Celebrating Ndi-Igbo

One to Watch Ijeoma Emesowum returns for her fifth season at the Shaw Festival as Sarah Undershaft in Major Barbara and Vernon in Guys and Dolls. Last season, she appeared in Ragtime and A Man and Some Woman. Previous Shaw credits include Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, The Admirable Crichton, The Women, Serious Money, Born Yesterday, Half an Hour and The Devil’s Disciple. After making the jump to Toronto in May 2008, Ijeoma began the quest to enrich herself. She began with the help of b currents rAiz’n ensemble, then with Canadian Stage Company’s GYM and by getting out in the big city, whose skyscrapers and huge crowds continue to amaze this small town girl. Ijeoma has also been part of the annual reading of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, hosted by the Shaw Festival. Other theatre credits include a workshop of Lisa Codrington’s The Aftermath (New Groundswell Festival, Nightwood Theatre); Binti’s Journey (Theatre Direct); A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Canadian Stage Company); The N...

Francisca Okeke is a Professor of Physics at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. She recently received the L’Oreal-UNESCO for Women in Science Award for her significant contributions to the understanding of daily variations of the ion currents in the upper atmosphere which may further our understanding of climate change. In a statement, UNESCO said Okeke has made the study of the ionosphere her lifetime work. The ionosphere lies between 50km and 1000km above the earth surface. “A very thick layer of charged particles, the ionosphere produces changes in the magnetic field on earth’s surface that affect the planet in a host of ways. Her research could lead to a better understanding of climate change and help pinpoint sources of dramatic phenomena like tsunamis and earthquakes” She was also the Dean in the faculty of Physical Sciences at her University, from 2008 to 2010. On YouTube

Chinwe is currently researching autonomous self-adapting industrial in-house built robots, and how they can be used to facilitate mass customization. Robots, she hopes, will learn from their own experiences without being restricted to pre-conceived routines. In other words robots will use their experiences to think for themselves. Chinwe Ozoegwu received her BEng in Electrical and Electronics (4.62/5 GPA) from Moscow Power Engineering Institute, an MSc in Electronics and Information Technology (with Distinction) from Sheffield Hallam University and is currently pursuing a PhD in Industrial Automation and Robotics in Sheffield Hallam University, UK. In line with her stellar academic credentials, Chinwe secured a Bilateral Education agreement between Nigeria and Russia including free tuition, maintenance, insurance, book and travel allowances from the Russian and Nigerian governments, at Tver State Technical University and Moscow Power Engineering Institute. She is also currentl...