Juliana Amaka Ugwu
Nigeria 2015
Juliana Amaka Ugwu grew up in a large family in Eastern Nigeria. The third of nine children, she was determined to excel in school and attend university. She was admitted to study medicine at a local university, but as the first daughter, she faced family pressure to get married. After her first year at university, she agreed to get married.“I was schooling in the East while my husband was staying in the western part of the country,” she recalls. This proved to be a challenge and she eventually decided to seek a transfer to a university in the western state to join her spouse. She was unsuccessful in getting into medicine but got an opportunity to study zoology. It is here that she developed an interest in entomology,which she pursued for her master’s. “Without the study of insects, agriculture cannot survive,” states Ugwu. She explains that insects play an important role in pollination, contributing to higher yields, but is quick to note that they also damage crops leading to losses for farmers.
After her first year at university, she agreed to get married.“I was schooling in the East while my husband was staying in the western part of the country,” she recalls. This proved to be a challenge and she eventually decided to seek a transfer to a university in the western state to join her spouse. She was unsuccessful in getting into medicine but got an opportunity to study zoology. It is here that she developed an interest in entomology,which she pursued for her master’s. “Without the study of insects, agriculture cannot survive,” states Ugwu.
Field of Research
I want to make a positive impact in the area of pest management…I have a vision to minimize chemical pesticide use by developing environmentally friendly approaches..

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