Jack Bryson, first-year public affairs graduate student, recently competed in a regional 2026 Simulation Competition sponsored by the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration (NASPAA) and was part of the winning team. The competition offers public affairs students nationwide the opportunity to apply theory from coursework to simulated real-world situations. Winners of the 13 regional competitions will be considered for the global competition prize.

This year’s topic was Wildfire Mitigation and focused on policies and actions centered around creating a wildfire protection plan for a community. Each team consisted of 4-5 members from a variety of U.S. and international universities who were tasked with finding the best solution to the issue during the eight-hour competition. Team members were randomly assigned to their roles and the interests they represented. 

Jack says Professor Sam Zuhlke’s course in Bureaucratic Politics and Professor Sarah Hofmeyer’s course in Public Management in the School of Planning and Public Affairs were very valuable in the competition. The skill of writing successful policy memos was a key aspect in the judging. Additionally, having bachelor’s degree in political science and secondary education gave a strong advantage to his team, allowing him to understand ways to increase community engagement and to enact habitat protection and equity theories to better position his country.

Congratulations to Jack and his team and we wish them success at the global competition level! The next step will be judging of the 13 regional winning teams to select a global winner. Judges will review a recording of the regional team’s presentation, their policy memo, and look at the results of their decisions, policies, and successes.