A Nigerian female engineer, Oluwami Dosunmu-Ogunbi, has made history by becoming the first black woman to earn a doctorate degree also known as PhD in Robotics at the University of Michigan, United States.
Dosunmu-Ogunjobi made this known on Saturday, while speaking
at the University of Michigan’s College of Engineering convocation, on the
roles of mentors and advocates in realising her aspirations.
Robotics is the interdisciplinary study and practice of the
design, construction, operation, and use of robots. Within mechanical
engineering, robotics is the design and construction of the physical structures
of robots, while in computer science, robotics focuses on robotic automation
algorithms.
Oluwami, shortened as Wami, a daughter of Nigerian
immigrants Dosunmu-Ogunbi, in the US, was elated about her remarkable feat, as
she asserted, “I am the first Black woman to get a PhD in Robotics at the
University of Michigan.”
Wami Dosunmu-Ogunjobi said, “I do not stand here on my own
two feet alone. None of us got here by our individual merit alone, whether it
be teacher, friends, family, mentors, or role models, we each have one or
multiple people to whom we are grateful for making this moment possible.”
Speaking on what she wanted to be remembered for, the
Nigerian female robotics engineer said she wanted to be remembered as the
University of Michigan’s first black woman to get a PhD in Robotics, and as a
person using her knowledge in engineering to improve the lives of others.
“A Michigan Engineer is one who does not just provide
scientific and technological leadership, but is also one who is intellectually
curious, socially conscious, creates collaborative solutions to societal
problems, and promotes an inclusive and innovative community of service for the
common good,” Wami Dosunmu-Ogunjobi said.
She added, “We each have a solemn duty to make positive
contributions to the world. Well, my reasons for becoming an engineer were
initially frivolous, but they eventually moved into something more meaningful.
I want to have a positive impact on the world.”
The University of Michigan Robotics Department website
describes Dosunmu-Ogunbi’s journey as one shared by many PhD students who
initially lack a clear vision for their final goals.
In her website, Dosunmu-Ogunjobi revealed several
achievements in her academic journey at the university which included saying,
“I was awarded the Intersectional Advocacy Award in recognition for my
dedication to honoring and advocating for the intersectional nature of
students’ many identities through involvement and activities.”
She also wrote in one of the posts, “I spoke at the College
of Engineering Graduate Student Commencement at the University of Michigan on
May 1, 2024.”
Other posts with photos included, “I presented a poster at
the Midwestern Robotics Workshop in Chicago on April 18, 2024.
“I was awarded the Intersectional Advocacy Award in
recognition for my dedication to honoring and advocating for the intersectional
nature of students’ many identities through involvement and activities.
“I had the opportunity to inspire a group of high school
girls from “Girls Who Code” by telling them about my PhD journey.”
“I represented Michigan Robotics at the Robotic and
Intelligent Systems Expo (RISE) at Purdue University on March 30, 2024,”
Dosunmu-Ogunjobi added.
The number of Nigerians making waves in academics and
technology across the globe keeps growing as they continually contribute to the
development of inventions, innovations and ideas.
The beautiful thing about the astounding feats is that both
Nigerian men and women are blazing the trail.
Recently, Nigerian female scholar, Professor Rose-Margaret
Ekeng-Itua, also emerged as the first black woman to earn a doctorate degree
(Ph.D) in Cybernetics in the world.
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