𝙸𝙲𝙴 𝚀𝚄𝙴𝙴𝙽 ❄👑

Nana Oye Djan ’19 first stepped into research by asking whether biology could help make gold mining less harmful in Ghana. As a Mechanical Engineering student at Ashesi, she joined the University’s first iGEM team in 2017. The experience took her beyond her discipline as she and her teammates learned biology, built equipment, and explored an engineered organism that could detect and measure gold in ore. Years later, her research is focused on another environmental question: how are inland surface waters across sub-Saharan Africa changing, and what role is climate change playing? Now a doctoral researcher at Carnegie Mellon University, Djan uses remote-sensing data to investigate these changes and help build evidence that can inform decisions around climate adaptation and mitigation. Read Djan's story: ashe.si/4zW5zUx

While studying at Ashesi, Benedict Quartey ’18 worked with Dr. Ayorkor Korsah to develop RollE, an affordable, modular autonomous vehicle that allowed students and researchers to experiment with self-driving technology without expensive equipment. The project introduced him to research and helped set him on a path toward doctoral studies. His work later expanded to speech technology for Ghanaian languages, including research resources that developers could use to build applications in Asante Twi, Akuapem Twi, Fante, and Ga. Today, Quartey’s doctoral research at Brown University explores how robots can combine learned skills to carry out unfamiliar tasks. He has also co-founded Primordiant, a company developing robots that can observe, propose explanations, and run experiments. Since building RollE at Ashesi, Quartey has continued to explore how technology can help people investigate problems and test ideas in new ways. Read Quartey's story: ashe.si/3Wazkm2 #atAshesi

#atAshesi, Micaiah Wiafe’17 discovered an interest in augmented reality after an introduction to 3D modeling opened up new possibilities for combining art and technology. Beyond the computer science classroom, he explored photography and helped create Ashesi’s first yearbook. These experiences helped shape his path into a career as a Snap Lens creator and extended reality technologist. Since graduating, he has continued to explore how technology can bring new perspectives to familiar places. One of his most rewarding projects is a video game based on the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park, designed to help students outside Accra experience Ghana’s cultural and historical heritage, even from a distance. Watch Wiafe’s story: ashe.si/4s6iIrg