July 25, 2018
UW Grand Challenges Impact Lab successfully launches in India
An interdisciplinary group of 17 University of Washington students spent Winter Quarter 2018 in India as part of a new study abroad program that empowered them to tackle grand challenges such as security, clean water and climate change.
During the Grand Challenges Impact Lab program, students learned to become problem-solvers by practicing design thinking, an iterative process that entails listening to people articulate challenges, defining problems, proposing solutions, creating prototypes and testing designs. The students also took field trips to learn about pressing issues in society.
The last six weeks of the quarter focused on working with local organizations to address specific problems by designing a solution to meet the population’s needs.