Gross Fellowship Recipients Meet Their Benefactors at Luncheon
Click or swipe below to view a Flickr album of photos of the 2018 fellowship recipients with Cal and Marilyn Gross and UCLA Luskin Director of Development Ricardo Quintero:
Big Data and the Commuter
UCLA Institute of Transportation Studies and Global Public Affairs at UCLA Luskin co-hosted a lecture on April 18, 2018, by Antoine Cormount, Cities and Digital Technology chair at the Sciences Po university in Paris. Courmont’s discussion, “Big Data and Re-composition of Urban Governance in the Digital Era: The Case of the Waze App,” focused primarily on the potential for conflict between public and private goals when firms and governments use different data sets. The popular driving app Waze, Courmont explained, relies heavily on real-time crowdsourced data that is applied to help its users shorten commute times. Conversely, government-backed infrastructure like traffic cameras and roadway sensors are often employed to help reduce congestion — rather than short-term drive times. Because Waze will often route drivers through residential streets — clogging roads not designed for commuter traffic, the spillover effect from Waze’s data gathering causes regional traffic problems, governments say. Waze contends that poor urban planning has led to a need for its commute-shortening algorithms. Governments can implement a number of policies that could reduce Waze’ effectiveness, Courmont said. He also noted that Waze and governments have the potential to collaborate, share data and disseminate information on road closures and traffic hazards. — Zev Hurwitz
Click or swipe below to view a Flickr album of photos from the presentation:
Alumni Share Advice with Urban Planning, Public Health Students
The event was organized by students. Pictured, from left to right, are Rae Spriggs (MURP & MPH), Teddy Tollin (undergraduate geography major), Rebecca Ferdman (MURP & MPH), Tsai, Jasneet Bains (MURP & MPH), Diaz, Cristina Valadez (MPH), Simunovic, and Ali Goodyear (MPH). Click or swipe below to view a Flickr album of additional photos:
Documentary Screening Hosted by Social Welfare Alumna
In the wake of the #MeToo movement and the spotlight on societally ingrained sexual violence and abuses, “Liberated: The New Sexual Revolution,” a film highlighting these ills during a college spring break in Florida, was screened at UCLA on April 3, 2018 to a crowd of about 40 students. The film aimed to explain the experience of a young person growing up in today’s hookup culture while diving deeper into the mindset and attitudes of these youth regarding sex and the normalization of sexual violation. Sarah Godoy MSW ‘15, lecturer in social welfare at UCLA Luskin, hosted this event in conjunction with UCLA Luskin Social Welfare, Center for the Study of Women, CARE Program, LGBT Resource Center and Athletes in Action. Following the screening of the film, a panel discussion involving the film’s director, two stars of the film and two local experts, who then opened up the conversation to questions from the audience. — Aaron Julian
View a Flickr gallery from the event:
Luskin MPP Teams Take on Crisis Management Case Challenge
Two teams of Master of Public Policy (MPP) students from UCLA Luskin were among the top three winners in a recent crisis management challenge. Taking second place at the final presentation stage were second-year MPP student Wenzheng Li and first-year teammates Lin Jia and Jiayu Hu. They also took home a $700 cash prize. The team of Christophe LaBelle, a second-year student, and Brian Harris, a first-year student, won third place, netting $300 in prize money. “This case challenge opportunity demanded that we apply critical thinking, memo writing and presentation skills to a very real-world policy problem facing L.A.,” LaBelle said. “And we enjoyed learning more about resilience, crisis management and the grocery food supply chain in the company of other graduate students and professionals in the field.” Experts from the resilience and emergency management fields evaluated proposals and asked in-depth questions during the Los Angeles Homeland Security Advisory Council (HSAC)/Target Foundation Crisis Management Case Challenge held March 9, 2018, at the University of Southern California. HSAC is a Los Angeles-based nonprofit organization that focuses on preparedness and resilience in the face of natural and human-caused disasters and crises. — Stan Paul
The two teams from UCLA Luskin Public Policy.Riverside Mayor Shares Insights on Public Service During Visit to UCLA
“Experience… there’s nothing like experience and getting out there,” said Riverside Mayor William “Rusty” Bailey MPP ’99, speaking during a recent visit to UCLA Luskin about the most important thing for someone seeking a career in public service. The “Meet the Mayor” event on March 1, 2018, involved a talk about Bailey’s career as a prelude to a Q&A discussion about California economic policy that took place in the California Policy Issues class taught by Michael Dukakis, visiting professor of public policy and former governor of Massachusetts, and Daniel Mitchell, professor emeritus of management and public policy. The mayor and Dukakis talked about issues that included pension and criminal justice reform, as well as the competitive relationship between policy and politics. “When you don’t use your power, people forget that you have it,” Bailey said about his recent move to veto a contract brought before him by the Riverside City Council — a break in tradition from his predecessor, who never used this power. Public service, the mayor added, is not a career sector for applicants solely seeking greater wealth, but instead must remain a path for qualified employees who actively pursue what is best for the communities they serve. Bailey even offered his own office as a location for interested students to seek an internship to acquire more experience in politics and policy. The next morning, Bailey joined other UCLA Luskin alumni and students at the monthly First Fridays coffee mixer in downtown Los Angeles. — Aaron Julian
View a Flickr gallery from the classroom visit:
