Yewande Akinola facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Yewande Akinola
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| Born | 1984 Ibadan, Nigeria
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| Alma mater | Cranfield University University of Warwick |
| Employer | Laing O'Rourke |
| Known for | Design Engineering |
Yewande Akinola (born 1984) is a super smart engineer from Nigeria. She helps make sure people have clean water that lasts a long time. She works as a lead engineer for a company called Laing O'Rourke. You might also see her on TV shows about engineering on channels like Channel 4 and National Geographic.
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Becoming an Engineer
Yewande Akinola was born in 1984 in Ibadan, Nigeria. When she was a kid, she loved designing tiny model houses. Her father worked in the government, helping to build important things in Nigeria.
Yewande went to the University of Warwick to study engineering. She finished her degree in 2007. While she was still in college, she worked as a mechanical engineer for Thames Water. There, she helped with places that clean water to make it safe to drink.
After graduating, Yewande started working for Arup Group in 2007. She was a design engineer, creating systems for water supply and how to manage water. While working at Arup, she also earned another degree from Cranfield University in 2011.
What Yewande Does
Yewande Akinola is very interested in helping countries that don't have enough clean water or good sanitation systems. She has worked on projects all over the world, including the UK, Africa, the Middle East, and East Asia.
She also started something called the Global Emit Project. This project helps young people who are interested in engineering by giving them advice and support.
Yewande on TV and More
In 2010, Yewande presented a TV show called "Titanic: The Mission." It was shown on Channel 4 and National Geographic Society. In 2012, she helped judge a competition for the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering. This competition was to design a special trophy. That same year, she won the IET Young Woman Engineer of the Year Award!
Yewande has also appeared on other TV channels like CBeebies and Yesterday TV. You might have heard her on BBC Radio 4 too. In 2014, she designed a special system to collect rainwater, which is a great way to save water.
Inspiring Others
Yewande loves to encourage young people, especially girls, to get into engineering. In 2013, she worked with Girl Guiding UK to show more young women how exciting engineering can be. She was part of a campaign called "Designed to Inspire" by the Royal Academy of Engineering.
She was also featured in the QEPrize 2014 campaign, which was called "Create The Future." In 2016, she gave an important speech at the Ada Lovelace Day celebration, which honors women in science and technology. In 2017, she was part of the Institution of Engineering and Technology campaign "Portrait of an Engineer." In 2021, she was given a special honor and became an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering.
Awards and Honors
Yewande Akinola has won many awards for her amazing work:
- 1998 - Nigerian National Mathematics Award
- 2009 - UK’s Society of Public Health Engineers Award for Young Rising Star
- 2012 - Exceptional Achiever Award by the Association for Black Engineers (AFBE-UK)
- 2012 - Young Woman Engineer of the Year from the IET
- 2013 - Named one of Management Today’s top 35 women under 35
- 2014 - PRECIOUS Award for Outstanding Woman in STEM
See also
