McMaster Grand Challenges Scholars Program

In demonstrating this competency, a student must complete a research/creative experience, such as a design project or research paper, focused on contributing to one of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

The ability to conduct research professionally, ethically, and effectively is an important foundation in synthesizing engineering solutions. By conducting thoughtful research, we can identify critical challenges and necessary strategies with precision.

This experience must be documented in a scholarly piece of work, such as a final report, a portfolio, or a paper. Students must regularly meet with stakeholders, mentors, or experts during these experiences.

The outcomes of this competency include:

• Conducting a thoughtful review of existing knowledge to inform one’s practice
• Evaluating/analyzing current practice to identify areas of contribution
• Synthesizing robust solutions/proposals to ambiguous complex problems

In demonstrating this competency, a student must exhibit an understanding that engineering solutions require more expertise than only that of an engineer to be successfully implemented into society.

Teams in the professional world consist of members from differing areas of expertise and lived experiences. The ability to move forward alongside colleagues and identify how they can fill the gaps in our own expertise is critical to the success of an effective team member.

This understanding is to be gained through immersive, collaborative experiences with colleagues outside of one’s own discipline.

The outcomes of this competency include:

• Collaborating effectively with colleagues from other disciplinary backgrounds
• Recognizing how expertise from other disciplinary backgrounds can remedy gaps in one’s own expertise
• Identifying the expertise needed to create a feasible solution to a complex problem

In demonstrating this competency, a student must display an understanding that solutions to complex problems require viable financial models in order be successfully implemented into society.

Solutions require stakeholders, most of whom will need to make monetary contributions in order to successfully implement these solutions. When proposing solutions to complex problems, it is critical to identify ongoing sources of income and expenses in order to create a plan that will be financially viable throughout the lifetime of the solutions.

This understanding is to be gained through examination and presentation of economic strategies necessary in implementing grand solutions.

The outcomes of this competency include:

• Describing the role of stakeholders in a complex problem
• Identifying sources of start-up costs, operating costs, and/or revenue in a robust solution
• Creating a viable financial model for a solution to a complex problem

In demonstrating this competency, a student must convey an understanding that solutions to complex problems require a critical examination of the culture where they are to be implemented in order to ensure these solutions are ethical, desirable, and viable.

As a citizen of a global community, it is important to recognize and learn from different cultures that have functioned effectively for centuries. We do this for the purposes of integrating new knowledge into our own, as well as informing our practice for when we are actively involved in other cultures.

Achievement of this competency is to be gained through experiences that immerse students in unfamiliar cultures and lead to transformative experiences.

The outcomes of this competency include:

• Identifying unique values/principles from other cultures
• Incorporating aspects of another culture into one’s own practice
• Adapting one’s practice to work effectively in another culture

In demonstrating this competency, a student must demonstrate an understanding that engineering solutions primarily serve the best interests of people and society.

The role of a global citizen is to maintain or improve the wellbeing of the public through action. However, when we decide to act, that action comes at the cost of refusing many other actions. This concept of cost can be extended to generating solutions. It is our responsibility to weigh the cost of our actions in order to determine options that provide the greatest benefit in exchange for the least amount of negative consequences.

Achievement of this competency is to be gained through experiences that deepen one’s social consciousness and motivation to address societal problems. Learning obtained through public service is preferred, as serving people is the vision of the Grand Challenges.

The outcomes of this competency include:

• Identifying the role of a responsible citizen
• Reflecting on intrapersonal development (i.e. empathy, reciprocity, etc.)
• Describing the qualitative and quantitative benefits and costs of a solution/service

A project is completed in consultation with a mentor that guides the student towards a feasible implementation in the real world.

A project exhibits a thorough consideration of the culture in which it is to be implemented.

A project leads to a proposal/prototype that is mechanical, physical or scientific in nature.

A project leads to a proposal/prototype that clearly contributes towards one of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).

A project leads to a proposal/prototype with a sustainable financial plan.

A project must take place in an experiential learning environment, with a substantial time commitment of at least 60 hours over the course of the project. McMaster’s criteria for experiential learning are as follows:

• The student is in a workplace or simulated workplace
• The student is exposed to authentic demands that improve their employability, interpersonal skills and transition to the workforce
• The experience is structured with purposeful and meaningful activities
• The student applies the university program knowledge and/or essential employability skills
• The experience includes self-assessment and evaluation of the student’s performance and learning outcomes by the employer and/or university
• The experience counts towards course credit or credential completionOR is formally recognized by the university as meeting the above 5 criteria

Complete courses and experiences listed in the GCSP Catalogue, and/or an ACTIVE project

Students complete courses from the course catalogue that contribute towards the five GCSP competencies. While there is no requirement to report these experiences at this stage, GCSP staff members are available to guide and assist students.

In your penultimate year, apply for entry into the program by demonstrating partial achievement of the competencies and/or completion of an ACTIVE project

Application includes deep reflections of the experiences that they have completed and how those experiences have helped them in acquiring the five GCSP competencies. Once enrolled in the program, students actively participate in the program by continuing to develop their competencies and submitting reflections at least once per academic term.

Continue completion of courses and experiences and/or ACTIVE project, build your portfolio by submitting reflections after each completed item

Students spend the final two years of their degrees solidifying their expertise in the GCSP competencies and building a portfolio of their journey by submitting reflections along the way. Once scholars have met or surpassed the requirements of the program, they will be issued certification around the time of their graduation.