 William CollinsAssistant Professor
Howard University
Washington, DC
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 B.S. -
Chemistry, University of Illinois
M.S. - Chemical
Engineering, University of Wisconsin, Madison
Ph.D. - Chemical
Engineering, University of Wisconsin, Madison |
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Assistant Professor |
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"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?" |
 
"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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