The Office of Global Engagement and Education Abroad hosted the 12th Annual Student Conference on Global Challenges on February 28, 2019, with the theme of Creativity & Innovation. Over 600 students faculty, staff and community members attended the conference to discuss globally-themed challenges. The conference offers undergraduate and graduate students opportunities to share their research and engage in critical reflection and dialogue on how climate change and the environment is shaping our global context within the diverse disciplines of health, education, science, human rights, medicine, law, media, economics, politics, development, and history.
Executive Vice President and Provost M. Brian Blake and Vice Provost for Academic Programs and Strategic Initiatives Koren Bedeau opened the day with remarks on the importance of student research at both the undergraduate and graduate levels as a way Drexel students can work to address global challenges. They highlighted that the Conference provides students with an opportunity to share their research and academic expertise with others in a conference format.
Throughout the day, six interdisciplinary student panels featured research and projects from undergraduate and graduate students on topics related to Creativity & Innovations. Out of over 60 abstracts submitted, a committee selected 31 presentations. Presentations included subjects like refugee health care, advancements in green transportation and many more. For a full list of presenters and topics, click here.
The conference featured keynote speaker Cristobal Garcia Herrera, the founder of the Corporate and Industrial Acceleration Initiative at Imperial College London, a Professor of the Practice in Design and Innovation at the Pontificia Universidad Católica of Chile (PUC) and an External Faculty of Columbia's Center on Organizational Innovation.
The conference concluded with 26 poster presentations and an awards reception where one outstanding presentation from each panel was awarded the Presentation Award. The recognized students qualify for up to $500 in travel reimbursement to present their work at a domestic conference within the year.
Congratulations to our award recipients!
Gabrielle Brizzi | Dornsife School of Public Health
Privacy Please: Utilizing ttC as an Advocacy Tool for Improving Maternal and Child Health
Sharon Dei-Tumi | Dornsife School of Public Health
The Reusable Cloth Pad Project: Menstrual Hygiene Maintenance in Rural Lesotho
Veniece Penn and Rachel Meirson | Westphal College of Media Arts and Design
Developments in Interactive Television
Monica McGinnis, Nick Costantino, and Prachi Shah | LeBow College of Business
Cell Phones and Country’s Infrastructure in Relation to Business/Economic Advancements
Timilehin Adedokun | Dornsife School of Public Health
Holistic Views of Menstruation
Sheetal Bahirat | Center for Hospitality and Food Management
Potential of Avocado Seeds
Thank you to all our presenters and guests for making the conference a success. View panel details, information about the keynote speaker and photos of the event below. For information on next year’s conference, follow the Office of Global Engagement on Facebook and Twitter, and sign up for our quarterly newsletter.