GT's Akofio-Sowah, Amoaning-Yankson, and Shaw Selected as Scholarship Recipients

NCTSPM is proud to announce the recent accomplishments of three extraordinary Georgia Tech graduate students in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Margaret-Avis Akofio-Sowah, Stephanie Amoaning-Yankson, and Atiyya Shaw were recently selected to receive the 2014 WTS Leadership Legacy Scholarship for Graduates, the International Road Federation's Executive Fellowship, and the 2014 WTS Helene M. Overly Memorial Scholarship, respectively.

From left to right: Margaret-Avis Akofio-Sowah, Stephanie Amoaning-Yankson, and Atiyya Shaw

Margaret-Avis received the 2014 WTS Leadership Legacy Scholarship for Graduates. Each year, the Leadership Legacy Scholarship provides an award to a young woman pursuing a career in transportation. Eligible candidates are pursuing graduate degrees in transportation or a related field and demonstrate leadership skills and an active commitment to community service. For this year’s award, focus was on women who demonstrate leadership in bringing ideas, innovation, and new approaches to transportation challenges in the U.S. and beyond. It includes candidates who have a specific interest in addressing the impact of transportation on sustainability, land use, environmental impact, security, and quality of life issues affecting communities around the globe. 

She is a third-year PhD student in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Georgia Tech. She earned her B.S. in Engineering Science with a concentration in Civil Engineering from Smith College and then received a master’s degree in Civil Engineering from Georgia Tech. Her research focuses on transportation infrastructure (asset) management with an emphasis on effective ways of implementing asset management programs.

Stephanie received the 2015 International Road Federation Executive Fellowship. The IRF Fellowship Program provides a one-time graduate level scholarship to young professionals from developing countries who have strong academic backgrounds, professional qualifications, leadership potential, and a commitment to return to their respective home countries after graduation. Recipients of the Executive Fellowship must also be nominated by a member university professor.

Originally from Ghana, Stephanie graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana. She then participated in the Ghana National Service Scheme where she worked for a year as a volunteer teaching assistant for the Transportation Engineering course at KNUST. In the fall of 2012, Stephanie came to Atlanta to pursue graduate studies at Georgia Tech focusing her research on incorporating resiliency considerations in transportation system management. Stephanie currently serves as the President of the American Society of Highway Engineers (ASHE) at Georgia Tech, as well as, the treasurer of the Women's Transportation Seminar.

Atiyya received the 2014 WTS Helene M. Overly Memorial Scholarship, which was established in 1981 by the Women's Transportation Seminar (WTS) to encourage women to pursue career paths in transportation. The scholarship is awarded to women pursuing graduate studies in transportation or a related field. The scholarships are competitive and based on the applicant's specific transportation involvement and goals, job skills and academic record.

Atiyya Shaw is a first year graduate student in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Georgia Tech. She received her B.Sc. in Civil Engineering from Georgia Tech in May 2014. Her current research is focused on modeling the visual search patterns of drivers in complex roadway environments to create a roadway design guidance model that can be used to inform roadside design. Atiyya's research interests are currently in the areas of safety and human factors engineering, transportation systems planning and design, and computational modeling of visual attention. Broadly, her goal is to improve the overall safety and stability of transportation systems and infrastructure through interdisciplinary approaches to safety research.

NCTSPM congratulates these students on their outstanding achievements.