Academics

Obonyo serving as science adviser with Jefferson Science Fellowship Program

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Esther Obonyo, associate professor of engineering design and architectural engineering at Penn State, is currently serving as a fellow with the Jefferson Science Fellowship Program in Washington, D.C.

Announced by the Secretary of State on Oct. 8, 2003, the program establishes a model for engaging scholars with business professionals and government officials. Fellowships are administered by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and are supported through a partnership between the U.S. academic community, professional scientific societies, the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

As a fellow, Obonyo works with others from the science, technology, engineering and medical academic communities to formulate and implement policy.

“I am a researcher. My background, my training and my current appointment as a professor makes me a science person. My thinking and recommendation are based on facts,” Obonyo said. “My role is to bring that expertise into the government where there are different types of stakeholders — you have decision-makers; you have policy-implementers. I’m coming in as a scientist to be a voice of thoughtful critique.”

As part of the U.S. Global Development Lab — an initiative of President Barack Obama — Obonyo serves as a senior science adviser on the Research Partnerships for Development Team under the Center for Data, Analysis, and Research on issues related to improving the generation and use of scientific research to address development challenges.

“The intent was to bring in people who were from an academia background and get them to work together with decision-makers, policy-implementers and the fellowship scientists,” she said.

Fellowships are available to tenured or similarly ranked faculty from U.S. colleges and universities who are U.S. citizens. The process of becoming a fellow begins with self-nominations or university nominations.

Obonyo was nominated by her previous university, the University of Florida, for the fellowship. Upon joining Penn State, Obonyo’s nomination continued.

After completing her one-year fellowship, Obonyo will return to her teaching and research duties at Penn State. This academic background has helped to provide her team with unique insights and perspectives.

“Because my team is a research partnership team that works with universities, there are some lessons and experiences I can bring because of my university background. I also work a lot in developing countries, so I’m able to reflect a lot on my experiences and bring that into the activities we are doing here,” Obonyo said.

Obonyo’s experience as a Jefferson Fellow will help to broaden her scope, enhance her definition of what cross-disciplinary work involves, and better her understanding of the demand for government research and partnership, especially as it relates to female engineers. This understanding is something she is eager to bring back to Penn State in August.

“For me, one of the many nice things is the invested efforts in diversity and inclusion. Being exposed to people from different backgrounds and learning lessons have resulted in knowledge that will help to create an attractive environment for a number of female engineers with Ph.D.s,” she said.

Last Updated March 2, 2016

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