Dr Juliet Chinasa Ojiako
My research area is Fluid Mechanics. I got interested in this field of study because of my love for aerodynamics, which is the way air moves around things, for example, how an airplane can fly.
However, in my research journey, I realised that nearly everything was based on computer programming as the bedrock. This means that, if you can write programs, then you can solve many Science problems. So, we designed some computer algorithms to teach children how to code alongside having fun.
We used the children LEGO bricks (as shown in the photo), where they build and move through a maze by using computer algorithms as their guidelines. This game has several levels from interpreting a given algorithm to formulating new ones. Learning to write their own codes early enhances children’s problem-solving skills and prepares them for any branch of science.