2022-2023 Schedule
Summer 2022
Day 1: Where is LA? What is LA?: Water Systems
Thursday, August 4, 2022 | 9am-2pm | Location: The Huntington Library
Speaker: Jeffrey Kightlinger, Interim General Manager of Pasadena Water & Power and former General Manager of Metropolitan Water District & Stacie Takeguchi, Assistant General Manager for Water at Pasadena Water & Power
Day 2: Where is LA? What is LA?: Recycling and Reclaiming Water
Friday, August 5, 2022 | 8:45am-2:30pm | Location: Carson Metropolitan Water District
Speaker: Mark Moss, Principal Public Affairs Representative of MWD of Southern California & Ivonne Castillo, Senior Public Affairs Representative of MWD of Southern California
Day 3: Where is LA? What is LA?: LA River
Saturday, August 6, 2022 | 8:30am-1pm | Location: LA River Sepulveda Basin
Speaker: Bill Deverell, Founding Director of Los Angeles Service Academy & Elizabeth Logan, Executive Director of Los Angeles Service Academy
Fall-Spring 2022-23
Public Health
September 17, 2022 | 9:30am-2:00pm | Location: Los Angeles Public Library- Downtown
Speakers: Kristen Choi, PhD, MS, RN, child/adolescent psychiatric nurse and health services researcher & Cindy Willard, family practice doctor
Civic Memory, Art, and Culture
October 22, 2022 | 9:30am-1:30pm | Location: Los Angeles Union Station & LA Plaza
Speaker: Esperanza Sanchez, Associate Curator at LA Plaza
The Port
November 12, 2022 | 8:30am-2:30pm | Location: AltaSea & Terminal Island
Speaker: Geraldine Knatz, former director of the Port of Los Angeles, author, and professor
Fire Agencies and Wildfire
January 21, 2023 | 9:15am-1:30pm | Location: Beverly Hills Fire Station 1
Speakers: Beverly Hills Fire Station Firefighters
Justice and Policing
February 25, 2023 | 9:30am-1:30pm | Location: Los Angeles Public Library- Downtown
Speakers: Richard Tefank, Executive Director of Los Angeles Police Commission
Food Insecurity
March 25, 2023 | 9:30am-1:30pm | Location: The Huntington Library
Speakers: Sam Igler, LASA Alum and 2022 Summer Research Prize Awardee
Entertainment Industry
April 22, 2023 | 9:00am-2:00pm | Location: The Huntington Library & Warner Bros. Studio
Speakers: Michael Begler, Television Writer, Producer, and Screenwriter for “Perry Mason”
Next Steps
May 13, 2023 | 9:00am-1:30pm | Location: The Huntington Library
Speakers: Sharon Cuseo, Upper School Dean at Harvard-Westlake School; Sara Miranda, Upper School Dean at Harvard-Westlake School; Li Wei Yang, Curator of Pacific Rim Collections at The Huntington Library; & Stephen Tabor, Curator of Rare Books at The Huntington Library
2021-2022 Schedule
Summer 2021
Day 1: Where is LA? What is LA?: Geographies
Friday, August 13, 2021 | 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 pm | Online
Day 2: Where is LA? What is LA?: Landscapes and Water
Saturday, August 14, 2021 | 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 pm | Online
Speaker: Jeffrey Kightlinger, former General Manager of the Metropolitan Water District
Day 3: Where is LA? What is LA?: Case Study on Thinking Globally – Recycling
Sunday, August 15, 2021 | 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 pm | Online
Speaker: Joshua Goldstein, USC-China Institute
Fall-Spring 2021-22
The River
September 18, 2021 | 8:30am-1:00pm | Intersection of Woodley Ave. and Burbank Blvd. (on Woodley)
Speakers: Bill Deverell
Houselessness and Tiny Homes
October 9, 2021 | 8:30am-1:30pm | Arroyo Seco Tiny Home Village
Speakers: Hope of the Valley staff
Journalism in the Public Square
November 13, 2021 | 9:30am-2:00pm | The Huntington Library
Speakers: Miriam Pawel, Journalist and Author
Health
January 22, 2022 | 9:00am-12:00pm | Online (via Zoom)
Speakers: Kristen Choi, PhD, MS, RN from UCLA, a child/adolescent psychiatric nurse, and health services researcher
Food Insecurity
February 12, 2022 | 9:00am-1:30pm | The Huntington Library
Speakers: Patrick Hudnut, Hollywood Food Coalition and LASA Graduate
Civic Memory
March 19, 2022 | 9:30am-2:00pm | Union Station, LA Plaza, Pico House
Speakers: Esperanza Sanchez, Associate Curator at LA Plaza & Edgar Garcia, Assistant General Manager at El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument
Justice and the Criminal Legal System in LA
April 23, 2022 | 9:00am-2:00pm | LAPD Headquarters, LAPL
Speakers: Eileen Decker, Vice President of Los Angeles Police Commission & Richard Tefank, Executive Director of Los Angeles Police Commission & Tommy Morris, Program Associate for the Youth Justice Team at Liberty Hill Foundation
Next Steps
May 14, 2022 | 9:00am-1:00pm | The Huntington Library
Speakers: Sharon Cuseo, Upper School Dean at Harvard-Westlake School & Sara Miranda, Upper School Dean at Harvard-Westlake School
2020-2021 Schedule
Summer 2020
Day 1: Where is LA? What is LA?: Geographies
Wednesday, August 5, 2020 | 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 pm | Online
Speaker: Paula Schiffman, CSUN
Day 2: Where is LA? What is LA?: Political Structures/Voting
Thursday, August 6, 2020 | 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 pm | Online
Speaker: Raphael J. Sonenshein, Executive Director of the Pat Brown Institute for Public Affairs at CSU Los Angeles
Day 3: Where is LA? What is LA?: Case Study on Thinking Locally – Homelessness
Friday, August 7, 2020 | 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 pm | Online
Speaker: Will Lehman, Sr. Manager, System Integration Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA), City of Los Angeles
Day 4: Where is LA? What is LA?: Case Study on Thinking Globally – Recycling
Saturday, August 8, 2020 | 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 pm | Online
Speaker: Joshua Goldstein, USC-China Institute
Fall-Spring 2020-21
Justice
September 19, 2020 | 9:00am-12:45pm | Online
Speakers: Eileen Decker, President, Los Angeles Police Commission; Isaac Bryan, Director of Public Policy, Million Dollar Hoods, UCLA
The Port
October 10, 2020 | 9:00am-12:00pm | Online
Speakers: Jaime L. Lee, President, Los Angeles Harbor Commission
Civic Memory
November 14, 2020 | 9:00am-12:00pm | Online
Speakers: Laura Dominguez, PhD candidate, USC Dept of History
Water
January 23, 2021 | 9:00am-12:00pm | Online
Speakers: Jeffrey Kightlinger, former General Manager of the Metropolitan Water District
Food Insecurity
February 20, 2021 | 9:00am-12:00pm | Online
Speakers: Patrick Hudnut, LASA graduate and Program Coordinator for the Hollywood Food Coalition, and Sherry Bonanno, Executive Director of the Hollywood Food Coalition
Public Health
March 20, 2021 | 9:00am-12:00pm | Online
Speaker: Kristen R. Choi, PhD, MS, RN, Assistant Professor, UCLA School of Nursing
Civic Engagement
April 24, 2021 | 9:00am-12:00pm | Online
Student-led discussion with major political figure.
Next Steps
May 15, 2021 | 9:00am-12:00pm | Online
2019-2020 Schedule
Summer 2019
Day 1: Introduction: Considering Los Angeles
Wednesday, August 7, 2019 | 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 pm | The Huntington
Speaker: Jeffrey Kightlinger, General Manager, Metropolitan Water District
Day 2: Water Infrastructure
Thursday, August 8, 2019 | 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 pm | The Huntington
Site Visit: Metropolitan Water District facility, LaVerne
Speaker: Annie Mendoza, Decolonizing LA Water
Day 3: LA River of Today and Tomorrow
Friday, August 9, 2019 | 7:45 a.m. to 3:00 pm | The Huntington
Site Visit: The Los Angeles River, Sepulveda Basin – Kayaking
Speaker: Lindsey Lee, Bowtie Story Tellers, “Writing in Nature Workshop”
Day 4: Food Security and Insecurity in the City
Saturday, August 10, 2019 | 8:00 a.m. to 1:30 pm | The Huntington
Site Visit: The Los Angeles Regional Food Bank
Fall-Spring 2019-20
The Harbor
September 21, 2019 | 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. | The Huntington
Site Visit: The Port of Los Angeles
Speakers: Geraldine Knatz, Professor of the Practice of Policy and Engineering, USC Price and former Executive Director of the Port of Los Angeles
High Tech LA
October 12, 2019 | 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. | The Huntington
Site Visit: Glenair
Speakers: Ron Logan, Chief Technologist, Glenair; Rob Tillman, VP Manufacturing; and former LASA students Anusha Mathur and Anna Katz present their summer research
Law Enforcement and Incarceration
November 9, 2019 | 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. | The Huntington
Site Visit: LAPD Rampart Station
Speaker: Isaac Bryan, Million Dollar Hoods, UCLA
Getting Around LA
January 25, 2020 | 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. | LA Plaza
Site Visit: multiple
Speakers: David Rosas Flores and Clemens Pilgram, Department of Urban Planning and Spatial Analysis, USC Price
Health and Human Rights
February 22, 2020 | 8:45 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. | The Huntington
Site Visit: White Memorial / Huntington Library Archives
Speakers: Dr. Cynthia Willard, Medical Director of Program for Torture Victims; and Joel Klein, curator for the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences at The Huntington
Homelessness in LA – CANCELED
March 21, 2020 | 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. | LAPL Central Library
Site Visit: Los Angeles Public Library
Speaker: TBD
Recycling: Waste of All Sorts
April 25, 2020 | 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Virtual: Zoom link will be emailed, along with a video to watch ahead of time.
Speaker: Joshua Goldstein, USC-China Institute, “China’s Wastelands: How The World’s Trash (Including Yours) Ends Up In China’s Rivers”
Next Steps
May 16, 2020 | 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Virtual: Zoom link will be emailed
Speakers: college counselors from Harvard-Westlake School
2018-2019 Schedule
Summer 2018
Introduction: Considering Seismic LA and Water
Wednesday, August 8, 2018 | 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 pm | The Huntington
Speakers: Jeffrey Kightlinger, General Manager, Metropolitan Water District; Dr. Robert de Groot, Seismologist and ShakeAlert National Coordinator for Communication, Education, and Outreach, USGS Earthquake Science Center
Water Infrastructure
Thursday, August 9, 2018 | 8:30 a.m. to 2:00 pm | The Huntington
Site Visit: Metropolitan Water District facility, LaVerne
Speakers: Jim Folsom, Head Gardener, Huntington Library
LA River of Today and Tomorrow
Friday, August 10, 2018 | 7:45 a.m. to 2:30 pm | The Huntington
Site Visit: The Los Angeles River, Sepulveda Basin – Kayaking
Speaker: Marissa Christiansen, Executive Director, Friends of the LA River (FoLAR)
Food Security and Insecurity in the City
Saturday, August 11, 2018 | 8:00 a.m. to 1:30 pm | The Huntington
Site Visit: The Los Angeles Regional Food Bank
Fall-Spring 2018-19
High Tech LA
September 22, 2018 | 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. | The Huntington
Site Visit: Glenair
Speaker: Ron Logan, Chief Technologist, Glenair; Rob Tillman, VP Manufacturing, Glenair; Victor Swezey, LASA 2017-18 Fellowship Research Presentation: “Human Betterment: How Ezra Gosney Turned Pasadena into the Center of the American Eugenics Movement.”
Law Enforcement and Incarceration
October 13, 2018 | 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. | The Huntington
Site Visit: LAPD Rampart Station
Speaker: Isaac Bryan, Million Dollar Hoods, UCLA
Getting Around LA
November 10, 2018 | 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. | LA Plaza
Site Visit: Union Station, Natural History Museum, Biddy Mason Memorial Park, Los Angeles State Historic Park, Barnsdall Art Park/Hollyhock House
Speaker: Kevin Ocubillo, LADOT
Dynamic DTLA
January 26, 2019 | 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. | City Hall
Site Visit: City Hall, Union Station
Speaker: Dr. Raphael J. Sonenshein, Executive Director of the Pat Brown Institute for Public Affairs at CSU Los Angeles
Bodies in Los Angeles
February 23, 2019 | 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. | LAPL Central Library
Site Visit: Los Angeles Athletic Club
Speaker: Dr. Cynthia Willard, Medical Director of Program for Torture Victims and consultant for the USC-Keck Human Rights Clinic
Cultural Capital
March 23, 2019 | 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. | The Huntington
Site Visit: LACMA / Conservation Lab
Speaker: Abigail Duckor, assistant objects conservator and Christopher Hawthorne, Chief Design Officer, City of Los Angeles
The Harbor
April 27, 2019 | 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. | The Huntington
Site Visit: Boat tour, The Port of Los Angeles
Speakers: Al Peacock, maritime attorney at Peacock Piper Tong + Voss
Next Steps
May 18, 2019 | 9:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. | The Huntington
Site Visit: The Huntington Library grounds
Speakers: college counselors from Harvard-Westlake School; history PhD students from multiple schools
2017-18 Schedule
Summer 2017 [read about it!]
Introduction: What and Where is Los Angeles?
August 9, 2017 | 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 pm | The Huntington
Speakers: Jeffrey Kightlinger, General Manager, Metropolitan Water District; Dr. Robert De Groot, Seismologist, Southern California Earthquake Center, University of Southern California
Water, Water, Water
August 10, 2017 | 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 pm | The Huntington
Site Visit: Metropolitan Water District facility, LaVerne
Speakers: Jim Folsom, Head Gardener, Huntington Library
Urban Nature
August 11, 2017 | 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 pm | LAPL Central Library (Downtown)
Site Visit: Metabolic Studio, the Cornfield, and Downtown LA
Speakers: Sean Woods, Superintendent, California State Parks; Lou Pesce, Metabolic Studio; Raphael Sonenshein, Executive Director, Pat Brown Institute for Public Affairs, CSULA
The Los Angeles River
August 12, 2017 | 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 pm* | The Huntington
*Permission slips and information will be handed out during our summer session
Site Visit: The Los Angeles River, Sepulveda Basin – Kayaking with Paddle the LA River
Fall-Spring 2017-18
High Tech L.A. [read about it!]
September 23, 2017 | 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 pm | The Huntington
Site Visit: Mount Wilson Observatory
Speaker: Tracy Fullerton, Professor of Cinematic Arts, Interactive Media & Games Division and Director, USC Game Innovation Lab
Public Safety and Justice [read about it!]
October 21, 2017 | 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 pm | The Huntington
Site Visit: LAPD Hollenbeck Community Police Station
Speaker: Kelly Lytle Hernandez, Associate Professor, UCLA Dept. of History
Under Los Angeles [read about it!]
November 11, 2017 | 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 pm | USC [near Gate #5, McClintock & Jefferson – see email for details]
Site Visit: Page Museum (La Brea Tar Pits) & Under LA: Subterranean Stories at USC Doheny Library
Dynamic DTLA [read about it!]
January 6, 2018 | 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 pm | LAPL Central Library
Site Visit: Bunker Hill
Speakers: Belinda Waltman (Medical Director, Whole Person Care LA) and Christopher Hawthorne (Architecture Critic, The Los Angeles Times)
Food Security/Insecurity [read about it!]
February 24, 2018 | 7:30 a.m. to 2:00 pm | The Huntington
Speaker: Kenneth Chancey, Union Rescue Mission
Site Visit: The Los Angeles Regional Food Bank
LASA’s Choice [read about it!]
March 24, 2018 | 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 pm | LA Plaza
Speaker: Dr. Cynthia Willard, Medical Director of Program for Torture Victims and consultant for the USC International Human Rights Clinic
Site Visit: March for our Lives LA
The Harbor [read about it!]
April 21, 2018 | 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 pm | The Huntington
Site Visit: The Port of Los Angeles / Long Beach
Speaker: Geraldine Knatz, Professor of the Practice of Policy and Engineering, USC Price and former Executive Director of the Port of Los Angeles; Ken Blake, PE – Deputy Construction Manger, Gerald Desmond Replacement Bridge project
Cultural Capital [read about it!]
May 19, 2018 | 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 pm | The Huntington
Site Visit: LACMA
Speaker: Abigail Duckor, objects conservator
2016-17 Schedule
Summer 2016 [read about it!]
Introduction: What and Where is Los Angeles?
August 1, 2016 | 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 pm | The Huntington
City and County Politics
August 2, 2016 | 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 pm | Los Angeles Public Library, Central Library
Site Visits: walking tour of downtown including City Hall and Union Station
Water, Water, Water
August 3, 2016 | 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 pm | The Huntington
Site Visit: Water Treatment Facility
The Los Angeles River
August 5, 2016 | 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 pm | The Huntington
Site Visit: Kayaking the LA River
Fall-Spring 2016-17
Doing Business in Los Angeles: The Big Picture [read about it!]
September 10, 2016 | 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 pm | The Huntington
Site Visit: Glenair Manufacturing Plant, Glendale
Athletics and Angelenos: Sports and the LA of Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow [read about it!]
October 15, 2016 | 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 pm | USC (meet at Gate 1, Exposition Blvd & Watt Way)
Site Visit: The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum / LA84 Foundation
How the System Works: Public Safety, Courts, and Justice [read about it!]
November 12, 2016 | 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 pm | The Huntington
Site Visit: Pasadena PD and LAPD Rampart Station
Food and Housing in the 21st Century [read about it!]
January 7, 2017 | 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 pm | Central Library (5th St entrance)
Site Visit: Los Angeles Regional Food Bank
Behind the Screen: The Motion Picture Industry in LA [read about it!]
February 25, 2017 | 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 pm | The Huntington
Site Visit: KCET Studios
Urban Nature: From Frogtown to the Future [read about it!]
March 25, 2017 | 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 pm | The Huntington
Site Visit: Clockshop / Los Angeles State Historic Park
The World Comes to LA: The Harbor [read about it!]
April 22, 2017 | 8:45 a.m. to 3:30 pm | The Huntington
Site Visit: Port of Los Angeles / Terminal Island
Cultural Capital: Museums and Cultural Institutions | LASA Graduation Party
May 20, 2017 | 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 pm | The Huntington
Site Visit: LACMA