In the city of Los Angeles, where people from all over the world come for a shot at fulfilling their hopes and dreams, it is not at all surprising that the University of Southern California, one of the top research universities in the nation, is in its center.  Classrooms throughout USC are filled with faithful Trojans, fighting on through their rigorous courses with their brilliant minds and strong ambitions.  Engineering has especially come a long way over the last 100 years, leading or extensively contributing to the nation in wars, the Internet, space exploration, technology, medicine, and of course research.  The next 100 years can only bring more innovations and scientific advancement through the Viterbi School of Engineering’s commitment to research in all of its disciplines.

 

While it may take an individual to voice a vision, the dream may be a global marvel that could only be brought to life if everyone’s varying backgrounds and skills are realized.  The formula to research success is the blending of individual skills with USC’s allegiance to a breadth with depth education, along with the encouragement of collaboration and teamwork in Viterbi’s classrooms.  Combined with the booming city of Los Angeles, there is a never-ending commercial market for the products dreamed up, because there will always be consumers wanting efficiency, convenience, and affordability—desires that engineers understand as they create their products.  Then, time can only tell before the products span across the globe and change everyone’s lives for the better.

 

What is important to remember is that, just because the resources are available, it does not mean we need to use them all or act on every idea.  In the 1985 movie, Real Genius, a student research team develops a 6-megawatt laser.  When asked what they think it would be for, one of the protagonists replies, “Let the engineers figure out a use for it.  That’s not our concern.”  What it is for is to quickly and easily blast individual targets from space, as a government weapon.  While engineers cannot control the usage of their ideas or the inventions of others, ethics calls for them to limit what society is not ready for.  Also, individual responsibility is key in dealing with the ever-blurring lines of ethics, since laws and regulations cannot keep up with all engineering advancements.  Therefore, while many works of science fiction may become reality, others, in the preservation of individual freedoms and group safety, must not.

 

RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tags and transponders are already being embedded into animals and humans, making it convenient to find a lost pet or child.  So, sooner than 100 years from now, students may one day be embedded with microchips that directly download and store lecture lessons into their brains.  There are already microchips that replace the hypothalamus in the brain and a video camera eyeball that would feed images to be decoded by the very same complex organ.  Furthermore, USC is leading the way with implantable microelectronic devices that are intended to cure blindness, paralysis, sleep apnea, memory loss and other huge medical problems by either mimicking biology or replacing necessary bodily components.  100 years from now, such devices will become normal and very affordable, allowing everyone to live longer and healthier.

 

Engineers of all disciplines will contribute to a better future.  Biomedical engineers will develop the aforementioned devices to encourage stronger, healthier bodies in this age of obesity and troubling disease.  Chemical engineers will discover more drugs to eliminate common ailments and new materials to benefit construction.  Civil engineers will construct resilient, beautiful creations that will contain the world’s growing population and protect them from the weather.  Meanwhile, Environmental engineers will be able to predict the weather to circumvent global disasters.  Mechanical engineers will solve the pollution problem with the Environmental engineers, giving us affordable, guilt-free and reliable transportation.  Because of the Aerospace and Aeronautics engineers, we will discover more galaxies and be able to visit them when space travel at warp speed will be made public and common.  Furthermore, 100 years from now, hailing a private jet will be arguably as easy as whistling for today’s taxi.  Electrical engineers will find faster, more reliable information and systems transfer and also cure our energy problems.  The Computer engineers will benefit from this as they continue to produce more programs and products to make our lives easier and more entertaining.  And of course, the Industrial Systems engineers will manage the intersections of these multiple spheres, showing that innovation at the Viterbi School of Engineering is a mass collaboration towards greater, more fantastic improvements. 

 

While unforeseen missteps along the way are unavoidable, the overall progress in engineering will be positive and rewarding.  One cannot succeed without a few failures.  Life, after all, is about learning mistakes and improving from them.  The Viterbi School of Engineering, with its vast and varied curriculum, encourages each individual to discover his or her own talents, especially in group projects where different skills are desirable.  100 years from now, there may be more specialization or there may be more well-rounded intellects, but it can be certain that the world will benefit from the research conceived and executed by such minds, right here at the University of Southern California.