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Get Involved

The University of Southern California, the Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences, and the Department of Political Science and International Relations recognize the importance of opportunities for students to work closely with faculty. Partnerships between faculty and students are a hallmark of the USC undergraduate experience and the opportunities for undergraduate research at USC are unrivaled in comparison to other large research universities. It is through these partnerships that students learn the nuts and bolts of how knowledge is created. They learn by failing. They learn by eventual success. Participating first-hand in producing knowledge, rather than just consuming it, better equips students for success in a competitive job market where innovation and knowledge production are highly prized.

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The SPEC Lab conducts interdisciplinary, policy-relevant research on issues at the intersection of climate change, security, and economic development. These research projects provide opportunities for undergraduate students to develop data science and other research skills and apply them directly to the policy challenges facing national governments and international institutions.

SPEC Positions

The SPEC Lab hires research assistants at the beginning of each semester as well as student annotator positions for our Everyday Respect on a rolling basis. Both positions are open only to current USC students. Please click the buttons below to learn more and apply for either position.​

In addition, Professor Graham is a principal investigator in the Everyday Respect Research Project which is currently recruiting for several positions: Student Video Annotator; Resource Employee Video Annotator, and Research Participant. 

Everyday Respect

Student Annotator (Open)

Become a member of our team of annotators! As a student video annotator, you will contribute to the Everyday Respect project by reviewing police body-worn camera footage and recording information about officer-community interactions.

Responsibilities:

  • View video footage captured by police body cameras and record information about interactions

  • Perform other related duties as assigned or requested. The university reserves the right to add or change duties at any time.

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Qualifications:

  • Must have reliable access to a computer and high-speed internet or be capable of commuting to work at the University Park Campus of the University of Southern California.

  • Must be capable of careful attention to detail for extended periods of time while watching videos and recording information about them.

  • Due to the confidential nature of the data, all project participants must sign and adhere to a nondisclosure agreement and media policy agreement.

  • Federal work study eligibility is required for hourly-pay positions, but we also have the ability to work with volunteer annotators and may be able to compensate some non-work study students with stipends if pending funding proposals are successful.

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Hourly Rate:

  • $17.87 per hour.

  • Annotators will work 5-20 hours per week during the spring semester.

  • There is a possibility some annotators may have the opportunity for additional annotation work during summer 2026.

Research Participants (Open)

Research Participants will watch body-worn camera recordings of 2-5 police traffic stops and answer questions regarding their perceptions of these interactions.  Participation requires a minimum 2 hours commitment with up to 5 hours appreciated. This participation time includes both an orientation session and time spent watching videos and answering questions. We can provide Visa gift card compensation of $50-$100, depending on the duration of participation.

Responsibilities:

  • Complete an initial online questionnaire that will take 10-20 minutes.

  • Watch and evaluate bodyworn camera recordings from one or more police traffic stops. It is entirely up to you how many videos you evaluate.

  • If you agree to participate in this study, your responses and evaluations will be compared with those of other participants to observe similarities and variations in how people perceive recorded police/public interactions.

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Qualifications:

  • You are at least 18 years old.

  • You are a resident of the United States.

  • Must have reliable access to a computer and high-speed internet.

  • Must be capable of careful attention to detail for extended periods of time while watching videos and recording information about them.

  • Due to the confidential nature of the data, all project participants must sign and adhere to a nondisclosure agreement and media policy agreement.

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For more information, click here. If you are interested in becoming a Research Participant, please click below to fill out a brief questionnaire.

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If you have any questions about this study, please email everydayrespect@usc.edu. If you have any questions about your rights as a research participant, please contact the University of Southern California Institutional Review Board at (323) 442-0114 or email hrpp@usc.edu.​​​​​
 

SPEC Research

Research Assistant (Closed)

Join our research team! SPEC research assistants work under the supervision of one of the lab’s Principal Investigators and will have the opportunity to work closely with other SPEC lab members. The collaborative lab format has students working in teams generally comprised of 3-9 undergraduates and a faculty or doctoral candidate principal investigator.

Responsibilities:

  • Regular academic year schedule requires 80 hours per semester (average 5-8 hrs per week).

  • Students attend weekly team meetings.

  • Students attend occasional all-lab meetings.

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Qualifications:

  • We like to see students work on a project from conception to completion; therefore, we like to recruit first and second-year students who will integrate the SPEC Lab into the duration of their USC undergraduate career.

  • The most important traits we look for in hiring are professionalism, reliability, ability to set and meet deadlines independently, and attention to detail.

  • The lab focuses on providing students with applied data science training, but no statistics knowledge is required of entering members.

  • We welcome applicants from a range of different majors. Skills and interests other than social and data science that are particularly useful include computer science and programming, web design, video production, journalism (writing), and online marketing.

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Hourly Rate:

  • $17.87 per hour.

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Check out the Research page to learn more about our projects.

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