Introduction

Before I begin with my experience, here is a recap of the Grand Challenges. The Grand Challenges are the product of an NAE-sponsored report and encompass 14 critical areas—from medicine to infrastructure to more—that represent opportunities for transformative engineering over the coming generations. As a student in the Grand Challenge Scholars Program, I gain hands-on experience and develop skills relevant to handling these large issues. This post, along with several others, forms my portfolio, unifying my college experiences across five key categories: innovation, service, research, interdisciplinary, and multicultural. Here, I focus on my growth in the interdisciplinary component. The Grand Challenges are grouped into four themes: joy of living, health, security, and sustainability. I completed this interdisciplinary component with a focus on sustainability and achieved savvy level by completing two relevant electives.

The grand challenges require solutions that extend beyond individual technical expertise; these solutions require multiple perspectives and different fields of knowledge. Throughout my undergraduate experience, I’ve had the opportunity to engage in interdisciplinary learning through classes and electives that have shaped my approach to problem-solving. From discussing ethics, to analyzing environmental narratives, these experiences have given me a broader view of global problems, enhancing my ability to engage with complex socio-technical problems.

Sustainability

The first interdisciplinary class I took was in my 4th semester of school. Engineering for Social and Environmental Responsibility class was an unexpected yet enriching academic experience filled with a mix of a bunch of different topics. The curriculum spanned topics from economic sustainability to philosophical discussions on human existence. We explored unconventional readings for an engineering school, including Harari’s popular Sapiens to Watts’ Wisdom of Insecurity and touched on foundational economic principles behind sustainable development. One of the coolest parts of the class was the introduction to emerging technologies and their societal implications. This course cultivated my ability to synthesize information from multiple, often very different, disciplines; this skill will help prepare me to analyze problems that extend beyond the technical sphere to include ethical and economic implications.

Journal Club

In my second to last semester, I attended a journal club. My experience with the journal club with the oceanography lab was my first time engaging with research literature; and it was difficult. Most of the time I was reading dense physics papers and attempting to understand complex theoretical concepts. But once, I presented my own paper to the group, which tested my ability to absorb complex topics and present them to teach others effectively.

Environmental Issues

Also in my second to last semester, I took global environmental issues, my most advanced humanities elective. Expecting a straightforward course on climate change and sustainability, I was surprised to find that my global environmental issues class was not that. Instead, for example, we would attend a lecture focused on how media shapes public perception. We examined environmental topics from many different sociology frameworks, learning many ways these problems originate and persist. This class gave me a new way of understanding the world that differed from my previous HASS elective which focused more on technology and data. But this is important for considering the grand challenges, where engineers and scientists need to consider not just the data, but also how their findings are perceived and interpreted by society.

Reflections and Connections

Looking back, the common thread across these experiences is the exposure to different ways of thinking and problem-solving. Each course and activity contributed to my ability to approach problems from multiple angles, whether through ethical reasoning, scientific analysis, or sociology viewpoints. Understanding how different disciplines define and tackle problems has given me a more holistic approach to problem-solving. This adaptability will be essential in tackling the grand challenges, where they rarely fit neatly into one domain.

Conclusion

Through these varied interdisciplinary experiences, I have gained a greater appreciation for the complexity of socio-technical problems. Engineering is not just about advancing technical knowledge—it requires understanding the economic, ethical, and societal contexts in which solutions are implemented. The skills I developed in communication, interdisciplinary collaboration, and problem analysis will continue to shape my academic and professional journey, equipping me to contribute meaningfully to the Grand Challenges that lie ahead.