Mrs Rasaq-Balogun and seven other students from SIU’s
campuses in Carbondale, Edwardsville and Springfield were honoured by the
university’s board of trustees and the Student Advisory Committee for the SIU
System (SACSS).
The first-class graduate of Meteorological and Climate
Science from the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA) is working
towards her Ph.D. in Environmental Resource and Policy at SIU.
She also had her master’s degree from the same department in
FUTA.
“SIU is proud to have so many wonderfully accomplished
students who are not only making a major impact on campus but also in the
greater communities,” the SIU System President, Dan Mahony, was quoted to have
said in a statement.
According to the statement, the SACSS received applications
from across the system and selected one undergraduate student and one graduate
student each from SIU Edwardsville and SIU Carbondale, as well as one student
from the SIU schools of medicine, law, pharmacy and dental medicine.
The SIU board meeting was held in Carbondale on 11 April.
SIU awardees
Mrs Rasaq-Balogun, according to the SIU, has made a
tremendous mark at the university as a teacher, researcher and volunteer.
“Serving international students is a key part of Saidat’s
life at SIU. On campus, she works with numerous organisations focused on
helping international and African students,” it said.
The indigene of Ile-Ife in Osun State is currently the VP of
the SIU International Student Council.
“Saidat’s service even extends to her home, where she often
provides temporary housing to international students as they arrive or if they
face challenges,” the university noted.
“She makes inclusivity a top priority as she takes the
initiative to ensure that international students can find communities where
they belong at SIU.”
Other awardees include SIU’s Carbondale Undergraduate
Student, Sarah Lukavsky; School of Law Student, Shailey Park; School of
Medicine Student, Ashley-Ann Walker; Edwardsville Undergraduate Student,
Isabella Pruitt; Edwardsville Graduate Student, Amber Powell; School of Dental
Medicine, Julissa Quinonez; and School of Pharmacy, Jessie Icenogle.
The university further noted In the statement that the SACSS
advises SIU administrators on student-related issues that are pertinent at the
system level.
“This committee works very hard to be a voice for their
fellow students and to recognize the outstanding work their peers are doing at
SIU,” SIU VP of Academic Innovation, Planning and Partnerships, Gireesh Gupchup
was quoted.
PhD research
Mrs Rasaq-Balogun, is currently in her third year at the
Environmental Resource and Policy Department, at SIU’s Carbondale campus.
She said her PhD research aims to gain a detailed
understanding of historical and projected future changes in warm seasons and
heat stress in the Midwestern United States.
“This goes a long way by explaining what is happening around
the globe due to Climate Change,” she said.
“The Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change has projected
that in the coming decades, Climate Change will increase in all regions of the
globe, and for 1.5°C of global warming there will be increasing heat waves
hence the need for understanding and Preparedness for adaptation purposes.”