Student Showcase

The Student Showcase challenges students to create posters or StoryMaps that innovatively tell a story, provide insight, showcase plans and projects, engage stakeholders, and illustrate the possibilities of open data at the regional level. Winners of the Student Showcase competition receive cash prizes.
Competition finalists will be invited to attend SCAG’s Regional Conference and General Assembly as conference fellows and will receive complimentary event registration, hotel accommodation, and admission to the conference. At the Regional Conference and General Assembly, conference fellows will present their posters and StoryMaps to elected officials and industry leaders from across Southern California.
A panel of judges will select one poster and one StoryMap for the “Best in Show” award. Conference attendees will vote for their favorite poster and StoryMap to be recognized with an “Audience Award.” All four awards, each worth $1,500, will be announced at the end of the conference.
Contact
For more information on the Student Showcase, please contact:
Lyle Janicek
Phone: (213) 236-1966
Email: janicek@scag.ca.gov
2025 Student Showcase
- POSTER JURY AWARD WINNER
- Complete Streets Meet Fragmented Policies
- Laura Messier, University of Southern California
- Complete Streets Meet Fragmented Policies
- STORYMAP JURY AWARD WINNER
- Green Infrastructure in Industrial Zone-Heavy Areas of LA
- Manasi Vartak, UCLA
- Green Infrastructure in Industrial Zone-Heavy Areas of LA
- POSTER AUDIENCE AWARD WINNER
- Cyber-Physical Engineering Concepts for Sustainable Smart-City Defense and Resilience
- Princeton Brooke, University of Southern California
- Cyber-Physical Engineering Concepts for Sustainable Smart-City Defense and Resilience
- STORYMAP AUDIENCE AWARD WINNER
- The Urban Heat Island Effect In Los Angeles County
- Ada Liang, University of California, Irvine
- The Urban Heat Island Effect In Los Angeles County
- STUDENT SHOWCASE PARTICIPANTS
- Quantifying the Built Environment
- Jay Campanell, University of Southern California
- Bridging the Gap: Affordable Housing and Commuting in LA
- Isabella Gonzales, University of California, Irvine
- Southern California: Wildfires and Urban Development
- Bryan Hernandez, University of California, Irvine
- The Future of Homeless Resolution
- Emilee Xie, California State University, Los Angeles
- Quantifying the Built Environment

CONNECT SOCAL 2024 SUBCOMMITTEES
In September 2022, SCAG launched three subcommittees to look at emerging issues for the Connect SoCal 2024 plan.
The Resilience and Conservation subcommittee, and the Racial Equity and Regional Planning subcommittee concluded last month, and members of both committees unanimously approved a set of recommendations.
The Next Generation Infrastructure subcommittee will meet on Feb. 15 to review their key findings and finalize their own recommendations.

10 SPOTS STILL AVAILABLE FOR HOUSING SUPPORTIVE GRANT APPLICATION TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
In addition to Permanent Local Housing Allocation application assistance, SCAG is offering technical assistance for jurisdictions and Tribal Governments to prepare and submit applications for housing-supportive funding.

State Agency Meetings
On Nov. 8 and 9, SCAG Executive Director Kome Ajise and SCAG Planning Director Sarah Jepson traveled to Sacramento for a series of meetings with executive leadership at the California Air Resources Board (CARB), the California Office of Planning Research (OPR), the California Strategic Growth Council (SGC) and the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS).

REGIONAL EARLY ACTION PROGRAM (REAP) 2.0 PROGRAM UPDATE
Continuing development of the REAP 2.0 program, staff have been conducting outreach to identify priorities for transformative planning and implementation. This has included engaging representatives from disadvantaged and rural communities on their participation in the program. Most recently, staff hosted virtual workshops to provide information and collect feedback from tribal entities and the public.

REGIONAL EARLY ACTION PROGRAM (REAP) 2.0 PROGRAM UPDATE
Since the approval of the REAP 2.0 Program Framework by the Regional Council (RC) in July, staff has continued outreach efforts to develop specific programs using the framework as a guiding document.

33rd Annual Demographic Workshop Dates Announced
The 33rd Annual Demographic Workshop, co-hosted by SCAG and the University of Southern California, will be held virtually on the afternoons of Wednesday, Sept. 14, and Wednesday, Sept. 21. This year’s workshop will explore the demographic trends that have and have not bounced back following the COVID-19 pandemic, how different populations have experienced the rebound in different ways, and the impact of remote work and other emerging trends in our cities. More information will be available soon.

President Harnik Shares Region’s Housing and Transportation Priorities
SCAG President Jan Harnik had the pleasure of hosting a recent meeting with Senate Transportation Committee Chair Lena Gonzalez (D-Long Beach) to discuss our region’s housing and transportation budget priorities, such as the Regional Council’s support for an augmentation to the Infill Infrastructure Grant program and using budget surplus dollars to fully fund the Active Transportation Program.

State Housing Funds Awarded to 29 SCAG Jurisdictions
The California Department of Housing and Community Development approved another 35 jurisdictions for Permanent Local Housing Allocation (PLHA) funds, bringing the total to 135 jurisdictions state-wide. Specifically, 29 of the 35 jurisdictions are located in the SCAG region and totaled another $49.4 million in homelessness and affordable housing funds for PLHA’s second round. Total SCAG awards for PLHA’s second round are $121.9 million for 54 jurisdictions.

REGISTER FOR THE 57TH ANNUAL REGIONAL CONFERENCE & GENERAL ASSEMBLY
SCAG’s 57th Annual Regional Conference & General Assembly is just around the corner on May 5–6. Register today for access to high-quality presentations and panels, featuring engaging speakers and thought leaders, and unbeatable networking opportunities filled with collaborative, solution-oriented discussions on fostering change and addressing challenges in our communities.

REGISTRATION FOR THE 57TH ANNUAL REGIONAL CONFERENCE & GENERAL ASSEMBLY IS NOW OPEN!
Join Southern California’s most influential elected officials and policymakers on May 5–6, 2022 at the JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa in Palm Desert, CA. This two-day event will focus on solution-oriented discussions to address the most pressing problems facing communities, businesses, and families throughout the SCAG region. General admission tickets for the event are $350, but registrations done in advance by Thursday, March 31 using the code EARLYBIRD will receive $100 off the general admission price.
The February 2022 Executive Director’s Report covers the agency’s major activities, key programs, and accomplishments over the past month.
The January 2022 Executive Director’s Report covers the agency’s major activities, key programs, and accomplishments over the past month.