Fall 2024
Scholar Stella Risinger has spent the semester abroad, traveling through Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, and Thailand.
Thanks to Aubrey for taking us to Tulane’s Planetarium where Dr. Jessica Graber showed us the planets Venus, Saturn, and Jupiter.
On December 2, 2024, the seniors gave presentations of how they are fulfilling their requirements for the program and the Grand Challenge(s) they are addressing.
While in Argentina, scholar Olivia Ashy visited the U.S. Embassy and Ushuaia, the southernmost tip of the world.
Grand Challenge Scholars learn about Entrepreneurship from Ed Karp on Monday, November 18, 2024
Scholars met with Kathryn Santanilla from Newcomb Tulane College Career Services on November 4, 2024
Grand Challenge Scholars met Dean Rajan on 10-21-2024
Scholars learn about the MakerSpace on Sept. 26, 2024
Scholars Ian Faul and Saul Chavez Munoz volunteered at Second Harvest Food Bank to help with people affected by Hurricane Francine.
Summer 2024
Isabella Kulstad presented at Oxford, competed at pitch competitions with her app “Cloud IX”, and interned at the Max Planck Institute in Leipzig, Germany. During her travels, she was also able to hike in the Alps and and explore the Bastei!
During summer 2024, Stella Risinger worked at the Shoals Marine Lab on Appledore Island, Maine.
Current GCSP senior Didi Ross (Cell and Molecular Biology major) was a Genetic Counseling Intern at Labcorp this summer from mid-May through August. She is pictured here with her manager (middle) and the prenatal genetic counselor (right) who oversaw her clinical rotations in person at Saint Peter’s University Hospital in New Jersey. Didi gained over 100 hours of direct patient care genetic counseling observation, working with 20 prenatal and cancer counselors, and plans to apply for a master’s in genetic counseling program to start in the fall of 2025.
Aubrey Augustine is spending nine weeks working at the University of Birmingham in England as part of an International Research Experience for Undergraduates (IREU) conducted through the University of Florida. At the university, she is part of a lab group studying gravitational waves. Her summer project is investigating how deformable mirrors can help to correct wavefronts, thus improving sensitivity in future detectors, such as Cosmic Explorer.
Those are pictures of me are in the clean room at Maastricht University (in the Netherlands) getting a tour of the ETpathfinder facilities. This is an early prototype set-up for the ETpathfinder interferometer that is planning to be built somewhere in Europe in about a decade. The large chambers will hold the new technology that will make ETpathfinder more sensitive than current gravitational wave interferometers (like LIGO). Currently there is nothing in them, but as labs and universities around Europe want to test their equipment, they will be filled with all sorts of optical devices and technology.
I have also attached a picture of the laser set-up that I built over the summer. I used a 1094nm laser with a variety of optics (lenses, mirrors, cavities, beam splitters) to test how effective a liquid lens (which will eventually be replaced by a deformable mirror) is in correcting the laser beam and waist.
Summer 2022
New Scholar Sam Kosiborod shares photos from his summer study abroad trip in Ecuador and his rock climbing trip in Arkansas
2023 Scholar Whitney La Fargue spent her summer working as a Clinic Assistant at the Ackerman Cancer Center in Jacksonville, FL.
Dr. Beth Wee shares photos of the Midsommar celebration in Sweden. Dr. Wee spent part of the summer teaching in Stockholm, Sweden.
Spring 2022
Scholar Katy Perrault spent her Spring 2022 semester abroad in Ushuaia, Argentina. Read more about her semester abroad here.
Fall 2021
GCSP T-Shirts! Thanks to Camryn for working with her uncle to design and order the new GCSP T-shirts. Challenge Accepted!
Summer 2021
Summer Work in Pathology Lab
This summer, Camryn Vader, Class of 2023 Scholar, is studying small fiber peripheral neuropathy at a pathology lab in New York. Read more about Camryn’s interesting and complex work here. Great job Camryn!
Summer Zoom Meeting with the Scholars
Summer has the Scholars across the U.S. staying busy. Glad we were able to find an hour to catch up via Zoom meeting!
Spring 2021
New Scholar Camryn Vader Shares her Volunteer Experience
One of our new GCSP Class of 2023 Cohort members, Camryn Vader, shares her experiences as a Volunteer at University Medical Center’s Emergency Department in Downtown New Orleans.
New Class of 2023 Cohort and New Scholars to Join Class of 2022 Cohort
Meet the New Class of 2023 Cohort! We are excited to have new GCSP Scholars to join our Class of 2022 Cohort as well!
Fall 2020
GCSP Class of 2021 scholar Carly Harad shares her experience working at the New Orleans Veteran Affairs Medical Center summer and fall 2020:
Carly Harad’s work at the New Orleans VA
Fall 2019
Two of our GCSP scholars participated in Study Abroad Programs at University College in Dublin, Ireland this semester! Click the links below to learn about the enriching, unique experiences they had this fall:
Lydia Trautmann’s Study Abroad Trip to Ireland and More
Carly Harad’s Study Abroad Trip from Ireland to Morocco
Summer 2019
Summer 2019 National Lab Opportunities for GCSP Scholars
Part of the value for students of being a GCSP scholar is being able to apply for national lab programs and cite their experience with the GCSP in their applications. For your convenience, we have compiled some opportunities here, along with application deadlines:
Oak Ridge National Lab
Science Education and Workforce Development Virtual Career Fair on February 20 – Register online now for this February 20 program
Nuclear Engineering Science Laboratory Synthesis (NESLS) – Summer 2019 – deadline February 28
Higher Education Research Experiences – rolling basis
Artificial Intelligence Summer Institute (AISI) – deadline March 31
Argonne National Lab
Student Research Participation (SRP) Program – deadline March 1
Professional Career Internship Program (PCI) – deadline March 1
Los Alamos National Lab
Undergraduate Student Internship Program (UGS) – deadline March 29
National Renewable Energy Lab
Undergraduate Internships – May and rolling deadlines
New Grand Challenges are just around the corner!
The Water Science and Technology Board of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine is currently conducting a study to determine a list of Grand Challenges for Environmental Engineering and Science. They are currently soliciting suggestions on their website and expect to announce the list of challenges in early 2018. “The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) released a list of Grand Challenges in Engineering in 2008. The findings have inspired numerous educational initiatives at all levels, including the undergraduate NAE Grand Challenges Scholars Program aimed at creating engineers specially equipped to meet those goals. This new study will be informed by that work but will drill down more specifically into challenges related to the environment. The study is being done by the Division on Earth and Life Studies, which carries out the National Academies’ function of providing advice on national topics including atmospheric science, earth science, water science and technology, life science, environmental studies and toxicology, chemistry, and nuclear engineering. Using the National Academies’ rigorous study process, experts with wide ranging expertise will be convened to identify grand challenges for environmental engineering and science for the next several decades.” – National Academy of Sciences
July 2017
Check out the innovative finalist and winning student podcasts from the Global Grand Challenges Summit. More than 150 students took part in the Summit’s “How to Change the World” contest.