Story:
USC Homecoming 2006 brought over 400 Viterbi Alumni and Friends to the Annual Viterbi School Pregame Tailgate. Guests of the picnic mingled with other alumni and friends while feasting on a delicious pre-game barbeque. The Viterbi spirit carried over to the football game where our Trojans went on to beat the Washington State Cougars 55-13.
Submitted by: Frank Stirling
Degree:
BS in AME
Class year:
---
Story:
Air Force career in R&D. Launch and satellite systems. Launch operations and aide to Commander at Vandenberg AFB - chased Kangaroos from a French Helicopter in the Australian Outback near Woomera, an early satellite launch base. Taught Astronautical Engineering at the Air Force Academy. Deputy for Launch Vehicles for the Secretary of the AF. Assigned to newly appointed first Director of Strategic Defense - Star Wars - as his Military Assistant but had a dual role as Director of Special Projects responsible for incorporating highly classified advanced technologies from the CIA, NSA, DIA, and other agencies into Star Wars. Directed development of a long-wave infrared satellite program for mid-course surveillance and the 2d largest program in the AF, Titan Systems, including Titan IV, Titan II refurbishment from silos for satellite launch, Centaur US development, and SRMU Upgrade Program. Startups after military career - Advanced Air Traffic Management, President of International Air Safety, Inc; High-Altitude Platforms for telecommnucications and surveillance, Founder and President of Stratcom, International; Founder and President of Boeing Digital Cinema and now, Vistavega, Inc., for digital revolution in Hollywood.
Submitted by: Robin Underwood Doty
Degree:
MS in CEE
Class year:
1990
Degree:
Not Entered in CEE
Class year:
---
Story:
My fondest memory was my study groups. They were so diversified and I believe not only was I the only female, but the only student from America. After studying for finals, because I shared all my notes, and was able to get a few past exams, the group bought me a chinese tea set. I still have it and will cherish it forever. I also miss my favorite professors Dr. Devinny and Dr. Pirbazari! I work at the USC School of Business now, but a piece of my heart is still at Viterbi!
Submitted by: Ricardo Valerdi
Degree:
PhD in ISE
Class year:
2005
Degree:
MS in ISE
Class year:
2002
Story:
The PhD program at Viterbi was quite the journey. Picture shown here includes Prof. Kurt Palmer, Prof. F. Stan Settles, Dr. Ricardo Valerdi, Prof. Najm Meshkati, Dr. Luca Quadrifoglio, Dr. Mehdi Mojdeh, Prof. Jim Moore, Prof. Randy Hall, and Prof. Emeritus Gerry Nadler.
Submitted by: Ada Chan
Degree:
BS in CEE
Class year:
2000
Degree:
MS in CEE
Class year:
2001
Story:
I will be forever grateful to the Viterbi Alumni who provided not just their financial contributions but also their time in mentoring and speaking to students. A monumental Viterbi Story for me was in Fall 1997 at the USC Engineering School Career Conference when I met the keynote speaker: Viterbi & Marshall Alumna Mrs. Marie Knowles. Mrs. Knowles’ speech inspired me to follow in her footsteps in working fulltime while pursuing a graduate education at night and in becoming a three-time USC Trojan. Mrs. Knowles instantly became a role model for me as a woman engineer and a woman in finance. Since then, I have obtained three USC degrees - a BS in Civil Engineering Building Science in 2000, a MS in Civil Engineering Structural Engineering in 2001, and a Master of Business Administration in 2005, which both graduate degrees were fulfilled while I was working fulltime.
Viterbi Alumni like Mrs. Knowles made a huge impact in my life. Thus, I continue to stay involved with the USC community by attending Viterbi School mentoring dinners, being part of the USC David M. Wilson Associates Civil Engineering Alumni Support Group, and speaking at the Marshall School MBA.PM program recruiting information sessions. One day, I hope to make this same impact on the younger generation.
Submitted by: Terri Chan
Degree:
BS in AME
Class year:
1995
Degree:
MS in ISE
Class year:
2000
Story:
As I reflected on all my years at USC, I realize that I would not have made it through without the support and influence of my professors who took me under their care. One particular professor who helped me grow during my undergraduate years was Dr. Blackwelder from the AE dept. He counseled me not only academically but also personally as I struggled with making decisions for my life, figuring out who I was and what my values were. I remember walking into his office once not for academic advisement but just to have a discussion about the merits of the Myers-Briggs Temperament Index - I was disturbed that my results were not typical of the profile of an engineer and asked if he thought I was in the wrong major. He laughed and told me that my temperament would help me be successful in integrating large systems by bringing different people together. I had no idea what he meant, but looking back, his words guided me to my current specialty of System Integration. I still think of the different times I subjected Dr. Blackwelder to the trivial angst of my life, and I will forever be grateful for all of the time and wisdom he imparted on me.
Submitted by: Sayem Uzair
Degree:
MS in AME
Class year:
2001
Story:
USC is not just a university. USC is a microcosm, a beautiful mosiac, comprising of students from all over the globe.
I enrolled in USC's Viterbi School of Engineering (back then it was simply the School of Engineering) in Fall 1999. Being a foreign student from Pakistan, I was a bit nervous, somewhat coy. I sought answers to my questions from the helpful people at OIS. My acedemic concerns and querries were generously answered by gracious faculty members of Aerospace & Mechanical Engineering Department. I'd specially like to thank Dr. Redekopp, Dr. Ronney, Dr. Safadi and Dr. Wellford for their precious time and support. Their valuable mentoring and advice helped me achieve my goal and allay my doubts.
It'd be an oversight to mention only the acedemic details of my stay at USC and not to mention other non-academic experiences. Things like Turkish nights, working in the basement labs while sipping Chai with Iranian students, going on hikes with a Computer Science major from Germany and attending Thanksgiving parties at the beautiful house of Jackson family are just some of the things that make my stay at USC even more memorable.
In the end I wish all the people, whom I met at USC, even though I don't know their names, but I do remember their faces, all the happiness and joys of life. I wish there was a way for people to search other people based on the memories so that I could track some of my lost contacts at USC.
Submitted by: Henry Woo
Degree:
BS in AME
Class year:
1971
Degree:
MS in AME
Class year:
1972
Story:
Learning from the kind and dedicated professors and friends at USC remains in my mind, since I join the Aerospace Industry in 1972.
Dr. R. Kaplan, Dr. R. Blackwelder, Dr. P. Scott, Dr. Edward, Dr. Laufer, Dr. Vernon, Dr. R. Mannes, and Dr. Bush are some of the professors who taught me the research techniques and the technologies which allowed me to work on and led several first-of-a-kind GN&C systems, remote manipulator system, and avionics/software system.
While Dr. Kaplan let Tim, Philip, and I work as assistents in the low speed wind tunnel, Dr. Blackwelder taught us instrumentation design and team work. With limited knowledge of Orbital mechanics and Attitude Control, it was a term paper on Global Monitoring that resulted in my first job, in a time frame when the Apollo program was ending and the Space Shuttle program began.
In addition to the AE courses, the electives from EE and ME continue to help me with the new systems-of-systems architectures, as well as end-to-end systems integration, verification, and validation.
Some how, my USC friends Tim, George, and Alan have trust in me and gave me the encouragement for many years.
While we are in the era of IT, Intelligent systems, and mobile communication networks, I see that USC continues to create new departments and courses.
Looking forward to guide young engineers, while continuing technologies applications of new systems.
It can be done, and keep up the good work.
Thanks.
