Grand Challenge Scholars Program
2019-2023
The Grand Challenges Scholars Program (GCSP) seeks to educate students about the 14 Grand Challenges that we face as engineers in the 21st century. These engineering-focused challenges were selected by the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and cover a wide variety of problems from enhancing virtual reality to engineering the tools of scientific discovery. The GCSP program ensures that students get a holistic approach to engineering by involving themselves in an "experience-based curriculum based around the following 5 factors: undergraduate research, multidisciplinary skills, multicultural experiences, entrepreneurship, and social consciousness. Read more about my experiences in the program below and feel free to learn more about the program here.
Undergraduate Research
Before my first year at Bucknell University, I was awarded a two-summer National Science Foundation grant under the STEM Scholars Program at Bucknell. The grant is presented to prospective students interested in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields. During my STEM Scholar Summer, I participated in a five-week summer research program with Professor Ronald Ziemian in Bucknell's Civil Engineering Department. I took part in a structural analysis study which focused on using finite element analysis software Strand7 and MASTAN2, to measure force distribution and deflection on steel joist systems. We also experimented with the nonlinear analysis capabilities of MASTAN2 by designing and simulating a variety of joist configurations with varying cross-sections to see how these factors affected shear and deflection.
A 30K12 Joist Modeled in SolidWorks
A 30K12 Joist Modeled in Strand7
Service Learning
As a student, I feel very lucky to go to a school like Bucknell which is very involved with the local community and focuses greatly on civic engagement. Throughout my time here, I've been able to engage with the locals in a variety of ways from volunteering at the Bucknell and Lewisburg farms, taking community-based courses, working as a trip leader and staff member at our school's Outdoor Education and Leadership organization (OEL) and working with local businesses through my involvement in Bucknell's Small Business Development Center. During the Summer of 2022, I was selected to participate in the SBDC's Summer internship program where we were able to work on a variety of projects with local businesses and even visit some of their facilities. You can learn more about my experiences with the SBDC in the entrepreneurship section.
Global Experiences
I had the opportunity to study abroad during the spring semester of my junior year at Bucknell in the city of Metz which is located in the northeastern Grand Est region of France. The program was through Georgia Tech and was a joint teaching effort from Georgia Tech Lorraine and École Nationale Supérieure d'Arts et Métiers, also known as ENSAM. Through the entirety of the 5-month program, we were able to continue with our engineering curriculum whilst immersing ourselves in an entirely different culture. Though learning French was quite the challenge, being able to bond with like-minded French students and knocking our heads over the same mechanical design coursework made for a cultural experience I will never forget.
Entrepreneurship
I've been working as a Student Engineering Consultant at Bucknell's SBDC using my skills as an engineer to help provide local businesses with engineering innovation and expertise for around two years. During my time here I've done work ranging from market research, mechanical design, research and development, manufacturing, 3D modeling, and system design. I've worked on a variety of projects from the conception of a mechanism used to bend wire for local bait and tackle company, food insecurity on Bucknell's campus, to the development of a window technology for a multimillion-dollar window treatment company that specializes in luxurious hospitality. With the COVID pandemic, many of these local businesses struggled getting access to engineering resources that could be used to expand their businesses. Our work at the SBDC allows businesses to get professional engineering advice and consulting at no-cost.
Interdisciplinary Work
During my senior year, I made the decision to take our school's Interdisciplinary Senior Design Course. My team of mechanical, computer science, and chemical engineers were assigned a project with a local roofing manufacturing company called GAF. GAF is an environmentally conscious company looking to reduce their impact on the environment. The company’s current product line produces waste material in the form of “fluff” which contributes to hundreds of tons plastics being dumped into landfills every year. By taking a material-science specific approach, we aimed to determine the useful characteristics of the fluff and determine a marketable audience for our product. by the end of the semester we hope to sell the fluff, reducing the amount of waste sent to the landfill and the costs associated with waste transportation. As a result of the project we also hope to increase the company’s sustainability rating and generate revenue for GAF.
GCSP Thoughts and Reflection
Growing up on the California coast, I spent much of my time exploring tidepools and camping in coastal woodlands. As I grew older, many of these places became depleted of their life due to wildfires, constant tourism, and pollution, among many other things. As these environments disappeared, so did the sense of wonder and awe that I had once experienced in these natural areas. This tragic loss blossomed into a new passion for the environment, and with my introduction to engineering here at bucknell, it became a passion to help design and develop technologies that might be used for research, restoring natural environments, and mitigating the effects of climate change specifically for the marine environment.
From my research experience I learned about the undergraduate research experience and learned skills from SolidWorks to Finite Element Analysis, which can help me understand how everything from buildings and even robotic components will act under a given load. Through my experience as a student engineering consultant, I was able to apply these skills to real problems that our clients came to us with. Using our skills and expertise to help clients continue their businesses, even through the pandemic when they were most vulnerable, gave me insight into how our decisions and actions as engineers have real life consequences. The SBDC also gave me a new lens by which I was able to look into the research and development process, and allowed me to see how I might be able to apply design thinking and realize the importance of desirability, feasibility, and viability in engineering the tools of scientific discovery. My semester in France gave me a variety of experiences and cultural exchanges which I’ll never forget. From learning a new language, to eating dinner for 3 hours, and even basic cleanliness are just some of the ways that my study abroad experience has shaped me. Having gone to a new school, living in a new city, my study abroad also helped me learn to adapt, listen, and observe. Simple things that we often forget to do here in the busy life of Bucknell. These are just a couple ways I’ve been impacted by this program and I hope to take all these things with me and I progress in my journey as a Grand Challenges Scholar.