2024 Collaborative Network for Engineering & Computing Diversity (CoNECD)

The A. James Clark Scholars Program at Penn State leverages signature strengths of the College of Engineering to serve the needs of talented engineering students with significant financial need. The Clark Scholars Program builds upon four thematic pillars: business and entrepreneurship, leadership, social equity and global citizenship, and community engagement.

As part of their co-curricular opportunities, Scholars engage in a cohort-based global experience that fosters positive academic outcomes while the students develop confidence, deepen peer networks, and become open to new possibilities. Traditionally, Scholars travel to Peru for 4 weeks after the conclusion of their first year. However, due to political unrest in Peru, we developed a new internationalization at home model, providing the Scholars with a one-week culture and social inclusion engagement here in State College, PA. Scholars discussed topics surrounding the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, the National Academy of Engineering Challenges, and sustainability and technology from ancient civilizations from Peru, as well as current social aspects from the United States and Peru. They connected virtually with students from Universidad Nacional de Ingenieria (UNI) in Peru to discuss ancient technology from the Incas and pre-Incas, as well as social issues from Peru and the United States. The students from UNI and Penn State engaged in very meaningful and intellectual discussion surrounding these topics, increasing their understanding of how The Incas, who were amazing engineers, used environmentally friendly technologies for agriculture and cooking. Scholars also traveled to Washington, D.C. to visit the Dumbarton Oaks Museum, learning more about Andean holdings, ancient metalwork and mining, as well as sacred history. To conclude the experience, Scholars participated in a traditional pachamanca and huatias cooking at a local bakery.

The goal of this program was to develop an internationalization at home program where Scholars would learn to think globally, engage in problem solving related to environmentally friendly solutions to climate change, and continue to strengthen their global competency. At the end of the experience, Scholars completed a global competency aptitude assessment measuring four dimensions of external readiness including collaboration across cultures, global awareness, historical perspective, and intercultural capability, as well as four dimensions of internal readiness including risk taking, attentiveness to diversity, open mindedness, and self-awareness. This assessment along with a program assessment will be utilized to compare outcomes for students having participated in the traditional 4-week study abroad program vs. those having participated in the 1-week internationalization at home program.