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Student Recognition

The Viterbi School of Engineering recognizes individuals who have demonstrated a profound commitment to the Viterbi and USC community, making a positive impact through leadership, service, and personal integrity.

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Viterbi-Wide Awards

The following awards are open to the Viterbi student community within their respective class levels. Scroll through for more details.

The Viterbi Commencement Student Speaker (one undergraduate and two masters Viterbi students) will have the honor of speaking at their respective commencement ceremony.

The Albert Dorman Scholar Award is the highest academic honor given to a graduating senior at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering. This prestigious recognition is bestowed upon the student with the highest academic achievements, reflecting exceptional dedication to their studies and unparalleled excellence in the field of engineering. This distinguished student, selected by Viterbi faculty and staff, is honored for their outstanding academic achievement, success, and has demonstrated a strong commitment to the undergraduate community, serving as a role model and leader throughout their college journey.

The Albert Dorman Future Leader Award honors a graduating senior who has demonstrated academic excellence and outstanding leadership at the Viterbi School of Engineering. With a minimum 3.6 GPA, this prestigious award recognizes a student not only in academic achievements, but equally in their ability to lead. The Albert Dorman Future Leader Award embodies the school’s commitment to fostering future leaders of engineering.

The Viterbi Award for Outstanding Achievement in Leadership is presented to a graduating senior who has demonstrated exceptional leadership skills and active participation in student organizations, Viterbi engagement, and Viterbi or USC wide school functions. This award recognizes a student who stands out for their ability to inspire, engage, and contribute positively to the Viterbi community and their peers. It celebrates not just participation, but the impactful leadership that shapes and enhances the Viterbi School experience.

The Viterbi Award for Outstanding Research is presented to an undergraduate student researcher whose significant contributions have greatly enriched the Viterbi academic community through research and scholarship. This award highlights a student’s dedication to their research endeavors, strong participation in a research lab or study, and their unwavering commitment to advancing knowledge within the engineering field.

The Viterbi Trojan Transfer Award is a distinguished honor given to a graduating transfer student who has excelled academically and demonstrated exceptional leadership and engagement. It acknowledges the unique and significant contributions that transfer students bring to the Viterbi School.

The Viterbi Impact Award honors a student who has made exceptional contributions to the Viterbi School of Engineering in through projects, services, or within a student organization that have significantly impacted the Viterbi student community.

The Women+ in Engineering Award honors a Viterbi woman+ or non-binary student who has excelled academically and taken on key leadership roles within the Viterbi or USC community. This award celebrates the significant impact and contributions to the women+ and non-binary engineering community, as well as works to promote and empower women+ and non-binary engineering students.

The Viterbi Community Service Award is presented to a graduating senior who has demonstrated exceptional dedication to the broader USC community through acts of service. By dedicating their time and talents to enhancing programs, projects, and initiatives that benefit local schools and/or community-based organizations, the recipient reflects a deep sense of responsibility and service that extends beyond the USC campus.

The Graduate Mentorship Program has been a platform cultivating connections and growth within our vibrant community. To empower new students transition, the program matches 300 volunteering mentor pair relationships each semester.

The Viterbi Graduate Student Association (VGSA) is the largest grad student organization on campus and aims to foster a welcoming environment for all Viterbi. The organization hosts academic, social, wellness, and outreach events for Viterbi students and the Southern California community.

Award details.

Department of Aerospace & Mechanical Engineering

The Eyre Associates award recognizes an AME student who has demonstrated outstanding academic excellence throughout their undergraduate academic career. This award honors the Eyre Associates’ contributions over many years to the support and development of the Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering.

Professor Tony Maxworthy was a leading light in the Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering department from his arrival in 1967 to his passing in 2013. He was a Distinguished University Professor and recipient of numerous awards in his illustrious life, but he always drew considerable joy and satisfaction from teaching our undergraduate projects labs. His research covered numerous fields in fluid mechanics, from planetary and geophysical flows to the breakup and instabilities of slow-moving viscous liquids. It was always characterized by an elegance and incisiveness where any given experiment often proved to be the defining study of its time. This was partly because experiments were always conducted with a purpose that was clearly and analytically outlined beforehand. The Tony Maxworthy Award is therefore given to the student work that most closely exemplifies this combination of experimental and analytical elegance for which ‘TMax’ was famous.

John Laufer founded the Aerospace part of the AME Dept. at USC in 1964 and was chairman of the Department for 19 years. He was an internationally known experimentalist in fluid mechanics and had an illustrious career at Cal Tech, NBS and JPL in addition to the many years spent at USC. He also was instrumental in developing the Sr. Experimental Projects Laboratory, one of the most demanding courses in the AME curriculum. The John Laufer Memorial Award was established in his honor to recognize the student with the most outstanding project in the 441 Senior Experimental Projects Laboratory.

Al Bleeker was an enthusiastic, dedicated supporter of undergraduate experimental studies in AME. As a friend, technician and teacher, Al counseled over two generations of laboratory students. This award for excellence and imagination in the design and construction of experiments during the senior year laboratory course is presented by the faculty, students and friends of Aerospace engineering as a tribute to Al's contributions.

The Outstanding Academic Achievement Award recognizes the superior performance of Master’s students in the department. The student excels academically, exhibits strong leadership, provides mentoring support to students, and contributes to the department with their research activities.

The Viterbi School of Engineering recognizes PhD students who have been best research assistant. This award is given to 1 – 2 students per academic department. Recipients will receive a $250 prize and will be recognized at the PhD Awards Ceremony. Both graduating and continuing PhD students are eligible.

The Jenny Wang Excellence in Teaching Award, established in 2017, is named in memory of Jenny Wang, the grandmother of Viterbi Alumnus, Jiangyang Zhang (PhD '13). The award recognizes outstanding PhD teaching assistants. The awardees are honored at the annual Viterbi PhD Hooding and Awards Ceremony.

The Viterbi School of Engineering recognizes PhD students who have been actively engaged in mentoring undergraduate student researchers. The nominator for the research mentoring award submits a Letter of Support for their nominee. The letters are reviewed and the final recipients are shortlisted. Recipients will receive a $250 prize and will be recognized at the PhD Awards Ceremony.

Department of Astronautical Engineering

This award is given to a graduating senior in Astronautical Engineering who has demonstrated exceptional academic performance.

This award is given to a graduating senior in Astronautical Engineering who has demonstrated exceptional excellence in leadership and initiative.

The Rocket Scientist of the Year award recognizes Master's students who excelled in their studies and showed technical leadership in astronautics student groups advancing rocket technology.

The Systems Architecting and Engineering award recognizes masters students with excellent academic track records in Systems Architecting and Engineering coursework. This award is given to a student who has exhibited a sound understanding of both holistic and analytic thinking in assignments and courses.

The Viterbi School of Engineering recognizes PhD students who have been best research assistant. This award is given to 1 – 2 students per academic department. Recipients will receive a $250 prize and will be recognized at the PhD Awards Ceremony. Both graduating and continuing PhD students are eligible.

The Jenny Wang Excellence in Teaching Award, established in 2017, is named in memory of Jenny Wang, the grandmother of Viterbi Alumnus, Jiangyang Zhang (PhD '13). The award recognizes outstanding PhD teaching assistants. The awardees are honored at the annual Viterbi PhD Hooding and Awards Ceremony.

The Viterbi School of Engineering recognizes PhD students who have been actively engaged in mentoring undergraduate student researchers. The nominator for the research mentoring award submits a Letter of Support for their nominee. The letters are reviewed and the final recipients are shortlisted. Recipients will receive a $250 prize and will be recognized at the PhD Awards Ceremony.

Alfred E. Mann Department of Biomedical Engineering

Conferred annually since 1994, this is the highest award given by the BME Department to one of its undergraduate students. The Grodins Undergraduate Award is given for outstanding academic achievement in the BME program, with a record of participation in biomedical engineering research and service to the department, school and/or university.

The Outstanding Academic Achievement Award recognizes a master student's remarkable consistency at the highest level of academic achievement.

The Viterbi School of Engineering recognizes PhD students who have been best research assistant. This award is given to 1 – 2 students per academic department. Recipients will receive a $250 prize and will be recognized at the PhD Awards Ceremony. Both graduating and continuing PhD students are eligible.

The Jenny Wang Excellence in Teaching Award, established in 2017, is named in memory of Jenny Wang, the grandmother of Viterbi Alumnus, Jiangyang Zhang (PhD '13). The award recognizes outstanding PhD teaching assistants. The awardees are honored at the annual Viterbi PhD Hooding and Awards Ceremony.

The Viterbi School of Engineering recognizes PhD students who have been actively engaged in mentoring undergraduate student researchers. The nominator for the research mentoring award submits a Letter of Support for their nominee. The letters are reviewed and the final recipients are shortlisted. Recipients will receive a $250 prize and will be recognized at the PhD Awards Ceremony.

Mork Family Department of Chemical Engineering & Materials Science

After working 15 years for Chevron Research, Lyman Handy joined USC in 1966 bringing his experimental research expertise to lead significant studies in miscible processes, capillary action, surface and interfacial phenomena, and foam and thermal processes. He was instrumental in establishing a successful Ph.D. program by attracting industrial and government sponsored studies. Handy also gave substantial stability to the Petroleum Engineering Department by successfully recruiting three endowed chairs. He served as the Chairman of the Petroleum Engineering Department for 20 years. Additionally, Handy served the Professional Society of Petroleum Engineers as an editor and as the Director of its Los Angeles Based Section. Handy received much professional recognition including the AIME award and SPE’s distinguished member award. Handy was a source of inspiration to his students in emphasizing experimental work. His former students are now serving petroleum companies, research laboratories and academic institutions throughout the world. To honor his contributions to the field, the annual Lyman L. Handy award recognizes an outstanding chemical engineering senior, with an emphasis in petroleum engineering, who has an excellent academic record and demonstrated service and leadership capabilities.d

Professor Rebert joined USC in 1955 after receiving his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Ohio State University. Until his passing in 1982, he was the faculty advisor to USC’s student chapter of AIChE. He also devoted much of his time advising students about academic and career goals. In honor of Professor Rebert’s dedication to students, and service to the Department and University, an endowment fund in his memory was established after his untimely death. In 2005 the Department added Rebert’s name to these awards. The outstanding student award is given to a student who has demonstrated academic excellence, while the outstanding service award is given to a graduating senior who has performed the most service to the department, university, and community.

The Minet Award was established to honor the late Dr. Minet who taught the Chemical Engineering Senior Design Project class for over 15 years and is currently sponsored by PBF Energy. The recipient of this award is chosen based on the best senior design project submitted in Chemical Engineering 480. Students must demonstrate the engineering ability and creativity to apply various essential elements in Chemical Engineering process design, including process safety, environmental considerations, public impact, process flow sheeting, equipment design, and economic considertions.

The Mork Family Department Master’s Student Achievement Awards recognize and honor master’s students who have outstanding academic performance, achievements in research, and contributions or service to the department during their master’s degree studies at the University of Southern California in the areas of machine learning, petroleum, chemical engineering, and materials science. These awards are highly competitive and require our awardees to be well- rounded.

The Mork Family Department Master’s Student Achievement Awards recognize and honor master’s students who have outstanding academic performance, achievements in research, and contributions or service to the department during their master’s degree studies at the University of Southern California in the areas of machine learning, petroleum, chemical engineering, and materials science. These awards are highly competitive and require our awardees to be well- rounded.

The Mork Family Department Master’s Student Achievement Awards recognize and honor master’s students who have outstanding academic performance, achievements in research, and contributions or service to the department during their master’s degree studies at the University of Southern California in the areas of machine learning, petroleum, chemical engineering, and materials science. These awards are highly competitive and require our awardees to be well- rounded.

The Mork Family Department Master’s Student Achievement Awards recognize and honor master’s students who have outstanding academic performance, achievements in research, and contributions or service to the department during their master’s degree studies at the University of Southern California in the areas of machine learning, petroleum, chemical engineering, and materials science. These awards are highly competitive and require our awardees to be well- rounded.

The Viterbi School of Engineering recognizes PhD students who have been best research assistant. This award is given to 1 – 2 students per academic department. Recipients will receive a $250 prize and will be recognized at the PhD Awards Ceremony. Both graduating and continuing PhD students are eligible.

The Jenny Wang Excellence in Teaching Award, established in 2017, is named in memory of Jenny Wang, the grandmother of Viterbi Alumnus, Jiangyang Zhang (PhD '13). The award recognizes outstanding PhD teaching assistants. The awardees are honored at the annual Viterbi PhD Hooding and Awards Ceremony.

The Viterbi School of Engineering recognizes PhD students who have been actively engaged in mentoring undergraduate student researchers. The nominator for the research mentoring award submits a Letter of Support for their nominee. The letters are reviewed and the final recipients are shortlisted. Recipients will receive a $250 prize and will be recognized at the PhD Awards Ceremony.

Sonny Astani Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

David M. Wilson Affiliates (DMWA) was founded in 1959 by a group of alumni who felt a loyalty to Professor Wilson for his untiring devotion to USC and his Civil Engineering students. As the longtime Chairman of the Civil Engineering Department, Professor Wilson assisted numerous students to the point of drawing from his own funds. He gave so generously that, upon his retirement, he had little left to live on. Former students came to his aid and assisted the man who had been so important to their careers. When Professor Wilson passed away, the DMWA turned their energy and financial support to the Civil Engineering Department and became one of the first philanthropic support groups at USC. To this day, DMWA continues to offer scholarships and fellowships to civil and environmental engineering students. Thousand of engineers have benefited from the tremendous engineering education they received thanks to the generosity of alumni who came before them. This award honors the student with the highest GPA.

David M. Wilson Affiliates (DMWA) was founded in 1959 by a group of alumni who felt a loyalty to Professor Wilson for his untiring devotion to USC and his Civil Engineering students. As the longtime Chairman of the Civil Engineering Department, Professor Wilson assisted numerous students to the point of drawing from his own funds. He gave so generously that, upon his retirement, he had little left to live on. Former students came to his aid and assisted the man who had been so important to their careers. When Professor Wilson passed away, the DMWA turned their energy and financial support to the Civil Engineering Department and became one of the first philanthropic support groups at USC. To this day, DMWA continues to offer scholarships and fellowships to civil and environmental engineering students. Thousand of engineers have benefited from the tremendous engineering education they received thanks to the generosity of alumni who came before them. This award honors the student with the highest GPA.

The Outstanding Environmental Engineering Achievement Award recognizes an environmental master's student who has superior academic and research skills. Their scientific curiosity and engagement in projects have resulted in significant progress.

The Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement Award recognizes a civil master's student that has superior research skills.

The Viterbi School of Engineering recognizes PhD students who have been best research assistant. This award is given to 1 – 2 students per academic department. Recipients will receive a $250 prize and will be recognized at the PhD Awards Ceremony. Both graduating and continuing PhD students are eligible.

The Jenny Wang Excellence in Teaching Award, established in 2017, is named in memory of Jenny Wang, the grandmother of Viterbi Alumnus, Jiangyang Zhang (PhD '13). The award recognizes outstanding PhD teaching assistants. The awardees are honored at the annual Viterbi PhD Hooding and Awards Ceremony.

The Viterbi School of Engineering recognizes PhD students who have been actively engaged in mentoring undergraduate student researchers. The nominator for the research mentoring award submits a Letter of Support for their nominee. The letters are reviewed and the final recipients are shortlisted. Recipients will receive a $250 prize and will be recognized at the PhD Awards Ceremony.