On Friday, October 28, the METRANS K-12 team hosted its Across the Seas event, giving students from USC Hybrid High School an opportunity to learn about global supply chains through several fun and interactive activities. This was the consortium’s second consecutive year hosting the event in partnership with the Port of Long Beach.

The participating Hybrid High students first got to flash their engineering skills by competing in teams to build a ramp that would take the longest time for a marble to pass through. After each group gave a demonstration of their ramp and a winner was chosen, the students then participated in a trivia game testing their knowledge of popular imports and exports in other cultures, and then got to try unique snacks from other countries.

The student group from USC Hybrid High School was a mix of returning students who participated in last year’s METRANS K-12 programs and new participants. Some of the freshmen in the group shared that the event was their first time visiting USC, and that the campus’s architecture and tree cover in particular left a strong impression.

“I love working on the K-12 team because I have the chance to plan fun events for students in the local community and create memorable learning experiences for them,” said Namitha Nixon, the K-12 program lead and organizer of this year’s event. “The students we work with are so passionate and such great learners, and I really enjoy the diverse range of programs we get to put together for them each year.”

The METRANS K-12 program is an outreach program that the consortium conducts to inform, empower, and inspire youth to learn more about and pursue careers in transportation. Program leads organize a number of events each year to give students the opportunity to learn about careers in transportation, including workshops, speaker series, and field trips.

Hybrid High students laying the groundwork for their ramp

Hybrid High students constructing their ramp

Each group’s ramps had different heights and lengths

One group testing its ramp design

The winning ramp design

The winning team showing off its prize

(Photography by Aylish Turner)

About the Author:

Jacob is a second-year MPP student at the Price School of Public Policy. He is interested in urban policy and transportation planning issues. As a recent LA transplant, he enjoys exploring the area and the local food scene in his free time.