• Doheny, Leavey, Norris Medical, and Science & Engineering Libraries are open for study and checking out books and other circulating materials. Reservations and Trojan Check verification are no longer required to enter. Open library buildings are accessible to members of the public, subject to the identification requirements below.
  • Masks are required at all times in library spaces regardless of vaccination status, in line with County of L.A. and university guidelines.
  • Reservations continue to be required for research with special collections.
  • Identification requirements: USC students, faculty, and staff are required to present a valid USC Card to enter Doheny, Leavey, Norris, and Science & Engineering Libraries. Visitors not affiliated with USC must present a valid, government-issued, photo ID to enter.

• Please submit your course reserves for Fall 2021 here: reserves.usc.edu

• For questions regarding library instruction or research assistance, contact the Science & Engineering Librarians here: sellibs@lib.usc.edu

• For questions regarding checking out print books or study reservations, email the Science & Engineering Library Staff here: sci@usc.edu

The Ahmanson Lab at The Sidney Harman Academy for Polymathic Study seeks proposals from USC faculty to design and coordinate yearlong interdisciplinary research collaboratories that engage undergraduate students in critical making—activities that bridge critical thinking and digital fabrication. These collaboratories should be polymathic in nature, designed to engage students from a variety of disciplines. They should be organized around a theme, problem, or set of intellectual questions that is best explored via the hands-on design and production of a digital artifact or system. We are additionally interested in collaboratories that make use of USC Libraries’ Digital Collections, Special Collections, datasets, or library resources, constructing artifacts that offer students imaginative ways to engage, showcase, analyze or visualize those materials.

See our past 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 collaboratories. 

Collaboratories can be led by one or more faculty member. During the academic year, faculty will be responsible for conducting regular team meetings with undergraduates and for participating in one public event that showcases the collaboratory’s process and/or research outcomes.

Teams will have access to technology at the Ahmanson Lab, including a 3D printer, a commercial-grade drone, a robotic arm, multiple VR systems, and microcontroller kits. Teams creating digitally-published outcomes such as online exhibits, digital books, or multimedia projects, will also have technical support from Ahmanson Lab and other Library staff.

The Ahmanson Lab will assist faculty in generating a pool of student applicants for each collaboratory and will work together with faculty in the selection process. Each collaboratory will have five students who will receive a stipend from the Ahmanson Lab. A faculty stipend of $5,000 (to be shared among faculty leads) will also be available for each collaboratory.

Submit your proposals here by August 20, 2021.

Email Curtis Fletcher at cfletche@usc.edu with any questions or to schedule a meeting.