Urinrin Otite, a brilliant Nigerian scholar from Delta State, has made history as the first-ever graduate of the Master of Science in Catastrophe Modeling and Resilience program at Lehigh University, Pennsylvania, USA.
This pioneering program, launched just a year ago, is a core initiative of Lehigh’s Center for Catastrophe Modeling and Resilience, dedicated to studying the impact of natural disasters, pandemics, and societal crises.
Otite’s latest milestone is yet another feather in her cap. A first-class Civil Engineering graduate from the University of Port Harcourt, she topped her faculty with an impressive CGPA of 4.73/5.0. Her former lecturer, Professor Dennis Eme, recalls her as a standout student with exceptional problem-solving skills.
Currently in her fourth year as a PhD candidate in Civil Engineering at Lehigh, she completed the rigorous 30-credit master’s program with a stellar CGPA of 3.83/4.0. Reflecting on her achievement, she said:
“Being the first to earn this degree at my university—and possibly in the U.S.—is an honor I’ll cherish. Learning to model and mitigate disaster risks is a rare skill in civil engineering, and I’m excited to be part of this evolving field.”
Her research focuses on assessing how energy infrastructure withstands disasters like hurricanes and storm surges, with a special emphasis on integrating renewable energy sources.
Otite’s journey is as inspiring as her achievements. In 2018, she was selected for the prestigious EducationUSA Opportunity Funds Program, securing multiple offers from top universities, including Stanford, Johns Hopkins, and UC Berkeley, before choosing Lehigh.
From breaking academic records to revolutionizing disaster resilience research, Urinrin Otite is setting a new standard for Nigerian scholars on the global stage.
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