The birth of an idea | Channels - McGill University
Growing up in Nigeria, Charles Onu was torn between deciding whether to pursue studies in mathematics or medicine, his two passions. “I wanted to be a doctor, to help people,” explains Onu, “but I also loved mathematics and was very good at it. Math came naturally to me. So I had to make a choice.” He decided to pursue a BEng degree in Electrical Computer Engineering at the Federal University of Technology in Owerri, but his desire to care for others remained strong. In 2008, Onu began volunteering for Enactus, a global non-profit organization, first as a member then as president. That’s how he first learned about perinatal asphyxia, a medical condition that deprives the brain of oxygen in newborn babies, resulting in serious complications and possible death. “This is a very big problem for resource-limited communities in developing countries like Nigeria where sophisticated detection tools are not available,” explains Onu. Innocent Udeogu It occurred to him that he could combine his p
