Professor Costas Synolakis and Professor Satyandra K. Gupta, 2025 Aaas Fellows
Have you ever wondered how massive evacuations are provided in case of tsunami? Or who develops strategies behind the scenes to ensure that robot workers are used to help – not to hinder – your job prospects?
Innovations that improve our lives – whether for safety, efficiency or simply pleasure – can often be found in a university research laboratory.
Each year, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) recognizes this fact by electing university researchers across the country as aaas scholarship holders. Honor, which recognizes researchers whose “efforts in favor of the progression of science or its applications are scientifically or socially distinguished”, is among the most popular in the academic world.
The USC has more than 40 members of the faculty as a winner, and this year, two additional Faculties of USC Viterbi are among those to join the ranks.
Costas synolakis
Mitigate the impact of tsunamis and natural dangers
Synolakis’s research on the causes and effects of tsunamis and extreme flood events played an important role in the influence of political decisions and recovery programs after claim in the world. At the USC, he is a professor of engineering technology at Gordon S. Marshall and professor of civil and environmental engineering, and his current work focuses on understanding the amplification of the unusual tsunami and the impact of a climate changing on extreme weather events.
In 1996, Synolakis founded USC Tsunami Research Center. Center achievements have included the development of most (tsunami division method), the operational code used by American and Australian warning centers for tsunami forecasts. In addition, the center was responsible for the production of all official state cards for evacuation planning in California. Tsunami’s warning panels along the state beaches are the result of his work.
After having grown up in Athens, Greece, Synolakis came to the United States to attend the California Institute of Technology for its baccalaureate, master’s degree and doctoral diplomas. His first work focused on analytical solutions for the rise of solitary waves on plane beaches, based on laboratory experiences. He then developed the highly quoted principle known as the law of synolakis: the relationship between the height of the lonely wave, the slope of the beach and the offshore depth. This has been widely used for the comparative analysis of digital codes for water waves.
In addition to several other prizes and honors, Synollakis is a member of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE), and he received the two main prizes from the American Society of Civil Engineers: The Moffat Prize and Nichol Coastal Engineering 2019 and the international coast engineering price 2019.
“I read the scientific newspaper (published by AAAS) and I have been going to AAAS meetings since I was a graduate student,” said synolakis. “The AAAS helped me develop as a researcher, shaped my scientific conscience and granted me access to national academies. Being a scholarship holder A is a great honor that I will cherish; I only hope to be able to give back to the AAAS what I have so generously received. ”
Satyandra K. GUPTA
Shape the future of man -centered automation
GUPTA is the founding director of the advanced manufacturing center of the USC (CAM), in addition to holding the Smith International Professorship in Mechanical Engineering and as a professor of aerospace and mechanical and computer engineering engineering. At CAM, he directs researchers and students in the development of the latest smart manufacturing and man -centered automation technologies.
In addition to its work at USC, GUPTA is co -founder and chief scientist at Graymatter Robotics, a company focused on robotic automation solutions for manufacturing applications with a high mix. The intelligent robotics cells of the company are installed in many factories in the United States at the service of aerospace and defense, specialized vehicles, sailors and boats, the manufacture of metals, sports equipment and furniture and sectors of health items. These cells help companies increase human productivity, reduce ergonomic work, compress cycle times, increase capacity and improve sustainability.
Having 24 patents and being written more than 500 articles in magazines, conference procedures and book chapters, GUPTA is a leading example of USC teachers who are also involved in university research and transition to industry. His work has received vast attention from the media and he received many honors and awards for his contributions to the scientific community. The representative examples include the price of the start of the start of the career for scientists and engineers (PECASE) in 2001, and the life production price of the ASME Computers and Information in Engineering Division in 2024. It also received eleven best paper prices during international conferences. He is a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SMEs) and Solid Modeling Association (SMA).
“It is a privilege to join the company of former AAAS scholarship holders who have devoted their lives to improving the human condition by scientific exploration,” said Gupta. “This recognition celebrates our innovations in the human -centered automation area to reduce workers’ health risks, improve sustainability, improve product quality and strengthen the American manufacturing ecosystem.”
Discover the search for USC 2025 AAAS scholarship holders in all schools here.
Posted March 28, 2025
Last update on March 28, 2025