Nigerian-American scientist, Robert Okojie, Honoured by NASA

Nigerian-American scientist, Robert Okojie, Honoured by NASA

A Nigerian-American, Robert Okojie, has been inducted into the Inventors Hall of Fame of the U.S’s National Aeronautics Space Administration‘s (NASA),

Before now, the prestigious honour had only been conferred on 35 persons in the history of the agency.

According to the agency, it recognises civil servant innovators who are making significant contributions to the U. S. by inventing new technologies.

On its website, NASA stated that Mr Okojie, who joined the silicon carbide research group at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland in 1999, has gained worldwide recognition as the leading expert on silicon carbide-based microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) for use in extreme environments.

He holds more than 20 patents relating to high-temperature devices, including several licensed for commercial use that could reduce spacecraft weight, and thereby launch cost and fuel consumption, while leaving additional space for scientific payloads.

Also, the prominent scientist has published more than 50 peer-reviewed papers relating to his field.

“During his decades at Glenn, Okojie has received numerous accolades, including in 2009 the NASA Abe Silverstein Medal for Research and in 2012 the Glenn Research Center Distinguished Publication Award. He was also recognized in 2002 as the Scientist of the Year by the National Technical Association for his “exceptional accomplishments in advancing the state–of–the–art of MEMS for use in harsh environments” and in 2007 was a recipient of the Cleveland Executive Board Wings of Excellence award.”

It was also stated that he has mentored several students at Glenn, all of whom have gone on to achieve high academic and professional success in their various fields.

Currently, Mr Okojie’s research focus is in single chip integrated multifunctional sensing for extreme environments, NASA says.