{"id":308462,"date":"2018-03-29T15:09:33","date_gmt":"2018-03-29T19:09:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/?p=308462"},"modified":"2018-03-29T15:17:43","modified_gmt":"2018-03-29T19:17:43","slug":"students-tackle-grand-challenges-national-academy-engineers-308462","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/students-tackle-grand-challenges-national-academy-engineers-308462\/","title":{"rendered":"Students tackle grand engineering challenges"},"content":{"rendered":"

For Luke Dengler, Eva Hansen and Raymond Chin, the quest is nearly finished.<\/p>\n

For nine other students, the quest has just begun.<\/p>\n

The 12 students are the first to seek recognition as Grand Challenges Scholars<\/a> at the University of Rochester, which joined the National Academy of Engineering program last summer. Students from any discipline can apply, including humanities and social sciences.<\/p>\n

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NAE\u2019s Grand Challenges for Engineering<\/h2>\n

Sustainability<\/strong>
\nManage the nitrogen cycle
\nProvide energy from fusion
\nDevelop carbon sequestration methods
\nMake solar energy economical
\nProvide access to clean water<\/p>\n

Health<\/strong>
\nAdvance health informatics
\nEngineer better medicines
\nReverse-engineer the brain<\/p>\n

Security<\/strong>
\nRestore and improve urban infrastructure
\nPrevent nuclear terror
\nSecure cyberspace<\/p>\n

Joy of Living<\/strong>
\nAdvance personalized learning
\nEnhance virtual reality
\nEngineer the tools of scientific discovery<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The initiative is aimed at educating the next generation of students to tackle some of the most pressing issues facing society in the 21st century. Students are asked to come up with their own combinations of research, interdisciplinary scholarship, entrepreneurship, global experiences, and community-engaged learning to explore one of 14 grand challenges identified by the NAE. Students who meet the requirements are listed at the Grand Challenges web site and receive a medal at graduation.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a great way for students to take ownership of their education here and gain an edge when applying for graduate school or jobs,\u201d says Wendi Heinzelman, dean of the Hajim School.<\/p>\n

Completing the Grand Challenges \u201cis a valuable capstone to a student’s undergraduate education because it ties together the many experiences they have had during their time at Rochester under a central theme,\u201d adds Emma Derisi, an academic counselor with the Hajim School.\u00a0 \u201cIt showcases the value and inter-relatedness of courses, projects, and service that are inside and outside of the major. This makes it easy to talk about and understand seemingly disparate experiences by connecting them back to a Grand Challenge. The result is a culmination of all a student has done, presented in one thoughtful, integrated package. It’s great material for interviews.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even before they knew about the program, Dengler, Hansen and Chin were engaged in experiential learning that could be applied toward the requirements of the Grand Challenges program.<\/p>\n

Both Dengler, a senior in chemical engineering, and Hansen, a senior in biomedical engineering, explored the challenge of providing access to clean water while serving with the University\u2019s Engineers Without Borders chapter all four years as undergraduates.<\/p>\n

The chapter designed and installed a system to provide potable water to a school in Don Juan, Dominican Republic.<\/p>\n

Both participated in trips to Don Juan where they conducted on-site bacterial and chemical analysis of the water. They also took classes in public health, and served in leadership roles in EWB.<\/p>\n

Chin, a senior in biomedical engineering, says the Grand Challenges program \u201callows me to reflect and appreciate the accomplishments I have achieved as an undergraduate.\u201d He has explored the challenge of \u201cengineering better medicines\u201d through:<\/p>\n