Chiamaka Agbasi-Porter

Community Outreach Administrator, Lincoln Laboratory
Unsung Hero

(presented by Eric Evans, Director, Lincoln Laboratory)

Our first Unsung Hero of 2015 is Chiamaka Agbasi-Porter,  the Community Outreach Coordinator at Lincoln Laboratory. Chiamaka is responsible for the planning and execution of more than 21 STEM programs as well as community giving and service programs at the Laboratory. Her principal focus has been underserved minorities—the focus of the program she developed, Lincoln Laboratory Radar Introduction for Student Engineers, is a free two-week residential summer workshop that teaches students how to build radar systems. More than 42 students—most from inner-city environments—have attended the past 3 years.

Chiamaka handles every single logistical and administrative aspect of the program including arrangements for lodging, food, transportation, instructors, teaching assistants, syllabus, and all course requirements—and, her nominators say, she does it all masterfully. And this is just one of many programs that she runs to promote STEM excellence.

Chiamaka maintains metrics on the students who take part in her programs and the impact is inspiring. Many have gone on to major in engineering at the nation’s top universities—MIT, Harvard, Stanford. Other students have gone on to win internships at top R&D organizations, including Lincoln Laboratory. Her colleagues note that many of these students would not have been accepted to these colleges without the dedicated personal and professional support that Chiamaka provided to boost their STEM performance.

Let’s welcome Chiamaka Agbasi-Porter to the stage for her much deserved Excellence Award!