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Success Stories

Here are some of the women scientists who, through the mission of Africa America Higher Education Partnerships (AAHEP) have been paired with our university partners. These are the women leaders who are bringing that mission to life.

Florence

Florence graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree, First Class Honours, in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Nairobi-Kenya in September 2009 and later joined the teaching staff of the Department of Mechanical & Manufacturing Engineering (University of Nairobi) as a graduate assistant in November 2009. For the following one and a half years she was involved in various departmental duties including assisting with the administration of undergraduate courses and examinations, plus various projects and research at the Fab Lab, an outreach project from Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Centre for Bits and Atoms at the University of Nairobi, learning about the use of micro-controllers and different electronic gadgets for digital fabrication and diverse technological innovations.


The graduate assistantship position was a training and support role and her mandate was to immediately register for and pursue graduate studies in a line of specialization relevant to her department. To that end, she submitted a number of graduate admission and scholarship applications for M.S/Ph.D degree programs to various universities around the world, aiming to embark on graduate studies as soon as possible.


Florence was admitted to the M.S in Mechatronics Systems Engineering degree program at the University of Denver in Colorado for the Fall Quarter 2011. The main research areas that interest her comprise: robotics, renewable energy systems, automation and system security, microsystems technology, and management of technology.


Through the program, she hopes to gain much needed and desired further training in the skills to define and develop unique solutions to challenging local and global problems relating to the economic efficiency, productivity and quality of various engineering systems especially in the energy, manufacturing, transportation and communications industries, whilst managing people and projects. She’d like to be more knowledgeably equipped to contribute to all-round valuable, effective and innovative solutions to issues involving different engineering (and other) systems, taking into account energy, technology and risk management concerns in addition to the closely interrelated aspects of technology, people and society. She believes that these areas are not only significantly correlated, but also highly vital for the development of communities and nations, especially in developing countries like her home country; Kenya.


After acquiring the M.S degree in Mechatronics Systems Engineering, she plans to start work on a Ph.D degree soon afterwards and later work in academia, in the public or private sectors and as a consultant in policy making specializing in technology development and economic decision analysis.


Florence is the second born in a family of six; she enjoys music (singing and playing), swimming, theater & drama activities, dancing, reading, cooking, hiking and traveling. Also, during her undergraduate studies she engaged in several rural and community development projects in Kenya with the Kianda Foundation.

She is hardworking and confident, and feels privileged and excited about the opportunity to have come to the United States and Colorado to join the University of Denver community.



ADDITIONAL STORIES


Check back soon for additional success stories to come.

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What Makes Us Different

Only AAHEP focuses on African women scientists like those whose stories are shared on this page, poised to lead others and become role models.

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