Program Description

Utah State University's Grand Challenges Scholars Program (GCSP) is a multi-year program and is offered to freshman and sophomore students in engineering. The Grand Challenge Scholar (GCS) achieves in-depth understanding of their technical areas in the context of research related to a Grand Challenge problem while also gaining interdisciplinary, entrepreneurial, global and service learning expertise and experiences. Grand Challenge Scholars are prepared to be global leaders, in academe, government and industry.

Grand Challenge Scholarship Program

This program uses a student portfolio approach for students to take advantage of various activities. The student portfolios are constructed to show approval and completion of the GCSP, and the Program Committee is able to utilize these portfolios as the mechanism to review, approve, and certify competencies completion. The student, faculty advisor, and the Program Committee are able to view the student’s progress in the program.

  • During their first year in the GCSP, GC Scholars work with GC faculty advisor to plan their customized GCSP curriculum, ensuring that it meets all five GCSP competencies. The GC faculty advisor supervises the GCSP research experiences. GC Scholars are assigned an initial GC faculty advisor based upon the interests identified in their application; as the GC Scholars identify and refine their research topic, their GC faculty advisor assignments may be adjusted.
  • During their second year in the GCSP, GC Scholars actively engage in the research and make progress on achieving the other competencies of the GCSP.
  • During their third year in the GCSP, GC Scholars will complete their GCSP requirements and mentor students beginning the GCSP. They also serve as GCSP ambassadors, by participating in outreach and recruitment activities for K-12 students, by presenting their GC work at internal and external conferences and meetings, and generally representing the program as needed.