Margaret-Avis Akofio-Sowah is a graduate student in transportation systems engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. From the West African city of Accra, Ghana, she enrolled in, and 
recently graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering Science from Smith College in Northampton, MA.
Generally, Margaret’s interest in the transportation field stems from a desire to understand the flaws of the transportation system in her home city of Accra and in other developing countries. While pursuing an undergraduate degree, she worked with the University of Massachusetts Transportation Center in Amherst, MA where she gained most of her experience in the field of transportation engineering, working on safety belt usage and commercial motor vehicles. In 2009, she designed a self-directed research venture to evaluate the use of traffic simulation models (specifically the Highway Capacity Software & Synchro) to represent congested intersections in Accra, a project which further amplified her concern with developing countries and their transportation systems.
Choosing to pursue a graduate degree was a decision that came early in the process for Margaret. Although her undergraduate liberal arts education allowed her the benefit of breadth as well as depth in engineering, she felt the need to spend more time exploring transportation engineering especially through research. At Georgia Tech, she found herself attracted to the diverse group of transportation faculty and their broad range of research interests and topics. As a member of the Infrastructure Research Group (IRG), Margaret’s work at Georgia Tech, currently, is exploring the concept of transportation asset management specifically in relation to ancillary transportation assets. This involves the development of a synthesis of current practices in this area and a framework to prioritize the inclusion of such assets in general transportation asset management systems. In addition to this project, Margaret’s research interests include sustainable transportation systems, traffic engineering and transportation planning and the application of best practices from these areas to the context of developing countries. The structure of the Transportation Systems Engineering program at the Georgia Institute of Technology affords the opportunity to explore these areas (and more) through coursework, seminars and research.
Outside the classroom, Margaret is a member of various student organizations on the Georgia Tech campus that continually contribute to her professional development. In particular, the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE), Black Graduate Students’ Association (BGSA) and the Women’s Transportation Seminar (WTS) all provide opportunities for social development, in addition to intellectual and cultural support. In her spare time, Margaret enjoys dancing and playing or watching basketball.
