Dr. Oboh-Ikuenobe is the epitome of resilience. Despite being a Nigerian woman, whose
expertise was often not respected early in her career, her unbending resolve led her to achieve
great success in both the United Kingdom and in America – it is no surprise she studies rocks
as they match her unbelievable toughness. However, she still truly cares about her students and
facilitates the best possible learning opportunities for future geoscientists. Her extensive record
as a leader in professional and civic committees at her home institution of Missouri S&T, the
local Rolla community, and all the way to her home country of Nigeria, has proven that she is
deeply interested in improving geoscience education, especially for underrepresented
communities. Amazingly, she is also an associate editor for the Journal of African Earth
Sciences, a major journal that fosters groundbreaking Earth science research on the continent
of Africa. As a palynologist, Dr. Oboh-Ikuenobe uses her expertise on organic-walled
microorganisms and organic matter preserved in sedimentary rocks to infer the biostratigraphy,
paleoecology, and paleoclimatic conditions of different parts of the world – from Missouri to
Australia to Nigeria to Guatemala. Truly, she is uncovering ancient truths all over the Earth.
Despite all of this success, she still comes across as extremely humble and personable with an
unmistakable joy about her ability to study the planet as a career. For international students
trying to traverse the difficult world of gaining credibility in a new nation, her scientific track
record and approach to discriminatory voices is a blueprint to admire. Dr. Oboh-Ikuenobe’s
career is amazing, not only because of the high-quality science she continues to produce, but
also for the doors she has opened for many future black women in the field of geosciences.
#gbgm #dfg