NEWS

At its annual Benefactors Dinner, the Louisiana Tech University Foundation recognized College of Engineering and Science Associate Dean of Research and Graduate Studies Dr. Collin Wick for teaching, research, and service to the Louisiana Tech community. The Foundation presented him with the University Foundation Professorship Award.

The Foundation honors University supporters each spring with its Benefactors Dinner, which is also a chance to celebrate the year’s accomplishments with alumni, friends, students, faculty, and staff.

The Dinner was also an opportunity to commemorate the generosity of the Tech Family on the recent fifth annual Louisiana Tech University Giving Day, as nearly 1,000 donors contributed gifts totaling over $2.43 million, a Giving Day record for funds raised.

The recognition of Wick, the CenturyLink Professor of Chemistry, was a highlight.

Since joining Tech in 2008, Wick has served the College of Engineering and Science (COES) in multiple leadership roles, including his current role and his previous role as Program Chair of the Chemistry program.

Wick has published nearly 80 articles in peer-reviewed journals and has made more than 50 presentations at large-scale national and international conferences.

Through these research efforts, he has participated in teams that have realized more than $13 million in grants to the University.

He has advised dozens of students throughout his tenure at Tech, helping them learn technical skills and develop their research methodologies.

“Dr. Wick has served the University and the COES through leadership, research, and – most importantly – mentorship for more than a decade, and I am pleased that the University Foundation has chosen to honor him with this award,” COES Dean Dr. Hisham Hegab said. “His commitment to advancing STEM education, both in teaching technical skills and fostering students’ research abilities, has positively impacted students throughout our graduate programs.”

Wick earned his doctoral degree in Physical Chemistry from the University of Minnesota and a BA in Chemistry from the University of Minnesota-Morris.  Before arriving at Tech, he held a National Science Foundation Mathematical and Physical Sciences distinguished international postdoctoral fellowship to research in Athens, Greece, and a postdoctoral fellowship at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Washington.

This recognition comes with a monetary award and a plaque.