Grand Challenges in the USC Chronicle
Click on the image to read the story -------------------
From Mike Gotta's "Collaborative Thinking" Blog
The National Grand Challenges Summit brings together leading
scientists, engineers, educators, policy leaders, innovations, and
forward-thinking corporate executives to address society's most pressing
problems. One of my favorite "brain food" thinkers, Henry Jenkins was a
keynote speaker. The topic was "communications" (another favorite topic
for me of late). His blog post (which includes the keynote video) on
communications, media, and civic ecology has interesting implications
for the enterprise. Whenever I read research and analysis that examines
trends in other fields / disciplines (in this case, communications in
the new media environment), I try to re-interpret and explore how those
assessments might apply within an enterprise setting. As I read through
his post and watched the video, several points jumped out at me - you
might have to toggle back and forth, or read the blog post first, to
make the connection below.(Click on this link to continue reading)
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Grand Challenges Scholars Program Up and Running - Fast One of the most exciting perspectives to emerge from the First Grand Challenge Summit was the Grand Challenges Scholars Program GCSP, conceived as a national network of consistent programs to focused on educating engineers to tackle the challenges.
Monty Reichert, the Duke University professor who has served as the inaugural chair of the GCSP, gave a spirited presentation on the progress that has been made over the past year on the goals. The programs are aimed at specific challenges, and propose by research and training in entrepreneurship and the other elements seen necessary to meet them. The ultimate goal is 2000 GC Scholars per year, coming out of 100 programs. In one year, no fewer than 38 institutions in the U.S. and  Canada have committed to creating Scholars Programs (purple in the map). Of these, 9 now have been approved (red), with one other pending. (green). Additionally, Reichert said, efforts were underway to secure NSF and other funding for the the GCSP. The address was a farewell from Reichert. The new GCSP chair is Jenna Carpenter, (right) associate dean of Louisiana Tech.
"You need
to think of each of these grand challenges as a business"
cOct 8, 2010 @ 5:29 PM Executives from leading American corporations defined
the connections between their business strategies and the National Academy of
Engineering’s Grand Challenges at the Grand Challenges Summit at USC.
Peter Williams, the chief technology officer of IBM’s
Big Green Initiative, said that at least 10 of the NAE’s 14 grand challenges
are connected to research being conducted at IBM, from making solar power more
efficient to improving infrastructure to advancing health informatics. Williams
urged the audience of engineers and scientists to think about fundamental
business questions as they research and make the case for the grand challenges.
What is going to be produced? When and by whom? What is the market? “You need
to think of each of these grand challenges as a business rather than a grand
idea,” he said. For Jose Reyes, chief technology officer at NuScale
Power, the focus was on one very specific area: scalable nuclear power. “We had
a grand challenge Reyes’ start-up company is working to reinvent how nuclear
plants are developed with a simpler, secure and more robust technology. Alexis Livanos, corporate vice president and chief
technology officer ?of Northrop Grumman, and his team are emphasizing one
far-reaching grand challenge: securing cyberspace. Livanos argued that there is
a clear need to develop flexible systems and flexible architectures that can
respond to an evolving threat in cyberspace, and his team is working on
Observe, Orient, Decide and Attack (OODA) Loop to address cyber security
issues. Qualcomm vice president Isaac Babbs made the case
that mobile technology is inextricably linked to the grand challenges. He
pointed to Qualcomm’s work in mobile innovation from healthcare to education to
augmented reality, and he believes the company’s work will have clear ties to
new innovations that come from breakthroughs in the grand challenges. Pedro Pizarro, an executive
vice president at?Southern California Edison (SCE), connected his company’s
work with the sustainability goals of the grand challenges. SCE has a strong
emphasis on renewable energy and is the nation’s leader in renewable resources,
Pizarro said. He argued that the focus on sustainable resources and alternative
energy is also creating tremendous change in the industry. “The electric
industry may change more in the next 10 years than in the last 100,” he said.
Daily Trojan story
Oct 8, 2010 @ 3:24 PM 
By Whitney Blaine · Daily Trojan
Nearly 800 engineers from across the country gathered at Bovard
Auditorium on Thursday to engage in panel discussions and lectures that
addressed 14 grand challenges in the field of engineering.
Students, professors and administrators from various engineering schools
participated in the 2010 National Academy of Engineering Grand
Challenges National Summit, which addressed issues such as providing
access to clean water and preventing nuclear terror. The summit was
streamed live online, and attendees and viewers could send in questions
via Twitter.
“Engineering is about invention; it’s not just learning a bunch of
science,” said Matthew Tirrell, chair of UC Berkeley’s department of
bioengineering. “It’s about transforming the world...” Read More
Educating Engineers: the Higher More-than-MathOct 8, 2010 @ 2:04 PMHarvey Mudd College President Maria Klawe pointed to a phrase that she hears all too often in American life: “I was never any good at math.”
During a panel discussion on science and engineering education at the National Academy of Engineering Grand Challenges Summit, Klawe and her colleagues defined myriad strategies to show how elementary schools, high schools and universities can educate and inspire a new generation of engineering students.
Klawe said there are concrete ways to train high school teachers to be more effective teachers. She cited Reasoning Mind, a non-profit organization that develops online math curricula and supports schools , teachers, and parents, as one example of successful support for science, technology, engineering and math education. She also believes that colleges and universities must create more opportunities for partnerships and interactions with elementary and secondary schools.
The idea of partnerships can transform high schools and their success in STEM education, explained Michael Escalante, retired superintendent of the Glendale Unified School District . Escalante cited the success of the Clark Magnet High School in Glendale, which relies on corporate and higher education partnerships along with a flexible, innovative curriculum to teach students about the excitement of engineering and life sciences. “What we have done at Clark Magnet High School can be done anywhere in the country,” Escalante said.
Outside of traditional schools and curricula, educators must think about ways to use digital education to reach students with STEM education, according to Susan Hackwood,
executive director of the California Council on Science and Technology. Hackwood said the digital classrooms of the future can augment traditional schools and provide unparalleled access for students.
John Brooks Slaughter, a former director of the National Science Foundation, a former college president, and now a USC professor of engineering and education, argued that ultimately, revising STEM education is tied to the grand challenges and American competitiveness. He outlined three key steps to transforming science education in this country:
- The science curriculum at the secondary and undergraduate levels must be overhauled. Too many students in the sciences and engineering leave these disciplines because they are not receiving a sense of meaningfulness in their education or how they can make a contribution to society. The grand challenges focus on the the kind of pressing global issues that need to be incorporated into the teaching of science in order to inspire students.
- Scientists must become active participants in discussions about public policy and the economic future of this country. Too often, scientists are detached from public discussions and advocacy. We need to tell our story clearly and powerfully—scientific innovation is the economic driver of the 21st century and will separate thriving countries from struggling countries.
- The science and engineering professions must focus on diversity. Scientists must reach out to students to share their passions and views of the world. And that means all students, with a special emphasis on women and underrepresented minorities.
Communication: Good ideas are not enough
Oct 8, 2010 @ 1:29 PM“Toot your own horns. Good ideas are not enough—you have to sell them and sell yourselves,” moderator Miles O’Brien told participants at the National Academy of Engineering Grand Challenges Summit at USC.
During a wide-ranging panel discussion that focused on the challenge of effectively communicating often complex scientific ideas to the public, O’Brien’s former CNN colleague Ali Velshi said the challenge of science communications extends from engineers to journalists. “We have to explain complicated things in a way that my audience can understand,” said Velshi. “What I want to do specifically for my audience is connect them to ideas, innovation and inventions that will change the world.”
New York Times energy reporter Matthew Wald echoed Velshi’s concerns. He explained that in his efforts to report about energy and sustainability issues, he often deals with the reality of a public that doesn’t understand fundamental issues behind sustainability. “The trick in a general interest forum is writing something that will appeal to all constituencies,” Wald said.
Journalist Jay Greene framed the issue of science communication specifically in the context of the grand challenges. “When you start talking about these grand challenges—carbon sequestration or reverse engineering the brain—you have your work cut out for you,” Greene said. “As you try to explain these ideas, you have to answer why are these idea relevant: Why does it matter to me or my 15-year-old son or my 78-year-old mother?”
While journalists are concerned about relevance for their audience, USC communications/engineering/cinema professor Henry Jenkins is focusing on how the audience is now becoming active participants in the dissemination of information. “We’re living in a moment where we’re changing profoundly the traditional communication practices and don’t know exactly where we’re going next,” said Jenkins. Jenkins pointed to ubiquitous blogs and social media as transforming components of communication and public dialogue, and he believes these can be assets for scientists and engineers who want to tell their stories. “All of you should be blogging,” Jenkins told the audience. “You need to answer those why questions” related to the grand challenges. He said the new forms of electronic communications are creating bold new opportunities for communicating scientific ideas and concerns.
Policy: The Grandest Challenge?Oct 7, 2010 @ 3:15 PM Engaging and effectively communicating with policymakers may be one
of the greatest challenges facing engineers and educators during a discussion
at the National Academy of Engineering Grand Challenges Summit at USC.  Daniel Schnur, chairman of
the California Fair Political Practices Commission, explained that policy
success is tied to successfully showing the value of an idea to policymakers
constituents, speaking in clear terms that are accessible to policymakers and
building bridges. He argued that the government support of the bold ideas
behind the grand challenges can be achieved, but it will be the result of "good old-fashioned bridge building."
Linda P.B. Katehi, chancellor
of the University of California, Davis, believes that policy makers must deal
with a fundamental strategic issue if the educational goals of the grand
challenges are to be met. “Our nation needs to develop a master plan for higher
education,” Katehi said. “We are the only developed country without a master plan for higher education." On the regional policy
level, Bill Allen, president and CEO of the Los Angeles County Economic
Development Corporation, argued that consensus building can move policymakers
to make decisions. He pointed to the success of the EDC in bringing together
divergent groups to agree upon fundamental issues about the economy, and he
believes that such an approach can be used to further the overarching goals of
the grand challenges. Amy Alving, the chief
technology officer of SAIC, said that “when people look to the federal government,
they look at funding.” The role of government in funding basic research tied to
the grand challenges is clear, Alving argued. For UCLA healthcare economist Dana
Goldman, healthcare innovation linked to the grand challenges must be
tied to a return on investment. Goldman said that policymakers must
understand that healthcare innovation in the form of advanced medical
technology or electronic medical records will ultimately lead to savings
costs and improved healthcare delivery.
"An extraordinarily magical time"Oct 7, 2010 @ 1:00 PM “We are living in an extraordinarily magical time
right now,” X Prize Founder and Chairman Peter Diamandis told listeners at the Oct. 7 National
Academy of Engineering Grand Challenges Summit at the University of Southern
California. “My own passion has been in grand challenges. I believe that any
problem we have can be solved.” Through his foundation, Diamandis has put his
belief into action time and time again, encouraging the country’s best thinkers
to solve problems ranging from launching spacecrafts to creating super efficient,
safe cars. Diamandis echoed the sentiments of a diverse group of
panelists who focused on the issue of innovation in the context of the NAE
Grand Challenges. For Gilead CEO John Martin, innovation and persistence led to
his company developing a highly effective HIV drug that affects the lives of
millions of patients throughout the world. Martin emphasized that the grand
challenge of engineering better medicines has to be addressed through
collaboration between biopharmaceutical companies and an insistence on
addressing infectious diseases that have a profound global impact on human
health. Mark Humayun, a physician and engineer who directs
the National Science Foundation Biomimetic MicroElectronics Systems Engineering
Research Center ?at USC, addressed the challenges of healthcare from delivering
life-changing therapies to patients. An opthamologist, Humayun works in the
fields of bioengineering and medicine to restore sight to patients. He pointed
to his work on the Artificial Retina Project, which has allowed patients who
were blind for decades to have limited vision, as a prime example of the interdisciplinary
approach to innovative healthcare solutions of the future. Jeff Wilcox, a vice president of engineering at
Lockheed Martin Corporation, discussed the idea of innovation through the
pragmatism of affordability. Wilcox argued that companies such as his often
innovate for affordability in the context of the market, and the constraints of
affordability can often produce better products.  Paul Debevec, (left) associate director of the USC Institute
for Creative Technologies, discussed innovation in the realm of the enhancing
virtual reality grand challenge. Debevec wants to transform the way we view
characters in films, and perhaps, to transform the way we make films. Debevec
and his team have been able to precisely capture the shape, shine, color and
texture of an actor's face down to the level of each skin pore, crease, and
wrinkle. These detailed scans were used by WETA Digital in their process of
creating Avatar’s photorealistic digital
humans and humanoid aliens, which have been lauded as a groundbreaking
achievement in the evolution of digital filmmaking. The data-driven
photographic techniques that Debevec and his team are developing have
applications well beyond film. He believes that the digital images he creates
can be used for realistic simulations to train military personnel or diplomats
to interact with different cultures. And he is working on three dimensional
video conferencing techniques that will put a 3D image of a person from Seattle
in the conference room of a company’s headquarters in New York.
post-panel: John Morris, Metropolitan Water District, attendee
Technology Panel: It's Not the 20th Century Any MoreOct 7, 2010 @ 9:40 AM Five
panelists at the National Academy of Engineering Grand Challenges Summit
addressed the urgent need for developing transforming technologies to address
issues ranging from new energy solutions to changing healthcare delivery to
creating new ways to interact with computers. The Oct. 7 technology panel at
the Grand Challenges Summit included Jean-Lou Chameau, president of Caltech;
Deborah Estrin, computer science professor at UCLA; Franklin M. Orr, director
of the Precourt Institute at Stanford; Matthew Tirrell, chair of the Department
of Bioengineering at UC Berkeley; and Robert Cook, vice president of advanced
technology at Pixar Animation Studios.
Chameau
framed the discussion by describing a fundamental difference between 20th and
21st century. The 20th century, Chameau said, focused on progress; the 21st
century must focus on sustainable progress, and this new approach should define
the way we approach technological innovation. “The United States needs to spark
an innovation arms race,” he said, that will provide solutions to the NAE’s
Grand Challenges. For
Franklin Orr, one of the keys to sustainable progress is developing powerful
new energy solutions. “It’s time to start transforming the world’s energy
systems. The good news is there is no shortage of energy. It’s time for us do
better,” Orr explained. Deborah
Estrin and Matthew Tirrell approached the question of improving healthcare
through very different strategies. Estrin focused on participatory sensing—using
data gathered from mobile devices—to help communities gather information about
their environment and its impact on health as well as helping individuals keep
better track of their healthcare needs. Tirrell is looking at how to reduce the
cost of healthcare through new MRI technology and researching how nanoparticles
might become sentries to prevent disease. Robert Cook
argued that greatly enhanced virtual reality can change the way people interact
with computers, providing new opportunities for everything from powerful
videoconferences that would bring people together without the need for
cross-country transportation to natural world experiences that would enable a
grandfather to share his rock climbing experience in real-time with his
granddaughter. During the
panel discussion at the end, summit moderator Miles O’Brien asked if there were
any barriers that were insurmountable to the technological advances encompassed
in the Grand Challenges. Chameau was quick to respond: “No,” he said. “I am
very confident that we can solve the problems we are discussing.” USC President C.L. Max Nikias: Observations
Solutions of these Grand Challenges will not be solely technological, they cannot be solved only be engineers and scientists No single discipline can solve them alone, it will require a united front
Here is one thing we know—when disciplines converge we spark new knowledge. We must put these ideas to work to solve challenges throughout society. They are a roadmap for economic growth, a catalyst for innovation
Three main areas:
How much progress has been made since 2008? How do the Grand Challenges fit with national priorities? What are the barriers to accomplishing the goals: technological, political financial What progress will take place as we move toward solutions?
We share a similar mindset. Where other people see problems, we see solutions With all of the intellectual capital in this room today, I have confidence that we can change the grand challenges of today to the problems of the past.
NAE President Addresses Student Day Audience at Grand Challenge SummitOct 7, 2010 @ 8:30 AM National Academy of Engineering (NAE) President
Charles "Chuck" Vest urged undergraduates to take advantage of “the most
exciting era in engineering in human history” during remarks at the
student day event of the NAE Grand Challenges Summit on the campus of
USC. 
Defining the background of the grand challenges,
Vest explained that the NAE undertook the project in 2008 because “we
thought it was important to talk about the future and the great
challenges that you will face in the future as engineers.” He emphasized, however, that the United States is
losing its competitive edge in educating engineers. He pointed to
alarming statistics: 21 percent of students in Asia receive degrees in
engineering; 14 percent in Europe, and only 4.5 percent of the students
in the United States. “As a nation we are moving in the wrong direction,” Vest said. “Where we used to be number one, we are falling down the scale.” He said that the Grand Challenges can help to
inspire a new generation of students to address some of the pressing and
complex issues of our time. “The NAE Grand
Challenges is a project I really love. It’s something very important to
our nation, and you students are key to this,” he said. See more images from the student session. (photos by Jon Vidar)
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