Rancho Santiago Community College District Press Release

Santiago Canyon College Hosts Fifth Annual Trig Star

Orange County Event Jump Starts National Surveyors Week – March 21-27

Orange—While many people may know that surveyors are responsible for making accurate measurements to establish official land, space and water boundaries, they may not know that surveying is an in-demand profession. In California, it is expected that by 2016 the occupation will sustain a 13.6 percent spike in jobs with a median hourly salary of more than $36. To provide insights into this growing occupation, high school, community college students and their parents are invited to attend Trig Star, a free, entertaining day of activities that introduces young people to challenging, lucrative careers in land surveying and mapping sciences.

The event will be held on Saturday, March 20, from 9:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at Santiago Canyon College in Orange. Students can win cash and prizes in a trigonometry competition and the Land Surveyor’s Challenge. The event includes free parking, and informational exhibits. The free registration deadline is Friday, March 19. After that date, a $5 fee will be charged.

The day includes three components. First, students will vie for three top cash prizes in the trigonometry competition. The top high school contenders will advance to the state competition and the very best at the state level go on to the national competition. Second, participants will try out their surveying skills in the Land Surveyor’s Challenge where they use handmade devices to measure and calculate the height, distance, and angles between pre-determined points on campus. Third, the young people and their parents will learn more about the industry through exhibits featuring equipment and information from the area’s leading mapping sciences and land surveying firms.

“Due to several factors, including the poor economy, our profession has lost some very talented people and we need to prepare our workforce for the coming onslaught of infrastructure work that California desperately needs,” said Gregory C. Sebourn, PLS, California Land Surveyors Association-Orange County (CLSA-OC); Trig Star Committee Chair; and SCC instructor. “Trig Star will help raise students’ and parents’ awareness about the profession of land surveying and the educational opportunities that exist at Santiago Canyon College and Cal State Fresno.”

This year’s Trig Star event is scheduled to coincide with the beginning of National Surveyors Week. Trig Star 2009 attracted more than 250 students from Orange County high schools and community colleges. This year’s prizes include cash awards of $500, $300, and $200 for first, second and third place in the trigonometry competition. High school and college students will compete in separate categories for prizes. Winners in the Land Surveyors Challenge will receive gift certificates, and one grand prize will be awarded.

Land development throughout California, the $42.7 billion in infrastructure improvements passed by voters in November 2006, and the retirement of many of today’s surveyors will create a huge demand for entry-level employees. Surveyors and mapping technicians can work in government, engineering, architecture, construction, real estate, transportation, utility companies, and other industries.

Santiago Canyon College offers both an associate degree and a five-course certificate that qualify students for entry-level employment in survey/mapping sciences. With only two programs offered among Southern California community colleges, student enrollment has grown by over 450 percent in the past several years.

Trig Star is sponsored by the Orange County Chapter of the California Land Surveyors Association (CLSA) and is part of a nationwide competition of the National Society of Professional Surveyors. The event is facilitated by Vital Link of Orange County. Additional sponsors include Psomas, Johnson-Frank & Associates, Inc., RBF Consulting, the Port of Long Beach, the County of Orange, Cal State Fresno Geomatics Engineering, and the Professional Engineers in California Government.

For more information or to register for Trig Star, please contact Vital Link Orange County at (949) 646-2520 or e-mail kathy@vitallinkoc.org.

Santiago Canyon College is a public community college, part of Rancho Santiago Community College District. It serves the residents of Anaheim Hills, Orange and Villa Park. The college provides education for academic transfer and careers, courses for personal and professional development, and customized training for business and industry.