Vera Wisdom-Bassey
The Association of Professional Women in Engineering (APWEN) recently rewarded nine students from different universities in the country with a cash gift
The students emerged winners in the just-concluded APWEN Challenge Invent It Programme and they went home with cash ranging from N250,000 and a trophy while others got N150,000 and N100,000 respectively.
The nine undergraduates were selected to perform different experiments after they were divided into groups and in the end, it was indeed winners take all.
Speaking at the award ceremony, Albert Swizibeth, one of the group leader from Niger Delta University narrated how they performed the experiment “Term Gold” emerged 1st runner up in the Invent It Challenge Programme, Durojaiye Olayinka and Nike Prophet are rom the University of Benin and Green Nange is from University of Technology, Owerri, participated in the experiment.
The second runner up includes three students from different universities and the University of Benin was the community used for the experiment.
The leader of the team explained that they heard about the programme and applied. Their topic was “Solid Waste and Social Group” He explained that his group decided to tackle waste in the society and worked on plastic waste to get new products from it.
Speaking at the event, the chairman organising committee of the programme, Fumilayo Kadir said, undergraduates and graduates were invited to solve the problem of solid waste and that out of 20 students that participated only nine came out successfully.
According to her, APWEN sent out letters to schools informing them what the association does and requested them to send their best students for the contest.
Kadir said they are expected to support their community based on the identified problem, adding each of the groups looked into problems affecting their own community and proffered solutions.
“This is just to encourage students and we will help them establish a project as a business that they will do. It is possible to carry out the project in their community where they live. We will train them in our business enterprises and introduce them to companies that can help them further.’’
In a related development, the investiture ceremony of the 16th President of APWEN, Engr Fumilayo Kekelomo Ojelade was performed recently with dignitaries in attendance.
Speaking at the events, the new president unfolded her vision. Ojelade said she would focus on improving the study of engineering by female students to 30 percent. She acknowledged the dearth of female engineers in the country, stating that the situation is not good for the country and the association.
Speaking also, the outgone APWEN President, Engr Felica Agubata, who introduced Invent It Build It programme during her tenure, said she got a grant which enabled the association train 200 teachers and mentors, 500 female students in secondary school on STEM skills.