The USC Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies is an environmental research and education facility run by the

University of Southern California , mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it" , religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist , established = , accreditation = WSCUC , type = Private research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $8.1 ...

. It is an organized research unit that encompasses a wide range of faculty and topics across the university as well as operating a marine laboratory at the edge of

Two Harbors, California Two Harbors, colloquially known as "The Isthmus", is a small unincorporated community island village on the island of Santa Catalina Island, California, with a population of 298 (Census of 2000). It is the second center of population on the is ...

on Catalina Island approximately 22 miles (35 km) south-southwest of

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

. The USC Wrigley Institute has specialized programs in environmental microbiology,

geobiology Geobiology is a field of scientific research that explores the interactions between the physical Earth and the biosphere. It is a relatively young field, and its borders are fluid. There is considerable overlap with the fields of ecology, evolutio ...

, ocean biogeochemistry, living marine resources (including fisheries and aquaculture), climate change, coastal environmental quality and the urban ocean. The Institute is also home to the USC Sea Grant Program, part of the National Sea Grant Program through the

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (abbreviated as NOAA ) is an United States scientific and regulatory agency within the United States Department of Commerce that forecasts weather, monitors oceanic and atmospheric conditio ...

History of the Wrigley Institute

USC established the Philip K. Wrigley Marine Science Center on the island at Big Fisherman's Cove following a grant of more than 14 acres of land from the families of Philip Wrigley and Paxson Offield. In 1995, William and Julie Wrigley continued their family legacy by providing USC with the capital to initiate the Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies. Their gift provided for an endowed directorship, an endowed chair and the renovation of the Wrigley Marine Science Center. Today, the USC research complex on Catalina Island is the centerpiece of the Wrigley Institute, with additional staff and offices on the University of Southern California's University Park Campus in downtown Los Angeles. In addition, USC administers the

Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement The Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement is an annual award for environmental science, environmental health, and energy. Tyler Laureates receive a $200,000 cash prize and a medallion. The prize is administered by the University of Southern Cal ...

. USC also manages the USC Sea Grant Program, a federally funded program of research, education and outreach. The Sea Grant program at USC places special emphasis on the "urban ocean."

Current leadership and initiatives

The Wrigley Institute of Environmental Studies is currently led by Interim Director Dr. John Heidelberg. Early in his career, Dr. Heidelberg led the collaboration to sequence the genome of ''Vibrio cholerae'', the bacterium that causes cholera, one of humanity's most ancient and deadly scourges. He was later a fundamental team member in the development of shotgun metagenomics sequencing technologies used throughout the world’s oceans. He continues to develop and employ novel sequencing methodologies, contributing to fundamental discoveries about the nature and properties of microbial life in the sea. Currently, Heidelberg and his staff are focusing research on healthy oceans, coastal megacities and sustainable solutions. A primary goal is to use the Wrigley Marine Science Center on Catalina Island to become a testbed for sustainable solutions. Signature programs include th
San Pedro Ocean Time-Series
monitoring program in the waters off the coast of Los Angeles, kelp biodiesel research, sustainable aquaculture, graduate fellowships and a premie
scientific diving program

Past leadership

Since the founding of the Wrigley Institute in 1995, past leadership has included: * Dr. Anthony "Tony" Michaels * Dr. Donal Monahan * Dr. Roberta Marinelli * Dr. Ken Nealson

USC Wrigley Marine Science Center

The Wrigley Institute manages the USC Wrigley Marine Science Center, located on the West End of Catalina Island and bordering the Blue Cavern State Marine Conservation Area. USC provides daily weekday boat transportation for the USC community to the Catalina facility from the Southern California Marine Institute on

Terminal Island Terminal Island, historically known as Isla Raza de Buena Gente, is a largely artificial island located in Los Angeles County, California, between the neighborhoods of Wilmington and San Pedro in the city of Los Angeles, and the city of Long B ...

USC Wrigley Sustainability Prize

The institute launched a pitch competition in 2017 for sustainable businesses called the USC Wrigley Sustainability Prize. The event highlights innovative start-up ideas from all disciplines and rewards concepts that could result in meaningful environmental change. Winning teams receive prize money to help translate their ideas into action. Past student businesses have included: * Catapower creates renewable biofuel and plastic from vegetable oil and won the 2018 prize * Apeiron creates

graphene Graphene () is an allotrope of carbon consisting of a single layer of atoms arranged in a hexagonal lattice nanostructure.

by retrofitting power plants * Interphase increases energy efficiency for power plants *Closed Composites - recycles the carbon fiber from airplanes and won the 2019 prize

Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber

Based at the USC Wrigley Marine Science Center, the USC Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber is an emergency medical facility on Catalina Island for the treatment of scuba diving accidents. The chamber facilities are on the waterfront of the Wrigley Marine Science Center and adjacent to a helipad that is licensed for day or night helicopter landings. The chamber itself is large enough to treat several patients at once and provides enough room for staff and volunteers to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and advanced life support for patients who arrive in cardiac arrest. The Catalina Chamber Crew works closely with the Los Angeles County Medical Alert Center (MAC) and operates as an extension of the Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center Department of Emergency Medicine. The chamber is managed by a fulltime member of the USC Wrigley Marine Science Center, and it is staffed all day, every day, by a rotating team of trained volunteers. Financial support comes from Los Angeles County; from donations by individual contributors, dive clubs and dive boat operators, and from special fund raising events.

Wrigley Advisory Board members

The advisory board has 21 members, including Wrigley family members. * Phil Hagenah (chair) * Terry Adams - Director, Executive Vice President of SA Recycling * Todd Bauer - Executive Vice President, Guardian Group * Tony Budrovich - President and CEO of the Catalina Island Conservancy * Brock Dewey - Vice President, Dewey Pest Control * Len Fein * Lynda Boone Fetter - Principal, Samuelson and Fetter, LLC. * Bruce Kessler * Sam King - President and CEO of King's Seafood Company * Bob McKnight - CEO, Chairman, Quiksilver * Diane Sonosky Montgomery * Breene Murphy - Director of Client Experience, EP Wealth Advisors * Calen Offield - Director, Wrigley Investments * Maria Pellegrini - Executive Director, W.M. Keck Foundation * Allison Wrigley Rusack - Vintner, Rusack Vineyards * Stephen Scully - former Founder and President, Scully Companies * Dan Zinsmeyer * Julie Wrigley - President and CEO, Wrigley Investments

References

External links

USC Wrigley Institute website
{{University of Southern California Institutes of the University of Southern California, Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies, Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies Wrigley family Science and technology in Greater Los Angeles