Solving Global Challenges (SGC)

Session Snapshot:

Solving Global Challenges (SGC) is designed to equip students with innovative and cross-disciplinary strategies to address the most pressing global issues of the 21st century. Guided by the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals, the program covers a broad range of critical topics, including global health, gender equality, poverty alleviation, to environmental sustainability. SGC provides students with the tools to translate technical knowledge into effective solutions. By integrating diverse academic disciplines—from STEM and social sciences to the humanities and arts—students develop and refine their skills in critical analysis, problem-solving, and creativity as they work towards sustainable solutions to the complex issues that will shape our future.

Sample Lecture Offerings:

  • The Emergency is Tonight: Reframing Research and Healthcare for Unhoused Emergency Department Patients: Caitlin Ryus
  • How Forests Shape Climate and Climate Change is Shaping Forests: Liza Comita
  • New Technologies for a Greener Planet: Dan Prober

Sample Seminar Offerings:

  • How and Why Artificial Intelligence Can Amplify Prejudice and Bias
  • Emerging Diseases and the Climate Crisis: A Looming Global Threat
  • #retailtherapy: Social Media, Marketing, Consumerism in 2024
  • Rewriting the Script: The Impact of Queer Representation in Popular Culture
  • Who is the World Built For? How Architecture Perpetuates Inequality
  • The Playbook on Challenging Authority

Is SGC a Good Fit for Me?

If you are intrigued by any of the following questions, then this session is a great choice:

  • How and why is systemic thinking important when creating solutions to the issues we face today? How can we use it to avoid the ‘good intention, terrible execution’ trap?
  • How can we design sustainable cities that’s equitable for everyone?
  • What are the most effective poverty alleviation strategies and how do we implement them?
  • Should artificial intelligence be used to solve human problems? What makes human intelligence different from artificial intelligence?
  • How do we balance environmental protections with economic development?