Support Engineering Students in Research Around Grand Challenges

The Engineering Grand Challenges Scholars Program (GCSP) at NC State is a combined curricular and extracurricular program inspired by the National Academy of Engineering (NAE). The GCSP includes a multitude of unique experiences that incorporate coursework, research, extracurricular activities, internships, study abroad and volunteer opportunities for undergraduate engineering students at NC State. These opportunities ensure that scholars achieve a rich portfolio centered on a grand challenge that builds on five core competencies: talent, interdisciplinarity, entrepreneurship, multiculturalism and social consciousness. The students’ area of research focuses on one or more of the four pillars of the grand challenges: sustainability, health, security and joy of living. 

This crowdfunding project will support a new academic initiative to be implemented in summer 2024, — awards for the talent core competency of the Grand Challenges Scholars Program for incoming freshmen or transfer engineering students at NC State. Each award will directly enable one scholar to participate in the GCSP Undergraduate Research Experience in summer 2024 alongside approximately 25 current scholars also conducting research. Our goal of $5,000 will support five student scholars at $1,000 per scholar.  

Budget Breakdown:

The $1,000 award will enable an incoming freshman or transfer engineering student to conduct five to 10 weeks of summer research under the guidance of a research mentor. Each week, the student will work in a lab working on one of the engineering grand challenges around sustainability, security, health or joy of living. In addition to conducting research for 25 hours per week, the researcher will participate in weekly professional development workshops and 90-minute Grand Challenges Scholars Program lab meetings. On July 26, the researchers will present their final research findings at the NC State Summer Research Poster Symposium held at D.H. Hill Jr. Library alongside 250+ other undergraduate research students.

Funds will be placed in the Grand Challenges Scholars Program Fund. If the project does not meet its fundraising goal, exceeds the project need, or the project cannot be completed, the funds will be used for the overall enhancement of the Grand Challenges Scholars Program Fund.

Gifts are received by the NC State University Foundation, Inc. and may be distributed to an affiliated foundation that manages the fund supported by the donor.