A Brief Report of the State of the Viterbi School

Yannis C. YortsosDean

ABET Visit Welcoming AddressOctober 5, 2009

Overall Summary Undergraduate Students

Increasing Quality-Increasing Diversity-Improved Retention

Master’s and Professional ProgramsVital to the School-Increase Applicant Pool

Doctoral StudentsIncreased Levels of Fellowships-Academic Placement

ResearchCompete Successfully for National Centers- e.g. Health, Energy, Megacities, IT

FacultyRecruit, Retain and Reward the Best

CommunicationsCommunicate Difference and Excellence

FundraisingCompleted Initiative ($300M by June 30, 2008)- Fundraise for New Building

Administration and Finances Strengthening Infrastructure- Meeting the Challenges of the Changing Global Economy

4

Viterbi at a Glance

FoundedUSC engineering began in 1905

Academic departmentsAME, ASTD, BmE, CEE (Astani), ChEMaSC (Mork), CS, EE (Hsieh), ISE (Epstein)

Faculty168 tenure-track faculty, with 52 endowed chairs and professorships, 56 NSF Career Awardees and 17 full-time, tenure-track NAE members (34 total)

Student populationApproximately 2,000 UG and 4,000 G students: Aim at a balanced and excellent UG and G programs in the context of a research university

Degrees awarded in academic year 2008–09■ B.S. – 401■ Ph.D. – 164■ M.S. – 1413

AlumniMore than 50,000

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Faculty Metrics(ASEE Fall 2007 Data)

Arrow indicatesTop 10 in US News & World Report

Viterbi a medium-size school: Establish and maintain excellence with limited faculty growth

AssistantAssociate Full

6

Engineering Student Enrollments

(ASEE Fall 2007 Data)

Stu

de

nt

s

PhD

MS

UG

7

Viterbi at a Glance (Cont)

Annual Research ExpendituresMore than $160 million, with more than 45 research centers and Institutes

Research Centers and Institutes (see also Appendix for New Centers)

Home to:■ Information Sciences Institute (ISI) ) IT POWERHOUSE: ENGINEERING+■ Two National Science Foundation (NSF) Engineering Research Centers (ERC)

■ Integrated Media Systems Center (IMSC) ) MULTIMEDIA ■ Biomimetic MicroElectronic Systems Center (BMES) PROSTHETIC DEVICES

■ University Center of Excellence of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security

■ Center for Risk and Economic Analysis of Terrorism Events (CREATE)

■ Department of Energy Frontiers Research Center (EFRC) SOLAR■ The National Center for Metropolitan Transportation Research (METRANS)■ Biomedical Informatics Research Network (BIRN) ) BIOINFORMATICS■ Center for Health Informatics (CHI) HEALTH INFORMATICS■ Five Multi-Million Dollars Industry Research Centers (CiSoft- Chevron, Infosys, Pratt and Whitney, Airbus, GE) SMART WELLS, SOFTWARE, AEROSPACE

Affiliated with:■ Alfred E. Mann Institute for Biomedical Engineering (AMI)■ Institute for Creative Technologies (ICT)■ USC Stevens Institute for Innovation

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Research Expenditures

1/3 of USC’s Research Volume is Generated by the Viterbi School

$85

$98

$108

$121

$166$170

$64$69

$157

$147

$134

$82

$96

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

1995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007

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Undergraduate Students

• Meeting (and exceeding) enrollments with increasing academic quality and diversity

• 28% women; 15% underrepresented

• Viterbi continues to lead USC in quality• Increased freshman return rates

• Freshman Academies, Math Instruction• Focused advisement and mentoring

programs • Increased retention and graduation rates

• At 88% 6-yr graduation rate Viterbi is above the USC average

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Freshman Class Average SAT Scores

UG Student Metrics:Quality, Selectivity, Diversity

2075

2080

2085

2090

2095

2100

2105

2110

2115

VSoE 2090 2102 2110 2114

Fall 06 Fall 07 Fall 08 Fall 09

■ One out of 8 freshmen applicants admitted■ The average freshman SAT score increased by 9 points per year in the last three years

Fall ’09 Freshman average SAT of 2114 highest in the university■ 46 National Merit Scholars in 2009■ 15% of total enrollment are underrepresented groups

■ More than 1/4 of all undergraduates and more than 1/3 of all freshmen are female 

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91.3%89.6%

83.7%85.4%

91.8%

78.4%

75.9%

72.2%

80.4%

70.0%

74.0% 73.5%

60.0%

65.0%

70.0%

75.0%

80.0%

85.0%

90.0%

95.0%

100.0%

20033 20043 20053 20063 20073

Cohort

Freshmen Sophomores Juniors

Return Rate (to Viterbi) by Cohort

UG Student Metrics:Retention

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UG Student Distinctions

• Julianne Gale (CS)- USC Valedictorian, Commencement 2008

• Reed Doucette (ME)- USC Salutatorian, Commencement 2008 Rhodes Scholar Winner 2008 (One of two Californians) • Ous Mellouli (CS)- Gold Medal Winner, Beijing Summer Olympics, 2008 1500m Freestyle Swimming• Many Student Organizations Distinctions (Aero, Astro, Civil, Games, Programming, etc.)

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UG Education Innovations

Freshman academies- 2004

Ownership of math instruction (CIMES)- 2005

Budget Line Item of >$300K/year to Instructional Laboratories KIUEL- 2006

Provides leadership and service-learning opportunities outside the classroom

Division of Engineering Education- 2007 Consisting of faculty across departments it promotes Educational Innovation

Capstone design innovations Fab Lab used by undergraduates for experimental design- 2007 Cross-disciplinary design courses within engineering majors- 2007 Common design courses with Business and Fine Arts students- 2008 Common-based themes: (2009) Assisting People with Disabilities”

NAE grand challenges scholars- 2009 Preparing students to solve the NAE grand challenges

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UG Education Innovations (cont.)

Outreach and community service

■ KIUEL- 2006: Technical community support to local classrooms

■ Engineers Without Borders: Technical community service in underdeveloped countries

■ Engineering Writing Program: Outreach opportunities locally and globally (e.g. South Africa)

■ FIRST Robotics Mentoring

■ Engineers as Teachers: Opportunities for engineering students to outreach to elementary schools

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Master’s and Professional Programs

• Increasing applicant pool• Progressive Degree Programs (PDP): 4+1• New recruitment strategies for domestic on-campus MS students

• PdP partnerships with Cal Poly San Luis Obispo; Olin- explore more • Offer new niche areas, e.g. Green Technologies; Health Systems

• Expanded and improved recruitment practices from overseas• Office in India; new office in Shanghai- Mexico and Canada• Recruitment in China (156% increase), Taiwan (11% increase)

Distinguish between professional and PhD programs: Terminal MS degree

Distance Education Network

• Pioneer in delivering engineering graduate education (to industry- see Appendix)

• Wide Offering of Degrees: DEN offers 37 Master of Science degrees - more than

that of any leading research university

• Convenient: Classes archived on the server for the entire semester

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Doctoral Students

• Robust graduating class (164 in 2008-2009)• Almost 1 graduated PhD per TT faculty

(see also Appendix)

• Can now offer over 100 unrestricted one-year fellowships

• Provost, Annenberg, Viterbi• Mork, Hsieh, Chevron; other

• Provide needed TA support according to model• 1 yr fellowship, 1 yr TA, 3 yrs RA

• 21% female- 1/3 domestic

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Research Plans

• Building on unique interdisciplinary strengths (Engineering+)

• Engineering + Social Sciences• Engineering + Communications (Annenberg, Cinematic

Arts)• Engineering+Health

– New joint VSoE-KSoM program HST@USC

• Aggressively pursuing new research areas• Energy • Urban Infrastructure• IT and CS• Leading role in the NAE Grand Challenges

• Increasing corporate and international partnerships• Infosys, GE, TI, …. Others

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The 14 NAE Grand Challenges

Make Solar Energy Economical *

Provide Energy from FusionDevelop Carbon Sequestration

Methods *

Engineer Better Medicines *Advance Health Informatics *Reverse Engineer the Brain *

Secure Cyberspace *Prevent Nuclear Terror *

Restore and Improve Urban Infrastructure *

Manage the Nitrogen CycleProvide Access to Clean

Water *

Enhance Virtual Reality *Advance Personalized

Learning *Engineer the Tools of

Scientific Discovery *

NAE Challenges Summit Held at Duke, March 2, 09, co-hosted by USC and Olin

Second Summit on October 6-7, 2010, at the USC Campus

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Recent Faculty Distinctions

• Andrew Viterbi– National Medal of Science 2008• Max Nikias, Yannis Yortsos– Elected to the NAE 2008• Bob Scholz, George Olah– Elected to the NAE 2009• Naj Meshkati - 2009 Jefferson Science Fellow for the U.S. State

Department • Dan Dapkus – ISCS 2009 Welker Award• Shanghua Teng – 2009 Delbert Ray Fulkerson Prize• Alice Parker – 2009 ASEE Sharon KeillorAward for Women in

Engineering Education

• Steve Cronin, Hossein Hashemi, Michelle Povinelli– NSF Early CAREER Award

• Andrea Armani, Ellis Meng- 2009 TR35 (MIT Technology Review) • Andrea Armani (ONR Young Investigator), Michelle Povinelli (ARO

Young Investigator), David Kempe (Sloan)

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New Faculty- Fall 2009

• Shang-Hua Teng: Computer Science

• Azad Madni: Daniel J. Epstein Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering

• Terence Sanger: Department of Biomedical Engineering

• Malancha Gupta: Mork Family Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science

• Jernej Barbic: Computer Science

• William G.J. Halfond: Computer Science

• Veronica Eliasson: Aerospace and Mechanical

• Alex Dimakis: Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical Engineering- Systems

• Quiang Huang: Daniel J. Epstein Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering

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2002USC Daniel J. Epstein Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering($11 million)

2004USC Viterbi School of Engineering($52 million)

2004Stevens Institute for Technology Commercialization*($22 million)

*Now USC Stevens Institute for Innovation

2005USC Mork Family Departmentof Chemical Engineering and Materials Science($15 million)

2006Klein Institute for Undergraduate Engineering Life (KIUEL)($8 million)

2006USC Ming Hsieh Departmentof Electrical Engineering($35 million)

2007USC Sonny Astani Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering($17 million)

Fundraising Highlights

Destination the Future: $300M 7-year Fundraising InitiativeEndowment Goal $150M- Raised $190M ~ 2/3 of total

MissionConstituencies Input

Educational Objectives of the Program

Program OutcomesABET Criteria

Mechanics and Plan: Curriculum

Assessment

Attributes of our graduates in 3-5 years

What our students should know at graduation Feedback

VSoE Sharing ABET’s Approach

Constituencies= Faculty, students, alumni, parents, boards, employers, …

Faculty involvement essential in both assessment, evaluation and feedback!

DEE is a new, crucial,componentof feedbackloop

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Recent ABET-related Initiatives

Improved assessment methods- since last ABET visit Transitioning from indirect assessment of courses to direct

assessment of outcomes The Viterbi Academic Resource Center – since 2004

Peer Tutoring & Supplemental Instruction (SI) Programs First Year Excellence Program – since 2006

Focuses on Viterbi freshmen by providing opportunities for academic exploration and co-curricular connections

Division of Engineering Education (DEE): responsibilities for across-the-school coordination- 2007 School-level feedback mechanism

Research Professor Gisele Ragusa jointly appointed (50-50) with Rossier School of Education- since 2007

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Expert Advice

Larry Shuman – Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, University of Pittsburgh and ABET Evaluator, November 14, 2008

Fred DePiero – Associate Dean for Undergraduates, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and ABET Evaluator, December 12, 2008

Both met with all of our program representatives and gave a seminar for the entire group

Gigi Ragusa – Faculty member from the USC Rossier School of Education spends half of her effort in the Viterbi School of Engineering

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School Assessment Strategy for Criteria 2 – Program

Objectives

The Board of Councilors has been a participant in informing our objectives A survey as well as a comprehensive

focus group of the board was done

Alumni surveys were created by the programs and implemented by the School

The School has EBI Exit Assessment data (this data fall somewhere between objectives and outcomes)

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School Assessment Strategy for Criteria 3 – Program

Outcomes

The guidance given to the programs by the School and our consultants:

There are to be two (or more) direct assessments per outcome.

Prefer that one should occur in a lower division course

One should occur in an upper division course

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Direct Outcome Assessment

School-Wide“Hard” Skills

• Outcome A - Physics 151 has been running the Force Concept Inventory for six years

“Soft” Skills• Outcomes F, G, H, I - Engineering Global Preparedness Index.

This is a direct assessment aligned to ABET outcomes F, G, H, I and the Engineer of 2020. This is also being run at 6 Schools.

• Outcome G – Writing 340 evaluates written communication outcome using a rubric

Individual ProgramsMost programs are using a mixture of

• Exams/Assignments/Projects (Micro-content)

• Rubrics, Concept Inventories (Macro-content)

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Criterion 4 – Continuous Improvement (The role of

DEE)Each year the Division of Engineering Education will hear

presentations from every one of the programs about their assessment plans so that the DEE knows what is being assessed, in which classes, with what instruments, and with what results.

The DEE is asked to evaluate both the plan and the results. The DEE is responsible for recognizing, based on the assessment data, where we should be better educating our students.

If it appears to be an issue with the freshman or sophomore curriculum, the DEE will be responsible for making changes.  If the shortcomings are with the department courses, then the DEE will task the relevant department curriculum committee with addressing the issue and reporting back on their actions.

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Our Vision

• First at USC

• A leader in the nation

• Constantly rising quality

• Excellence in all endeavors

Appendix

31

Research: New Centers

• Department of Energy Frontiers Research Center (EFRC)- 2009

• PI- Dan Dapkus (EE); Five-year, $12.5M

• Center for Health Informatics (CHI)- 2008 • Co-PI Carl Kesselman (ISE) • Supported by St. John’s Hospital at $17M the first two years

• NIH BioInformatics Research Network (BIRN)- 2008• PI- Carl Kesseman (ISE)- 5 –year, $22.5M

• Infosys Center for Advanced Software Technologies (CAST)- 2008

• PI -Viktor Prasanna (EE)

• Renewal of the BME BMSR NIH Center- 2008 • PI- David D’Argenio (BME)- 5-year, $5.9M

• Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center- 2008 • Co-PI Francisco Valero-Cuevas (BME)• Support from the Department of Education

• Department of Defense UARC in Systems Engineering- 2008 • Co-PI Barry Boehm (CS)

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Corporate Sponsors

• Aerojet• BAE Systems• Aerospace Corporation• Alpine Electronics• Boeing Corporation• Chevron• Ericsson• GE Energy• General Dynamics• Hamilton Sundstrand• Honeywell• Intel• JPL

• Lockheed Martin• Motorola• NASA• Nokia• Northrop Grumman • Occidental Petroleum• Pratt Whitney• Qualcomm• Raytheon• SAIC• United Technologies

Corp.• United States Air Force

33

Doctoral Student Comparison

One new PhD graduate per year per TT faculty

“One-to-one”

“3/4 to one”

USC

Stanford

UCB

MIT

Caltech

34

Recent Publications on Engineering Education

Engineering Education Assessment

1. Ragusa, G., Cocozza, J. and Sabogal, D., Research, Collaboration and Interconnected Outreach for Underrepresented Groups: Success from Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) and Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Collaborations. Conference Proceedings: Annual Meeting American Society of Engineering Educators. Austin, TX. June, (2009).

2. Ragusa, G., Preparing Engineers for Global Workforces: A Research University’s Response. Conference Proceedings: Annual Meeting American Society of Engineering Educators. Austin, TX. June, 2009.

3. Lee, C.T., and Ragusa, G., A Degree-Project Approach to Engineering Education. Conference Proceedings: Annual Meeting American Society of Engineering Educators. Austin, TX. June, (2009).

4. Bardet, J. P. , and Ragusa, G., Analysis of the Body of Knowledge in Civil Engineering. Conference Yearbook: Annual Meeting American Society of Engineering Educators. Austin, TX. June, (2009).

5. Redekopp, M., Raghavendra, R., Ragusa, G. and Wilbur, T., A Fully Interdisciplinary Approach to Capstone Design Courses. Conference Yearbook: Annual Meeting American Society of Engineering Educators. Austin, TX. June, (2009).

6. Lee, C.T., and Ragusa, G., A Degree-Project Approach to Chemical Engineering. Conference Proceedings: Annual Meeting American Society of Engineering Educators. Pittsburgh, PA. June, (2008).

7. Ragusa, G. and Cocozza, J., Engineering Outreach: Connecting Biomimetic Research to Urban K-12 Classrooms. Conference Yearbook: Annual Meeting American Society of Engineering Educators. Pittsburgh, PA. June, (2008).

8. Ragusa, G. Khoo, M., Meng, E., Engineering Education In Biomimetic Microelectronic Systems: An Urban Engineering Research Center’s Response. Conference Yearbook: Annual Meeting American Society of Engineering Educators. Pittsburgh, PA. June, (2008).

9. Cocozza, J. and Ragusa, G., The Engineering for Health Academy: A Specialized Secondary Program Preparing High School Students for a Career in the Biomedical Engineering Profession. Conference Yearbook: Annual Meeting of the ICEE. Budapest, August (2008).

10. Bardet, J.P., McLeod, D. and Ragusa, G., Ontology and Web Semantics for Improvement of Curriculum in Civil Engineering. Conference Yearbook: Annual Meeting American Society of Engineering Educators. Pittsburgh, PA. June, (2008).

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Recent Publications on Engineering Education

(cont.)Engineering Education Assessment (cont.)

11. Bardet, J. P. ,Ragusa, G. and Meyer, K., Performance Assessment for Civil and Environmental Engineering Curricula. Conference Yearbook: Annual Meeting American Society of Engineering Educators. Pittsburgh., PA. June, (2008).

12. Jenkins, M., and L.A. Yates, "Development and Assessment of a Freshman Seminar to Address Societal Context", American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition, Portland, Oregon, (2005).

13. Jenkins, M. and Keim, R.G. “Gender Trends in Engineering Retention.” Frontiers in Education (FIE) 2004,Savannah, GA, October 20-23, (2004).

Engineering Education

14. Kate Baxter, Louise Yates, “Addressing Freshman Retention through Focused Advisement and Seminar Programs”, American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference and Exposition, Pittsburgh, PA (2008).

15. Stephen Bucher, “Illumin: Using an Online Magazine for Teaching and Outreach”, 2009 ASEE Annual Conference, AC 2008-797, Pittsburgh, PA (2008).

16. Larry Lim, “Developing Young Engineers – From Start to Finish”, Conference Yearbook: Annual Meeting American Society of Engineering Educators. Pittsburgh., PA. June, (2008).

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Role and Mission of the University of Southern

CaliforniaThe central mission of the University of Southern California is the development of human beings and society as a whole through the cultivation and enrichment of the human mind and spirit. The principal means by which our mission is accomplished are teaching, research, artistic creation, professional practice and selected forms of public service.

Our first priority as faculty and staff is the education of our students, from freshmen to post doctorals, through a broad array of academic, professional, extracurricular and athletic programs of the first rank. The integration of liberal and professional learning is one of USC's special strengths. We strive constantly for excellence in teaching knowledge and skills to our students, while at the same time helping them to acquire wisdom and insight, love of truth and beauty, moral discernment, understanding of self, and respect and appreciation for others.

Research of the highest quality by our faculty and students is fundamental to our mission. USC is one of a very small number of premier academic institutions in which research and teaching are inextricably intertwined, and on which the nation depends for a steady stream of new knowledge, art, and technology. Our faculty are not simply teachers of the works of others, but active contributors to what is taught, thought and practiced throughout the world.

USC is pluralistic, welcoming outstanding men and women of every race, creed and background. We are a global institution in a global center, attracting more international students over the years than any other American university. And we are private, unfettered by political control, strongly committed to academic freedom, and proud of our entrepreneurial heritage.

An extraordinary closeness and willingness to help one another are evident among USC students, alumni, faculty, and staff; indeed, for those within its compass the Trojan Family is a genuinely supportive community. Alumni, trustees, volunteers and friends of USC are essential to this family tradition, providing generous financial support, participating in university governance, and assisting students at every turn.

In our surrounding neighborhoods and around the globe, USC provides public leadership and public service in such diverse fields as health care, economic development, social welfare, scientific research, public policy and the arts. We also serve the public interest by being the largest private employer in the city of Los Angeles, as well as the city's largest export industry in the private sector.

USC has played a major role in the development of Southern California for more than a century, and plays an increasingly important role in the development of the nation and the world. We expect to continue to play these roles for many centuries to come. Thus our planning, commitments and fiscal policies are directed toward building quality and excellence in the long term.

Adopted by the USC Board of Trustees, February, 1993.

37

The Viterbi School of Engineering’s Mission

The USC Viterbi School is an innovative, elite, internationally recognized engineering school that creates new models of education, research and commercialization firmly rooted in real world needs.

The first priorities of the faculty and staff are the education of our outstanding students and the pursuit and publication of research.

As the School’s faculty and students are extending the frontiers of engineering knowledge through their research, they are also are applying engineering and technology in interdisciplinary and enabling ways to address the grand societal challenges of the day.

The School stimulates and encourages in its students those qualities of scholarship, leadership and character that mark the true academic and professional engineer; to serve California, the nation and the world.

The School is preparing students to translate invention to innovation as well as developing students’ social consciousness to bring their technical expertise to bear on societal problems.

The School is also providing for the continuing education of engineering and scientific personnel to provide professional engineering leadership in the solution of community, regional, national and global problems.