Student Profile – Ali Jaweed
Ali Jaweed, an aviation major at San José State University (SJSU), is completing his final semester and is on track to graduate in 2025. Growing up in the Bay Area and navigating early personal and medical challenges taught him patience, resilience, and independence. His academic record includes the Dean’s Award and a recent scholarship from the American Association of Airport Executives, one of the country’s largest professional airport organizations. He also completed the aviation department’s honors research program, authoring a 26-page study on cybersecurity vulnerabilities in commercial aviation, covering concerns such as weak password protocols to the susceptibility of aircraft systems to intrusion. He presented his findings to department leadership last fall.
Jaweed has sought out some of the program’s most technical coursework, including classes in aircraft systems and propulsion theory, where students dismantle and study small engines. Because of a rare bone disease, Ollier’s disease, that leaves the bones in one of his hands thin and prone to fracture, he works with a functional model engine instead of a live unit. “It doesn’t stop me from learning how every component works,” he said, showing the same problem-solving mindset that drew him to engineering in the first place.
He is also the lone undergraduate in a graduate-level engineering research course, where he studies quantitative and qualitative methods and the role of bias in scientific inquiry. His current project examines consumer experiences with electric vehicles, using interviews rather than secondary data, a direction that aligns with his long-term interest in the EV and automotive industry.
Beyond the classroom, Jaweed has emerged as a project coordinator on environmental and humanitarian initiatives. Service has always been important to him, and even small acts like volunteering locally have reinforced his belief that engineering should meaningfully improve people’s lives. An assignment on nutrient pollution in waterways led him to design a practical intervention abroad. Working with a mentor and funding the effort entirely from personal savings, he hired contractors in rural Kenya to build a freshwater well for a community relying on contaminated sources. The team secured local permits, oversaw construction and, nearly three years later, the system remains operational. They also funded an earlier project constructing sanitary latrines and distributed food to an orphanage in the same region.
Jaweed says his community service work is rooted in personal history and a belief that engineering is “as much about service as it is about problem-solving.” Volunteering taught him empathy, perspective, and patience; qualities that shape how he approaches engineering solutions with a focus on people and communities. He spends weekends assembling and distributing food packs to unhoused residents in Oakland and San Francisco. His long-term goals include expanding well-building projects abroad, developing affordable housing initiatives at home, and pursuing a career in aviation or automotive manufacturing with a focus on electric propulsion and sustainability. In five years, he hopes to be contributing to cleaner, safer transportation while continuing to support communities locally and internationally.
Asked what guidance he would offer younger students, Jaweed emphasizes purpose over motivation. “You learn by applying what you know,” he said. “Start small, stay consistent, and use your skills to lift other people. Don’t wait to make a difference—serve where you can, and let your actions reflect your values. That’s where real impact begins.”
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Prof. Ahmed Banafa – Uber Jumps Into Autonomous Taxi Race With 2026 Launch Plan
Uber announced plans to enter the autonomous taxi market by late 2026, partnering with Lucid and Nuro to launch a driverless fleet. The company will start with 100 test vehicles and could expand to 20,000 within six years. SJSU professor Ahmed Banafa says Uber’s global ride-share experience gives it an edge as it competes with Waymo, Tesla, and Amazon in autonomous tech. Experts say increased competition could lower prices, though the move raises concerns about the future of gig-economy driving jobs. The industry still faces major challenges, as seen when Cruise suspended operations after losing key permits in San Francisco.