Update on my Academics

            The opportunity to study at the University of Ghana has opened my eyes to a new system of education. As of now, I have completed all the classes required for the first year MPhil students in the Department of Geography and Resource Development. 

Though my background is in the hard sciences, there has also been a significant focus on international development and public health in my studies, mainly in terms of environmental problems. At the University of Ghana, I had the incredible opportunity to take classes on the social issues that have always fascinated me but have always been a side note to natural science. For instance, I now have a solid foundation in Medical Geography, Population Geography, and Rural Development. In applying to the Department of Geography and Resource Development, I thought it would help me learn more about Ghana and the social issues that complicate environmental issues. Turns out I was right. Now, I can shoot off statistics from life expectancies and maternal mortality rates around Africa to the prevalence of AIDS or respiratory diseases in Ghana to the spatial factors to cholera. 

My thesis proposal addresses the issue of air pollution and health in Accra. I plan to analyze differences in people’s environmental health risk perceptions based on place of residence. The characteristics that come with socio-economic status (income, education level, exposure to pollution, and health status) may cause one to have higher or lower perceptions of their own risk. Little is known about this issue in a developing country, especially one with such rapid urbanization as Ghana. The Head of Department has said that I am the first foreign lady to do a Master’s degree in the department. They are allowing me to write my thesis from the US, though that will require a brief trip back to Ghana to collect data. If all works as planned, I will finish the program by June or July. 

Looking at this topic has already helped me make connections with experts in the US who would love to look at the issue in a country with such a vastly different economic and cultural environment. I have also met with key informants in Ghana, such as a director at the EPA. The Head of Department said he was surprised that I stayed here for a full year; most students just come for a semester. He said, “You will be a big woman in Ghana someday.” No doubt, traveling, studying, and living abroad has greatly supplemented my academic background as well as cultural and social experiences.