MILESTONE:
WENDY OKOLO, a 27-year-old Nigerian, becomes First Black Woman in America’s History to bag Doctorate Degree in Aerospace Engineering
*Received Bachelor of Science in Aerospace, Aeronautical, Master’s in Astronautical Engineering, had PhD degree from University of Texas
*Honoured with Excellence Award by the American National Aeronautics and Space Administration
*Led foreseeing GPS errors in unmanned aerial systems, drones, for the System-Wide Safety project
*She was a member of a team of six early-career scientists who put forth and won the $2.5 million STMD-ECI project
*AWARDS: Amelia Earhart Fellowship, DoD National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship, Texas Space Grant Consortium Fellowship; AIAA John Leland Atwood Graduate Award, Black Engineer of the Year Award for The Most Promising Engineer in the United States government, Women in Aerospace Award for Initiative, Inspiration, & Impact; NASA Ames Early Career Researcher Award, University of Texas at Arlington Distinguished Recent Graduate Award, NASA Ames Award for Researcher
*BY BUKOLA ABEGUNDE/TECHNOLOGY Reporter, USA & GEORGE ELIJAH OTUMU/AMERICA Senior Investigative Editor
SHE’S HIGHLY INTELLIGENT, BEAUTIFUL AND ALWAYS THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX. WENDY OKOLO, a-27-year old Nigerian born Naturalized American has made history, having become the first black woman in American history to have received a doctorate of philosophy in aerospace engineering from the University of Texas in the United States.
Okolo completed this astounding feat at the age of 26. She started her postsecondary education at the University of Texas after receiving admission to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering.
After completing her undergraduate studies with distinction, Wendy was awarded a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical Engineering. She then went on to enroll at the University of Texas for a PhD degree.
She became the first black woman to ever receive a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Texas, Arlington, in the United States, five years after receiving her Bachelor’s degree.
Dr Wendy Okolo has since gained recognition as a brilliant aeronautical engineer and has won various awards.
Her exploits were lauded by the Nigerian government, which hailed her as an effective ambassador for her nation.
In 2022, the American National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) presented Dr. Wendy Okolo with an Excellence Award.
She shared the news of her NASA Exceptional Technology Achievement Medal win on Instagram.
“I was like, I am sure these guys are so smart; what am I going to bring in?” she said. She went on an error in the code in the systems, and she fixed that, “which fixed the impostor syndrome for a while”.
At the Ames Research Center, she is engaged in projects for the System-Wide Safety (SWS) program and the Space Technology Mission Directorate Early Career Initiative (STMD-ECI).
She was in charge of foreseeing GPS errors in unmanned aerial systems, or drones, for the SWS project.
Okolo collaborated with the Virginia-based Langley Research Center to examine flight data and facilitate data flow between and across NASA sites.
She is in charge of the controls team on the STMD-ECI project, which is working to provide novel control strategies for deployable vehicles in order to enable precision landing and enhance mobility during the entry, descent, and landing phases of spaceflight.
She was a member of a team of six early-career scientists who put forth and won the $2.5 million STMD-ECI project.
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