The GCSP Class of 2021 presented their final showcase presentations live in the Tulane LBC Qatar Ballroom and on Zoom in a hybrid in-person/Zoom format on Monday, April 26. The virtual and in-person audiences consisted of Tulane faculty, staff, SSE Board members, Scholars’ family members, and the new cohort of GCSP Scholars. The five members of the Class of 2021 Scholars presented their unique journeys as Tulane undergraduates, portraying how their experiences completed the five GCSP competencies and worked toward one or more NAE Grand Challenges. Questions were asked after each presentation, and the Scholars were able to give advice about the program to the new cohort members in attendance. Scholars were able to elaborate on some of their experiences and share their plans after graduation.
Thank you to everyone who was able to attend-virtually and in person! We are very proud of the Class of 2021 and know great things in store for them in the future.
The entire showcase was recorded on Zoom and is included below for your viewing.
Mark Xiao
Major(s): Economics
Carly Harad (GCSP class of 2021) began working at the New Orleans Veterans Affairs Medical Center in the summer of 2020 in the Orthotic and Prosthetic Department. She was awarded a grant through Tulane University and the National Institutes of Health for an immersive clinical experience. Along with three other biomedical engineering students, she observed and interacted with patients, clinicians, and engineers to identify ways to improve clinical care and outcomes for patients. Their summer work generated twenty-plus needs statements, which inspired their peers and led to the foundation of two senior design capstone projects. Furthermore, Carly managed a case study to assess the potential benefits of digitizing the prosthetic workflow by integrating 3D scanners, CAD software, and 3D printers; the results were presented on a poster and submitted to the internal Performance Excellence Fair. The poster won 1st place, and the department was awarded $10,000.
Carly is passionate about improving clinical outcomes, restoring patient confidence and independence, and improving the efficiency of healthcare treatments. It is this drive that fuels her work, which has continued beyond the summer program. As the lead 3D printing engineer, Carly designs and verifies CAD files, prepares them for printing by designing them for additive manufacturing, maintains the 3D printers, and runs the files.
The 2019 graduating GCSP cohort presented their Final Showcase presentations in Richardson Memorial building on Tulane’s campus on April 4, 2019. The scholars presented their experiences throughout their years at Tulane. They each illustrated how these experiences allowed them to complete the five GCSP competencies and further culminated to tackling one (or more) Grand Challenge(s).
The GCSP Class of 2020 presented their final showcase videos to a ‘Zoom Room’ audience of over fifty Tulane faculty, staff, School of Science and engineering board members, family members, and supporters. Due to COVID-19, this year’s showcase was presented a little differently, as a virtual showcase. The scholars showed pre-recorded presentations of their achievements and work during their time at Tulane, displaying how they incorporated those experiences to complete the five GCSP competencies and tackled one (or more) specific NAE Grand Challenge(s). We opened the floor for questions after each scholar’s presentation, and we also had a brief Q&A panel at then end for the scholars to elaborate on some of their experiences and future plans. Thank you to everyone who attended the showcase! We are so proud of what the Class of 2020 scholars have accomplished so far, and we look forward to their bright futures.
GCSP Class of 2020 Showcase ScreenshotsDean Kimberly Foster of the School of Science and Engineering met with the Scholars in both 2020 and 2021 cohorts to kick off the Spring semester for our Grand Challenge Scholars. She engaged the students in conversation on topics ranging from cycling to the heart, and white coat syndrome. She is always leaving the scholars ready to take on new challenges and inspired to develop their workshops for spring outreach events!
February 19, 2020
Scholars led a Design-Thinking workshop for high school sophomore students at Sci High, just down the street from Tulane’s campus. Arjun, Asha, Diego, Lydia, and Carly presented the students with a “patient” suffering from a rare, genetic disorder and a host of symptoms alongside this disease. They then divided the students into small groups and used the design thinking process to address day-to-day issues the patient experiences. The students were then asked to design a prototype device to solve a specific problem for the patient. The workshop ended with student group presentations displaying their products and the process of developing their ideas. While five scholars attended the workshop, students from both the 2020 and 2021 cohorts worked together to develop the ideas for this workshop.
(Above: Annie Thai, Emilee Saxon, Afsheen Sajjadi, Siyang Hu, Clara Ives, Shees Ahmed)
The “Guinea Pig” Cohort of Scholars presented their personal journeys to their colleagues, mentors, and successors on April 4th, 2019. These presentations were the culmination of 2 years of hard work to understand and address the Grand Challenge of their choosing. We can’t wait to see the incredible things our Scholars do next! Check out photos from the showcase below.
Scholars and faculty at the pre-Showcase reception.
Afsheen Sajjadi
Annie Thai
Clara Ives
Emilee Saxon
Shees Ahmed
