I think you missed the point that the undergrad was unknown for many years until she saw a documentary about the emergency repairs which resulted from the phone call she made to alert them to the problem. No-one bothered to take her details or respond to her in any way and she never received credit (until now).

Perhaps it's just me, but I have a feeling some misogyny may have been involved in the way she was forgotten at the time. Thankfully someone thought to check her claim rather than dismissing it outright which was a very real risk - something I think was clear in the telling of the story.