Kelli Delfosse, director of professional development for the College of Engineering, has been invited to serve on the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) Grand Challenges Scholars Program Steering Committee by the newly appointed Director of the NAE Grand Challenges Scholars Program Network, Dr. B.L. Ramakrishna, Washington DC. 

The nine-person committee reviews and provides feedback for new program proposals and mentor institutions looking to start an Engineering Grand Challenges Scholars Program. The committee also helps promote the annual Grand Challenges Meeting and Global Summit and enhance the program's overall visibility.

The University of Iowa became the seventh institution in the country to have an approved Grand Challenges Scholars Program in 2011 and since then that list of institutions has grown to over 40. The Grand Challenges Scholars Program is poised to expand significantly in the next few years.