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Meet 36-Year-old Okolo, First Black Woman To Earn PhD In Aerospace Engineering

Published

9 months ago

March 4, 2025

At just 36 years old, Wendy Okolo stands as a beacon of inspiration, shattering glass ceilings and redefining possibilities in aerospace engineering.

Her story is one of audacity, brilliance, and an unrelenting passion to change the world.

Wendy Okolo: A Trailblazer from the Start

Born in 1989 and raised in Nigeria, Okolo’s academic journey began at Saint Mary’s Primary School and Queen’s College in Lagos. From a young age, she excelled in her studies, earning straight A’s—a testament to her natural brilliance. But her path to engineering wasn’t initially self-directed. “My mom said I was going to become an engineer even before I knew what it was,” Okolo once recalled.

Though she declared her intention to become an engineer early on, it wasn’t until her first semester at the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) that she discovered her true calling: aerospace engineering.

Soaring to New Heights at NASA

Okolo’s career trajectory has been nothing short of extraordinary. She began as an undergraduate intern at Lockheed Martin, working on NASA’s Orion spacecraft. During two transformative summers, she gained hands-on experience in Systems and Mechanical Engineering, setting the stage for her future in aerospace innovation.

As a graduate student, she contributed to the Control Design and Analysis Branch of the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Today, she serves as a sub-project manager in the Intelligent Systems Division of NASA Ames Research Center, where she also conducts pioneering research in the Discovery and Systems Health Technology (DaSH) division.

A Woman of Many Firsts

Okolo’s groundbreaking work has earned her numerous prestigious accolades, cementing her place among the top minds in aerospace engineering. Some of her notable honors include: The Amelia Earhart Fellowship; The Department of Defense National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) Fellowship (2012); The Texas Space Grant Consortium (TSGC) Fellowship (2012, 2013); The AIAA John Leland Atwood Graduate Award (2013);NASA Ames Early Career Researcher Award (2019) – the first woman to receive it; NASA Exceptional Technology Achievement Medal (2021); Black Engineer of the Year Award (BEYA) for the Most Promising Engineer in the U.S. government; Named among the Most Influential People of African Descent (2021) by the United Nations.

Beyond her accolades, Okolo made her literary debut in June 2023 with her book Learn to Fly: On Becoming a Rocket Scientist. The book offers a glimpse into her journey and aims to inspire the next generation of aerospace engineers.

Championing Diversity and Inclusion in STEM

Okolo’s impact extends far beyond her personal achievements. She is deeply committed to breaking barriers for women, people of color, and underrepresented groups in STEM.

Her initiatives include establishing nursing rooms for working mothers to ease their transition back to work and revamping job descriptions to eliminate gender-biased language, encouraging more women to apply for technical roles. A sought-after keynote speaker, she frequently shares her insights on STEM inclusion, mentorship, and leadership, empowering young girls and career women to pursue their dreams fearlessly.

Headline

12 Die, 30 Missing In Peru Landslide

Published

10 hours ago

December 1, 2025

Editor

At least 12 people, including three children, died in a landslide at a river port in central Peru on Monday, and 30 were reported missing, officials said.

The landslide submerged a boat with about 50 passengers on board, and another with none, as they were docked at the port of Iparia in the Amazon jungle region of Ucayali, according to a police report cited by the Andina news agency.

Six people were injured, it added, and a search and rescue operation was underway at the start of the Peruvian rainy season.

Without giving a toll, Peru’s COEN national emergency operations centre said on X that tragedy struck at dawn due to “erosion” of the bank of the Ucayali river.

It said the navy has been called in to help.

AFP

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Nigeria Grants Asylum To Guinea-Bissau Opposition Candidate

Published

10 hours ago

December 1, 2025

Editor

The Nigerian embassy in Guinea-Bissau has granted asylum to Fernando Dias da Costa, the country’s opposition presidential candidate, following alleged threats to his life after last week’s military coup, The Cable Reports.

The coup was announced by military officers on Wednesday, just days after Guinea-Bissau’s presidential election in which both incumbent President Umaro Embaló and his main challenger, da Costa, claimed victory before official results were released.

Nigeria condemned the takeover and urged an immediate return to constitutional order.

In a letter to the President of the Economic Community of West African States Commission, Omar Touray, dated November 30, the Foreign Affairs Minister, Yusuf Tuggar, said President Bola Tinubu had approved asylum and protection for da Costa inside the Nigerian embassy in Bissau.

Tuggar wrote that the decision was made “in response to threats made against da Costa’s life.”

“In this regard, it would be appreciated if you would kindly mandate the ECOWAS Stabilisation Support Mission in Guinea-Bissau to provide him protection and security while in the premises of the Nigerian embassy,” the letter stated.

The foreign affairs minister’s Special Assistant on Media and Communications Strategy, Alkasim Abdulkadir, confirmed the letter’s authenticity to The Cable on Monday.

He said, “The decision of the Federal Government of Nigeria to grant asylum and provide protection to Fernando Dia Da Costa falls squarely within Nigeria’s sovereign responsibility and longstanding commitment to regional peace, stability, and democratic governance.”

He added that Nigeria acted “in the broader interest of de-escalation,” saying the government had exercised its discretion “to prevent further deterioration of tensions and to promote social cohesion in Guinea-Bissau and the wider West African sub-region.”

According to Abdulkadir, the intervention aligns with ECOWAS principles and reflects Nigeria’s role as a stabilising force in West Africa.

Following the coup, ECOWAS held an emergency virtual summit of heads of state and subsequently suspended Guinea-Bissau from the regional bloc until constitutional order is restored.

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Trump To Attend FIFA World Cup Finals Draw On Friday

Published

10 hours ago

December 1, 2025

Editor

The White House on Monday confirmed US President Donald Trump would attend the draw for the FIFA World Cup finals in Washington later this week.

The United States will co-host the 2026 tournament alongside Canada and Mexico.

“On Friday, President Trump will attend the FIFA World Cup final draw at the Kennedy Centre,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters.

Trump has made the World Cup a centrepiece event of both his second presidency and the 250th anniversary of US independence next year.

But the giant sporting extravaganza has not escaped the political turmoil caused by Trump’s hardline stance on a host of issues.

Trump, a Republican, has raised the possibility of moving games from some US host cities amid a crackdown on what he says is crime and illegal migration in some Democratic-run areas.

AFP