Born into a poor family, Hakeem M. Oluseyi has become a scientist of the universe. He has proven to be a man capable of fighting the “black hole” gravity of life.
By
Elsa Emiria Leba
·5 minutes read
Born into a poor family, Hakeem M. Oluseyi has become a scientist of the universe. Apart from his previous stint with NASA, this astrophysicist is also a cosmologist, educator, writer, speaker and science communicator. He has proven to be a man capable of fighting the “black hole” gravity of life.
During 2016-2019, Oluseyi worked as an astrophysicist and headed the Outer Space Science Education of the Science Involvement Division of NASA, Washington, DC. His main task was serving as a communication adviser and science communicator. He was responsible for assisting in the management of 25 cooperation agreements covering science activation worth $US 40 million.
“I provided input on how scientists communicate with non-scientists. We have to take care that the language used remains simple but the concepts conveyed are accurate,” said Oluseyi in Jakarta on Tuesday (1 October 2019).
After working with NASA, he shares the excitement of science with the world, including children. He is traveling worldwide to introduce the concepts of the universe.
“By means of the MSSTA, we could take pictures to measure changes in solar temperature in the early 1990s. Today spacecraft use it daily for space climate monitoring,”
He indeed is not a newcomer to astrophysics and cosmology. Since he was a postgraduate student at Stanford University, he has been involved in the multispectral solar telescope array (MSSTA) research program. The MSSTA is a sounding rocket built by Arthur BC Walker Jr of Stanford University.
“By means of the MSSTA, we could take pictures to measure changes in solar temperature in the early 1990s. Today spacecraft use it daily for space climate monitoring,” he said.
After graduating, he worked with Applied Materials, Silicon Valley. He conducted research related to computer chips and new generation transistors that produced 11 patents. His inventions can be found in computers currently in use. However, his deep love of science prompted him to leave Silicon Valley. He later joined the research carried out by the Supernova Cosmology Project at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. He was working under Saul Perlmutter, a 2011 Noble laureate for physics who proved the accelerated expansion of the universe.
From 2007, Oluseyi continued his occupation as a researcher and lecturer at several universities in the US. He issued about 80 publications on astrophysics, cosmology, semi-conductor manufacture and ion thrusters. His research in the field of science education formulated effective and efficient methods for mathematics and physics instruction to students of all ages.
Oluseyi is now a celebrity scientist in the US. He has been a resource person and consultant for the Science Channel, Discovery Channel, National Geographic and the well-known Technology, Entertainment and Design (TED) conferences in the US.
The poor
Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, Oluseyi has experienced the gloomy side of life as a child. His family was economically disadvantaged. His parents did not finish senior high school. His father had a liquor business now categorized as illegal. He frequently stayed at home alone while the community where he lived was notoriously dangerous. “I used to watch the PBS channel’s science program when on my own. At 11, I finally discovered Albert Einstein and the theory of relativity through an encyclopedia,” he recalled.
“It was a hard time in the US. My father became an alcohol supplier on campus. My achievement was poor so I finally discontinued my study,”
Einstein’s theory provoked the curiosity of Oluseyi about science. His mind was focused on finding out how the universe behaves as well as how the speed of light and time change. As a senior high school student in Mississippi, he made a program dealing with the effect of relativity at a Science Exhibition and emerged as a champion. The jury suggested that he become a physicist. But instead he enlisted in the US Navy after graduating in 1984. Two years later he quit and studied at Tougaloo College. “It was a hard time in the US. My father became an alcohol supplier on campus. My achievement was poor so I finally discontinued my study,” he said.
At last he decided to work as a hotel cleaning officer earning $ 4 dollars per hour. In order to survive, he gathered hotel guests’ food leftovers. He was eyeing the job of bellboys and failed. The failure made him realize that the only way to survive was to go back to school at Tougaloo College. He was studying all out to master mathematics and physics. Then he furthered his studies and gained his master’s degree and doctorate in physics at Stanford University.
Oluseyi admitted he had concealed the murky part of his life for 10 years. He was not embarrassed to reveal that he finished his postgraduate study at the age of 32. In general, postgraduate study is completed at around 26 years old. He felt overwhelmed by the public’s response to his life story. He became aware that his life story could inspire other people.
He has proven that as a black child from a poor family, he is capable of making his dream come true. He refuses to sink into the “black hole” and chooses to come out as a shining star for fellow humans.
Hakeem M. Oluseyi
Born: New Orleans, 13 March 1967
Occupation:
Associate Professor at the Florida Institute of Technology (2007-2019)
Astrophysicist and head of NASA science education (2016-2019)