When Dean Nieusma applied to universities around the country, he never thought that Sri Lanka would become a milestone in his college career. With a social science and an engineering degree from the University of Michigan, nearly three years at Ford Motor Company, and an M.S. degree and Ph.D. research here at the Department of Science and Technology Studies, Nieusma is the first Rensselaer student to win the prestigious Fulbright award.
The award will enable Nieusma to continue his research on appropriate expertise and technology during his stay in Sri Lanka. “It will be an anthropological expedition where he will learn more about designing technology to meet the needs of poor people,” said Professor Edward Woodhouse.
Nieusma’s interest in the interaction between society and technology dates back to his undergraduate years and “became more focused later on,” he said. Renewable energies in the Sri Lankan society and studies of different types of technological expertise and how they allow for appropriate technological design are all part of a broader project that is funded by a four-year National Science Foundation grant.
Most of today’s technological institutions cater to the needs of affluent America, and the needs of the poor have been generally ignored said Woodhouse. He predicts that the findings of the research will help address the technological needs for poor people in America. It will answer questions that deal with how to provide technology that is efficient, low-cost, repairable, and durable for people who can not afford the high cost of today’s technology.
In recent years renewable energies, such as solar or wind power have been ignored as research subjects in the world of academia. “I think the Fulbright selection committee was impressed with the subject, and with the fact that this was a public spirited project,” said Woodhouse.
“I encourage students to apply for Fulbright award,” said Nieusma. He and Woodhouse agree that more students should consider going overseas to further their studies. “We need to develop a tradition where it is possible to go anywhere to study,” said Woodhouse.
Nieusma’s almost year-long visit to Sri Lanka won’t be the first for him. “I have already been there before, and I saw that it was the perfect place for this study,” he said. Sri Lanka has a long history of civil strife, and is one of the poorest countries in resources; more than half of the population is without electricity. “It is a developing country with a different culture, and it needs a lot of technological expertise,” said Nieusma.
EMAC student Elizabeth Press also won the Fulbright award for the same academic year. She was featured in a previous issue.
