Supported by the National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates Site Program

Program Overview

The Southern California Earthquake Center/Undergraduate Studies in Earthquake Information Technology program (SCEC/UseIT), unites undergraduates at all grade levels, in potentially any major, from colleges and universities across the continent to participate in a leading edge program at SCEC headquarters at the University of Southern California (USC).

SCEC/UseIT interns work on multi-disciplinary, collaborative teams to tackle a scientific “Grand Challenge” posed by SCEC director Dr. Thomas Jordan. The Grand Challenge varies each year but always entails performing computer science research that is needed by earthquake scientists or outreach professionals. Use the Quick Links to read about individual intern projects within each summer’s Grand Challenge, and to see some of the software and multi-media products that UseIT interns have created.

During prior terms, UseIT interns have developed software visualization platforms called LA3D and SCEC-VDO (Virtual Display of Objects). These are object-oriented, open-source, internet-enabled software packages for interactive, 4D display of diverse data sets important to earthquake scientists. SCEC-VDO is now in use by a growing number of SCEC scientists and in a multi-media curriculum at USC. 2007 UseIT interns created working prototypes of serious games, computer games for earthquake science education, risk reduction, and decision-making.

A key aspect of the UseIT program is its flexible yet structured, multi-disciplinary, team approach. Students share their diverse skills and interests, and this peer mentoring creates a powerful synergy. The majority of UseIT interns have considerable computer science skill or aptitude, but successful UseIT interns have hailed from nearly three dozen disciplines, all class levels, and all skill levels. Successful UseIT interns have in common a willingness to step outside their comfort zones and try new things.

Visits by guest scientists and UseIT alumni occur throughout the summer, to give UseIT interns perspective on the enormous range of research being done at SCEC, as well as their great variety of potential career options.

Program Goals & Funding

The name and the acronym communicate the central goals of the program. SCEC/UseIT was established to:

1. allow undergraduates to use, hands-on, the advanced tools of information technology to solve important problems in interdisciplinary earthquake research;
2. close the gap between two fields of undergraduate study – computer science and geoscience – by cross-training students in the modes of understanding distinct to these disciplines;
3. engage non-geoscience majors in the application of earth science to the priactical problems of reducing earthquake risk, and thereby inform students with varied backgrounds how their classroom skills can be applied to significant social issues;
4. interest, train, and retain talented students from outside the earth sciences, including women, members of underrepresented minorities, and persons with disabilities; and
5. teach students to succeed in collaborative, multidisciplinary workplace settings in and out of research arenas.

SCEC/UseIT is supported by the NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates Site program (REU) program, the USC Department of Earth Sciences, the USC Viterbi School of Engineering, the USC Undergraduate Research Program, and SCEC.

Student Compensation

Stipend

Each SCEC/ UseIT intern receives a stipend of $4000 for 8 weeks of research. This stipend is expected to cover food, parking, and incidentals.

Housing

Housing costs are addressed as follows:

• For interns who attend school outside southern California during the regular school year, SCEC will provide housing on the USC campus.
• For interns who attend school within southern California during the regular school year (local interns), SCEC will pay a $1000 housing stipend to help with the cost of local housing.
• SCEC may be able to provide housing for a limited number of local interns. We should know more in February. If this occurs:
  • housing to local interns will be prioritized based on documented financial need of the local interns who request housing;
  • if SCEC provides housing to you, you will NOT also receive the $1000 housing stipend.
• To summarize, the above will either receive:
  • $4000 stipend plus $1000 housing stipend; or
  • $4000 stipend plus housing on USC campus.

Our stipend amount may seem higher than that of many other intern programs because living in southern California is costly. As a UseIT intern you SHOULD NOT EXPECT to end the summer with a profit remaining from your stipend. Instead, you will break even on your summer expenses.

Travel

• For interns who do not attend school in southern California, SCEC will pay up to $300 toward your travel expenses related to participating in the UseIT program.
• SCEC covers all costs of attending the all-intern field trip.
• SCEC covers all costs of attending the SCEC Annual Meeting.