Alumni Ambassadors

Steven Jones

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Steven Jones
Job title
Professor
Academic year
2018-2019
Discipline
Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering 
Project
Improving Transportation Safety in Namibia through Human-Centered Research and Education
Countries

Steven’s Fulbright posting was at the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST). He originally went to NUST to conduct research on the road safety epidemic plaguing Sub-Saharan Africa, which has been rather acute in Namibia for the past several years. Once he was settled into his host institution, he was able to reach out and interact with others in the country working on this issue ranging from the National Roads Authority to international development agencies and NGOs.  While abroad, he also took advantage of the Fulbright Regional Travel Program to travel to Ghana and share his Namibia experiences with colleagues there. He used his home base in Namibia, to connect with researchers in neighboring Botswana, South Africa, and another Fulbright Scholar posted in Zambia.    

Steven's work in Namibia quickly evolved beyond the road safety focus of his Fulbright application into researching more subtle ways in which transportation affects the lives of Namibians. For example, he led a study with non-engineering colleagues to examine how challenges of the urban transportation system in the capital city, Windhoek, are a major source of stress for NUST students and a barrier to them being able to fully engage in their university experience. So far, these collaborations have yielded six peer-reviewed articles (with five more in the works) and a chapter in a forthcoming book on transportation in Africa. He continues to stay engaged with his Namibian colleagues and actively advising NUST students. 

 

Ask Me About:

  • Being flexible and adaptive  
  • Developing and maintaining long-term collaborations 
  • Extending your Fulbright beyond your host country 
  • Sharing the Fulbright experience with your family