Viterbi GCSP Program Overview
NAE Grand Challenges!
The Grand Challenges were first introduced by the NAE in 2008 and are divided into four broad themes. Students are welcome to pursue one of the 14 identified Grand Challenges, but are also encouraged to engage with a theme broadly to identify a unique or unlisted challenge they feel passionate about.
The Four Themes of GCSP
Sustainability
Building a Greener, More Sustainable Future
- Making solar energy economical
- Providing energy from fusion
- Developing carbon sequestration methods
- Managing the nitrogen cycle
- Providing access to clean water
Security
Innovating to Keep Communities Safe and Resilient
- Securing cyberspace
- Preventing nuclear terror
- Restoring and improving urban infrastructure
Health
Advancing Wellness and Lifelong Vitality
- Engineering better medicines
- Advancing health informatics
- Reverse engineering the brain
Joy of Living
Enhancing Happiness, Creativity, and Wellbeing
- Enhancing virtual reality
- Advancing personalized learning
- Engineering the tools of scientific discovery
The Five Mindsets of GCSP
The Five Mindsets are domains of thinking necessary to tackle Grand Challenges and are the areas in which students must engage in at least one activity or experience to be considered a Viterbi Grand Challenges Scholar.
Talent/Research
Mentored research or project experience related to a Grand Challenge: Participate in an approved team project, senior capstone project, design project or research project related to one of the Grand Challenge Topics.
Multidisciplinary
Understanding gained through multidisciplinary studies: participate in activities and courses outside the engineering curriculum that will complement the technical curriculum such as public policy, business, law, ethics, art, sociology, natural sciences, etc.
Viable Business/Entrepreneurship
Understanding of viable business models gained through curricular or co-curricular experience. Students should be prepared to translate invention and innovation and to develop market ventures that can scale to global solutions to the Grand Challenges.
Multicultural
Understanding gained through global or different cultural experience: Participate in a curricular or co-curricular activity that develops the perspective necessary to understand global challenges or that lead to innovations in a global economy.
Social Consciousness
Understanding that engineering solutions should primarily serve people and society reflecting social consciousness. Students should participate in curricular or co-curricular activities and experiences that deepen social awareness and help to develop motivation to bring technical expertise to bear on societal problems.
What's at the Finish Line?
During therir senior year, Viterbi majors will be invited to apply for Designation as a Viterbi Grand Challenges Scholar. The process consists of submitting a narrative application discussing the students' activities and experiences to meet each of the Five Mindsets. In their narratives, students are expected to briefly discuss what they did to meet a particular Mindset, how their experience relates to Grand Challenges, and what they learned from the experience. A review committee will make determinations on Grand Challenges Scholar eligibility. Applications that best embody the mission and spirit of GCSP will be reviewed for further distinctions as Top Scholars, including award and recognition.
Students who earn the designation of Viterbi Grand Challenges Scholars receive the following:
- A transcript designation as a Viterbi Grand Challenges Scholar
- A medal to be worn at Commencement and all other end of year celebrations
- A recognition letter from the National Academy of Engineering's President
- Recognition from the international GCSP Network
- A Linkedin profile badge to display for resumes, employers, or graduate school opportunities
General Timeline for Viterbi GCSP
While the journey may vary based on when a student becomes a member of the Viterbi family and joins GCSP, the general framework for GCSP looks as follows:
Discover: Underclass years (1st and 2nd year):
Students explore their interests in and around Viterbi while finding subjects and topics in which they may find passion. Students receive advisement on how to be engaged on campus and which opportunities to pursue, while participating in any available GCSP activities.
Development: 3rd or Junior year:
Having become familiarized to USC and Viterbi, students have an understanding of their interests. Students have more target involvement in activities related to their career and educational objectives, as well as Grand Challenges. Students identify a particular Grand Challenge or theme they would like to address.
Implementation: Senior year
Students prepare for the end of their undergraduate time at Viterbi by applying experiences towards career aspirations and/or graduate school opportunities. Students have a strong understanding of their interests and further pursue targeted experiences on campus. Students may participate in capstone courses and research symposiums while applying for Viterbi GCSP Designation.
What Will You Do in GCSP?
As a GCSP student, you will engage in experiences that relate to the Five Mindsets necessary to solve for Grand Challenges, as a means of understanding how these Mindsets can be utilized, both independently and in concert together, to work towards innovative solutions.
Some of the experiences that you may pursue may be curricular, meaning substantial coursework that relates to the Five Mindsets or specifically designed with the Five Mindsets in Mind. Other experiences may be co-curricular, as in participation outside of the classroom. Co-curricular experiences can be wide ranging from student orgs to internships and much in between. Your GCSP experiences will be tracked using the GCSP Tracking tool, found on myViterbi.
GCSP advisement is provided to help you stay on track to gain the experiences needed to fulfill each Mindset, make meaning from said experiences, and craft a strong narrative to earn you Designation in your senior year.
GCSP also offers experiences that help you engage with the Grand Challenges, be involved in the GCSP community, and fulfill the Five Mindsets.