Mr. Ogwang Ambrose - ACES 1ST PRESIDENT
The Writer is currently a Drilling Engineer at the Chinese National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) International and was the 1st ACES President (Founding Leader)
The first lot of Chemical Engineering Students to which I was privileged to be a part of, was admitted into Kyambogo University on August, 2011 for the 2011/2012 Academic Year. Besides Ndejje University, whose first cohort of Chemical Engineering students by then was in their Second Year of the course, Kyambogo University was the only other University in Uganda offering Chemical Engineering at the time and so is it to date, I guess.
Our class consisted of 23 students, 13 of which were enrolled for the day program and 10 for the evening program. Comparing this with the current numbers enrolled for the course, you can attest it has indeed been an interesting journey for us.
In Kyambogo University, Chemical Engineering (as it was called then before the suffix “Process Engineering” was added to it) was under the Faculty of Science.
Unlike today where Chemical Engineering students can refer to their Seniors for support and guidance with regards to the course, study materials, examination past papers and any other sort of support; being the pioneers of the course, we did not have this privilege.
We had to chart out an entirely new path. Every exam was the first of its kind to us and we had no past papers to refer to, yet today, we have our pride to hold and history that shall be chanted on for us.
One of the biggest challenges we faced at the time was an identity crisis. There was no student association at the University that we could fully identify with.
The closest was Chemistry Technology Students Association (CHETESA). This, however, had a strong leaning towards our Chemistry aspect and could not bring out the engineering aspects we possessed, thus we couldn’t find complete nurture and harnessing of who, we actually, were meant to be. We craved to belong.
It was on this basis that we were inspired to form our own Association; the Association of Chemical Engineering Students (ACES) that you know of today!
The Articulate, cherished and well clued-up Association actively contributing to the welfare of Chemical Engineering Students. With a few of my course mates, we brainstormed; drafted a constitution, came up with a name and logo. The name ACES was derived from the English word ace which means to excel at something.
Thus, we called ourselves ACES because we hoped and believed we would excel at the Chemical Engineering craft. ACES had its first ballot election for the various Committee positions in October 2013 and I was fortunate enough to become the first President-Elect of ACES with the late Dr. Okullo Aldo (MHSRIP) as our first Patron. We will forever be indebted to him. Oh yes, it was never in vain…his mentorship and patronize
On 12th April 2014, the first Public Lecture and event, organized by the ACES committee was held.
The theme of the event was “The Role of a Graduate Chemical Engineer in the Oil & Gas Sector.” This public lecture hosted a fellow Chemical Engineer; Eng. Irene Batebe (a matriarch and woman of great insight) the current Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development (MEMD), as the Guest Speaker together with her team from MEMD.
The milestones ACES has recorded since then speak for themselves.
As founders of ACES, we feel greatly successful as we borrow into the words of Myles Munroe that say; “Leadership Success is measured by the Success of your Successor.”
