Professor Anya O. Anya presents the HLF Role Model Award for Outstanding Contributions in Science to Professor Francisca Nneka Okeke, FTWAS, FAS, as Professor Oladapo Adenrele Ashiru and Chief Mrs. Patricia Otuedon-Arawore stand alongside.
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An accomplished Geophysicist, Teacher, and Author, Professor Francisca Nneka Okeke was educated in Nigeria and abroad, with post-doctoral qualifications from the University of Tokyo, Japan.
Nneka Okeke has a number of “firsts” to her credit. Included here are: First Woman Professor of Physics in Eastern Nigeria; First Female Head, Department of Physics & Astronomy; First Female Dean, Faculty of Physical Sciences; and First Female Professor in the Faculty of Science and Engineering at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN).
So far, she has supervised about 40 Ph.D. and M.Sc. graduates apiece in her fields. It goes without saying that many of her former students and mentees now occupy strategic positions in academia, industry, and the public sector.
In the line of duty, some of her articles have enhanced the teaching and learning of Physics at secondary and tertiary levels in Nigeria, encouraging girls and young women in Nigeria and Africa at large to study Physics. Her diligence and determined focus have also earned her many research engagements across the world. These include: University of Natal, Durban, South Africa; University of Tokyo, Japan; CPTEC, Brazil; Harvard-Smithsonian Center, Cambridge, USA; and Morgan State University, Baltimore, USA.
With some 150 published research findings in reputable journals and notable presentations at several national and international fora, our Celebrant is, by all standards, a distinguished Scientist who has made tremendous contributions and impact in her fields of competence. Among others, her findings with her Ph.D. students led to the discovery of a new technique of using solar quiet day current variations (Sq) in mapping upper mantle conductivity in Africa.
Deservedly, she has won acclaim across the board. Asteroid (149831) 2005 NG101 was named “Okeke” in her honour by the International Astronomical Union. She won the L’Oréal-UNESCO Award for Women in Science in the Physical Sciences in 2013, which also placed Nigeria on the world map of honour in science. Nigerian academia, in 2016, celebrated her as one of the 10 most influential Nigerian women in science. She won the UNN Staff Award as one of the Top 10 Most Outstanding Lecturers in Research and Publications, while CNN celebrated her in African Voices for her tremendous achievements in science.
A recipient of the Contemporary Who’s Who Award, USA (2004), and the Great African Merit Award (2006), Professor Nneka Okeke’s professional affiliations are awe-inspiring, mostly as a Fellow. Among these are: The World Academy of Sciences; African Academy of Sciences; Nigerian Academy of Science; Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science; Nigerian Institute of Physics; and Astronomical Society of Nigeria.
She also has active membership of the Australian Society of Exploration Geophysicists, African Association of Women Scientists, Organisation for Women in Science for the Developing World, American Geophysical Union, Science Association of Nigeria, International Astronomical Union, Society of Geomagnetism and Earth, Planetary and Space Sciences, National Space Council of Nigeria, and African Network for Science and Technological Institutions.
Over the years, this Amazon has proved her mettle as an academic giant, trailblazer, and icon.
Ladies and Gentlemen, we are proud to invite Professor Francisca Nneka Okeke to receive the Hallmarks of Labour Role Model Award for Outstanding Contributions in the Field of Science.
Accept our Hearty Congratulations, Madam!