UCLA student is earning his PhD while homeless

26-year-old Louis Tse is a doctoral candidate in mechanical engineering. He's also living in his car.



According to a census conducted last year, there are an estimated 44,000 homeless individuals in Los Angeles County. In an ongoing video series for the Los Angeles Times, Lisa Biagiotti sets out to put the faces to the statistics, meeting people on the streets and learning about their experiences and the issues they face.

In her most recent video, she meets 26-year-old Louis Tse, a doctoral candidate in mechanical engineering at UCLA. He also happens to be homeless. (According to 2013-14 Federal Student Aid Form data, more than 56,000 college students identified themselves as homeless.) Tse reveals that he's been earning his PhD while secretly living out of his car for over a year. This is the first time he's going public with his situation.

In the video, Tse walks Lisa through his morning routine, talks about "rational homelessness" and his post-doctorate goals. He also shares that he's working to create a shelter for homeless youth.

Watch it here: He is getting his PhD - and is homeless

Suspects in beating death of homeless man still at large

No one has identified the three men caught on camera fatally assaulting 67-year-old Tai Lam.



Last year in San Francisco, cameras caught a vicious attack on a disabled homeless man, in which three assailants kicked the victim to death while he was sleeping in the Financial District. It's been four months since the attack, and while the incident was caught on video, the suspects remain at large.

No one steps forward to ID cowards who kicked SF homeless man to death

67-year-old Tai Lam, who was frail and suffered from polio, was in a sleeping on the on November 23 when three men brutally assaulted him twice between 11:00pm and midnight, for no apparent reason. The fatal attack appears to be unprovoked. Authorities found his body the next morning.

The incident was caught on surveillance video, with a clear view of at least two of the suspects' faces. However, four months later, no one has stepped up to identify the assailants.

Three men caught on camera beating homeless man to death

Surveillance camera footage shows suspects fatally assaulting 67-year-old Tai Lam.



In San Francisco, police are asking for the public's help in identifying and finding the three men who may have been responsible for the fatal assault on a 67-year-old homeless man last month in the Financial District.

SFPD: Video shows 'cowards' who beat sleeping homeless man to death

Three suspects were caught on surveillance video attacking Tai Lam, who was sleeping on the street the night of November 23. The footage shows three men brutally assaulting him twice between 11:00pm and midnight while he was laying in his sleeping bag on the ground. The attack appears to be unprovoked.

The San Francisco Police Department has released some of the surveillance footage:

Portland man attacked while trying to help the homeless

Assailant punched him in the face and tried to pull him out of his car

Damn. You try to do some good on the streets, and you find yourself getting punched in the face... Over the weekend in Portland, a guy says he was attacked while trying to help the homeless.

Man attacked while trying to help homeless

Tommy Ly and his friends brought food and warm clothes to hand out at a homeless camp under the Morrison Bridge on Saturday night. But at some point in the evening, Ly was attacked while waiting in his car.

According to Ly, a man approached the car, opened the driver's side door and started punching him in the face. Then the assailant tried to drag Ly out of his seat in an apparent attempt to steal the car. Fortunately, he was buckled in, and wasn't going out like that -- he was able to drive off and get the hell out of there.