Grand Challenges Scholars Program!
Viterbi is GCSP!
Viterbi GCSP offers undergraduate students the opportunity to tailor their curricular and co-curricular experiences towards meaningful work, discovery, and academic pursuits that contribute to solving global society’s most pressing issues. Throughout their undergraduate education, GCSP students are required to engage with each of the five Mindsets needed to solve for Grand Challenges. Students who receive GCSP Designation in their senior year of undergrad demonstrate understanding and commitment to the five Mindsets, and thus are equipped to make impactful contributions as scholars and professionals. GCSP students are prepared to use an interdisciplinary approach to problem solving, with engineering as the foundation for the multifaceted ways in which they view the world.
As an integral component of a school developed around the concept of Engineering+, GCSP acts as vehicle for engagement in the many activities available to undergraduates at Viterbi, including student organizations, coursework, honors programs, design teams, research, study abroad experiences, and much more. Our goal is to get Viterbi students involved with their campus and reflecting on how their experiences relate to solving for Grand Challenges.
This program is open to all Viterbi undergraduate students, and we would like to see as many students as possible pursuing Designation as Grand Challenges Scholars!
Why Viterbi GCSP?
Viterbi GCSP students are committed to shaping their educational experiences towards discovery, exploration, and potentially solving one of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE)’s Grand Challenges.
As the Viterbi undergrad experience has been built out to support the pursuit of Grand Challenges since 2009, much of what our students encounter on their undergrad experience can be counted towards Designation. GCSP is here to help you be intentional choosing your experiences and crafting your narrative as an effective engineering change maker.
Viterbi GCSP Students receive:
- Entry to an advisement cohort specific to crafting their curricular and co-curricular experiences towards pursuit of a Grand Challenge
- Access to support and events hosted by the GCSP student organization
- Additional guidance related to the many Viterbi and University programs and organizations
- Faculty support related to Grand Challenges and research opportunities
- Connection to the International GCSP Network
Importance of Grand Challenges
Awards and recognition for hard work at Viterbi are important. Our curriculum is notably rigorous as a means of preparing the next generation of engineers prepared and willing to tackle the biggest issues our global community face. "Engineering a Better World" is not just a saying at Viterbi- it is a part of our mission. The Grand Challenges Scholars Program and its international network of engineering schools (the GCSP Network), was founded by three engineering Deans who all at one point were prominent members of the Viterbi Family. One of those founders, Dean Yannis C. Yortsos, has remained with us at Viterbi and leads the charge in the continual effort to develop Viterbi to be best positioned to train students to address Grand Challenges.
GCSP was created to address the 14 Grand Challenges that the National Academy of Engineering identified in 2008. Though our societal challenges have morphed and multiplied since 2008, the mission is still the same: develop well-rounded engineers who, using engineering, knowledge, and technical abilities, can work across discipline and cultures to leverage phenomenon for useful purposes. So while accolades are important for developing careers and getting to the next level of the academic journey should a student choose to pursue an advanced degree, we truly want students to engage in GCSP to find purpose and help move society forward by tackling the tough issues head on. We do not expect every student to solve the worlds problems in just four years at Viterbi- but you can make a meaningful start for yourself and others!