Grand Challenge Scholars Program

Louisiana Tech is one of the few select schools in the World to have a dedicated Grand Challenge Scholars Program. As a member of this program, students can engage in Grand Challenge-related research with our research faculty, serve fellow students, pursue the topics that are shaping tomorrow, gain appreciation and understanding of cultures around the world, and graduate as an internationally recognized Grand Challenge Scholar.

The National Academy of Engineering has outlined four themes that encompass the World’s most complicated and important challenges. Within these themes lie fourteen Engineering Grand Challenges. Solving these challenges will require the best efforts of engineers and scientists integrating their knowledge, expertise, and creativity with a variety of other experts in global and social issues. The Academy’s Grand Challenges Scholars Program (GCSP) is designed to prepare our engineering and science students to solve these issues.

The vision of the Louisiana Tech College of Engineering and Science GCSP is to encourage, educate and prepare our students to lead the charge in addressing these critical challenges.

Four Grand Challenge Themes

1. Sustainability
2. Health
3. Joy of Living
4. Security

The 14 National Academy of Engineering Grand Challenges

1. Make solar energy economical
2. Provide energy from fusion
3. Develop carbon sequestration methods
4. Manage the nitrogen cycle
5. Provide access to clean water
6. Restore and improve urban infrastructure
7. Advance health informatics
8. Engineer better medicines
9. Reverse-engineer the brain
10. Prevent nuclear terror
11. Secure cyberspace
12. Enhance virtual reality
13. Advance personalized learning
14. Engineer the tools of scientific discovery

Become a Louisiana Tech Grand Challenge Scholar

Louisiana Tech is one of the few select schools in the World to have a dedicated GC Scholars Program. As a member of this program, students pursue topics that are shaping tomorrow, gain appreciation and understanding of cultures around the world, and graduate as an internationally recognized GC Scholar. There are 5 core competencies that students explore as part of the GCSP. These make up the “curricular plan” for students

Louisiana Tech faculty are ready to help you create your own, personalized plan that walks through these elements. The good news is, you’re doing some of these already as part of your regular curriculum:

1. Talent Competency: a mentored creative experience on a Grand Challenge-like topic

2. Multidisciplinary Competency: understanding the multidisciplinarity of engineering systems

3. Viable Business/Entrepreneurship Competency: understanding the necessity of a viable business model to implement solutions

4. Multicultural Competency: understanding different cultures to ensure cultural acceptance of proposed solutions

5. Social Consciousness Competency: understanding that engineering solutions should primarily serve people and society, reflecting social consciousness