The Grand Challenges Initiative (GCI) is the backbone of the first and second-year experience in the Schmid College of Science and Technology and the Fowler School of Engineering. Although the past year has brought many challenges, GCI teams are continuing to innovate from home. One sophomore team is finding ways to improve computer hardware design
The mutually beneficial relationship between legumes and rhizobia, the nitrogen-fixing soil bacteria that make their home in legume root nodules and create nutrient-rich fertilizer for them, is one of the most well-known and agronomically important examples of symbiosis. New research from Dr. Kenjiro Quides, a Postdoctoral Teaching and Research Fellow in the Grand Challenges Initiative
First and second-year students in the Grand Challenges Initiatives are pushed to develop research-based solutions for real-world problems. The ongoing opioid crisis is a major challenge for medical workers, pharmaceutical companies, and policymakers alike. One GCI team is bringing their diverse experiences together to contribute to solutions for this issue. Angelina Sorensen (Biochemistry and Molecular
Earlier this month, the first-year Grand Challenges Initiative (GCI) students attended virtual networking events with industry professionals to hear about life beyond college and ask career questions. The professionals who participated were from a variety of fields, including environmental conservation, healthcare, and data analysis. First-year students, student facilitators from the Schmid Student Leadership Council, and
The new semester is underway and it sure looks different from this time last year. However, we’ve had the pleasure of (virtually) meeting the students in our first-year foundations grand challenges courses these past few weeks and there is one thing that does not seem to have changed: the students’ motivation for learning about science
The Grand Challenges Initiative is Chapman University’s groundbreaking new approach to training the next generation of leaders in science and engineering. The program provides foundational skills in critical thinking, problem solving, communication, and teamwork for every undergraduate student entering the Schmid College of Science and Technology and the Dale E. and Sarah Ann Fowler School
On Friday, May 15th, the Grand Challenges Initiative hosted its annual Spring Showcase virtually. Team projects were available for online viewing and judging all week prior on the GCI Blog, and on Friday, student teams held a live Q&A via Zoom. Following the live Q&A, students, faculty, staff, and supporters of GCI gathered over Zoom
We are pleased to announce our first annual award for outstanding research publication by a Grand Challenges Initiative Postdoctoral Fellow. The award is supported by alumni of the Grand Challenges Initiative Postdoctoral Teaching and Research Fellows Program. The selection committee, which included Drs. Doug Dechow (chair), Anne Sonnenschein (’19), Jose Raul Gonzalez Alonso (’19) &
Welcome to this year’s virtual GCI Showcase! Projects will be online for viewing and judging all week, with live Q&A with student teams on Friday, May 15, beginning at 1:00 p.m. To join students for conversation, please consult the following schedule: GCI Showcase Schedule Finally, we invite everyone to join us at 2:45 p.m. as
In 2019, the Grand Challenges Initiative started the tradition of honoring a community partner that helps our students, our postdoctoral fellows, and our community reach our goal of inspiring and empowering the next generation of scientists and engineers. This year, we can think of no partner more deserving than MatterHackers. Based nearby in Lake Forest,