GCSP Los Angeles Commission
GCSP Los Angeles Commission Project
Starting Fall 2027
Accepting interest forms until 11:59pm on September 27th, 2026
Greater Los Angeles is a region rich in culture and history. Its many neighborhoods and inhabitants have provided countless invaluable contributions to the social fabric of not only California, but the world at large. The blend of homegrown folks and transplants is what creates the unique nature of our region where arts, culture, business, science, and education come together to form humanity. However, in a region with so much cultural complexity to celebrate, we also acknowledge that greater Los Angeles has no shortage of complex problems that span across all domains.
Charge of the Project
The LA Commission is a community research project that brings together students to understand the complexities of LA and identify the key challenges of the region from the perspective of the next generation of change makers. Students participating in the LA Commission students will do the following:
- Research the communities of Los Angeles
- Conduct needs assessment
- Create an asset map of community resources
- Identify key issues fellow engineering students are passionate about
- Develop multimedia assets
- Present findings, importance, and recommendations on next steps to action engineering students can take
The project is tentatively set to run starting this October. Students who wish to participate in the LA Commission must be willing to dedicate three to four months working independently and collaborating with other students. Participation will be coordinated considering students' class schedules and other co-curricular activities with proper communication.
Goals
- To give students a collaborative opportunity to investigate important regional issues
- To provide next generation perspectives on the societal issues that matter the most
- Provide opportunity for students to better understand the greater Los Angeles community
- To gain experience developing problems of practice
- Expose students to Grand Challenge topics and themes
- Provide a list of challenges that can be used for other GCSP experiences and contests
- To provide students experiences to work in interdisciplinary engineering teams
Why Does This Matter?
The challenges students are tasked to solve in both their academic journeys and as new professionals are often previously identified and dictated to them. While this approach has great value, there is also great value in understanding perspectives on the challenges from the viewpoint of those who are next in line to solve them. By allowing students to voice the problems they see as major challenges for the future, we create not only an opportunity for innovation, but also foster purpose and passion that will driving engineering forward. We plant the seeds of community around problem solving that will foster ongoing collaboration towards creating a better world. With this, we can convert theory and understanding into tangible results.
Participation in the Los Angeles Commission
Students will work in groups in groups based on interest in a particular GCSP theme (Health, Security, Sustainability, Enriching Life) to identify, research, and present challenges. Students will be guided through this process through a series of sessions, workshops, and dedicated meet up times. Students will be expected to collaborate with their groups, as necessary, outside of the dedicated meetup time.
Students who are interested in participating in the Los Angeles Commission should fit the following description:
- Be an undergraduate student (progressive degree students are welcome)
- Have an interest in engaging with and better understanding complex issues related to society
- Want to participate in a collaborative experience
- Willing to commit to participating in scheduled sessions (schedule will be provided, reasonable accommodations can be made as necessary)
- Interested in the challenges of the greater Los Angeles region and willing to learn more
- Demonstrate cultural humility and a community first perspective
Participants of the Los Angeles Commission do not need to be from Los Angeles. This project is open to undergrads of all academic class statuses.
The results of the project will be made publicly available. Participating students will receive recognition for their role in the project, including a certificate of participation.
The work and sessions for the Los Angeles Committee will be spread over three to four months to accommodate participants' curricular and co-curricular workload. This will allow students to manage their time between other opportunities they wish to concurrently pursue while participating on the Los Angeles Commission. However, we ask that all members be dedicated to fully engaging in the project and attending related sessions. Where necessary and reasonable, accommodations can be made to address scheduling conflicts.
Tentative General Timeline of Sessions and Milestones
Establish the committee
First meeting- introduction
Understanding LA
Develop asset map and needs assessment
Discover the issues important to the engineering undergrad population
Identify top key issues and deep dive
Create multimedia assets
Present findings, problems, and recommendations
Decide next steps on problem(s) to address
Sessions and workshops will be provided on specific skills necessary for the project