The Grand Challenges
Humankind has witnessed incredible advances in the last century. Just over a hundred years ago, we flew for the first time in a motorized airplane. Sixty years after that, we put man on the moon. Now we have robot rovers roaming the surface of Mars. Our smart phones are more sophisticated than filmmakers could imagine when they created science fiction movies just a few years ago. Breakthroughs in science, medicine, engineering, and technology truly push the boundaries of what’s possible.
Despite these advances, we are still struggling in maintaining basic needs. In a little over 150 years, the earth’s population has grown from 1 billion to almost 7 billion people, all of whom have needs that our planet can’t keep pace with. Disease, natural disasters, lack of natural resources, war, and threats of terrorism all present major barriers to our human advancements. These things are called our Grand Challenges.
On one hand, our advances are giving us comforts that we couldn’t have imagined just a few decades before. But on the other hand . . . we are struggling to survive as a species.
Our spirit of innovation that has improved our lives so much is now being called upon to help us do the most basic thing: sustain life.
Ultimately, we face more challenges in the 21st Century than all of humankind has faced in the history of our existence. From toxic water to nuclear destruction, from viral epidemics to crippling illiteracy, these grand challenges threaten the continuation of our civilization. The National Academy of Engineering has identified fifteen Grand Challenges.
To sustain our civilization and maintain the health and lifestyles of our citizens, we have a lot of work to do. Your generation did not create these problems, but you will be instrumental in solving them. As e-venturers, you will get an big head start on your peers in taking apart a grand challenge and seeking solutions.
Social E-Venture 101 will look at five Grand Challenges. As an E-venturer, you will choose one to fix! Remember, this is a crash course in saving the world!
Here are our 5 Grand Challenges.
On one hand, our advances are giving us comforts that we couldn’t have imagined just a few decades before. But on the other hand . . . we are struggling to survive as a species.
Our spirit of innovation that has improved our lives so much is now being called upon to help us do the most basic thing: sustain life.
Ultimately, we face more challenges in the 21st Century than all of humankind has faced in the history of our existence. From toxic water to nuclear destruction, from viral epidemics to crippling illiteracy, these grand challenges threaten the continuation of our civilization. The National Academy of Engineering has identified fifteen Grand Challenges.
To sustain our civilization and maintain the health and lifestyles of our citizens, we have a lot of work to do. Your generation did not create these problems, but you will be instrumental in solving them. As e-venturers, you will get an big head start on your peers in taking apart a grand challenge and seeking solutions.
Social E-Venture 101 will look at five Grand Challenges. As an E-venturer, you will choose one to fix! Remember, this is a crash course in saving the world!
Here are our 5 Grand Challenges.
Access to Clean Water
3.5 million people die each year from water-related disease. How can we turn the tide when less than 1% of the world's fresh water is readily available for use? Join this group to find a solution.
Learn more about the Clean Water E-venture here.
Hash tag: #e-vwater
Learn more about the Clean Water E-venture here.
Hash tag: #e-vwater
Energy
In your lifetime there will be a major transformation in global energy. We will be forced to look for alternative forms of energy. We will also have to create more efficient ways to create and store energy.
Learn more about the Energy E-venture here.
Hash tag: #e-venergy
Learn more about the Energy E-venture here.
Hash tag: #e-venergy
Disaster Relief
In that last few years, the world has been rocked by tsunamis, earthquakes, flooding, drought, wildfires, and even radiation exposure from nuclear accidents. In the United States alone, over 50 billions dollars a year is spent on disaster relief and recovery . . . that's a billion dollars a week! With rising populations and larger urban centers, disasters, both natural and man-made, are having a greater impact than ever.
Learn more about the Disaster Relief E-venture here.
Hash tag: #e-vrelief
Learn more about the Disaster Relief E-venture here.
Hash tag: #e-vrelief
Education
How do we make education more personalized? Some students need more visual cues and others need more audio experiences. Some students need 22 weeks to master a geometry course, others just need 12 weeks. How do accommodate all learning styles and learning rates? A college graduate will earn twice as much in a year as someone with only a high school diploma, but the costs of college are soaring. How do we make education more affordable and accessible?
Learn more about the Education E-venture here.
Hash tag: #e-vedu
Learn more about the Education E-venture here.
Hash tag: #e-vedu
Healthcare
Access to affordable healthcare is a major crisis in the U.S. Its difficult to turn on the news and not see a story on the impending healthcare crisis, and there are many differing opinions on how to fix things. So are, we don't have a fix. In other parts of the world, the health crisis can stem from lack of sterilized needles to lack of refrigeration in which to keep vaccines. What can be done so that people across the world can live a long, healthy life with dignity? The answers are out there.
Learn more about the Healthcare E-venture here.
Hash tag: #e-vhealth
Learn more about the Healthcare E-venture here.
Hash tag: #e-vhealth