On behalf of the entire Sustainable LA Grand Challenge team, THANK YOU.

You donated, helped us spread the word (IRL and URL), and supported us throughout our crowdfunding campaign. Every dollar, mention, and shout-out made a difference. With your help, we raised more than $13,000 for the 2019-2020 Undergraduate Research Scholars Program.

We are committed to our students. Their work has already made a difference at UCLA by informing campus sustainability efforts. Through their research, our students have recommended more effective and accessible bike infrastructure to UCLA Transportation and have proposed a new Bruin Beekeeping Program. These are just a couple examples of the real-world impact our undergraduate research scholars are making. Their individual research projects with their faculty-mentors, such as senior faculty research associate at the UCLA Center for the Study of Women, Professor Jessica Cattelino, have also helped make a difference in Los Angeles' environmental and sustainability efforts and has added to their academic learning experience. 

You can keep up to date with our students, their research, and all that is happening with the Sustainable LA Grand Challenge by following us on Twitter, Facebook and our Happenings blog.

Thank you again for your commitment to our students, Sustainable LA, and the future of Los Angeles. 

Sincerely,

The Sustainable LA Grand Challenge team

We are now just 3 days, 72 hours, and 4,320 minutes away from the end of our crowd-funding campaign!  Please continue to share our campaign with your friends and family! Remember, every social media post and donation - no matter how big or small - helps!

Thank you again to everyone who has donated! So far, we're backed by 31 supporters. And, because of you, we can invest  in the resources needed for the 2019-2020 Undergraduate Research Scholars Program.

Here's one of many reasons it's exciting to invest in the program: Dynamic projects informing campus sustainability practices!

In fall 2017, UCLA launched Bruin Bike Share, the first integrated bike share network in Los Angeles. After the program built momentum, our undergraduate research scholars started tracking bike share usage over time as part of their capstone project. Then, a few months later... enter e-scooters! (dramatic pause). This changed the game. With a new element thrown into the mix, what were students using more, bike share or e-scooters? How could UCLA Transportation and Bruin Bike Share become more accessible to riders? 

These are the research questions that our students started to ask in order to acquire data and make recommendations to UCLA Transportation about Bruin Bike Share. Watch what the students had to say about their research: Bruin Bike Share vs. e-scooters.

We're seeing some exciting movement and want to take this opportunity to say thank you to everyone who has donated and supported our campaign thus far! Your investment in our students as future sustainability leaders is a testament to the importance of a future with thriving ecosystems, clean air, access to local and clean water, environmental equity and so much more -- both here in Los Angeles and around the world!

Now that you've donated, could you help us keep the momentum going?  Share our campaign with your friends and family! Every social media post and donation - no matter how big or small - helps!

Now, hear this story: With the help of these four undergraduate research scholars, UCLA could soon become an urban bee haven. These scholars studying bees put together a proposal to start a beekeeping program on campus. This program could offer educational, experiential training for students interested in beekeeping. Also, a program such as this could help protect bees from colony collapse disorder -- a phenomenon that occurs when the majority of worker bees in a colony disappear. Why is this important? A lot agriculture depends on bees as key pollinators. Take a watch below! 

Thank you again!

-- The Sustainable LA Grand Challenge Spark Team! 

This week we hit a huge milestone! We are nearly half-way to our goal. This means more opportunities for students, more campus sustainability projects, and more faculty mentorship opportunities for undergraduate scholars! 

Thank you to everyone who has donated or supported our campaign! Please help us keep the momentum going by continuing to share our campaign with your friends and family. We want to share a quick video with you featuring one of our scholars, Glory Thai, who undertook a bird survey project at UCLA's Sage Hill. Listen about her project and journey with the Undergraduate Research Scholars Program.

-- The Sustainable LA Grand Challenge Spark Team!