Chemical Engineering Overview - Overview PDF - PowerPoint - Podcast

William Collins

Assistant Professor
Howard University
Washington, DC

	B.S. - Chemistry, University of Illinois M.S. - Chemical Engineering, University of Wisconsin, Madison Ph.D. - Chemical Engineering, University of Wisconsin, Madison
	Assistant Professor
	"Get out and interview. They need to think of how they want to apply their curriculum. Do you want to go to grad school? Do you want to go into industry? Do you want to use chemical engineering principles in another entirely different field, which is becoming more common nowadays?"

Collins: "If an undergraduate knows somebody in the field -- corporate sector, academic sector, or government -- that person could serve as an excellent, formal mentor. How would you -- as an undergraduate -- find one if they didn't live in the neighborhood? One way would be to pursue undergraduate research. Get a more hands-on approach to research in chemical engineering."

Q: What are some of the behind-the-scenes stuff that you have to deal with, as a professor, that students may not know about?
Collins: A very large part of the responsibilities of any university professor is conducting research. Students don't see very much of this because most of it is done away from the classroom-in my office, in the library. Professors in the physical sciences, like chemical engineering, are required to have supportive research, submit proposals to acquire their support, and direct the research of graduate students. This is a very large part of my responsibilities as a professor. Also, there are various services. For instance, I'm an adviser to the AIChE Student Chapter here at Howard. I serve on other university-wide, school-wide committees.

Q: What career path have you followed so far?
Collins: As an undergraduate, I was a chemistry major and went to UW-Madison, where I got my M.S. and Ph.D. in chemical engineering. From there, I got a teaching job in a community college, because when I graduated I thought that I would like to teach in the physical sciences as opposed to conduct research. You know how it is-the grass always appears greener on the other side. As a graduate student, I just wanted to teach. Then, when I was teaching, I also wanted to do research. I was interested in Howard University because it provided me with an opportunity to teach minorities in chemical engineering and, thus, contribute to a diversity initiative in the field.

Q: What are some of the challenges and some of the opportunities that minority students and women in chemical engineering face?
Collins: They face a number of challenges. I don't exactly know the reason. I do know that their preparation in mathematics and the fundamentals of science could be better every step along the way. For instance, a high school student who wanted to go into the field should get four years of math and try to get at least three years of physical science. Also, the lack of mentors. This is a very intense field. Mentors can help guide you through this field. Without them, it's a lot of information for one person.

Q: What mentor opportunities might an undergraduate seek out?
Collins: If an undergraduate knows somebody in the field-corporate sector, academic sector, or government-that person could serve as an excellent, formal mentor. How would you-as an undergraduate-find one if they didn't live in the neighborhood? One way would be to pursue undergraduate research. Get a more hands-on approach to research in chemical engineering, as well as seeing some of the stuff done behind-the-scenes.

Q: What courses, extracurricular activities, or other experiences, would you advise a student to pursue?
Collins: Try to get some statistics, because that's going to help them no matter where they go-grad school, industry, or whatever. I'd also want them to have some exposure-or some involvement-in organizational work and industrial work. Our student chapter of AIChE here at Howard has a couple of initiatives each year where it goes out in the community to show children, the youth in the community, what chemical engineers do. This year, we're trying to develop some kind of tutoring program.

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