USC Viterbi | School of Engineering https://viterbischool.usc.edu Wed, 11 Nov 2026 22:05:40 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://viterbischool.usc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/cropped-Site-Icon-150x150.jpg USC Viterbi | School of Engineering https://viterbischool.usc.edu 32 32 Can AI Agents Help Los Angeles Evacuate Faster During Wildfires? https://viterbischool.usc.edu/news/2026/11/can-ai-agents-help-los-angeles-evacuate-faster-during-wildfires/ Wed, 11 Nov 2026 22:05:40 +0000 https://viterbischool.usc.edu/?post_type=news&p=89396 New USC project funded by NSF will develop an agentic AI framework to give Los Angeles a real-time evacuation system connecting fire, traffic and human mobility

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]]> SPARK at USC Helps Scientists Move Discoveries from the Lab to Patients https://viterbischool.usc.edu/news/2026/11/spark-at-usc-helps-scientists-move-discoveries-from-the-lab-to-patients/ Wed, 11 Nov 2026 20:06:10 +0000 https://viterbischool.usc.edu/?post_type=news&p=88894 The new program gives early-stage USC and CHLA teams funding, mentoring and a practical road map for turning promising biomedical research into potential treatments

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]]> When Failure Is Not an Option: Neil Siegel on AI’s Dangerous Blind Spot https://viterbischool.usc.edu/news/2026/11/when-failure-is-not-an-option-neil-siegel-on-ais-dangerous-blind-spot/ Tue, 10 Nov 2026 19:20:31 +0000 https://viterbischool.usc.edu/?post_type=news&p=90515 The USC Viterbi professor who built systems for nuclear missiles and ambulance networks explains why today's AI engines are structurally unfit for the infrastructure that keeps society running.

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]]> USC Viterbi Engineers Develop Models to Test LA River Restoration Concepts https://viterbischool.usc.edu/news/2026/11/usc-viterbi-engineers-develop-models-to-test-la-river-restoration-concepts/ Tue, 10 Nov 2026 19:19:01 +0000 https://viterbischool.usc.edu/?post_type=news&p=90039 A 1:120-scale hydraulic model paired with an interactive flow simulation enables a USC team to evaluate restoration concepts as they take shape.

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]]> USC Dual-Use Hackathon Challenges Students to Engineer for the Unexpected https://viterbischool.usc.edu/news/2026/11/usc-dual-use-hackathon-challenges-students-to-engineer-for-the-unexpected/ Tue, 10 Nov 2026 19:18:03 +0000 https://viterbischool.usc.edu/?post_type=news&p=90077 As part of LA Tech Week, Innovate LA and USC Viterbi's Sonny Astani Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering hosted a university-wide hackathon to design and prototype dual-use technologies – innovations with everyday and emergency applications.

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]]> Four USC Engineers on What El Niño Could Mean for Southern California https://viterbischool.usc.edu/news/2026/11/four-usc-engineers-on-what-el-nino-could-mean-for-southern-california/ Mon, 09 Nov 2026 07:26:36 +0000 https://viterbischool.usc.edu/?post_type=news&p=87826 USC Engineering Insights - Researchers across USC Viterbi explore what El Niño could mean for Southern California, from changing ocean conditions and sea-level rise to atmospheric turbulence, inland flooding and coastal erosion.

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]]> “This El Niño Could Show Us California’s Coast 50 Years From Now” https://viterbischool.usc.edu/news/2026/11/this-el-nino-could-show-us-californias-coast-50-years-from-now/ Mon, 09 Nov 2026 07:25:53 +0000 https://viterbischool.usc.edu/?post_type=news&p=88248 USC Engineering Insights - USC Viterbi professor Patrick Lynett explains how this winter could offer an early view of California’s future coastline, demonstrating what happens when rising seas, high tides and repeated storms coincide.

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]]> “El Niño Could Disrupt the Flow of Nutrients That Sustain Pacific Coast Fisheries” https://viterbischool.usc.edu/news/2026/11/el-nino-could-disrupt-the-flow-of-nutrients-that-sustain-pacific-coast-fisheries/ Mon, 09 Nov 2026 07:24:58 +0000 https://viterbischool.usc.edu/?post_type=news&p=88241 USC Engineering Insights - USC Viterbi professor Geoff Spedding examines the subsurface physics of El Niño, explaining how eastward-moving warm water reduces the nutrients reaching surface waters off South America, while related changes in ocean circulation extend north toward California.

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]]> “This El Niño Could Test the Limits of the Los Angeles River” https://viterbischool.usc.edu/news/2026/11/this-el-nino-could-test-the-limits-of-the-los-angeles-river/ Mon, 09 Nov 2026 07:19:30 +0000 https://viterbischool.usc.edu/?post_type=news&p=88263 USC Engineering Insights - USC Viterbi professor Mitul Luhar explains how intense El Niño rainfall could send fast-moving, debris-filled water through the Los Angeles River - and why some sections of the river are more vulnerable than others.

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]]> Could This El Niño Cause Coastal Damage Comparable to 1983? https://viterbischool.usc.edu/news/2026/11/could-this-el-nino-cause-coastal-damage-comparable-to-1983/ Mon, 09 Nov 2026 07:18:15 +0000 https://viterbischool.usc.edu/?post_type=news&p=88257 USC Engineering Insights - USC Viterbi professor Costas Synolakis explains why a potentially record-setting El Niño could cause severe erosion and flooding along Southern California’s coast - and why local damage will depend on the timing, direction and sequence of winter storms. 

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]]> Hackathon Gives AI Agents Room to Grow https://viterbischool.usc.edu/news/2026/11/hackathon-gives-ai-agents-room-to-grow/ Fri, 06 Nov 2026 18:51:44 +0000 https://viterbischool.usc.edu/?post_type=news&p=89492 At an LA Tech Week event at USC Information Sciences Institute, participants built tools designed to learn from experience - and perhaps become startups

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]]> USC ECE Honors Inaugural Class of Changemakers for 20th Naming Anniversary https://viterbischool.usc.edu/news/2026/11/usc-ece-honors-inaugural-class-of-changemakers-for-20th-naming-anniversary/ Thu, 05 Nov 2026 20:54:33 +0000 https://viterbischool.usc.edu/?post_type=news&p=90087 21 alumni are recognized for shaping technology across Silicon Valley, space exploration, semiconductor research and academia.

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]]> Why Patience Can Create More Value in a Partnership https://viterbischool.usc.edu/news/2026/11/why-patience-can-create-more-value-in-a-partnership/ Thu, 05 Nov 2026 00:40:03 +0000 https://viterbischool.usc.edu/?post_type=news&p=88879 New research from USC Viterbi's Ali Abbas could change how investors divide risk, select partners and share the rewards of long-term deals

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]]> Lockdown Traffic Exposed Los Angeles County’s Economic Divide https://viterbischool.usc.edu/news/2026/11/lockdown-traffic-exposed-los-angeles-countys-economic-divide/ Tue, 03 Nov 2026 20:21:27 +0000 https://viterbischool.usc.edu/?post_type=news&p=88830 USC Viterbi study finds driving increased along some routes tied to lower-income communities even as countywide traffic plunged in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic

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]]> 20 Years, 20 Wins: USC ECE Celebrates Two Decades Under the Ming Hsieh Name https://viterbischool.usc.edu/news/2026/11/20-years-20-wins-usc-ece-celebrates-two-decades-under-the-ming-hsieh-name/ Tue, 03 Nov 2026 20:02:58 +0000 https://viterbischool.usc.edu/?post_type=news&p=90353 From USC student to university trustee, Ming Hsieh’s journey and historic $35 million gift helped shape two decades of growth, innovation and achievement at USC ECE

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]]> The People Picked to Represent You Probably Don’t https://viterbischool.usc.edu/news/2026/10/the-people-picked-to-represent-you-probably-dont/ Mon, 26 Oct 2026 18:47:14 +0000 https://viterbischool.usc.edu/?post_type=news&p=88675 Citizens' assemblies are one of democracy's most exciting experiments. But new research by USC Viterbi and USC Stevens shows the way we build them may be missing the point entirely.

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]]> A Soft Robot Reaches for the Stars https://viterbischool.usc.edu/news/2026/10/a-soft-robot-reaches-for-the-stars/ Thu, 22 Oct 2026 18:00:10 +0000 https://viterbischool.usc.edu/?post_type=news&p=88451 USC researchers are teaching a flexible, nature-inspired machine to crawl, cling and someday inspect spacecraft or explore places robots cannot reach

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]]> Moving at the Speed of Light: USC Celebrates Stevens School Naming https://viterbischool.usc.edu/news/2026/10/moving-at-the-speed-of-light-usc-celebrates-stevens-school-naming/ Thu, 22 Oct 2026 17:45:34 +0000 https://viterbischool.usc.edu/?post_type=news&p=88958 The USC Mark and Mary Stevens School of Computing and Artificial Intelligence pairs more than 50 years of computing history with connections across the university.

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]]> From Field Hockey to WhatsApp: A USC Master’s and a Career Building for Billions https://viterbischool.usc.edu/news/2026/10/from-field-hockey-to-whatsapp-a-usc-masters-and-a-career-building-for-billions/ Wed, 21 Oct 2026 18:49:13 +0000 https://viterbischool.usc.edu/?post_type=news&p=88517 Neeraj Narang (M.S. '14) once dreamed of being an athlete. Today he is a tech lead at WhatsApp.

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]]> Immature Brain Support Cells May Be Linked to Human Age-Related Cognitive Decline https://viterbischool.usc.edu/news/2026/10/immature-brain-support-cells-may-be-linked-to-human-age-related-cognitive-decline/ Wed, 21 Oct 2026 01:08:10 +0000 https://viterbischool.usc.edu/?post_type=news&p=88927 USC researchers studying human brain tissue found an association between abnormal immature astroglia, cells that play a supporting role in brain function, and lower reasoning ability in older adults with epilepsy.

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]]> A Lollipop That Could Make Medical Testing Easier to Swallow https://viterbischool.usc.edu/news/2026/10/a-lollipop-that-could-make-medical-testing-easier-to-swallow/ Tue, 20 Oct 2026 20:04:30 +0000 https://viterbischool.usc.edu/?post_type=news&p=88468 USC biomedical engineer Maral Mousavi and her students designed LollyLab to monitor health through saliva: quickly, painlessly and potentially for just a few dollars

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]]> “ISI Is a Great Place If You Want to Change the World” https://viterbischool.usc.edu/news/2026/10/isi-is-a-great-place-if-you-want-to-change-the-world/ Mon, 19 Oct 2026 19:01:13 +0000 https://viterbischool.usc.edu/?post_type=news&p=87290 Departing Executive Director Craig Knoblock on eight years leading USC Viterbi and USC Stevens' Information Sciences Institute, reviving MOSIS, and what comes next

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]]> Got a Good Idea? Go Build It. https://viterbischool.usc.edu/news/2026/10/got-a-good-idea-go-build-it/ Fri, 16 Oct 2026 16:28:28 +0000 https://viterbischool.usc.edu/?post_type=news&p=88684 Seniors in USC Viterbi's Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering have a summer and a semester to convert four years of engineering education into innovative, testable devices and systems.

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]]> New AI Spreadsheet Tool Lets You Branch, Edit and Undo and Fix Mistakes as It Goes https://viterbischool.usc.edu/news/2026/10/new-ai-spreadsheet-tool-lets-you-branch-edit-and-undo-and-fix-mistakes-as-it-goes/ Thu, 15 Oct 2026 17:47:07 +0000 https://viterbischool.usc.edu/?post_type=news&p=87002 The new tool gives users greater control over AI agents by allowing them to trace, steer and revise their decisions in real time, attracting new funding from Microsoft.

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