In the fall of my freshman year, I was looking for a civil engineering club to join. I was initially drawn to USC for its hands-on approach to engineering and wanted a club where I could actually build something. At the Viterbi Club Fair, I stumbled upon EERI-SEAOSC, USC’s seismic design team. The club designs and constructs a scale model balsa-wood skyscraper and then tests it on a shake table to simulate earthquake conditions. The concept immediately grabbed my attention: a perfect mix of design, collaboration, and creativity. I decided to attend the first meeting and I’ve been involved ever since.
That first semester, I was amazed by the combination of theory and practice the club offered. I saw upperclassmen making design decisions like a real civil engineer, using concepts I had never heard of. I remember watching our structure go through its first shake-table test and feeling the sense of excitement and satisfaction that it had survived.
By sophomore year, I became more deeply involved in the design process. I learned how to create structural models in AutoCAD and run analyses in SAP2000 and other programs that mimic real-world engineering software. I gained a better understanding of how loads travel through a building, how to strengthen weak joints, and how small design tweaks can make huge differences in performance. These gave me the technical foundation I now use in internships and upper-level classes.
That spring, our team’s hard work paid off. At the EERI Seismic Design Competition, we placed third overall out of forty-eight international teams and were the top-scoring U.S. school. Standing there as our structure withstood the simulated earthquake was an unforgettable moment. It was more than just about winning; it was about seeing months of late nights, trial-and-error, and collaboration come together in one successful test.
Now, as a junior and the president of EERI-SEAOSC, I get to lead a team of talented, motivated students who share the same excitement I had as a freshman. My role involves organizing meetings, coordinating design reviews, and ensuring every member has the opportunity to learn and contribute. We also collaborate with professional engineers through the Structural Engineers Association of Southern California (SEAOSC), gaining real industry insight into how seismic design impacts the built environment.
EERI-SEAOSC has been one of the most rewarding parts of my time at USC. It’s taught me more than structural engineering – it’s taught me about leadership, problem-solving, and how to bring people together toward a shared goal. Whether it’s seeing a model skyscraper survive the shake table or helping a new member master their first CAD drawing, this organization has been a cornerstone of my USC experience and a reminder of why I chose to become an engineer in the first place.
