UNDERGRADUATE STUDIES IN EARTHQUAKE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

 

ABOUT GRAND CHALLENGES INTERNS PROJECTS

The Undergraduate Studies in Earthquake Information Technology (UseIT) internship is a team-based undergraduate research program run by the Southern California Earthquake Center (SCEC) at its lead institution, the University of Southern California (USC). Interns get hands-on experience developing technical tools to communicate important earthquake science concepts. UseIT interns are mentored by several of the nation's most forward-thinking earthquake and computer scientists. Since 2002, the UseIT program has built a community of over 250 alumni from more than 40 colleges and universities. A key aspect of the UseIT program is its flexible, yet structured, multi-disciplinary team approach. Students share their diverse skills and interests, creating a powerful synergy through this peer mentoring. 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.

    THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS

MENTOR HIGHLIGHT

 
A computer scientist at SCEC, Kevin is the lead developer for the OpenSHA seismic hazard analysis (SHA) platform. He interned from '06-'07 in the UseIT program, during the time he was majoring in Computer Science at the University of Southern California. He has a Master's degree in Geological Science and is currently pursuing his doctorate degree with Professor Thomas Jordan. He has been our mentor for the SCEC-VDO, HARVI, and the Probability teams.

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

 
Magali is currently a graduate student researcher at the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences at the University of Colorado, Boulder. She interned for the UseIT program in '09 when she was studying Geophysics at the University of California, Berkeley. Over the years, she has mentored students during the summer internship to guide students interested in research in the Geosciences. more...

ACTIVITIES

 
Engaging Students Outside the Lab
Listed below are some of the activities our interns did the past year. Some activities include meeting the community of geologists and career development.
  • Faults of Los Angeles
  • San Andreas Fault
  • HPC Tour
  • 11NCEE Seismic Design Competition
  • Movie Day
  • Elevator Pitch Day
  • SoCal Regional Symposium
  • CalTech Tour
  • TedTalk Day
2024 IMPORTANT DATES

Dec - Feb: First Priority applications area accepted online.

Mar -  Apr: Applications are reviewed. Mentor/Mentee evaluation and project matching

Jun - Aug: Interns participate in intership progrfam for 8-10 consecutive weeks.

Sep: Interns participate in SCEC Annual Meeting (dates TBD).

Previous Highlights...