Recent AUST M.Sc. Graduate Scoops Eni Award For Excellence “the Nobel Prize For Energy”
Miss Blessing Onyeche Ugwoke
Her selection was largely based on the quality of her M.Sc. research work, with a thesis titled “A Study on Spherical Cap Bubble Transition Boundary for Bubbly to Slug flow”, under the supervision of Dr. Abdulkadir Mukhtar. The
award was formally presented to her on 5th October, 2017 by the President of Italy at the Palazzo del Quirinale, the official residence of the Italian President. A local award ceremony was held in Port Harcourt on 29th November, 2017. The Eni Award was introduced in 2008 by Eni, a highly vertically integrated energy and engineering company in Italy. The aim of the award is to promote and reward research and
technological innovation in the fields of energy and the environment. Her M.Sc. Studies at AUST were supported by the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) through a special grant which specifically targeted young Women in Science and Engineering.
The “The Debut in Research: Young Talents from Africa Prize” is one of the six sections of the Eni Award. It falls within the category dealing with energy transition, energy frontiers, advanced environmental solutions and the young researcher of the year prizes, together with the recognition for innovation. It is awarded to students born in or after the year 1987 and is reserved for students who are recent graduates from an African university or African citizens who recently graduated from any other
university. The purpose of the award is to foster the emergence of a new generation of African researchers, offering them the opportunity to pursue a PhD program in a collaborative environment involving work within Eni or other industry partners and a small selection of prestigious Italian universities and research institutes and supporting their research and innovation on the various scientific topics promoted by Eni.
Blessing has already left for Italy, where she will pursue work towards a Ph.D. degree at the Politecnico di Milano, working on the efficiency of off-grid renewable energy systems in Africa.
To read more about Blessing Ugwoke and previous recipients,
https://www.eni.com/en_IT/innovation/eni-award.page
https://www.eni.com/en_IT/innovation/eni-award/2017-ugwoke-debut-research-young-talents-africa.page
The announcements for applications for ENI 2018 is now out. Follow this link for details: https://www.eni.com/enipedia/en_IT/business-model/awards-recognition/eni-award-announcement-2018.page
Just remember, you have to be nominated. Self-nominations will automatically be rejected.
L-R in the photo: President of Italy, Mr. Sergio Mattarella; Ms. Emma Marcegaglia, Chair of the ENI Board; Claudio Descalzi, CEO of ENI and the Eni award recipient Ms Blessing Ugwuoke during the award ceremony in Italy recently.