When Hajar Jafferji was first enrolled as an undergraduate, she found her passion in Civil Engineering. She focused primarily on structural engineering in her coursework and was involved with Chi Epsilon, the Civil Engineering honor society, and Tau Beta Pi, the national engineering honor society. Now, after completing her master’s degree, Hajar is moving to complete a PhD in Civil Engineering PhD focusing on materials engineering under the advising of Leonard Albano, Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental engineering. Her current research focuses on concrete, and the erosion of of the steel supporting bars within it, and how to prevent that erosion.
On March 26th, Hajar took first place with this research at Emory University’s STEM Research and Career Symposium, where she competed against approximately 150 students in the nation-wide poster competition. This symposium brings faculty advisors and their students from diverse backgrounds to the Emory campus for two days of shared research presentations and for networking, mentoring, and recruitment. A handful of students are selected from the poster competition to give an oral presentation on their research in hopes of placing first in the symposium and receiving the cash prize
Shortly thereafter, Hajar received notification that she had received the Fulbright scholarship, a scholarship program that enhances cultural exchange by allowing people to research at a project center sponsored by WPI for about 10 months. Hajar will be in Morocco, working with local historians and engineers on preservation methods to protect the unique heritage sites that have been deteriorating with age, weather, and human travel.