KNUST honours Fibre Optics inventor Dr Mensah and others

The Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) at its 2017 Founders’ Day Special Congregation has recognised some distinguished Ghanaians who have contributed valuably to the university and society.

The event climaxed the 10th R.P. Baffour Lectures which was under the theme: “Moving Ghana into the 21st Century through modern infrastructure development”.

The university conferred an honorary Doctor of Philosophy on the main speaker of the university’s 10th RP Baffour memorial lectures, Dr Thomas Mensah for his international achievements in Fibre Optics and Nano technology.

Credited to have built the fastest Fiber Optics draw and coating process of 50 meters per second, he holds four patents for this effort.

Dr Thomas Mensah also has inventions in guided missile programmes; Aerospace and Communication products.

A founding member of the Emerging Technologies area for the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), Dr. Mensah worked on specialized projects for NASA (Superconductors for space communications), the US Army (Smart munitions Picatinny Arsenal) and US Department of Energy, (Fiber optics sensors for Highway Traffic monitoring).

His current work include next generation MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems) and Nano systems Technology.

The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation Dr. Kofi Koduah Sarpong was also decorated with an honorary Degree of Doctor of Letters for his contribution to improving the fortunes of the several institutions he served.

The university was especially grateful for the contributions of GNPC to helping over a hundred female students each year with full scholarships to study Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics programmes; his role in convincing the Board of the Royal bank where he served as board chair to establish a $350,000 annual award scheme for staff and students of Humanities and Social Sciences and his pivotal role in ensuring that a considerable number of students were picked for internships and national service at the Tema Oil Refinery where he was once Managing Director.

An honorary Doctor of Letters was also conferred on Prof E.L. Anatsui who graduated as the best student of the KNUST College of Arts in the year 1969.

He is the Founding member and fellow for the Forum of African Arts; Fellow of the Pan African survey of artists and also a Golden Lion Lifetime Achievement award winner.

Renowned and trail blazing scientist Dr. Leticia Eva Obeng, the first Ghanaian woman to graduate with a Bachelors Degree and later a Doctorate degree in Science who was the first lady fellow and female president of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences was conferred upon the honorary Doctor of Sciences.

As part of her pioneering achievements, Dr Leticia was the first female director of the Regional Office of the United Nations Environmental Programme. She is the Co-founder and director of the Institute of Aquatic Biology for the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) Ghana.

Award winning journalist and host of the ‘Kokrokoo’ morning show on Peace FM Kwame Sefa Kayi was also decorated with honours of Distinguished Service for using the power of the media to influence change and development in society.

His citation read, “Your ability to keep government and its machinery alive to their responsibilities is commendable. Your desire to enhance the lives of many and thus contribute to the development of the nation is unquestionable.

As a public-spirited individual, you are also deeply involved in community initiatives that have had great impact on society. You are the founder and chairman of the Kokrokoo Charities Foundation – a non governmental organisation – that is soliciting funding for the procurement of a hundred incubators for distribution to health facilities in the country”

For their immense roles and contributions to KNUST, the longest serving Finance Officer (29 years of service), Mr Kingsley Adu, the late Registrar of the university Mr. Kobby Yebo-Okrah and the immediate past Dean of Students, Dr. Kofi Ohene Owusu Daaku were each decorated with the honor of Distinguished Service.

In all, two thousand one hundred and ninety two (2192) students graduated from all the six colleges of the university’s post graduate school fifty of whom graduated with PhDs.