Oguna Wins Google Scholarship

Angela Oguna, a junior in electrical engineering, is the first University of Kansas student to win a prestigious Google Anita Borg Memorial Scholarship. The $10,000 scholarships were awarded to 32 exceptional female undergraduate and graduate students in computer science and related technical fields.

The Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology and Google created the highly competitive scholarship to encourage women to pursue careers in computer science and technology and to become leaders and role models. Scholarship recipients and finalists are invited to participate in all-expenses-paid networking retreat at Google this June.

“All of us in the School of Engineering are proud of Angela and the potential she already is bringing to bear at KU and abroad,” said Stuart Bell, dean of engineering.  “I’m confident she will continue to make great achievements throughout her career.”

Since transferring to KU in 2008, Oguna has collected an array of honors. She was named “one of the outstanding scholars in America” at the 2009 National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) Convention. She also won a national Chrysler Foundation Scholarship from the Society of Women Engineers. Oguna has been on the Dean’s Honor Roll every semester and has received regional and University accolades for her research. Additionally, she serves as an engineering ambassador, meeting with prospective students visiting campus and alumni.

“I am definitely ready for senior year now. This award alleviates a considerable financial burden,” said Oguna, of Nairobi, Kenya. “I am grateful for the support that I have received from my family, my friends and my mentors who have been instrumental in my success at KU.” 

At KU’s Information and Telecommunication Technology Center (ITTC), Oguna tests sensors that monitor cargo transported by rail cars. The theft detection system provides stakeholders with greater visibility, security and accountability of their goods. ITTC researchers are working with KU’s Transportation Research Institute and KC SmartPort, an economic development group, to develop secure, efficient transportation corridors throughout Kansas City. 

“Angela is a highly motivated student. She has taken the initiative on a number of projects and activities during the past few years,” said EECS Professor . “Her motivation and initiative are complemented with a solid engineering foundation.”

This spring Oguna was selected for an American Public Power Association Demonstration research grant. The Energy-Efficient Developments (DEED) program sponsors research related to improving efficiencies and lowering the cost of services provided by publicly owned electric utilities. Oguna’s research will generate details information about real-time energy use and cost. As a result, consumers will be able to make more informed decisions about their consumption. Her industry sponsor is the Kansas City Board of Public Utilities.