neighborhoods in Los Angeles that faced the highest risk of climate impact,” Eberhart said at USC’s 2023 Climate Forward Conference, where the project was first displayed in early April. “These communities lack the cooling infrastructure that wealthier neighborhoods take for granted, resources like trees and parks that can absorb heat.”
“I spoke to people outside cooling centers in South L.A., walking to class at L.A. City College, selling t-shirts near Exposition Park, and working at a restaurant in Boyle Heights. Most of them were born and raised in Los Angeles and noticed the unusually severe heat affecting the city.”
Carlos Cortez, a longtime L.A resident and Boyle Height restaurant owner, shared in his interview with Eberhart that he normally experiences a drop in sales in the summertime as customers avoid venturing out due to the heat. In September’s extreme weather, however, he had to completely close his restaurant for a week-and-a-half.
In capturing the portraits and listening to each resident’s story, Eberhart realized that not only is climate change happening now in her own city, but also that its most adverse impacts are felt by low-income communities and communities of color. Her hope for “My Story is a Climate Story” is to convey both messages and to spark a sense of urgency to bring forth meaningful change.
Given the project’s alignment with the Wrigley Institute’s mission to inspire actionable and equitable solutions for environmental challenges, it was only fitting to bring the art installation to the Wrigley Marine Science Center’s outdoor Art Park.
Artist Maria Eberhart (left) and Wrigley Institute Curator Allison Agsten (right) worked in close collaboration on the “My Story is a Climate Story” project, which elevates people-first climate journalism. (Nick Neumann/WIES)
Installed in the middle of the WMSC campus, the exhibit will be on display during the research center’s busiest time of the year. From May to early August, WMSC will welcome a wide range of visitors: undergraduate students in the Wrigley Institute’s Maymester Program, divers-in-training from the Scientific Diving Discovery Program, faculty and graduate students conducting field research on the island, and more.
“As a physical space, the Art Park shares little in common with stark, temperature-controlled museums. I am curious to see what our visitor experience will be like this summer, when people encounter work about heat while [experiencing] the heat themselves,” Allison Agsten says.
As Agsten continues her role as Wrigley Institute curator, she plans to develop more site-specific projects that are responsive to people and their environments.
“I also think it would be great to create more opportunities for artists and scientists to intersect, on Catalina, at USC’s main campus, and beyond,” she says.
In February 2024, the vibrant city of New Orleans, Louisiana, played host to a convergence of minds at the Ocean Sciences Meeting (OSM). Drawing nearly 6,000 attendees from across the globe, this event served as a nexus for sharing cutting-edge research, fostering collaboration, and advancing the collective understanding of our oceans. As a flagship conference for the ocean sciences community, OSM stands as a testament to the power of scientific exchange and collaboration, under the United Nations Decades program. The meeting was co-sponsored by the American Geophysical Union (AGU), the Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO), and The Oceanography Society (TOS).
Amidst the myriad tracks and topics discussed at OSM, the track I focused most of my time on was: diversity, equity, and inclusion in marine sciences. This critical conversation underscored the importance of broadening participation within the field to reflect the rich tapestry of our global community.