A Nigerian female Professor of Physics, Mrs Francisca Nneka Okeke has been honoured by International Astronomical Union, IAU by naming asteroid 149831-2025 after her.
According to IAU, following the proposal written by Daniel Bamberger of the Northolt Branch Observatories in Germany, the International Astronomical Union has announced that the asteroid (149831) 2005 NG101 has been named “Okeke” in honour of Prof. (Mrs) F N Okeke of the Department of Physics at the University of Nigeria Nsukka.
The official naming citation reads:
Francisca Nneka Okeke (b. 1956) is a Nigerian physicist known for her research on the ionosphere and its impact on climate and space weather.
A professor as well as an advocate for women’s education, she has received international recognition for her contributions to geophysics and atmospheric science.
This recognition was possible thanks to the Catalina Sky Survey in Arizona, USA, where the asteroid was originally discovered.
Okeke’s Biography:
She hails from Idemili North in Anambra State. She earned a Bachelors of Science in Physics (1980), a Masters of Science in science education (1985), a Masters of Science in Applied Earth Geophysics (1989), and a Ph.D. in Ionospheric Geophysics (1995), from the University of Nigeria. She carried out her postdoctoral work at the University of Tokyo, Japan.
Okeke was the Head of Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka from 2003 to 2006 and was the Dean of the Faculty of Physical Sciences from 2008 to 2010.
She was the first woman to hold both positions.[ Additionally, Okeke was the first female professor of physics in the eastern part of Nigeria.
During her time as head of department, she advocated for inclusion of more women in the department, which led to the hiring of three new female faculty members and as dean of the faculty she prioritised employing women in faculty positions in the physical sciences. She advocates for the wider participation of women and girls in science and technology.
In 2011, she was elected as fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Science, the highest scientific organization in Nigeria. She was inducted into the academy alongside Abba Gumel, a Professor of Mathematical biology and fellow of the African Academy of Sciences.
