KNUST Honours Female Physics Students; 18 Awarded Under Dr. K.C Whittaker Endowment Fund

Eighteen female students from the Department of Physics at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) have been honored for their academic excellence under the Dr. K.C. Whittaker Endowment Fund. The beneficiaries, including 16 undergraduates and two postgraduates, received a total of GHC 54,000, with each student awarded GHC 3,000.

Established in 1998 by Mrs. Rose Whittaker, the Fund aims to recognize and support exceptional female students in physics. The Provost of the College of Science, Prof Leonard Amekudzi, commended the Whittaker Foundation for its significant contribution to increasing female representation in the physics department.

He noted the positive impact of the awards, highlighting that former recipients have gone on to excel in various scientific fields, including positions at Ghana Atomic Energy and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). A board member of the Whittaker Foundation, Mrs. Irene Schandorf, presented the cheques on behalf of the board chairman, Mr. Eric Inkumsah, during the ceremony.

Other board members present included Solomon Quanzie (Esq), Mr. Ernest Prah, and Mr. Owusu. The Fund, which initially supported one female student per year, now assists up to twenty students across BSc, MPhil, and PhD levels.

To date, the K.C. Whittaker Foundation has supported over 300 exceptional female Physics students at KNUST, with plans to continue this vital support in the coming years.