Mines Professor Receives Fulbright Specialist Award to Develop New Geology Program in Kenya

Sarah Wheeler Keenan, Ph.D., and South Dakota Mines associate professor of geology and geological engineering, will spend next month at the Taita Taveta University in Voi, Kenya, helping the institution design and launch one of the country's only underground geology programs.

Keenan will travel to Africa after being selected by the U.S. Department of State and the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board for the prestigious Fulbright Specialist Program award.

Keenan first discovered the Fulbright Specialist opportunity while in Suriname in the spring of 2024. Keenan, along with Laurie Anderson, Ph.D., Mines vice president of research, and Rudrajit Mitra, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Mining Engineering and Management, traveled to the South American country with the South Dakota National Guard as part of its State Partnership Program.

After learning about the program during a visit to the U.S. Embassy in Paramaribo, the capital of Suriname, she applied to join the roster, an intensive process that ultimately led to her selection as the Kenyan university's top candidate in August.

“This is a huge honor,” Keenan said. “To be selected to represent my university and my country abroad is pretty incredible.”

During her time in Kenya, Keenan will work closely with faculty and staff at Taita Taveta University to create a comprehensive geology curriculum tailored to the region’s workforce needs. Although the university currently offers degrees in mining and agriculture, leaders identified a growing demand for graduates trained in geology with a strong ecological foundation, especially in a region where mining and agriculture drive the local economy.

The university is located near Voi, situated between Tsavo East and Tsavo West National Parks, one of the most biodiverse regions in East Africa.

Keenan’s work will include designing the full undergraduate geology curriculum; surveying local industries in mining, agriculture, and related fields to determine the skills employers need most; integrating those findings with the university’s resources to build a modern, workforce-ready academic program; supporting efforts to establish a long-term partnership between Mines and Taita Taveta University, including the development of a new Memorandum of Understanding to encourage future collaboration in teaching, research, and faculty exchange.

“Taita Taveta University asked not only for curriculum support but also for help forging a sustainable partnership with a U.S. institution,” Keenan said. “I’m excited to continue working with them as they implement the program and expand opportunities for students.”

The goal is to launch the new geology program by fall 2026, making it only the second of its kind in Kenya.

Keenan’s Fulbright Specialist term will conclude in 2027, after which she may apply again for future projects.

Keenan joins more than 400 U.S. citizens each year who share their expertise abroad through the Fulbright Specialist Program. Participants are selected for their exceptional academic and professional achievements, demonstrated leadership and potential to build long-term international partnerships.

The Fulbright Program, established in 1946, is the U.S. government’s flagship international educational exchange initiative, operating in more than 160 countries worldwide. More than 400,000 scholars, teachers, artists, and professionals have participated since its inception. Fulbright alumni include 60 Nobel Prize recipients, 88 Pulitzer Prize winners, and 39 heads of state or government.

For more information about the Fulbright Program, visit eca.state.gov/fulbright or contact the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs Press Office at 202-632-6452 or ECA-Press@state.gov.