USC Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering

Congratulations ! 🏎️✌🏼

32 high school students from the nearby Early College Academy visited USC Viterbi labs for a day of hands-on engineering and then put their new skills to work by building mini roller coasters out of everyday materials like tape and straws. We hope to host more of these events in the future! Link in the bio.

Origami discourages gluing, marking or cutting the paper, but in the art of kirigami, strategically placed cuts can transform the shape of the paper even further, creating complex structures from simple slits. In manufacturing, kirigami could change the landscape of space objects, biomedical devices and soft robotics, but first we need to learn more about how these materials behave. AME researchers, including Asst Prof Paul Plucinsky, created new models to bridge this knowledge gap and help advance what's possible in manufacturing. Link in the bio.

USC researchers, including AME Associate Prof Mitul Luhar, have helped quantify COVID-19 prevention strategies by simulating its spread on a university campus, specifically modeling airborne transmission risks associated with in-person classes. The model can help evaluate some of the most debated strategies in preventing the spread of the virus. Read more at the link in the bio.

Mechanical engineering junior Joy Uehara's love for robotics began with her high school robotics team. The team and its journey to the FIRST Robotics Competition was featured in the recent Disney documentary "More than Robots." Read about the art of mentorship, systems architecting and keeping your cool in the heat of competition at the link in the bio!

Congratulations to all of our graduates! For those who can’t join in person, please see ame.usc.edu for a link to the livestream of today’s commencement ceremonies!

Resident Rishi Malhan spent the pandemic completing his PhD and earning his private pilot license. From the early days of CAM to his vision for AI innovations in aerospace, Rishi shared his USC journey -- and love of the skies -- with us. Congrats, Rishi! Read more at the link in the bio.

USC Viterbi researchers set a RECORD this year. 8 faculty have received NSF CAREER Awards, including AME's own Niema Pahlevan and Ivan Bermejo-Moreno. Congratulations to both!
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Read about their research at the link in the bio!

This past weekend, a group of AME students visiting Boeing's facilities in Seal Beach. They explored the Beach Boeing Operation Center that services more than 800 airlines and 13,000 planes.
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Said organizer said: The highlight of the tour was visiting the boneyard where we walked through an older model 737 classic plane that was stripped for use in training and practice repair exercises.”
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“I am looking to continue these tours as often as possible to show the places and jobs our students will someday have the opportunity to work and prove their engineering talents,” he said.
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WiSE Gabilan Assistant Prof. Ananya Renuka-Balakrishna and her research team created a mathematical model to help discover magnetic materials that provide strong magnetic fields but reduce energy loss. This work could have a large impact on future energy storage devices and sustainability. Read the full article at the link in the bio.

Couldn’t be prouder of

Repost: What an amazing, once in a life time opportunity with to drive our car in the ! There was a lot of raw, ecstatic excitement throughout the week and now motivating us forward to the '22 comp. At the base of all this excitement is gratitude. Thank you to our amazing advisorsw and for an ambitious community of scholars that strive ever forward toward greater achievements. Of course none of this would be possible without our amazing sponsors and partners that help us in everything from innovative design to high quality fabrication! And finally thank you to and for your amazing coverage of it all! Same time next year?

Couldn’t be prouder of Repost: What an amazing, once in a life time opportunity with to drive our car in the ! There was a lot of raw, ecstatic excitement throughout the week and now motivating us forward to the '22 comp. At the base of all this excitement is gratitude. Thank you to our amazing advisors and for an ambitious community of scholars that strive ever forward toward greater achievements. Of course none of this would be possible without our amazing sponsors and partners that help us in everything from innovative design to high quality fabrication! And finally thank you to and for your amazing coverage of it all! Same time next year?

3D printing adds flexibility and can reduce cost for a variety of industries, including healthcare. As part of , USC students designed colorful 3D-printed prosthetics for Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles patients. AME student Brendan Kim shared the details behind their incredible work. Link in the bio.

Introducing AME's new Assistant Director of Student Affairs Ellecia Williams. Ellecia advises undergraduate and Ph.D. students on course planning, campus resources, and university policies. Ellecia graduated from Clark Atlanta University with an MBA in marketing and a BBA degree in marketing from Texas A&M University - Mays School of Business. Ellecia enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, exploring the LA/OC food scene, and visiting the beach. Join us in welcoming Ellecia to the department!

What do an actor, a gymnast and an aerospace engineer have in common? They are all the same person! USC Viterbi senior .reneee built her life on asking ‘Why not?’ Read about her inspirational adventures as a student, pilot, actor and more at the link in the bio!

Fresh off the holiday travel season, we've got clean air on our minds. Assistant Professor Alejandra Uranga talks clean air and sustainable aviation with The Big Switch, a podcast from Columbia University's Center for Global Energy Policy. Listen in at the link in the bio.

What if a robot delivered all your holiday packages this year? In research led by AME's Quan Nguyen, four-legged robots are able to carry up to 50% of their body weight over rough terrain. Read more at the link in the bio.

AME seniors showcased their AME 441 final projects for faculty and industry professionals last week. See the link in the bio to learn about the 39 projects, developed over just two months and with a budget of just $100 per team member.

There's more to mixing than meets the eyes. New research led by AME Assistant Professor Ivan Bermejo-Moreno helps track exactly how the geometric and physical properties of gases and fluids change over time as they mix, helping better understand and map how to optimize shockwaves in supersonic and hypersonic engines. Link in the bio.

AME Senior Design Students toured Boeing's local manufacturing facilities.
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Said AME Senior Instructional Lab Technician: "It was very rewarding to see the excitement on our students faces,, seeing things they have only dreamed about and studied in books. They are looking forward to graduating and joining amazing corporations like Boeing!


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From left to right: Senior Lab Technician Rod Yates; AME Seniors: Luis Chavez, Timothy Barrik, Sinclair Sparks, Arthur Levine, Kenya Foster, Taofeeq Rasaki and Mario Pinto

Need a dance break? Here's an informative jam composed and performed by AME student Reuben Levine. Listen to "Laser Light" a song about Prof Willner & Runzhou Zhang's research & produced by Daniel Moors. Link in our bio!

USC Viterbi freshman Raul Torres Jr. was the recipient of the prestigious Russell L. Caldwell Neighborhood Scholarship. The scholarship is awarded annually to incoming USC students from area high schools. Torres hopes to earn a progressive degree – a joint USC Viterbi bachelor’s and master’s degree – in mechanical engineering. After graduating, he said he’d like to volunteer in his old neighborhood, and give back.
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Read more about the award and Raul at the link in our bio.

AME junior, Jessica Aftosmis, received the 2021 John Young Memorial Scholarship. NASA’s College Scholarship Fund is awarded to six students each year–up to five in the amount of $8K each and up to one John Young Memorial scholarship in the amount of $10K. Aftosmis is studying aerospace engineering with a minor in painting. Congratulations

Can we use recycled paper to make solid objects normally made of plastic? Mechanical engineering students Aida Leitch thinks we can and shares his approach. Link in the bio to watch the video and learn more!

We are happy to report that Prof. Satyandra (SK) Gupta has received ASME Design Automation Award for his pioneering contributions to Computer Aided Design and Computer Aided Manufacturing areas. This prestigious award from ASME (The American Society of Mechanical Engineers) recognizes sustained meritorious contribution to research in Design Automation. Congrats Professor Gupta!