October 7, 2015
Students from the ASU Grand Challenge Scholars program attended the Global Grand Challenge Summit on September 15-16, 2015 in Beijing, China.
The Scholars who attended were (pictured from left to right) Angel Armenta, Kaleigh Johnson, Kaleia Kramer, and Emily Herring. The Global Grand Challenge Summit focused on the themes recognized by the National Academy of Engineering (NAE): Sustainability, Infrastructure, Energy, Health, Joy of Living, Education, and Security/Resilience. Students participated in attending lectures as well as networking with fellow Grand Challenge Scholars.
As representatives of ASU, the students increased awareness about developments within GCSP at Arizona State. According to Kaleia Kramer, attending this conference enhanced her interest in engineering and in GCSP. She explains that “seeing other areas of engineering sparks my interest in broadening my horizons and becoming more open to additional opportunities.”
Kaleigh Johnson also feels as though this experience exposed her to new perspectives of engineering. She explains that conferences such as this where students come together is essential because students are the future and will one day solve these grand challenges. She shares that she learned that teamwork and communication are critical in solving engineering’s problems; “by working together and keeping in contact with engineers across the globe, greater progress toward a brighter future can be made.”