ALTOONA, Pa. — Penn State faculty member Kofi Adu has received a U.S. Fulbright Scholar award for STEM research and education in the department of physics at the University for Development Studies (UDS) in the Northern Region of Ghana beginning this fall.
Adu is a professor of physics at Penn State Altoona and a graduate faculty member in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Penn State University Park. This marks Adu’s second Fulbright appointment, following his successful 2018 work at the University of Cape Coast in Ghana.
Adu will collaborate with faculty at UDS and the University of Edinburgh in Scotland on two major initiatives: collaborative research in nanoscience and the development of innovative virtual physics labs for resource-limited secondary schools, colleges and universities.
The virtual lab system aims to employ solar-powered, standalone Wi-Fi devices that store educational content locally, enabling students and teachers within Wi-Fi range to access interactive lab activities without requiring an internet connection. This approach is designed to address the educational challenges faced by underserved communities and has the potential to be scaled across northern Ghana and sub-Saharan Africa.
The project is expected to improve student learning in physics, enhance teachers' instructional capacity, increase digital literacy in rural communities and encourage the adoption of innovative educational technologies by schools, universities and ministries of education. Adu expressed hope that the initiative will help narrow the urban-rural STEM education gap while providing a sustainable and scalable model for improving science education across the region.
"I am excited to be part of a team developing solutions that have the potential to make a lasting impact on STEM education across sub-Saharan Africa," Adu said. "I hope this experience will broaden my perspectives on curriculum development, innovative teaching methods and program design while strengthening long-term research and educational collaborations between UDS, Penn State Altoona and University of Edinburgh."
The Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program is the U.S. government's flagship international educational exchange program. Through the program, Penn State faculty members, staff and administrators have opportunities to conduct advanced research, teach or do both, as well as attend seminars abroad. The program also affords recipients the opportunity to interact with and make an impact on their host communities during their Fulbright tenure.
Adu's award reflects both his longstanding commitment to advancing physics education and research and Penn State Altoona's dedication to international partnerships that create meaningful educational and societal impact.
Penn State Altoona faculty who have previously received Fulbright awards include the following:
- Steve Bonta, instructor in Spanish (Sri Lanka, 2015)
- Mark Agee, professor of economics (Greece, 2012)
- Barbara Hong, associate professor of special education (Qatar, 2011)
- Roselyn Costantino, professor of Spanish and women’s studies (Guatemala, 2011)
- Sandra Harbert Petrulionis, distinguished professor of English and American studies (Germany, 2010)
- Peter Shull, associate professor of engineering (Argentina, 2006)
- David Esposito, professor of history (Indonesia, 1996)