Requirements of the GCSP

The Grand Challenge Scholars program has five components that students must pursue in order to tackle a Grand Challenge. Students must participate in each of the five pillars, however, their involvement in each component can vary. It is required for students to have in-depth, immersive engagement in at least two of the five components, and medium level engagement in at least two of the five components. The last component may be pursued at a minimum depth. Levels of immersion will be described individually for each component. Overlap amongst the components is valid and recommended to get the most out of the program.

1. Project or research activity engaging a GC theme or challenge

Students must select a project or research activity that addresses one of the fourteen Grand Challenges. OSU has multiple undergraduate research opportunities in which students can participate. Independent study projects that are more engineering design related may also be approved for this component but a student may not double count the same project for credit in a required course (such as capstone design) and this program. Departments through the College of Engineering offer credit to students involved in faculty research or independent study. Financial support is also available to students through the College of Engineering, the Undergraduate Research Office, and through some independent faculty research groups. Those who choose to pursue research distinction at OSU have the opportunity to apply for grants from the College of Engineering to fund their work. The College is willing to appropriate some of that money to be geared solely towards students seeking distinction in GCSP. The exact amount will be varied based on how many students pursue the program and if the university is able to privately fund the program through its external resources.

The research component is required to be an in-depth engagement. The student may fulfill this requirement by completing at least six credit semester hours of research relevant to a student’s proposed Grand Challenge (equivalent to 270 hours of research work) with a satisfactory (if taken as a pass/fail course) rating or a grade of C or above. Students can also partake in a full time research based internship/co-op for eight weeks, or a full time eight week REU that addresses one of the fourteen Grand Challenges. Students at Ohio State can graduate with research distinction or honors research distinction which will also fulfill this component.

2. Interdisciplinary curriculum

A multifaceted educational curriculum will allow students to confront the Grand Challenges with a wider breadth of knowledge, helping them to foster novel advancements. An in-depth immersion in interdisciplinary curricula can be accomplished by taking three approved courses. A medium-depth immersion can be accomplished by taking two. GC Scholars are required to fulfill at least the medium-depth immersion for this requirement. The chosen courses can fall under any of the GC themes. To allow for maximum scheduling flexibility, there is no requirement for students to concentrate their interdisciplinary coursework on one specific GC theme. Each of the following example courses relates to a theme of the fourteen GCs. Other courses may be counted toward this requirement with the approval of the GCSP Steering Committee.

3. Entrepreneurship

GC Scholars must be able to meld entrepreneurship and innovation to promote technological development in our society. For the case of unspecified immersion experiences, the mentor must review the student’s proposed experience and submit it to the GCSP Steering Committee for final approval.

An in-depth immersion in entrepreneurship can be accomplished by any of the following:

Placing in a business plan competition
Involvement in the Customer Aligned Startup Training (C.A.S.T.) program - in which students take an existing technology at OSU and drive it through the entire commercialization process with limited guidance from the Technology Commercialization and Knowledge Transfer Office
Earning a minor in business, economics, or entrepreneurship and innovation
An immersion experience or research activity spanning at least eight weeks
Taking at least three semester-long business classes. Examples included below

A medium-depth immersion in entrepreneurship can be accomplished by any of the following:

Participating in a business plan competition
Participating in the BOSS Program through the TCO - a competition in which students pitch to a panel of judges, revise their ideas according to judge feedback, and return to pitch again over a period of six weeks
Significant involvement in one of the many business/entrepreneurship organizations on campus, including, but not limited to- Students Consulting for Nonprofit Organizations (SCNO) and Business Builders Club (BBC) - documentation and approval from the OSU GCSP mentor and director needed
An immersion experience or research activity lasting less than eight weeks
Taking two semester-long business classes. Examples included below

A minimum-depth immersion can be accomplished by one of the following options:

Taking one semester-long business class from the approved list below
BUSFIN 3290 - Foundations of Entrepreneurial Finance
BUSMHR 2500 - Entrepreneurship
BUSMHR 3510.01 - New Venture Creation
BUSMHR 3510.02 - Creating the Social Venture
BUSMHR 3541 - Global Innovation and Entrepreneurial Leadership
BUSMHR 3542 - The Accelerator: Planning the Entrepreneurial Venture BUSMHR 3660 - Innovation Practice
BUSMHR 5530 - Topics in Social Entrepreneurship
BUSML 3241 - Introduction to Entrepreneurial Marketing
BUSML 4240 - New Product Management BUSML 4241 - Entrepreneurial Marketing

Additional courses and activities may be approved by the GCSP Steering Committee.

4. Global Dimension

The GCSP incorporates a global learning component to instill an awareness of the international economy and worldwide growth and development. Scholars may pursue this requirement at varying depth through the following options.

An in-depth immersion can be fulfilled by any one of the following:

An international internship or study abroad experience relating to a
GC of at least eight weeks an internship with significant
international focus of at least eight weeks A minor in International
Studies Successfully complete OSU Engineering’s Global Option in
Engineering Program - the program requires student involvement in study abroad programs, courses that contain international elements, and obtaining proficiency in a foreign culture/language

A medium-depth immersion can be accomplished by any one of the following:

An international internship or study abroad experience relating to a GC of less than eight weeks
An internship with significant international focus of less than eight weeks
Domestic involvement with an internationally focused project and at least one of the approved courses
International travel with an internationally focused project

A minimum-depth immersion can be accomplished by any one of following:

Domestic involvement with an international project
Shadowing and giving a report on a professional who works internationally focusing on a GC theme
Participation in the London Honors Study Abroad Program as a 1st-year student
Taking an approved course, examples are included below
COMPSTD 1100(H) - Intro to the Humanities: Cross-Cultural Perspectives COMPSTD 2340 - Introduction to Cultures of Science and Technology
COMPSTD 3645(H) - Cultures of Medicine
COMPSTD 3646 - Cultures, Natures, Technologies
COMPSTD 4597.01 - Global Studies of Science and Technology
INTSTDS 2580 - Feast or Famine: The Global Business of Food
INTSTDS 3850 - Introduction to Globalization
INTSTDS 4320 - Energy, the Environment, and the Economy
INTSTDS 4532 - Food Security and Globalization
INTSTDS 4540 - International Commerce and the World Economy
INTSTDS 4560(H) - Cooperation and Conflict in the Global Economy
INTSTDS 4597.01(H) - Problems and Policies in the World Population, Food, and Environment

5. Service Learning

Grand Challenge Scholars are required to add a service element to their studies. This helps to familiarize scholars with different groups of people, exposing them to new perspectives. The service learning component must relate to at least one of the 14 Grand Challenges. This does not necessarily have to mirror the scholar’s chosen Grand Challenge. There are multiple service learning opportunities through OSU.

In-depth immersion would be accomplished by completing any one of the following:

Two or more years of significant involvement in service oriented groups, such as: Engineers for a Sustainable World, Engineers Without Borders, Engineers for Community Service, Solar Education and Outreach and other service oriented organizations. Documentation is needed for approval
Service oriented study-abroad trip or project (three weeks or longer)
Completion of a two-semester University service learning trip and pre-course
Completion of a two-semester service learning-based Capstone Design Project

Medium-depth immersion can be accomplished by one of the following options:

Two or more service trips through Buck-I-SERV - a program that offers service trips in place of university breaks - or the college as a whole
Involvement for one semester in a K-12 youth outreach program for the benefit of Columbus area schools, through organizations such as College Mentors, ASEE, and other outlets
Completion of a one-semester University service learning trip and pre-course

Minimum-level immersion can be accomplished by any one of the following:

One service trip through Buck-I-SERV
At least 30 hours of volunteer community service

Additional activities may be approved by the GCSP Steering Committee