If you like things that fly, and you want to know more about it, then AME 261 is the class for you! In this class, I finally felt like a real engineer by the end of the semester. Throughout the year, you learn the foundations of flight, with all the components that lead up to a successful design. Homework assignments are on current planes, like the Boeing 787 or the F-14 Tomcat! But, the best part of the class is definitely the group project on designing your own airplane! Hopefully, you will get to experience a lot of project based work at USC, especially in the engineering department.
The picture shown as the header is one project that I completed with a group in AME 261. The project challenge was to design an amphibious aircraft that meets certain flying conditions, while improving current aircraft just like it. Sounds hard, right? Having just a few weeks to basically design an entire aircraft that will actually work definitely had its challenges! Although it caused some headaches and many long nights, it was also the most fun I have had in a class! This project made me feel like I was completing a conceptual design for a real customer. It put me in the shoes of what engineers do each day. It taught me how vital it is to be able to work together in a group, while showcasing what you are good at, and learning from other group members on aspects that I needed a little more refining on.
This is just one small example of the types of projects you will be able to create as an engineering student in Viterbi. It is hard, but you feel very accomplished once it all works. Hopefully, if you are looking for some real engineering experience that does not fully entail an internship right off the bat, the classes like these will do just the same, if not more!
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