IMPORTANT UPDATE: In Fall 2023, all non-driver trip participant spots will be selected at random due to high demand. Links will accept sign-ups from 9PM-12AM the night of release.
Signups will go live Sunday after wave release. Before that, the buttons above will redirect you to the homepage.
Join LEGENDARY ITP and ISE Professor Nitin Kale on a 2.8 mile hike with 600 feet of elevation gain starting on the Ferndell trail and ending at Griffith Observatory! Enjoy beautiful views of the woodsy Ferndell trail and stunning views of the city from the observatory. You’ll be able to talk to Professor Kale about whether he thinks Artificial Intelligence is going to take over the world (hopefully not anytime soon) at the same time!
PACKING LIST:
WATER
WAIVERS
Hiking Shoes or Sneakers
Sunscreen
Optional: Hat, Sunglasses, Snacks
PROFESSOR: NITIN KALE
DEPARTMENT: INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY & INDUSTRIAL AND SYSTEMS ENGINEERING
RATE MY PROFESSOR: "This guy is top tier. I have never felt more engaged in a class, and as a result I feel that I have learned so much.”
Nitin Kalé is a Professor of Engineering Practice in the Information Technology Program (ITP) and the Epstein Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISE) at the Viterbi School of Engineering, University of Southern California. He has taught at USC Viterbi since 1995 in the areas of Enterprise Information Systems, databases, data analytics, and machine learning. Nitin’s current areas of interest are blockchain, database modeling, enterprise information systems, business intelligence, big data analytics, machine learning and artificial intelligence. Nitin developed a minor in Enterprise Information Systems in 2012. In 2016 he led the effort to launch a Minor in Applied Analytics which has garnered popular interest from undergraduate students and grew to be the most enrolled minor at USC in 2020. Then came the Minor in Blockchain in 2019. His latest contribution is the creation of a new Minor in AI Applications, which as launched in August 2022. Feel free to ask Professor Kale about how he installed his own solar panels at his house or how movies have portrayed smart robots & AI over time!
DIFFICULTY: 1.5/5
SCENERY: Rare woodsy area followed by the sweeping city views that Griffith park never fails to deliver on
FUN FACT: When Griffith J. Griffith donated the land on which Griffith observatory was build and funds to build an observatory his main goal was to make astronomy accessible to the public. This was contradictory to the prevailing idea at the time that observatory access should be restricted to scientists.
TRIP LEAD: ADITI
learned how to unicycle this summer
Contact Aditi: aajagann@usc.edu (hyperlinked!)
Read Aditi’s bio here.