Margaret S. Collins facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Margaret James Strickland
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Margaret S. Collins conducting an experiment.
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Margaret S. Collins
September 4, 1922 |
| Died | April 27, 1996 (aged 73) |
| Nationality | American |
| Citizenship | USA |
| Alma mater | West Virginia State University; University of Chicago |
| Known for | termites; civil rights advocacy |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Zoologist, Entomologist |
| Institutions | Florida A&M University; Howard University; Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History |
| Thesis | 'Difference in toleration of drying between species of termites (Reticulitermes)' (1950) |
| Doctoral advisor | Alfred E. Emerson |
| Author abbrev. (zoology) | Collins |
Margaret James Strickland Collins (born September 4, 1922 – died April 27, 1996) was an amazing American scientist. She was a child genius who became an entomologist (someone who studies insects) and a zoologist (someone who studies animals). Margaret Collins was especially famous for her work with termites. People even called her the “Termite Lady”!
She was the first African American woman to become an entomologist with a PhD. She was also the third African American woman to earn a PhD in zoology. Besides her science, Margaret Collins was a strong supporter of civil rights. She worked hard to make sure everyone was treated fairly.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Margaret S. Collins was born in 1922 in Institute, West Virginia. This town was special because many educated Black people lived there. Her father, Rollins James, worked with the famous scientist George Washington Carver. Her mother, Luella James, wanted to be an archaeologist.
From a young age, Margaret loved animals and insects. She explored the woods near her home, collecting bugs. When she was just 6 years old, people saw how smart she was. She was called a child prodigy. This meant she could use the books at West Virginia State University's library.
Because she was so bright, Margaret skipped two grades. She graduated from high school early, at just 14 years old.
College and PhD
In 1936, Margaret started college at West Virginia State University. This was a historically Black university. She earned a scholarship for her excellent grades. It was sometimes hard for women to study science back then. But Margaret found great teachers who helped her.
In 1943, she earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology. She also studied Physics and German. Later that year, she went to the University of Chicago. In 1950, she earned her PhD in zoology. Her mentor was Alfred E. Emerson, a top expert on termites. He helped her with her important research.
Her PhD paper was about how different kinds of termites handle dry conditions. This work is still very important in the study of insects. When she got her PhD, Margaret Collins made history. She became the first African American woman entomologist.
Career and Fighting for Fairness
After getting her PhD, Margaret Collins became a professor. She taught at Howard University in Washington, D.C. Later, she moved to Florida A&M University. There, she became the head of the Biology department in 1953. She often took her family on trips to Everglades National Park to collect insects.
Margaret Collins was not just a scientist; she was also a brave activist. She was once asked to give a talk at a university about biology and equality. But the talk was canceled because someone threatened to bomb the building.
She also helped during a bus boycott in Florida. She volunteered to drive people to work. Because of her actions, the police and FBI watched her closely. Her work for equal rights was so important to her that it sometimes slowed down her scientific publishing. She didn't publish any papers between 1952 and 1957.
Research and Teaching
In 1961, Margaret Collins received a grant to study termites in Minnesota. In 1964, she returned to Washington, D.C. She became a full-time professor at Howard University again. She also taught at Federal City College (now the University of the District of Columbia).
During this time, she became president of the Entomological Society of Washington. She also worked as a research associate at the Smithsonian Institution. This is a very famous museum and research center.
Margaret Collins loved doing field research. She led trips to Mexico in 1968 and to the Sonoran Desert in Arizona in 1972. In 1979, she reopened a research station in Guyana. She also organized a big meeting for the American Association for the Advancement of Science. This meeting was about "Science and the Question of Human Equality." She later published a book with the same title.
From the late 1970s until she died, she studied termites in the Caribbean. She worked with the National Museum of Natural History at the Smithsonian. She even taught the military in Guyana how to build things to avoid termite damage. Her collected termites are now part of the Smithsonian's special collection.
Discoveries About Termites
Margaret Collins saw herself as a field scientist. This means she loved to study animals in their natural homes. She did a lot of research in North and South America, especially in Guyana and Florida.
One of her big discoveries was a new species of termite. With her friend David Nickle, she found Neotermes luykxi in 1989. This termite is also called the Florida damp wood termite. It lives in Florida, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
Her research helped us understand many things about termites, including:
- How termites survive in dry places.
- How they handle very hot temperatures.
- How they defend themselves, sometimes using chemicals.
- How many different kinds of termites live in untouched and disturbed rainforests.
- Their behavior and how they are classified.
Later Years and Legacy
Even though she had health problems in her later years, Margaret Collins kept working hard. She went on many expeditions to the Caribbean.
On April 27, 1996, Margaret Collins died at age 73. She was on a field trip in the Cayman Islands when she passed away from heart failure. She had always hoped to die while doing what she loved – studying nature.
Margaret Collins was a true inspiration. She showed many other scientists of color what was possible. She faced racial discrimination and sexism in her career. But she always fought for fairness and for everyone to be included.
Selected Published Works
- Collins, M. S., Wainer, I. W., & Bremner, T. A. (1981). Science and the Question of Human Equality. Boulder, Colo.: Westview Press. ISBN: 9780891589525
- Water relations in termites. Chapter in Krishna K, Weesner F (ed). Biology of Termites (1969).
- Collins, M. S. “Jensen's AAAS Fellowship.” Science, vol. 196, no. 4292, 1977, pp. 832–832.
