WAMI DOSUNMU-OGUNBI: FIRST BLACK WOMAN TO BAG PHD IN ROBOTICS AT MICHIGAN VARSITY

 

We each have a solemn duty to make positive contributions to the world

A Nigerian woman, Oluwami Dosunmu-Ogunbi, has made history as the first black woman to bag a PhD in Robotics at the University of Michigan in the United States.

Speaking at the university’s College of Engineering convocation, Dosunmu-Ogunbi, a daughter of Nigerian immigrants, spoke on the support she received in realising her aspirations.

Oluwami Dosunmu-Ogunbi graduated from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign with a bachelor’s degree and the University of Michigan with a Ph.D. and two master’s degrees. Her goal as a professor is to become a mentor to aspiring engineers.

Speaking recently at the commencement ceremony, she recounted how her PhD adventure started and how the PhD Mortarboard inspired her on devoting approximately five years to the research endeavor.

Oluwami foresees possibilities to apply her engineering background to better people’s lives.

In her PhD, she developed a stair-climbing algorithm for underactuated robots. Currently, she is expanding the capabilities of that algorithm in her postdoctoral work.

Dosunmu-Ogunbi first attempted her PhD in 2020, the COVID-19 year, but the journey hit a snag that stalled her for a while.

Relentless and determined to see through her dream of becoming a STEM professional, she took on the challenge again and succeeded.

She also has a track record of multiple honors and recognitions, such as the MLK Spirit Award, Rackham Merit Fellowship, and GEM Fellowship.

In addition to being appointed an outreach ambassador by Robotics for three consecutive years-2021–2023, Ogunbi has been an active community builder in the robotics field.

She is also an enthusiastic communicator; in the College of Engineering’s 3-minute thesis competition, she came in second.

Outside of U-M, she was admitted to the Bouchet Society, which honours exceptional academic accomplishment and encourages diversity in postgraduate study and the professoriate.

She 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.”

She added that she wants to be remembered as the University of Michigan’s first black woman to get a PhD in Robotics and she wants to use her knowledge in engineering to improve the lives of others.

She added, “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.

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.

Dosunmu-Ogunbi has been an active community builder in robotics, earning an MLK Spirit Award from the College of Engineering for mentoring and inspiration as well as being named an outreach ambassador by Robotics for three years, 2021–2023.

The Department disclosed that she was named a runner-up in the College of Engineering’s three–minute thesis competition and has been inducted into the Bouchet Society, which recognises outstanding scholarly achievement and promotes diversity in graduate education and the professoriate.

Dosunmu-Ogunbi explained that she was inspired to earn a PhD degree when she met someone who donned a cute postgraduate graduation ceremony hat during her childhood. She inquired about what she had to do to wear one in the future, and she was told she needed to earn a PhD in either medicine, law, or engineering.

She shared that she decided against medicine because she detests the sight of blood and could not pursue law because she dislikes speaking to a large crowd. This left engineering as the last viable option.

She stated, “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.”