May 12, (THEWILL)- Two Nigerian women, Dr Oluwami Dosunmu-Ogunbi and Professor Rose-Margaret Ekeng-Itua, have both shattered the glass ceilings in their respective fields having recently achieved groundbreaking milestones.
Professor Ekeng-Itua recently became the first black woman in the world to obtain a Ph.D. in Cybernetics, a field that explores how information is processed in both machines and biological systems.
Ekeng-Itua’s journey to this historic achievement reflects her unwavering dedication to STEM education and her relentless pursuit of excellence. Despite growing up in Nigeria where societal norms often discouraged girls from pursuing excellence in scientific fields, she remained undeterred in her quest for knowledge and innovation. Her academic pursuits took her to the University of Reading in the United Kingdom, where she earned her Ph.D.
Despite facing challenges such as gender biases and a lack of representation, she has continued to push boundaries and inspire future generations, especially young girls, to pursue their passions in science and technology.
Similarly, Oluwami Dosunmu-Ogunbi also made history as the first black woman to earn a Ph.D. in U-M Robotics from the University of Michigan, USA. Her remarkable achievement was celebrated during the university’s commencement ceremony, where she spoke on the roles of advocates and mentors in realising her aspirations. Her research focus was in controls with applications in bipedal locomotion.
Dosunmu-Ogunbi stressed the significance of inclusion, reflecting on her journey as one of many PhD students initially uncertain of their goals but eventually finding ample opportunities to utilize engineering expertise for societal betterment.
