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Grand Challenge Scholars

The University of Portland is a proud member of the National Academy of Engineering’s Grand Challenge Scholars Program (GCSP). The program is designed to prepare students to solve the 14 Grand Challenges of Engineering in the 21st century.

UP is among a select group of engineering schools nationwide that plan to graduate more than 20,000 formally recognized “Grand Challenge Engineers” over the next decade. Will you be one of those engineers?

The GCSP identifies five competencies that a student must achieve to prepare to address the global grand challenges as:

Talent: mentored Research/creative experience on a Grand Challenge-like topic
Multidisciplinary: understanding multidisciplinary of engineering systems solutions developed through personal engagement
Viable Business/Entrepreneurship: understanding the necessity of a viable business model for solution implementation
Multicultural: understanding different cultures to ensure cultural acceptance of proposed engineering solutions
Social Consciousness: understanding that the engineering solutions should primarily serve people and society