Purdue Team Awarded $395K NSF Grant to Integrate Cultural Intelligence and Humanity-Centered Design in Engineering

A Purdue University research team co-led by Dr. Aletha Stahl (CLA, SLC) has had a $395,300 grant funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) for the project “Integrating Cultural Intelligence and Humanity-Centered Design in Engineering Technology.”

The project is led by Principal Investigator Aparajita Jaiswal, with Co-Principal Investigator Aletha Stahl (School of Languages and Cultures, College of Liberal Arts) and Senior Personnel Margaret Phillips. Stahl will support the design, delivery, and research activities as part of the initiative.

The team will create new educational modules to enhance the cultural intelligence of engineering and technology students while fostering a humanity-centered design lens. By embedding these principles into technical training, the project seeks to prepare graduates to develop engineering solutions that are innovative, sustainable, and socially responsible.

“This proposal focuses on improving the design skills of engineering and technology graduates to develop robust and long-term engineering solutions in interdisciplinary and multi-objective scenarios through humanity-centered design principles,” explained Gaurav Nanda, a contributor to the project. He noted that the idea was first conceptualized two years ago, refined last year, submitted in January 2025, and accepted in August.

The award underscores the College of Liberal Arts’ leadership in interdisciplinary collaboration, demonstrating how humanities-based insights can enrich engineering education and broaden the impact of STEM learning.

Learn more about the award through the NSF Public Abstract