Schlumberger Scholars | U Daily

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As young women growing up in Botswana, Kopo Veronicah Oromeng and Goabaone Jaqueline Ramatlapeng dreamed of one day making an impact in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Now, having both received prestigious Schlumberger Foundation scholarships as part of the Foundation’s Faculty for the Future (FFT) program, that dream is one more step towards reality.

According to the Schlumberger Foundation website, the FFT program seeks to accelerate gender equality in STEM by creating conditions that enable more women to pursue science careers by removing some of the barriers they face when entering STEM disciplines. The women scientists who receive the scholarships come from developing countries and emerging economies where they are under-represented in STEM and pursue graduate studies in various STEM disciplines at major research institutes around the world.

Oromeng and Ramatlapeng began their journey at the University of Delaware in 2018 as master’s level students working with Eliot Atekwana in the Earth, Ocean and Environment College (CEO).

Atekwana, a professor in the Department of Earth Sciences, said the scholarships show the strength of Oromeng and Ramatlapeng, as well as the importance of having international students join the UD student body.

“I am very proud of their two accomplishments,” said Atekwana. “In two years, they were able to write scientific papers that were published and also get this scholarship. I think it’s a testament to their abilities and also a testament to the caliber of the international students who come to Delaware.

Kopo Veronicah Oromeng

Oromeng began her academic career in the United States in 2014 when she attended Oberlin College in Ohio where she received her bachelor’s degree in economics and geology.

After being recruited to UD by Atekwana, Oromeng obtained her MSc in Geology before moving on to work on her PhD in Geography with Kyle Davis, Assistant Professor in the Department of Geography and Space Sciences at CEOE and the Department of Geography. Plant and Soil Sciences at UD’s College of Agriculture and Natural Resources; and Saleem Ali, Blue and Gold Distinguished Professor of Energy and Environment at the University of Delaware. Davis is also a resident faculty member at UD Institute of Data Science.

Oromeng is trained as a mixed methods geographer who combines spatial data analysis and remote sensing imagery with qualitative methods.

“My specific areas of interest are development-induced land use changes, such as mining, commercial agriculture, and mega-infrastructure projects such as large hydroelectric dams; the displacement of previous occupants who are often small rural farmers; and the resulting degradation of land and ecosystem services, ”said Oromeng.

Growing up in Botswana, a country heavily dependent on mineral resources, Oromeng said it was important for her to try to understand how natural resources are used to develop a country.

“In college, I explored this through my majors in economics and geology,” Oromeng said. “Here at UD, when I first became a hydrologist, I found myself revisiting the different ways that resources and development are interconnected, and how this relates to global environmental change and changes in means. local livelihoods. Geography responds perfectly to these interests.

Hearing about the Schlumberger Foundation from CEOE Dean Estella Atekwana, who also encouraged and supported her candidacy, Oromeng said she worked hard on her candidacy and received great feedback from friends and Davis. .

“There are few funding opportunities for an international doctorate. students there, especially those targeting women in STEM, ”Oromeng said. “Programs like Schlumberger FFT are important because the STEM gender equality movement has been successful in getting women interested in STEM, but the field is a notorious ‘leaky pipe’. Many women end up leaving the field. A major problem is the lack of support. So I think that by finding STEM Ph.D. students, funding them towards graduation, and encouraging them to stay in academia as a professor, Schlumberger is addressing this lack of support in a very direct way.

Goabaone Jaqueline Ramatlapeng

Ramatlapeng graduated with a BA in Geology from Botswana International University of Science and Technology in 2018 and was admitted to the Masters in Earth Sciences program at UD in the fall of 2018.

As with Oromeng, Ramatlapeng was interested in science, especially water chemistry, from an early age.

“Botswana is a semi-arid country; 70% of the country is desert and faced with water scarcity. Water shortages are particularly acute in small villages, and my home village, Kopong, is no exception, ”Ramatlapeng said. “I remember very well that we would spend several days or weeks without running water for drinking and domestic use. This experience initiated my desire to pursue studies related to water resources in order to be resourceful for my village and my country.

Currently a doctoral student in earth sciences with Eliot Atekwana, Ramatlapeng’s research focuses on understanding the hydrogeochemistry of rivers in arid watersheds. She plans to use the research, mentoring and teaching skills learned at UD to one day return to Botswana to advance water-related research and improve women’s participation in STEM careers.

His thesis focuses on the study of spatial and temporal controls of water chemistry in the Okavango River, which flows through the Okavango Delta, the largest freshwater wetland ecosystem in southern Africa and a source of water and food for communities along the river.

Ramatlapeng hopes his research will produce scientific results to reveal what processes bring, transform and remove solutes in the Okavango River, which would be informative for water quality assessments and inform water management decisions by the governments of Botswana, Namibia and Angola, all of which have land in the Okavango River Basin.

Upon receiving the Schlumberger FFT Award, Ramatlapeng said it was rewarding and empowering.

“I am even more motivated to continue to conduct impactful research that will benefit my home country and also empower and motivate women and girls in Botswana to pursue careers in STEM,” said Ramatlapeng. “I am happy to be one of the young women who will have the chance to return to Botswana and to be one of Botswana’s few pioneers in water chemistry research.”

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