A diverse group of middle and high school age students is getting a sneak preview of the blockbuster changes coming to Los Angeles’ Exposition Park this summer thanks to the Southern California chapter of the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA), a group dedicated to the advancement and development of future professionals.

Students at SoCal NOMA’s Project Pipeline summer camp will get a closer look at the forthcoming Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in addition to future projects planned for ZGF's revitalized, park-like Oschin Air and Space Center and Natural History Museum extension underway from Fredrick Fisher and Partners. 

The camp lasts four days and includes lots of hands-on sessions with professionals meant to expose school-aged children to the built environment and architectural profession. Students of all skill and interest levels rotate through a series of workshops that explain the design process through an eight-step program that builds their knowledge base as they work collaboratively on a community RFP. Students will then have the chance to present their projects with a critic and guest panel of professionals. 

The camp was founded with the mission to inspire students with one-on-one exposure to people with high-level experience in the field. 

"I didn't get a chance to meet my first architect until I was in high school, so the idea that these students can be engaged with real professionals at a young age, it helps shape their lives and helps them make decisions about the design profession," Stantec project manager Jessica Cooper, a volunteer a the NOMA camp, told a local ABC affiliate. 

Camp is held from 8:00–5:00 on Saturdays in July and August on the campus of East Los Angeles College. A virtual camp option has been added this year as well. More information on SoCal NOMA initiatives can be found here.