UMBC’s Grand Challenge Scholars Program is designed for students from all majors who are interested in solving important societal problems. The program fosters a vibrant interdisciplinary community to help tackle the National Academy of Engineering’s (NAE) Grand Challenges, and gives students experiences and skills to create solutions to some of the most pressing challenges of the 21st century.
Apply to become a UMBC Grand Challenge Scholar!
UMBC will hold a Grand Challenge Symposium 1:00-2:30 on Friday, February 17 on the 7th floor of the UMBC Library. It features 14 speakers who will give two-minute mini-talks on the 14 Grand Challenges. Professor desJardins will talk briefly about the program and current GC Scholars will be there to share their activities and experiences with the program. Light refreshments will be provided.
Make Solar Energy Economical:
Nilanjan Banerjee, Associate Professor, Computer Science & Electrical Engineering
Provide Access to Clean Water:
Lee Blaney, Assistant Professor, Chemical, Biochemical, and Environmental Engineering
Provide Energy from Fusion:
Carlos Romero-Talamas, Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering
Manage the Nitrogen Cycle:
David Lansing, Associate Professor, Geography & Environmental Systems
Develop Carbon Sequestration Methods:
Maggie Holland, Assistant Professor, Geography & Environmental Systems
Engineer Better Medicines:
Erin Lavik, Professor, Chemical, Biochemical & Environmental Engineering
Advance Health Informatics:
Helena Mentis, Assistant Professor, Information Systems
Restore and Improve Urban Infrastructure:
Seung-Jun Kim, Assistant Professor, Computer Science and Electrical Engineering
Secure Cyberspace:
Naghmeh Karini, Assistant Professor, Computer Science and Electrical Engineering
Prevent Nuclear Terror:
Simon Stacey, Interim Vice Provost Dean for Undergraduate Education and
Advance Personalized Learning:
Omar Ka, Associate Professor, Modern Languages, Linguistics & Intercultural Communication
Enhance Virtual Reality:
Lee Boot, Research Associate Professor, Visual Arts, and Director, Imaging Research Center
Reverse-Engineer the Brain:
Tim Oates, Professor, Computer Science and Electrical Engineering
Engineer the Tools of Scientific Discovery:
Gymama Slaughter, Associate Professor, Computer Science and Electrical Engineering