USC Viterbi School of Engineering : Research

With nearly $170 million conducted in sponsored research each year the Viterbi School offers a variety of ways for undergraduate engineering students to get involved in research opportunities. We offer two formal programs for select students to recieve research funding for faculty sponsored research projects - WISE Reseach Grants and The Merit Research Program.

In addition to the formal and selective programs, many of our undergraduates get involved in research through their activities in Student Organization national competitions, volunteering in their faculty's labs, and through their curriculum with Directed Research (490) as well as research oriented and project based capstone courses.

Special Announcement: Scroll to the bottom of this website to check out information on the NEW Viterbi School Undergraduate Fabrication Lab!

Formal Programs

Merit Research Program
Each year, a select group of entering freshmen are invited to work with faculty on current research projects. The Merit Research Award is a four year award provided the student makes satisfactory academic progress toward their engineering degree, maintains a B average overall and completes a short renewal form each spring.

Students in the Merit Research Program are paid a bi-weekly wage for the time spent working in the laboratory. Hours are flexible to provide students with the opportunity of integrating their research with academic responsibilities and co-curricular activities.

A limited number of Merit Research Awards are available to continuing students. Students who want to be considered for these awards must complete a Scholarship application by March 1st of each year in order to be considered.

>> View Sample Merit Research Projects
>> Merit Research Renewal Form 08-09 (current recipients only)

WISE Research Grants
Undergraduate women in the Viterbi School are eligible to apply for a grant from the Women in Science and Engineering Program. This program gives female undergraduates an opportunity to receive funds to support their research activities in the laboratory with our faculty. Awards are provided for fall, spring, and summmer terms. For further information on application information and deadlines, please refer to the WISE program's website.

>> WISE Undergraduate Research Grants

Other Programs

University Programs
The University has a variety of programs supporting undergraduate research efforts. A number of students compete in the Undergraduate Symposium for Scholarly and Creative Work, while faculty receive funding from the university contingent upon them utilizing undergraduate students in their research work. Be sure to check out this site for even more resources and opportunities for undergraduate research.

>> USC Undergraduate Research
>> Undergraduate Symposium for Scholarly and Creative Work

Student Competitions
Viterbi Student Organizations compete in a number of different competitions regionally and nationally showcasing what they learn in the classroom. There is something for just about every major!

>> Viterbi Student Organizations

Highlighted Competition Groups
>> Formula Race Car
         Society of Automotive Engineers
>> USC Competition Robotics
>> Concrete Canoe & Steel Bridge
         American Society of Civil Engineers
>> Electric Plane
         American Institute of Aeronautics and
         Astronautics

The USC Viterbi School Undergraduate Fabrication Laboratory

Take your research to a whole new level at Viterbi's new Fabrication Laboratory. The Fabriaction Laboratory, or Fab Lab, as it is more commonly known, is a place intended to provide students with the resources they need to make almost any design project a reality. The Fab Lab allows students to take a more hands-on approach to learning and research, giving them the opportunity to design projects ranging in scope from experimental wingtips to scale models.

The Fab Lab is open Monday's from 10:00am - 7:00pm, Tuesday's and Thursday's from 1:00pm - 5:00pm, or by appointment.

We encourage you to check out the Fab Lab website for more details.

Summer Research Opportunities Board

In addition to the research opportunities available through the Viterbi School and other USC departments and programs, students also have the ability to pursue research in the summer at other academic institutions throughout the country. The following opportunities are typically available each summer and most of the application deadlines for these programs are in the spring.

This list was compiled by Viterbi Admission & Student Affairs and combines select National Science Foundation (NSF) Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Program listings along with opportunities available through other institutions and programs. Each list is organized alphabetically by institution. Many of these opportunties are available annually and information for the upcoming application period will be posted as it becomes available. In some cases and when available, the previous year's information is posted for your reference.

>> January Deadlines
>> February Deadlines
>> March Deadlines
>> April Deadlines

In addition to the above, please check the REU website for a comprehensive list of research opportunities available in various academic disciplines.