LASA boarded a bus and climbed 5,000+ feet to visit the Mt. Wilson Observatory this month. We visited to explore the space and to consider LA’s contributions to our larger understandings of the cosmos. Thanks to our guide Nathan Krumm for sharing the history of the space as well as walking us through three modules and showing us the spectacular …
[Editor’s Note: This was a post that was dated for November 2023 but never released. Sorry!] On November 11, LASA visited the Port of Los Angeles to consider the role of the port in the past, present, and future of LA. From tours of an active terminal – YTI – and a 19th century home – the Banning Museum – …
LASA gathered in March to consider food insecurity in LA and the practices spaces like the Hollywood Food Coalition use to connect food with guests. And, despite a bit of rain, LASA picked 700 pounds of oranges from The Huntington grove for the Coalition. Patrick Hudnut – LASA alum and member of the Hollywood Food Coalition’s administrative team – answered …
LASA met at LA Plaza in February. From the general collection of LA Plaza to their current sports-related exhibition, “18 th & Grand: The Olympic Auditorium” – to city planning for the 2028 Olympics, we considered sports and culture in LA’s past, present, and future. LA Plaza curator Esperanza Sanchez welcomed LASA to LA Plaza and shared the history of the museum …
Amidst the January rain, LASA gathered at Beverly Hills Fire Station 1 to learn about working in a fire station, their nurse practitioner program, and the data-drive research of Professor Monalisa Chatterjee and Graduate Student Aurora Massari. From responding to health calls to contemplating the role of climate in wildfires, the students rotated through stations within the house to hear …
In October, LASA gathered at Union Station to consider Technology and the Future of LA. From visiting ICW’s “Where You Stand: Chinatown 1880 to 1939” that uses augmented reality to hearing about Metro’s future transportation plans to learning more about using AI to understand police bodycam footage, LASA posed terrific questions that reflected student concerns and hopes for the future …
In September, LASA considered the long histories of health and public health in Los Angeles and how those histories connect to the present. We welcomed Dr. Cynthia Willard who shared about her careers in global health and community clinics. Dr. Cindy used asthma as a case study to think through factors affecting health and access to care in the county. …
Welcome to the Class of 2024! We spent our time together in August meeting each other and thinking about water. On Thursday, we gathered at The Huntington and mapped Los Angeles County. From the Vincent Thomas Bridge to favorite places to eat, the maps highlighted the spaces LASA students love and those that define LA. Then, we had the honor …
We met this rainy February at the Central Branch of LAPL to consider policing and justice in LA. We’re grateful to our library hosts as well as Police Commission Executive Director Richard Tefank for speaking with us. LASA students reflected on the time together: Owen: In an age of increased attention on the role of law enforcement in urban communities, …
Station 1 of Beverly Hills Fire hosted LASA this month. LASA student Ilena summed up the day; “Well, I toured a fire station when I was in preschool, and I can only say that this experience was far more comprehensive and interesting! I was struck by the interdisciplinary and multifacetedness of the department. One usually thinks of firefighting as, well, …