Kenya Traffic, Semiconductor and HIV/AIDS Research Receive Grants

James Habyarimana

March 13, 2012 – Georgetown professors James Habyarimana and Billy Jack received a $291,254 grant from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) for their research on traffic road safety in Kenya.

Habyarimana, a Georgetown Public Policy Institute associate professor, and Jack, an associate professor of economics, worked on a study that placed stickers on minibuses or matatus – the primary mode of public transport in Kenya and a frequent cause of road accidents. The stickers encouraged passengers to complain when they think minibus drivers are driving dangerously.

The pilot campaign resulted in insurance claims falling by 50 percent and claims involving injury or death dropping by two-thirds.

The grant will allow the professors to continue research into the next stages of the project. Habyarimana and Jack plan to work with a local cell phone company, an insurance company, a broadcast media company and a local nongovernmental organization to expand the campaign. 

For more information about the project, read Georgetown Professors Hope to Reduce Kenya Traffic Accidents.

Sarah Stoll
• The National Science Foundation has awarded chemistry professor Sarah Stoll with a $375,000 grant over the next three years to research electron “doping” in magnetic semiconductors. Stoll will explore what happens when electrons are intentionally introduced into extremely pure semiconductors for the purpose of modulating their electrical properties, also known as “doping.” Her ongoing research examines the synthesis and characterization of magnetic semiconductors and nanoparticles.

Z. Jennifer Huang
• Epidemiologist Z. Jennifer Huang, associate professor of international health, has received a $50,000 grant through the District of Columbia Developmental Center for AIDS Research (DC D-CFAR) to support her research on methamphetamine use among middle-aged commercial sex workers and their clients in Shanghai. Martin Iguchi, dean for the School of Nursing & Health Studies, serves as co-investigator for the grant.