Student Events

Grand Challenge Competition

The Judy Genshaft Honors College Grand Challenge Competition is an opportunity for students to reflect on the experiences of people with disabilities to generate real-world solutions to barriers faced by people with disabilities.
 
Since 2019, the Grand Challenge has been generously sponsored by the Richard and Jule Salem Scholars’ Fund for Disability. Each year, winners of the Grand Challenge Competition are named Salem Scholars, honored at the USF Undergraduate Research Awards banquet, and receive funding to present their project at a national research conference.

How do I Compete in the Grand Challenge? 

Disabilities can take many forms. They can be physical or cognitive, permanent or temporary, congenital or acquired, and visible or invisible. Grand Challenge competitors are encouraged to broaden their knowledge on the many different ways disability can manifest, especially for university students.

Any Honors student may submit a poster presentation for the Grand Challenge as an individual or pair. Your submission may be entirely original, or it may build on something you have worked on for an Honors class. Faculty guidance is recommended.  

Conducting Your Research

  1. Explore different disabilities and decide your focus.
  2. Gather information about the human experience of that disability, focusing on the university environment. You may draw from non-academic sources such as social media posts, vlogs, etc. from disabled creators.  
  3. Identify a specific barrier facing people with that disability at USF.
  4. Develop a creative solution that will be effective and resource-conscious.  
  5. Research the 17 UNSDGs and determine which goal(s) your solution facilitates. 
    Write a cohesive research narrative. 
  6. Synthesize this information into a cohesive research narrative.

Presenting Via Video

  • Create a well-organized, visually compelling research poster based on your research.
  • Record a 5-10 minute voiceover presentation of your poster. Please watch a demonstration of the recording process in Microsoft Teams.
    • Practice presenting your poster clearly and concisely before recording.
    • Open a Microsoft Teams meeting with yourself (and a partner, if applicable)
    • Click the “Share my Screen” button in the upper right corner to display the poster. Make sure the poster size fills the screen and is legible.
    • Navigate to the “Start Recording” button in the upper right panel. Wait a few seconds before speaking to make sure recording has started.
    • Present (camera is not required).
    • After you are satisfied with your presentation, click “Stop Recording.” Your recording will automatically save to your Microsoft Teams files.
    • Go to Microsoft Teams files, find the recording, and edit if necessary.
    • Generate the sharing link for your video by clicking on the three dots to the right of the meeting recording name. Make sure the access is set to “Anyone.”
    • Copy and paste the share link into the 2026 Grand Challenge Competition Entry Microsoft Form when you are ready to submit. 

Submitting Your Presentation

When the 2026 Grand Challenge Competition opens, competitors will submit using the application on this webpage. Grand Challenge projects are reviewed and scored by Honors faculty and staff using this rubric. After the review period, all competitors will be notified of their submission status via email.  

What do I earn if I win the grand Challenge?

The winner(s) of the 2026 Grand Challenge Competition will receive funding and mentorship to present their submission at a national research conference. Grand Challenge winners also receive the distinction of “Salem Scholar” and are honored at the annual USF Undergraduate Research Awards banquet in the spring semester.  
  
There are many different national conferences where students can present their Grand Challenge projects. Below are a few options, but Grand Challenge reviewers are available to assist competitors in determining other suitable conferences.

Regardless of the competition outcome, all competitors should consider presenting at these conferences:

Questions?

Please reach out to Dr. Ulluminair Salim or graduate assistant Bethany Jowers with any questions.

Additional Resources

Judy Genshaft Honors College Grand Challenge Winners

2024

  • Claire Kooy, Alvin Varghese

2023 

  • Reaghan Ard, Kiley Barton, Maria Lares, Adreeja Mukherjee 

2022

  • Anna Alieva, Wynter Dean, Kinsley McMillian, Ashley Safransky

2020

  • Caitlyn Coleman, Brianna Detamore, Kallen Hager, Dan Nguyen, Nam Nguyen 

2019

  • Anna Carter, Molly Jones, Caleb Krassner