Brianna Lawton
AMES, Iowa — An Iowa State University student and two recent alumni have received Fulbright U.S. Student Program awards for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Brianna Lawton, doctoral student in civil, construction and environmental engineering from Columbia, Maryland, received a Fulbright U.S. Student Award for her studies in Ghana in the 2020-2021 academic year.
Lawton will conduct her Fulbright research on evaluating the impact that human behavior and transportation infrastructure can have on rural road traffic safety in Ghana. After conducting a similar study across the U.S., Lawton wanted to explore and better understand how geographical location and culture play a role in the approach of how to undergo analyzing rural road safety from a global lens.
Her Fulbright research will expand upon her experience at Iowa State, including as a graduate research assistant with the Institute for Transportation, studying transportation systems in Italy, serving as president of the ISU Transportation Student Association, bridging the gap between undergraduate and graduate students as the graduate liaison for the ISU Society of Women Engineers graduate chapter and more. She is also learning Asante Twi, a Ghanaian language, to help her engage with the local community while conducting research in Ghana.
Lawton is one of over 2,100 U.S. citizens who will study, conduct research and teach abroad for the 2020-2021 academic year through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program.
Recipients of Fulbright awards are selected in an open, merit-based competition that considers leadership potential, academic and/or professional achievement, and record of service. The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to forge lasting connections between the people of the United States and the people of other countries, counter misunderstandings, and help people and nations work together toward common goals.
The Fulbright U.S. Student Program is administered at Iowa State through the Nationally Competitive Awards office. Iowa State students and recent alumni interested in applying for the U.S. Student Fulbright Program can find more information at https://www.nationalawards.iastate.edu/fulbright. The campus deadline for the next round of applications is Sept. 14. In addition to this year's three winners from Iowa State, the university had four semi-finalists.
