In PAF 315: Cross-Sector Collaboration, I examined how public, private, and nonprofit sectors collaborate, in this instance, to support national defense and security. Through high-level case analysis of contemporary conflicts, I evaluated how cross-sector alignment supports national security outcomes. The course explores cross-sector motivations and constraints with respect to organizational structure, environment, and legal contexts. It explores effective cross-sector collaboration strategies. 

One of the most significant skills I developed in this course was understanding how systems thinking applies to social issues, including the dialogue, mentality shifts, and cross-sector collaboration needed to design meaningful change. Much of our coursework and project implicitly centers on social change through government and civic institutions. While valuable, I also found myself wondering how these same principles could translate into the private sector, especially within industries related to foreign relations and defense, which is where I hope to build my career. I now see more clearly how systems thinking, diplomacy, and cross-sector collaboration are relevant in defense work, particularly as private companies increasingly intersect with national security priorities.

This experience advances the GCSP "Joy of Living" theme by demonstrating how cross-sector collaboration between the public, private, non-profit, and military sectors supports those who serve and enables communities to live under the safeguards of national security. 

In FSE 150: Perspectives on Grand Challenges for Engineering, I explored the Joy of Living theme, examining how engineering solutions can enhance education and entertainment systems. In Fall 2022, my team designed a mobile learning device equipped with adaptive AI to personalize curriculum delivery, considering cost, accessibility, and long-term effects of virtual learning environments.

I served as the engineering manager for the project, bridging communication between the Arizona and Australian-based teams. Learning occurred in stakeholder analysis, customer research, research of enabling technologies, and societal challenges. 

Over the course, I reflected on each of the Grand Challenge themes, recording and reflecting on my interests, learning, and each theme we experienced. For the Joy of Living experience, my team designed an ideal learning environment catered to students of multiple learning styles. However, when designing this classroom, it was brought to our attention that this idea may not be the most feasible due to the technology involved, especially for developing countries. Across all four themes we experienced, engineering solutions require gathering additional input, considering outside factors, and thinking about both the long and short-term implications of the solution. Secondary factors that may not initially pertain to determining the design's success should be considered when designing ideal solutions.

Exercising the idea of considering secondary factors, such as societal challenges, factors, and impacts, was exemplified when conducting my team's GCSP project. We proposed a mobile learning device that included quick-adapting AI to detect the user's learning patterns and develop a curriculum specific to them. This new technology would alleviate the stress of learning at home and virtually. Nevertheless, we had to consider societal challenges, such as the cost of the device, who could afford it, how it should properly be used, and if it would continue to distance students in an online learning environment. Additionally, working with Australian students on this project was a difficult challenge in communication and teamwork. In short, the team produced an excellent poster presentation, along with articulating the societal considerations of this mobile learning device.

The course provided a foundational framework for integrating engineering principles with societal impact. Connecting industry-relevant and ASU research, I learned how technical research can enhance safety, longevity, and user experience. The experience established the intellectual groundwork for aligning career interests with the broader goal of advancing quality of life.