Professor Aba A. Bentil Andam (born 1948) is a Ghanaian

particle physicist Particle physics or high energy physics is the study of Elementary particle, fundamental particles and fundamental interaction, forces that constitute matter and radiation. The fundamental particles in the universe are classified in the Standa ...

who was President of the

Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences The Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences (GAAS) is a learned society for the arts and sciences based in Accra, Ghana. The institution was founded in November 1959 by Kwame Nkrumah with the aim to promote the pursuit, advancement and dissemination ...

from 2017–2019. She is the first Ghanaian female physicist.

Early life and education

Aba A. Bentil Andam was born in Ghana in 1948 in Ajumako Kokoben. She had her secondary education at Mfantsiman Senior High School. She completed her undergraduate degree at the

University of Cape Coast The University of Cape Coast is a public collegiate university located in the historic town of Cape Coast. The campus has a rare seafront and sits on a hill overlooking the wide Atlantic Ocean. It operates on two campuses: the Southern Campus (O ...

in Ghana (1969-1973), ⁣ where she majored in physics and minored in mathematics. She sought further education in Britain where she earned a master's degree from the

University of Birmingham , mottoeng = Through efforts to heights , established = 1825 – Birmingham School of Medicine and Surgery1836 – Birmingham Royal School of Medicine and Surgery1843 – Queen's College1875 – Mason Science College1898 – Mason Univers ...

(1976-1977) and a Ph.D. from

Durham University , mottoeng = Her foundations are upon the holy hills (Psalm 87:1) , established = (university status) , type = Public , academic_staff = 1,830 (2020) , administrative_staff = 2,640 (2018/19) , chancellor = Sir Thomas Allen , vice_chan ...

(1978-1981). At the University of Cape Coast and Durham University, she was the only woman physicist in the department during her time there.

Career

In 1986, she became a chartered physicist and full member of the

Institute of Physics The Institute of Physics (IOP) is a UK-based learned society and professional body that works to advance physics education, research and application. It was founded in 1874 and has a worldwide membership of over 20,000. The IOP is the Physica ...

. In addition to her scientific degrees, she is fluent in French, and has a number of different French language qualifications, including the Diplome de Langue d’Alliance Francaise de Paris; the French Proficiency Certificate of Ghana Institute of Languages; and the Certificate of Translation, Alliance Francaise de Paris. In 1986 and 1987 she studied

charmed ''Charmed'' is an American fantasy drama television series created by Constance M. Burge and produced by Aaron Spelling and his production company Spelling Television, with Brad Kern serving as showrunner. The series was originally broadcast ...

meson In particle physics, a meson ( or ) is a type of hadronic subatomic particle composed of an equal number of quarks and antiquarks, usually one of each, bound together by the strong interaction. Because mesons are composed of quark subparticles ...

s at the German research station DESY (Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron). Later, her research focused on

radon Radon is a chemical element with the symbol Rn and atomic number 86. It is a radioactive, colourless, odourless, tasteless noble gas. It occurs naturally in minute quantities as an intermediate step in the normal radioactive decay chains through ...

and surveyed human exposure levels of the radioactive gas in Ghana. Andam was interested in determining how much radiation from radon Ghanaians were exposed to, and how she can reduce radon radiation exposure. She is also interested in radiation-based safety measures, such as; working out a safety standard for X-ray scans. Beginning in 1987, she participated in the Ghana Science Clinics for Girls, where female students and scientists met. The scientists then acted as role models to the students. These clinics led to increased performance in the students who took part, and the retention rates from primary to university considerably increased. Andam is passionate about sharing her love of science with young women and encouraging them to take up science. Andam has been a professor at the

Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) is a public University of Ghana that focuses on science and technology. The Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology is the public university established in the country, as well a ...

since 1981. She has headed the physics department since the mid 2000s, and from 2005 has been the WILKADO Chair of Science and Technology. She conducts research in applied nuclear physics at Kumasi's Nuclear Research Laboratory. She also was a part-time lecturer at the University of Cape Coast. She has served as the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

chair of the Women in Science and Technology in Africa's West African region between 1996 and 2002.

Honours and recognition

She is a fellow of various different scientific organizations namely; The World Innovation Foundation (from 2002),

(from 2003), and the

(from 2004). She was the President of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences (2017-2019), the second woman to hold this position.

Personal life

She was married to Professor Kwesi Akwansah Andam who was a Civil Engineer, an academician and a former Vice Chancellor. They had four children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Andam, Aba 1948 births Living people Alumni of the University of Birmingham Ghanaian physicists Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology faculty Particle physicists University of Cape Coast alumni Fellows of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences Durham University Graduate Society alumni