Photo: Charlyne Smith
Lady emerges first black to bag PhD in Nuclear Engineering in U.S
A 27-year-old U.S. lady, Charlyne Smith, has set an outstanding record at the University of Florida, United States, after emerging as first-ever black person to earn a PhD in Nuclear Engineering from a U.S university.
Smith, now a Senior Nuclear Energy Analyst on the Nuclear Energy Innovation team at the Breakthrough Institute described her achievement as a feat that will open doors for marginalized groups.
“It means more options, more open doors for marginalized groups, including Black women and men, to create and innovate in the nuclear energy space to solve some of the world’s biggest problems, including climate change,” Smith said.
Smith, who is originally from St. Catherine, Jamaica, moved to the U.S. in 2012 to pursue a career in science and technology.
According to reports, on getting to the U.S, she proceeded to study at the Coppin State University in Baltimore, graduating in 2017, with a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry and Mathematics.
Smith later discovered her interest in Nuclear Engineering after speaking with nuclear scientist Dr Nickie Peters at a Coppin State University (CSU) alumni event.
The young woman felt that pursuing Nuclear Engineering could help bring immediate change to the countries that needed it.
She thereafter proceeded to the University of Florida and finally became the first black woman to earn a PhD from the university.
Smith explained that she was planning to help displace fossil fuel energy sources in the Caribbean and replace them with clean energy sources like nuclear energy.
She said, “In doing so, we not only solve energy instability, especially during extreme weather events, but we’ll also get closer to global carbon neutrality goals.
“My strategy is to start with Jamaica because it houses the only nuclear reactor in the Caribbean. Although it is a research reactor, its existence demonstrates experience and technical competence in the nuclear engineering space.”
Periscope International reports that Smith is also a co-founder of a non-profit organization called Empowering Garrison Girls (EGGs).
EGGs’ mission is to fill the need for a global transformation to reduce gender and economic inequalities by targeting young girls living in Jamaican garrison communities.
“Early exposure to a wide range of STEM disciplines is essential for solving current and future world problems.
“I plan to help diversify the engineering disciplines by first developing a summer engineering pilot program for high school students in Jamaica,” Smith said.
She explained that she expected the success of such educational programs would help to create a blueprint for designing STEM-based secondary institutions.
