Amma Agyekum, from Ghana, is completing a doctorate degree in civil engineering at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. To address resilience and equitable access in transportation infrastructure, she aims to develop a holistic, data-driven framework for maintenance planning and policy decisions. She employs data-driven approaches and community-focused measures to influence infrastructure prioritization and maintenance policies across rural and urban communities.

Amma practices an interdisciplinary approach to civil engineering by considering community impacts alongside technical design aspects. She hopes to influence policies and metrics that prioritize infrastructure in underserved regions to benefit people, especially women and children who often navigate complex travel patterns. In addition, she hopes to help collaborate and establish an open-source infrastructure data portal and environmental justice system in Ghana for easy identification of critical transport infrastructure for prioritization and maintenance.

Amma’s commitment to community service has driven her to lead STEM outreach initiatives in high schools across the Ashanti Region. She’s partnered with WiSTEM Ghana, Esperanza, and Fortified Generation Movement to equip orphanages with educational resources and mentor high-school girls. At the University of Massachusetts, Amma continues to guide undergraduates and introduce high schoolers to engineering concepts. She hopes to continue to mentor young people to pursue careers in STEM.

“My goal is to contribute to transformative policy decisions and frameworks for resilient and equitable transportation infrastructure.”