WASHINGTON – Abimbola Oluwade, a 2020 graduate of the Howard University Department of Mechanical Engineering, has been awarded a graduate fellowship from Tau Beta Pi, the world’s largest engineering society, which provides financial assistance to engineering students. Membership represents the highest honor to be obtained by an engineering student. Tau Beta Pi Fellowships are awarded on the basis of high scholarship, campus leadership and service, and promise of future contributions to the engineering profession.With the $10,000 stipend, Oluwade plans to pursue a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering with a concentration in fluid mechanics and thermal processes. 

“A brilliant and well-rounded engineer, Abimbola is one of the best graduates to come from Howard’s Mechanical Engineering Department in many years,” says Chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering Nadir Yilmaz, Ph.D., P.E. “He has demonstrated exemplary qualities including academic excellence, research scholarship, and an exceptional level of service to society. Abimbola’s success story is a true testament to our goal of educating, training, and graduating the next generation of bright engineers from Howard University.”

Born in Lagos, Nigeria, Oluwade developed a passion for math and physics at a young age. His interest in mechanical engineering stemmed from this passion and developed into a love for fluid mechanics and thermodynamics. 

“I love the fact that we can use the laws of thermodynamics and fluid flow to describe our physical surroundings and also build engineering components,” Oluwade says. “I applied for the mechanical engineering program at Howard University so that I could build a career on my research work in the interesting field of fluid flow and thermal processes.”

Oluwade’s love for fluid mechanics and thermodynamics has translated into extensive undergraduate research experience, including internships at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory and SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and research assistantships within Howard’s Department of Mechanical Engineering.

As an honors student at Howard University, Oluwade was the recording secretary for the Tau Beta Pi District of Columbia Alpha Chapter at Howard University, along with being a member of Engineers Without Borders and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. Oluwade is also a former power systems coordinator for HU Robotics, a role in which he managed a team of students while building critical parts to power an underwater remotely operated vehicle (ROV) for the 2018 MATE ROV Competition. Additionally, he served as a mentor for the Tau Beta Pi MindSET program, a program designed to get K-12 students interested in careers in the STEM disciplines. There, he mentored K-12 students for preparation in robotics ahead of the First Lego League Robotics Competition. 

To learn more about Tau Beta Pi, visit https://www.tbp.org/about.cfm. 

For more information on the Howard University College of Engineering and Architecture, visit http://www.cea.howard.edu. 

###

About Howard University

Founded in 1867, Howard University is a private, research university that is comprised of 13 schools and colleges. Students pursue studies in more than 120 areas leading to undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees. The University operates with a commitment to Excellence in Truth and Service and has produced one Schwarzman Scholar, three Marshall Scholars, four Rhodes Scholars, 11 Truman Scholars, 25 Pickering Fellows and more than 70 Fulbright Scholars. Howard also produces more on-campus African-American Ph.D. recipients than any other university in the United States. For more information on Howard University, visit www.howard.edu.

Media contact: Ramzey Smith, Office of University Communications, ramzey.smith@howard.edu