Biegler Hall, USC Viterbi School of Engineering

The USC Viterbi School of Engineering (formerly the USC School of Engineering) is the

engineering school Engineering is the use of scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad range of more speciali ...

of 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 was renamed following a $52 million donation by Andrew J. Viterbi, co-founder of Qualcomm. With over $135 million in external funding support, the school is among the nation's highest in volume of research activity. The Viterbi School of Engineering is currently ranked No. 9 in the United States by '' U.S. News & World Report''. The school is headed by Dean Yannis Yortsos. Its research centers have played a major role in development of multiple technologies, including early development of the

Internet The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, pub ...

when USC researcher Jonathan Postel was an editor of communications-protocol for the fledgling internet, also known as

ARPANET The Advanced Research Projects Agency Network (ARPANET) was the first wide-area packet-switched network with distributed control and one of the first networks to implement the TCP/IP protocol suite. Both technologies became the technical fou ...

. The school's faculty has included Irving Reed,

Leonard Adleman Leonard Adleman (born December 31, 1945) is an American computer scientist. He is one of the creators of the RSA encryption algorithm, for which he received the 2002 Turing Award, often called the Nobel prize of Computer science. He is also kno ...

, Solomon W. Golomb,

Barry Boehm Barry William Boehm (May 16, 1935 – August 20, 2022) was an American software engineer, distinguished professor of computer science, industrial and systems engineering; the TRW Professor of Software Engineering; and founding director of the Cen ...

Clifford Newman Clifford may refer to: People *Clifford (name), an English given name and surname, includes a list of people with that name *William Kingdon Clifford *Baron Clifford *Baron Clifford of Chudleigh *Baron de Clifford *Clifford baronets * Clifford fam ...

, Richard Bellman, Lloyd Welch, Alexander Sawchuk, and George V. Chilingar.

Major research centers

* Alfred Mann Institute –

business incubator Business incubator is an organization that helps startup companies and individual entrepreneurs to develop their businesses by providing a fullscale range of services starting with management training and office space and ending with venture c ...

for

medical device A medical device is any device intended to be used for medical purposes. Significant potential for hazards are inherent when using a device for medical purposes and thus medical devices must be proved safe and effective with reasonable assura ...

development in preparation for commercialization * Center for Biomimetic Microelectronic Systems –

National Science Foundation The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent agency of the United States government that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National ...

Engineering Research Center * Center for Risk and Economic Analysis of Terrorism Events (CREATE) – interdisciplinary national research center funded by the

U.S. Department of Homeland Security The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the U.S. federal executive department responsible for public security, roughly comparable to the interior or home ministries of other countries. Its stated missions involve anti-terr ...

* Center for Systems and Software Engineering (CSSE) – research the relationship between systems, software, and users. *

Information Sciences Institute The USC Information Sciences Institute (ISI) is a component of the University of Southern California (USC) Viterbi School of Engineering, and specializes in research and development in information processing, computing, and communications techn ...

(housed at a separate facilities in Marina del Rey, California and

Arlington, Virginia Arlington County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The county is situated in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from the District of Columbia, of which it was once a part. The county ...

) – played a major role in the development of the

, and continues to be a major research center in

computer science Computer science is the study of computation, automation, and information. Computer science spans theoretical disciplines (such as algorithms, theory of computation, information theory, and automation) to practical disciplines (includi ...

Institute for Creative Technologies An institute is an organisational body created for a certain purpose. They are often research organisations (research institutes) created to do research on specific topics, or can also be a professional body. In some countries, institutes can ...

– conducts research in

virtual reality Virtual reality (VR) is a simulated experience that employs pose tracking and 3D near-eye displays to give the user an immersive feel of a virtual world. Applications of virtual reality include entertainment (particularly video games), e ...

and

immersive digital environment Immersion into virtual reality (VR) is a perception of being physically present in a non-physical world. The perception is created by surrounding the user of the VR system in images, sound or other stimuli that provide an engrossing total enviro ...

* Integrated Media Systems Center – National Science Foundation's Exclusive Engineering Research Center for

multimedia Multimedia is a form of communication that uses a combination of different content forms such as text, audio, images, animations, or video into a single interactive presentation, in contrast to tradit ...

and Internet research
Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research Center (PEER) Partner Institution
�

Specific contributions

* AFL Theory – created by Prof. Seymour Ginsburg *

ART image file format ART is a proprietary image file format used mostly by the America Online (AOL) service and client software. Technical details The ART format (file extension ".art") holds a single still image that has been highly compressed. The format was ...

– developed by Prof. Irving Reed * Baum-Welch algorithm – developed by Prof. Lloyd Welch in collaboration with Leonard E. Baum *

CMOS image sensor An active-pixel sensor (APS) is an image sensor where each pixel sensor unit cell has a photodetector (typically a pinned photodiode) and one or more active transistors. In a metal–oxide–semiconductor (MOS) active-pixel sensor, MOS field-effec ...

– invented by Prof.

Eric Fossum Eric R. Fossum (born October 17, 1957) is an American physicist and engineer, which with the help of other JPL scientists, co-developed some features of the CMOS image sensor. He is currently a professor at Thayer School of Engineering in Dartmou ...

COCOMO The Constructive Cost Model (COCOMO) is a procedural software cost estimation model developed by Barry W. Boehm. The model parameters are derived from fitting a regression formula using data from historical projects (63 projects for COCOMO 81 ...

– developed by Prof.

Contour Crafting Contour crafting is a building printing technology being researched by Behrokh Khoshnevis of the University of Southern California's Information Sciences Institute (in the Viterbi School of Engineering) that uses a computer-controlled crane or Ga ...

– under development by

Behrokh Khoshnevis Behrokh Khoshnevis is the President and CEO of Contour Crafting Corporation and the Louise L. Dunn Distinguished Professor of Engineering at the University of Southern California (USC), where he has affiliations with the Aerospace & Mechanical En ...

of ISI *

DNA computing DNA computing is an emerging branch of unconventional computing which uses DNA, biochemistry, and molecular biology hardware, instead of the traditional electronic computing. Research and development in this area concerns theory, experiments, a ...

– invented by Prof.

Domain name system The Domain Name System (DNS) is a hierarchical and distributed naming system for computers, services, and other resources in the Internet or other Internet Protocol (IP) networks. It associates various information with domain names assigned t ...

(DNS) – developed by

Paul Mockapetris Paul V. Mockapetris (born 1948 in Boston, Massachusetts, US) is an American computer scientist and Internet pioneer, who invented the Internet Domain Name System (DNS). Education Mockapetris graduated from the Boston Latin School in 1966, rec ...

and the late Jon Postel at ISI *

Dynamic programming Dynamic programming is both a mathematical optimization method and a computer programming method. The method was developed by Richard Bellman in the 1950s and has found applications in numerous fields, from aerospace engineering to economics. ...

– developed by Prof. Richard Bellman *

Golomb coding Golomb coding is a lossless data compression method using a family of data compression codes invented by Solomon W. Golomb in the 1960s. Alphabets following a geometric distribution will have a Golomb code as an optimal prefix code, making Golomb ...

–

entropy encoding In information theory, an entropy coding (or entropy encoding) is any lossless data compression method that attempts to approach the lower bound declared by Shannon's source coding theorem, which states that any lossless data compression method ...

invented by Prof. Solomon W. Golomb that is optimal for alphabets following

geometric distribution In probability theory and statistics, the geometric distribution is either one of two discrete probability distributions: * The probability distribution of the number ''X'' of Bernoulli trials needed to get one success, supported on the set \; * ...

s * ICANN – founded by Jon Postel, to ensure the stable and secure operation of the Internet's unique identifier systems * Image compression &

recognition Recognition may refer to: *Award, something given in recognition of an achievement Machine learning *Pattern recognition, a branch of machine learning which encompasses the meanings below Biometric * Recognition of human individuals, or biomet ...

– the work of William Pratt, Harry Andrews and subsequently Andrew G. Tescher led to today's JPEG compression system for still images * Kerberos –

security protocol A security protocol (cryptographic protocol or encryption protocol) is an abstract or concrete protocol that performs a security-related function and applies cryptographic methods, often as sequences of cryptographic primitives. A protocol describe ...

developed by B.Clifford Neuman. *

Lenna Lenna (or Lena) is a standard test image used in the field of image processing since 1973. It is a picture of the Swedish model Lena Forsén, shot by photographer Dwight Hooker, cropped from the centerfold of the November 1972 issue of ''Playbo ...

– widely used standard test image in image processing experiments * LOOM – knowledge representation language developed by researchers in the AI research group at ISI * MBASE – software development process developed by Prof. Barry Boehm and Dan Port * MOSIS – integrated circuit (IC) foundry service run by ISI *

Network Voice Protocol The Network Voice Protocol (NVP) was a pioneering computer network protocol for transporting human speech over packetized communications networks. It was an early example of Voice over Internet Protocol technology. History NVP was first defi ...

(NVP) – first implemented in 1973 by Internet researcher Danny Cohen of ISI * Pseudorandom sequences/ shift register sequences – in 1967, Prof. Solomon Golomb published the first book devoted exclusively to pseudorandom sequences * Reed-Solomon code – invented in 1960 by Prof. Irving S. Reed and Gustave Solomon *

Viterbi algorithm The Viterbi algorithm is a dynamic programming algorithm for obtaining the maximum a posteriori probability estimate of the most likely sequence of hidden states—called the Viterbi path—that results in a sequence of observed events, especiall ...

– invented by

Andrew Viterbi Andrew James Viterbi (born Andrea Giacomo Viterbi, March 9, 1935) is an American electrical engineer and businessman who co-founded Qualcomm Inc. and invented the Viterbi algorithm. He is the Presidential Chair Professor of Electrical Engineeri ...

.us .us is the Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for the United States. It was established in early 1985. Registrants of .us domains must be U.S. citizens, residents, or organizations, or a foreign entity with a presence in the United ...

– the

ccTLD A country code top-level domain (ccTLD) is an Internet top-level domain generally used or reserved for a country, sovereign state, or dependent territory identified with a country code. All ASCII ccTLD identifiers are two letters long, and all ...

for the United States, originally administrated by Jon Postel of ISI * 10.2 –

surround sound Surround sound is a technique for enriching the fidelity and depth of sound reproduction by using multiple audio channels from speakers that surround the listener (surround channels). Its first application was in movie theaters. Prior to s ...

format developed by Prof. Tomlinson Holman (creator of THX) and Prof. Chris Kyriakakis

Student organizations

AeroDesign Team of USC

The AeroDesign Team (ADT) is a student led design team within the Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering. Founded in 1991
ADT's
purpose is to help students gain industry-like experience by competing in early design competitions that simulates typical design cycles in the Aerospace field. The team started out competing in the SAE AeroDesign contest but then switched its participation to the

AIAA The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is a professional society for the field of aerospace engineering. The AIAA is the U.S. representative on the International Astronautical Federation and the International Council of t ...

Design/Build/Fly Design/Build/Fly, or DBF, is a radio-controlled aircraft competition sponsored by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), Cessna Aircraft Company, and Raytheon Missile Systems. The Office of Naval Research was also a sponsor ...

(DBF) contest in 1997. Th
DBF
contest has rules that change early, requiring students to come up with a completely new design each year. ADT has won the DBF contest in 1998, 2009, 2014, and 2017. This is the second most first-place finishes ever out of the 100+ universities from around the world that participate yearly.

Associated Students of Biomedical Engineering

Among the many organizations on campus, the ''Associated Students of Biomedical Engineering'' (''ASBME'') is an undergraduate student organization for

biomedical engineering Biomedical engineering (BME) or medical engineering is the application of engineering principles and design concepts to medicine and biology for healthcare purposes (e.g., diagnostic or therapeutic). BME is also traditionally logical sciences ...

students at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering. ASBME is a student run undergraduate and graduate biomedical engineering organization at USC that serves the engineering student body through academic, social, and corporate events. Students gain clarity of their chosen field of study and the opportunities that being a BME major brings. Students are also able to get a foot in the corporate door at the annual ASBME corporate dinner, attended by USC alumni as well as other corporate representatives. Activities consist of regular meetings with guest speakers and panels, the BIOMED Research Symposium, annual Corporate Dinner and Networking Nights designed to foster relationships between graduating students and industry, and many other social, community, and corporate events. ASBME serves as USC's chapter of the

Biomedical Engineering Society BMES (the Biomedical Engineering Society) is the professional society for students, faculty, researcher and industry working in the broad area of biomedical engineering. BMES is the leading biomedical engineering society in the United States and was ...

(BMES) and sends some of its students to the annual BMES Conference each year.

Pi Tau Sigma (Tau Beta Chapter)

Pi Tau Sigma is an international mechanical engineering honor society that strives to "create better engineers through commitment to academic excellence and dedication to service." The USC Tau Beta Chapter is composed of the top mechanical engineers at the University of Southern California. USC's Pi Tau Sigma engages in social, industry and community service related events in the USC neighborhood and beyond. Paul Ronney serves as advisor for the USC chapter of Pi Tau Sigma.

USC Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence

USC has a student chapter of

Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence The Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI) is an international scientific society devoted to promote research in, and responsible use of, artificial intelligence. AAAI also aims to increase public understanding of artif ...

. AAAI organizes speaker events and information sessions in the field of Artificial Intelligence to increase student's interest in AI.

Viterbi Graduate Students Association (VGSA)

The Viterbi Graduate Students Associatio
(VGSA)
is the student government for the graduate students of the Viterbi School. It consists of representatives from all departments and several student organizations, as well as the Viterbi Graduate Student Liaison (VGSL).

Fundraising

Previously known as the USC School of Engineering, it was renamed on March 2, 2004, as the Andrew and Erna Viterbi School of Engineering in honor of Qualcomm co-founder Andrew Viterbi and his wife Erna, who had donated $52 million to the school. The Viterbi School received other major gifts including gifts from

Silicon Valley Silicon Valley is a region in Northern California that serves as a global center for high technology and innovation. Located in the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area, it corresponds roughly to the geographical areas San Mateo Coun ...

venture capitalist Mark Stevens who created the USC Stevens Institute for Innovation in 2004; real estate developer Daniel J. Epstein who named the Epstein Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering with an $11 million gift in 2002;Annette Moore
Epstein Gives $4M for New Alumni Center
USC News, March 20, 2008, Accessed June 16, 2008. Energy Corporation of America CEO John Mork who named the Mork Family Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science with a $15 million gift in 2005;Diane Ainsworth

USC News, September 20, 2005, Accessed June 16, 2008. Ken Klein, CEO and president of

Wind River Systems Wind River Systems, also known as Wind River (trademarked as Wndrvr), is an Alameda, California–based company, subsidiary of Aptiv PLC. The company develops embedded system and cloud software consisting of real-time operating systems software, ...

, who established the Klein Institute for Undergraduate Engineering Life with an $11 million gift, also in 2005;Diane Ainsworth
Alum Establishes Institute for Engineers
USC News, November 10, 2005, Accessed June 16, 2008.

Ming Hsieh Ming Hsieh (; born 1956) is a billionaire Chinese-born American entrepreneur and philanthropist. He is the founder of Cogent Systems in 1990. In 2011, he founded a genetic testing technology company. According to ''Forbes'' magazine, his esti ...

, founder of

Cogent Inc. Cogent Systems, Inc. is a manufacturer of automated fingerprint identification systems (AFIS). On January 20, 2006, the City of Pasadena (CA) announces Cogent Systems' impending relocation from South Pasadena to Pasadena. On August 30, 2010 3M ...

, who named the Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical Engineering in 2006 with a $35 million gift;Diane Ainsworth
Alumnus Makes Record Donation to USC
USC News, October 23, 2006, Accessed June 16, 2008. and

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 ...

real estate developer Sonny Astani, who named the Sonny Astani Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering with a $17 million gift in 2007.Eric Mankin
Alum Gives $17M to USC Viterbi Dept.
, USC News, November 29, 2007, Accessed June 16, 2008.

References

External links

Viterbi School of Engineering web site

Associated Students of Biomedical Engineering web site
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Engineering universities and colleges in California Science and technology in Greater Los Angeles Educational institutions established in 1905 1905 establishments in California