The Viterbi School of Engineering unveiled its newest building, Ginsburg Hall Tuesday. The modern building is located between Michelson Hall and Kaprielian Hall. It will be the new home for the Thomas Lord Department of Computer Science and the new USC School of Advanced Computing.
Ginsburg Hall is equipped with a 300+ seat auditorium, a sunken garden, and more. In addition to the modern style of the building, the new facility emphasizes sustainability with proper rainwater management, solar panels, and light efficiency.
Some students share excitement over the new building’s designs, facilities, and most importantly, the push to bring Viterbi up to date with the rest of the buildings.
“I think it’s exciting because it looks pretty and I mean, I love Viterbi but a lot of our buildings are definitely a little bit more outdated,” Abby Moll, a sophomore studying computer science, said. “I’m excited to hopefully spend some time in the computer science building this upcoming year.”
Students outside of Viterbi look forward to the facilities and the space Viterbi has created for its students. “I’m excited for a modern area. I love Annenberg, so if it’s similar to Annenberg, then I’m pretty sure I will love it too,” Mayra Yepiz, a freshman studying pharmacology and drug development, said.
As many students see Ginsburg as a place to study, relax and socialize, the new building also raises some concerns for current computer science students.
“Would most of my CS classes be in this building?” Nicole Concepcion, a senior studying computer science, said. “Would it be more spread out? I enjoy being able to go all over campus, even as a computer science major. I’m wondering if that’s gonna be isolating.”
The concern for distance is shared by other Viterbi students, such as Alexandra Meija, a freshman studying aerospace engineering. “[Ginsburg is] far away, but I mean, it’s Viterbi, so it’s not that bad, considering it’s computer science. But if anybody else from other schools want to go explore it or use any of its resources, it’s kind of hard.”
The building was named after Dr. Allen, a retired ophthalmologist and Charlotte Ginsburg, a philanthropist, in honor of their $10 million gift to establish the Institute for Biomedical therapeutics.
In a press release, Director Mark Humayun MD, PhD said, “I am incredibly grateful for Allen and Charlotte and their generosity, creativity, foresight and entrepreneurship and delighted to be celebrating them and this extraordinary partnership today.”
“IBT strives to engage and inspire the students of tomorrow,” Hamayu said. “We have established programs and courses in the area of biomimetic neuro-engineering and medical device development. In addition to our high school outreach programs, IBT provides opportunities for our undergraduate and graduate students to collaborate with industry partners.”