2021-2022

We are pleased to announce our 2021-2022 recipient of the Anthony Ihedoha Anaebere, Sr. Memorial Scholarship

Aminat Ibrahim is currently a PhD student in the Biomedical Engineering program at Cornell and a Fall 2021 Cornell University Fellow. She is passionate about using technological approaches to solve health problems and providing sustainable healthcare solutions for Nigerians, Africans, and the World. Before her coming to Cornell, she graduated from the University of Ilorin, Nigeria as the best student in Biomedical Engineering and the second-best graduating in the faculty of Engineering and Technology in 2018. Also, she has a National Diploma in Mechanical Engineering from Yaba College of Technology, where she discovered her love for helping people, particularly those with disabilities.

She has worked on several projects during and after her undergraduate program. During the peak of the COVID 19 pandemic, Aminat led a team that designed, developed and donated the first locally produced Face Shields in Nigeria to health workers through the Lagos State Commissioner for Youth and Sports. This was featured in the Nigeria Youth SDGs Network COVID-19 Positive Stories and other media outlets in Nigeria. Additionally, she worked on designing and developing a low-cost wheelchair with manual stair climbing ability for disabled people in Nigeria for her undergraduate capstone project. She has also contributed to other projects like designing and developing a low-cost, smart ultrasonic walking stick for the visually impaired; developing a low cost cooling system to transport vaccines and organs to remote locations, etc.

Aminat is committed to SDGs 3,4, and 5. She enjoys mentoring students and encouraging more females to pursue STEM fields through her social media pages, invite to talks and one-on-one consultations at no cost. She advocates for underrepresented and minority groups through different initiatives, one of which was an all-inclusive Unilorin Spelling Championship (included people with disabilities) during her tenure as the AGS of the Student Union. Furthermore, she has over 10 years of volunteering experience, which can be traced to her active participation in community development services when she joined Orile Iganmu Progressive Association – an NGO that seeks to improve humanity through education, enlightenment, and empowerment. She was since made an Ambassador of her community and recognized for her selfless contribution and active participation to humanity. In addition, she is an advocate of girl-child education, and she leads campaign programs on the need to eliminate violence against females.

Aminat intends to use her research to develop innovative medical devices that restore cardiovascular functions to help people live longer and better. She hopes to grow her start-up into a leading research institute where medical solutions are produced for the global population and provide training for students.

Congratulations, Ms. Aminat Ibrahim. We look forward to celebrating your future achievements.

Her recommender, Dr. Jonathan T. Butcher, Professor and Associate Director/Founding Director of Undergraduate Studies at Cornell University had this to say about Ms. Ibrahim:

“[Aminat] inspires, motivates, and has the ability to persuade others to buy into her vision. She is resilient, adaptable to uncertain circumstances, responds quickly to people and situation, and when faced with a daunting challenge or circumstance, does something about it. These interpersonal qualities are exactly the type we hope to attract and foster within our PhD program.”    

We would also like to acknowledge our two other finalists

Chizee Omodu Morgan, Ibadan, Nigeria

M.S. Candidate, Petroleum Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin

Tochukwu Iyke-Nzeocha, Boston, Massachusetts

B.S. Candidate, Biomedical Engineering, University of Rochester

Please check back on our website, your School of Engineering or local NSBE chapter for details about the upcoming scholarship cycle.