“The GCSP has truly set me up for success in exploring fundamental physics phenomena in nanomaterials during graduate studies. My Grand Challenge research project enabled me to present at multiple research conferences and publish multiple ...
“Being a part of the Grand Challenge Scholars Program gave me the opportunity to explore classes and experiences beyond what would normally be included in my major. My experiences in entrepreneurship and service learning helped me to ...
“Through the Grand Challenges Scholar Program, I conducted a rapid urban water quality assessment in Cochabamba, Bolivia with a team of 10 students in collaboration with the World Resources Institute's 200 cities project. Data collected ...
"Prompted by GCSP to Enhance Virtual Reality, I created an application to test various means of locomoting in VR–that is, I made 6 "maps" in which a VR game player uses one of 3 different ways of getting ...
“GCSP has encouraged me to explore what is beyond the classroom. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time in this program as it pushed me to explore and learn knowledge of different disciplines. Going abroad also showed me the perspective and ...
The NAE Grand Challenges for Engineering, created in 2008, presented an aspirational vision of what engineering needs to deliver to all people on the planet in the 21st century. In just 15 words, the vision it calls for is:
“Continuation of life on the planet, making our world more sustainable, secure, healthy, and joyful.”
The century-spanning vision was based on 14 GOALS that the NAE recognized as necessary to deliver this vision in the 21st century.
Numerous engineering schools and K-12 programs have adopted the NAE Grand Challenges to inspire practical projects for their students through an educational supplement called the Grand Challenges Scholars Program (GCSP), which identifies the following five competencies that students must achieve to prepare to address these global challenges:
Addressing any of the Grand Challenges for Engineering naturally spans multiple disciplines, and because solutions are implemented differently in different parts of the world, the program prepares students to think in international terms and to develop globally relevant perspectives and skills.
The GCSP was inspired by the NAE but is not controlled by the academy. Each adopting university, college, and school is independently drawn to the program—often by its students—and defines its own supplemental approach to preparing students in the five competencies within its existing engineering program. Each institution selects its students, determines their attainment of the competencies, and decides how it will recognize their achievement.
For more information on the GCSP, please contact GCSPnetwork@asu.edu or GCSP Proposal Review Committee Chair Katie Evans (KEVANS@LATECH.EDU).