Reflections on being a Fellow in my professional life: My election came late, after I had mostly retired, so it had little effect on any promotions or job opportunies. I suppose it was an advantage for the little bit of expert witness work that I did in the decade after my election. However, being able to say that I was the first female Fellow lends some special credibility when I speak to the students at the local Houston Community College. As a woman, I was a minority in my profession. My family had limited financial assets, but I was able to get an excellent education by working and obtaining scholarships. The students in STEM majors can relate to me. I try to emphasize two points for them in their careers.
- Safety. Regardless of anyone's particutlar STEM activity, I think that safety must always be first in the mind of the STEM worker. We can kill people if we don’t pay enough attention to this. We work with dangerous materials.
- Enjoy your work and LIKE what you do.
When I first became an AIChE member, the designation of Fellow did not exist. I have seen AIChE grow and change as an organization in so many ways. I hope that continues. I participated in the classic original meeting on the roof of the Rice Hotel where a small group of members discussed the formation of the first Division of AIChE. I was quite active in that endeavor. I note that most if not all of the changes and new developments in the Institute come from a small group deciding that "something needs to be done about....." It is good that we have so many who have taken the plunge to DO something. I am grateful to have known so many of them during my career. And I know that is continuing, as I looked at the names of our current Council and the new Fellows, those are all new names for me, which is good.
I have two other special AIChE memories. Both from talks heard at Local Section meetings. One was on environmental concerns and safety. The speaker pointed out that eating a bushel of turnips would cause one to be poisoned! Many obvious implications from this example. The second meant a lot to me, and has not yet so far as I know been fulfilled. He predicted around 1965 that there would be an artificial womb some day. I had a difficult pregnancy in 1962, and such a device would have been nice to use. I am so amazed at the many achievements that we have accomplished in my lifetime: the computer age, landing on the moon, nano, medical. I have an artificial shoulder, my daughter has 2 knees, my beauty operator's husband had a heart/liver transplant. and more.... I am very optimistic that eye transplants will come in the future for my granddaughter now age 9 or 10.
I think Fellows will continue to be examples of the Best in our profession. I am confident that each will continue to expound the responsibilities that are inherent in STEM and the possibilites and great personal satisfaction that comes with a STEM career. I have been active in career guidance for my entire career, including mentoring, judging at science fairs, and many times speaking to prospective STEM professionals. I liked being a chemical engineer. It was exciting to develop and discover new things, to design and construct and build something with that knowlege.
Patsy Chappelear (July 23, 2024)
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