The program can be carried out by IMT students through the set of curricular, co-curricular and extra-curricular activities, which will be selected jointly by the students admitted to the program and their Mentors. The program will involve the determination of Elective disciplines / Minors, social activities, SPAs, research and capstone projects related to the chosen theme, directly or indirectly.

Appart from the student's personal time dedicated to social activities adjusted as parte of the set of requirements, additional hours for disciplines, SPAs, etc. are not anticipated, so that there will be no significant additional workload to the student, only the alignment and coordination between what is offered, to maximize the chances for developing the required skills.

Students enrolling in the GCSP-IMT Program must choose a project of personal interest from the IMT's Grand Challenges list (see file below).

The theme of the selected Challenge will be the continuity and coordination theme to the students' Program from beginning to end, helping them not only by developing of the technical-creative and multidisciplinary competencies but all five required competencies and increasing the chances to exercise the competencies in reapplying what is learned during the process.

In the files below the student will find the list of the IMT Grand Challenges, which is updated periodically, and which also lists the professors of the Institution who are willing to provide mentoring under each Challenge topic.

The choice of the Challenge indicates which professors are available to set up the Program and mentor the student throughout the Program.

Should the student choose to research which Challenges are mentored by each professor, a second cross-reference table is provided for that matter.

The mentors chosen by the students may be from several Courses and may or may not be the principal researchers for each IMT Challenge. The only restriction is that the name of the chosen mentor is associated with the Challenge in the table. If in doubt, consult your Course Coordinator or contact a member of the GCSP-IMT Committee.

• What is the NAE?

  Founded in 1964, the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) is a private, independent, nonprofit institution that provides engineering leadership in service to the nation.

• What are the Grand Challenges (GCs) envisioned by the NAE?

  The NAE long term vision on the Grand Challenges for Engineering was expressed in 2008 as what engineers must deliver throughout the XXI Century, to all people, in order to ensure continuation of life on the Planet. The vision is based on following 14 goals, grouped in 4 main thematic areas:

• Sustainability Grand Challenge Theme:(i) Make Solar Energy economical; (ii) Provide Energy from fusion; (iii) Develop carbon sequestration methods; (iv) Manage the nitrogen cycle; (v) Provide Access to Clean Water;

• Health Grand Challenge Theme:(vi) Advance health informatics; (vii) Engineer Better Medicines;

• Security Grand Challenge Theme:(viii) Prevent Nuclear Terror; (ix) Secure cyberspace; (x) Restore and improve urban infrastructure;

Joy of Living Grand Challenge Theme: (xi) Reverse-Engineer the brain; (xii) Enhance virtual reality; (xiii) Advance personalized learning; (xiv) Engineer the tools of scientific discovery.

These challenges are also aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) established by the United Nations (UN) in 2000.



• What are the GCSP?

  It is the talent-forming component of the NAE GC program. Its objective is to encourage educational institutions from all over the world to develop activities, projects and complementary studies aiming to train their students through the acquisition of skills that can be used for the benefit of society and the common good all over the planet. The ultimate aim is that future engineers, designers and administrators trained under this program are able to face GCs during their professional lives, making our world more sustainable, safe, healthy and happy.

  Each institution (university, college or school) define strategies independently, creating a portfolio of options for continuity projects and related actions, in which students can get involved, throughout the course, gradually forming a repertoire based on in the following competencies:

  - Technical-Creative Competency

  - Multidisciplinary Competency

  - Viable business / Entrepreneurship Competency

  - Multicultural Empathy Competency

  - Social Consciousness Competency

• How to Join the GCSP?

  In order to participate in the program, the student needs to pass a selection and recruitment process, since the number of places is limited. Students from Engineering, Design and Administration courses may be admitted, preferably in the second year.

  Details about that recruitment process can be seen in the Students Selection Process Guide available in section 5 of the Open LMS.

• I was admitted to the program. What should I do now?

  The first step is to define a mentor to guide the student so that he / she can complete all the activities necessary to successfully complete the program, preferably having knowledge in one of the areas of activity defined as a priority in the preparation of the work proposal.

  The mentor will guide the student in several aspects, including:

  - definition of an individual and balanced program for each approved student based on a list of activities pre-selected by the student and the emphasis necessary for the student to acquire the desired skills; the "menu" of activity options available for the program is shown in Appendix I (see Manual). In this respect, it is important to observe the continuity and thematic connectivity of each activity; the various themes available for continuity and connectivity are addressed in Appendix II (see Manual). More details about that GCSP themes can be seen in section 4 of the Open LMS.

  - providing continuous feedback on the fulfillment of activities throughout the program and on its performance;

  - guide the student to deliver the reports within the established deadlines and manage to carry out their self-assessment.

• How is the mentor defined? Can I choose it?

  The mentor is defined by the course coordinator in order to guide students to develop activities related to one or more GCSP themes. The course coordinator can assist in the appointment of mentors and their respective areas of expertise.

  The GCSP committee (Appendix III of the Manual) will also be able to guide the student and assist him in this definition.

  It is important that the appointed mentor can effectively contribute to directing the student throughout the performance of all activities that are part of the program and aligned with the theme chosen by the student on your admission.

• What benefits does the student have when participating in the program?

  The participant will receive a certificate that is internationally recognized which will certainly contribute to the enhancement of their curriculum and eventually to create professional opportunities.

  All students awarded with GCSP-IMT status will be listed on the IMT program page and will automatically join a community of GCSP-IMT Scholar alumni and, hopefully, a worldwide NAE GCSP Scholar community, where they will be able to share your career ideas and achievements with alumni, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), industry partners and prospective students and employers.

  Also, during the traditional annual graduation ceremony on campus, IMT will praise students who have successfully graduated as members of the GCSP-IMT program with special honors and a mention in the official IMT transcript.

• How will be the student assessed?

  The performance evaluation will be carried out by:

  - semiannual report to be delivered by the student;

  - filling out a self-assessment form (rubrics) which will allow you to check if the student is acquiring the desirable skills for GCSP;

  - fulfillment of the activities proposed by the mentor throughout the course according to pre-established planning at the beginning of the activities.

• What benefits does the student have when participating in the program?

  The participant will receive a certificate that is internationally recognized which will certainly contribute to the enhancement of their curriculum and eventually to create professional opportunities.

  All students awarded with GCSP-IMT status will be listed on the IMT program page and will automatically join a community of GCSP-IMT Scholar alumni and, hopefully, a worldwide NAE GCSP Scholar community, where they will be able to share your career ideas and achievements with alumni, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), industry partners and prospective students and employers.

  Also, during the traditional annual graduation ceremony on campus, IMT will praise students who have successfully graduated as members of the GCSP-IMT program with special honors and a mention in the official IMT transcript.