Maths Shark: Brilliant Lady Becomes 1st Black Woman to Earn PhD in Nuclear Engineering from Top US Varsity

• Charlyne Smith is the first black woman to achieve a PhD in nuclear engineering from the University of Florida
• She has celebrated the achievement in a Twitter post, saying she was honoured
• Smith graduated in 2017 with a degree in chemistry and mathematics from the Coppin State University

A Jamaican native, Charlyne Smith, has become the first black woman to get a PhD from the University of Florida's Department of Materials Science and Engineering. She makes history as the only and first black woman to attain the feat in the university's 168-year history.

Smith grew up in St Catherine and is a former student of Spanish Town-based St Catherine High School. She now has her gaze firmly set on the nuclear research reactor called Slowpoke at The University of the West Indies (The UWI).

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Celebrating the academic milestone

Smith celebrated the feat in a Tweet, saying:

''I’m so honoured to have made history as the first black woman to graduate with a #PhD in Nuclear Engineering from the University of Florida on the day of #Jamaica’s independence anniversary,'' she said.

First degree

Smith received a scholarship to pursue her PhD from Coppin State University in Baltimore, Maryland, from which she graduated in 2017 with a degree in chemistry and mathematics, said the Jamaica Observer.

She was awarded the coveted National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship in 2018 to study at the University of Florida's Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and never looked back.

Serving her nation

After graduating with a PhD, she has her gaze on her homeland, specifically Slowpoke, the only nuclear research reactor in the Caribbean based at the International Centre for Environmental and Nuclear Sciences (ICENS), which is used chiefly for education and training and not for energy-related applications.

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Smith believes the reactor should be used to improve access to reliable energy and educate people about the real potential of nuclear power, mitigate fears, and move towards a better future.

Ghanaian student graduates with 1st class degree in law

In another success story, after clocking another feat in his life, a Ghanaian student, Kwame Adusei, has celebrated graduating with a Bachelor of Laws degree (LLB) from the University of Ghana Law School.

Adusei joined the ranks of students who have attained First Class in law from the prestigious Ghanaian university.

He took to his LinkedIn page to announce the achievement, disclosing that he was excited and extremely grateful for making it this far, saying:

Source: Briefly News