392:, on an academic scholarship. Collins faced a lot of difficulties as an undergraduate at West Virginia State University due to her gender. She struggled to find a mentor in Biology, which was a predominantly male-dominated field. Collins eventually received mentorship from Toye Davis and Frederick Lehner, who were both professors at West Virginia State University. Together Davis and Lehner helped find Collins opportunities in the field of Biology. In 1943, Collins gained her Bachelor of Science degree in biology with minors in Physics and German. Later in 1943 Collins enrolled in the
379:, Collins would explore the woods and barn near her childhood home in order to collect insects. When Collins was just 6 years old, she was recognized as a child prodigy; as a result of this achievement, she was given access to the book collections at West Virginia State University's Library. Collins's impressive intellect and university level reading skill allowed her to skip two grades and graduate high school early. At 14 years old, Collins graduated from West Virginia State University's Laboratory High School.
503:. During these expeditions, Collins informed Guyana's military of ways to build that would avoid termite damage and how to use termite excretions to strengthen building materials. Collins contributed greatly to the Smithsonian's termite collection. The materials she collected were curated as the Collins Collection at the National Museum of Natural History.
400:, a termite expert, mentored Collins at the University of Chicago. Emerson assisted Collins in her studies and shielded her from racism, but he did not let her do fieldwork because he thought women were irritating during scientific expeditions. Emerson helped Collins develop and complete her dissertation,
439:
Collins also volunteered to drive people to work during the
Florida A&M Student Council's bus boycott. Collins was watched closely by the police and the FBI because of her actions against racial inequality. Collins's advocacy for equal rights limited her scientific work from 1952 to 1957 and she
323:
She was also an active civil rights advocate, receiving a bomb threat for planning to give a university talk on biology and equality, and being followed by the police and FBI when she was a volunteer driver during a bus boycott. Her activism limited her scientific work for a time: she had been
347:. Collins was the fourth child of Rollins James and Luella Bolling James. Institute was described as an all-Black town and a college town. As a result, there were many educated Black people in Institute, West Virginia. Collins's father, Rollins James, earned his bachelor's degree from
426:
in
Washington, District of Columbia while her first husband, Bernard Strickland attended Howard University's Medical School. Collins later divorced Strickland and left Howard University because it did not treat its women and men faculty members equally. She started working for
316:. Her life's research regarding termites included: the evolution of desiccation resistance in termites; various termite species' tolerance of high temperatures; defensive behavior in South American termites, including chemical defenses; termite ecology;
387:
After her early graduation from West
Virginia State College's Laboratory High School, Collins continued her education until she received a Ph.D. in zoology in 1950. In 1936 Collins started her first year at West Virginia State University, a
431:
and while there married her second husband
Herbert L. Collins. They had two sons. Collins was appointed a full-time professor at Florida A&M, becoming chair of the Biology department in 1953. She often went on collecting trips in
301:. She saw herself primarily as a field scientist, and did extensive field work in North and South America, specializing in the insects of Guyana and Florida. From the late 1970s through 1996, Collins was a research associate in the
560:
Although she had health problems during the 1980s and the 1990s, Collins increased her work in the field, taking various expeditions to the
Caribbean. On April 27, 1996, Collins died at the age of 73 at Southern Cross Club in
359:
for a while. James then taught
Vocational Agriculture at West Virginia State, ran the poultry program at West Virginia State, taught at West Virginia State's laboratory high school, and was a county agent for the
551:
in virgin and disturbed tropical rain forests. She also researched defense behavior in South
American termites, chemical defense of termites, termite ecology, behavioral ecology, taxonomy, and entomology.
239:, and a civil rights advocate. Collins was nicknamed the "Termite Lady" because of her extensive research on termites. Together with David Nickle, Collins identified a new species of termite called
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with her family. During her time in
Florida, Collins was invited to guest lecture at a local predominantly White university on Biology and equality. The lecture was cancelled due to a bomb threat.
454:
In 1964, Collins moved backed to
Washington, D.C., and returned to Howard University as a full-time professor. Collins also took a tenured position at Federal City College (now known as
473:
in
Arizona which was supported by the United States IBP Desert Biome Project and the National Science Foundation. In the same year, Collins was invited to the Clark Lectureship at
1013:
364:. Collins's mother, Luella James, wanted to become an archaeologist but her studies at West Virginia State were limited because of her gender; she later dropped out of college.
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Collins was still doing research when she died at age 73 on April 27, 1996, in the Cayman Islands. She died of heart failure, and, as she had hoped to, while on a field trip.
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for a year. From 1961 to 1962, Collins was a research associate at the Minnesota Agricultural Experimental Station in St. Paul where she studied North American termites.
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In 1968, with grants from the Smithsonian and the Graduate School of Howard University, Collins led an expedition to Mexico. In 1972 she took a research trip to the
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1194:
488:. The symposium's focus was on Science and the Question of Human Equality. After the symposium she published a book with the same title as the symposium's focus,
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414:. When Collins received her PhD., she became the third African-American female zoologist and the first African-American female entomologist.
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Collins saw herself primarily as a field scientist and did extensive field work in North and South America, specializing in the insects of
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1979 was a very busy year for Collins because she also started researching the defense mechanism of termites with Glenn D. Prestwich.
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248:. When Collins earned her PhD., she became the first African American female entomologist and the third African American female
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642:"Child Prodigy, Pioneer Scientist, and Women and Civil Rights Advocate: Dr. Margaret James Strickland Collins (1922–1996)"
484:, Collins reopened the Alfred Emerson Research Station in 1979. Also, in 1979 Collins orchestrated a symposium for the
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Strickland, Margaret (July 1950). "Differences in Toleration of Drying between Species of Termites (Reticulitermes)".
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919:"SIA Acc. 01-038, National Museum of Natural History (U.S.) Dept. of Entomology, Curatorial Records, 1959-1996"
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547:. Collins researched the evolution of desiccation resistance in termites, tolerance to high temperature, and
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publishing a scientific paper or two a year, but had no publications between 1952 and 1957. She led a 1979
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in virgin and disturbed tropical rain forests; and behavioral ecology, taxonomy, and entomology.
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264:. She started college at age fourteen and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in
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519:. With her colleague David Nickle, Collins discovered a new species of termite called
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From the late 1970s to 1996, Collins researched termites in the Caribbean through the
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in 1950, becoming only the third Black woman zoologist in the country. Her mentor was
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and is cited very often. Collins also wrote an article based on her dissertation in
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523:, or the Florida damp wood termite, in 1989. This species of termite is native to
227:(September 4, 1922 – April 27, 1996) was an African-American child prodigy,
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975:
532:
830:
Difference in toleration of drying between species of termites (Reticulitermes)
282:
Difference in toleration of drying between species of termites (Reticulitermes)
186:
Difference in toleration of drying between species of termites (Reticulitermes)
697:
405:
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Differences in Toleration of Drying among Species of Termites (Reticulitermes)
355:, both historically Black universities. With these degrees, James worked with
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From an early age Collins was fascinated by zoology. Inspired by naturalist
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Collins, Margaret S.; Wainer, Irving W.; Bremner, Theodore A. (1981).
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during her time in Washington, D.C., and a research associate at the
179:
867:
718:
African Americans in Science: An Encyclopedia of People and Progress
596:
Water relations in termites. Chapter in Krishna K, Weesner F (ed).
539:. In Florida these termites are primarily distributed from eastern
1117:
Collins, Margaret S. (1977-05-20). "Jensen's AAAS Fellowship".
458:) for ten years. Additionally, Collins became president of the
582:
Collins, M. S., Wainer, I. W., & Bremner, T. A. (1981).
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in 1943. Her Doctor of Philosophy degree was awarded by the
849:
847:
404:. Collins's dissertation is well regarded in the field of
823:
821:
411:
Ecology, the journal of the Ecological Society of America
499:, Department of Entomology, especially the termites of
477:; Collins lectured about her research and experiences.
1042:"Field Notes from a Termite Lady - Field Book Project"
800:. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press. pp.
680:
Hidden No More: African American Women in STEM Careers
343:
Margaret S. Collins was born on September 4, 1922, in
969:
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290:, the journal of the Ecological Society of America.
720:. Santa Barbara, Calif.: ABC-CLIO. pp. 51–52.
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American Association for the Advancement of Science
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1014:"Termite expert Margaret Collins dies during trip"
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443:Collins applied for and received a grant from the
422:Collins was employed as an assistant professor at
497:Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History
312:. Her primary area of study was termites of the
173:Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History
607:, vol. 196, no. 4292, 1977, pp. 832–832.
46:Margaret S. Collins conducting an experiment.
8:
1092:Krishna, Kumar; Weesner, Frances M. (1969).
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832:. Chicago, Illinois: University of Chicago.
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396:graduating in 1950 with a Ph.D. in zoology.
27:African-American child prodigy, entomologist
1230:20th-century African-American women writers
796:Black Women Scientists in the United States
603:Collins, M. S. "Jensen's AAAS Fellowship."
490:Science and the Question of Human Equality.
977:Science and the question of human equality
584:Science and the Question of Human Equality
330:Science and the Question of Human Equality
40:
29:
1210:20th-century American non-fiction writers
657:
440:did not publish any papers at this time.
328:symposium in Houston, later published as
1185:20th-century African-American scientists
284:, with an article based on this work in
953:. Vol. 15, no. 14. p. 25
617:
418:Career and advocacy for racial equality
456:University of the District of Columbia
1235:20th-century African-American writers
1195:West Virginia State University alumni
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678:Kennon, Caroline (15 December 2017).
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480:While involved in field research in
1215:20th-century American women writers
460:Entomological Society of Washington
1250:Florida A&M University faculty
586:. Boulder, Colo.: Westview Press.
306:National Museum of Natural History
25:
1240:African-American women scientists
225:Margaret James Strickland Collins
18:Margaret James Strickland Collins
1225:20th-century American zoologists
1096:. Burlington: Elsevier Science.
923:Smithsonian Institution Archives
640:Lewis, Vernard R. (June 2016).
235:) specializing in the study of
1220:Smithsonian Institution people
349:West Virginia State University
270:West Virginia State University
116:West Virginia State University
1:
1205:Scientists from West Virginia
828:Strickland, Margaret (1950).
682:. Greenhaven Publishing LLC.
390:historically Black university
351:and his master's degree from
210:Author abbrev. (zoology)
1255:University of Chicago alumni
1190:American women entomologists
1131:10.1126/science.196.4292.832
980:. Boulder, Colo.: Westview.
260:Collins was born in 1922 in
1069:"Florida Dampwood Termites"
445:National Science Foundation
1271:
943:Staff (February 5, 1959).
716:Carey, Charles W. (2008).
429:Florida A&M University
295:Florida A&M University
165:Florida A&M University
1245:Howard University faculty
218:
139:
39:
34:Margaret James Strickland
577:Selected published works
571:congestive heart failure
569:on an expedition due to
507:Research and discoveries
434:Everglades National Park
357:George Washington Carver
345:Institute, West Virginia
262:Institute, West Virginia
70:Institute, West Virginia
464:Smithsonian Institution
449:University of Minnesota
280:. Her dissertation was
792:Warren, Wini (1999).
394:University of Chicago
369:Ernest Thompson Seton
274:University of Chicago
134:civil rights advocacy
120:University of Chicago
659:10.1653/024.099.0235
646:Florida Entomologist
1094:Biology of Termites
1019:The Washington Post
598:Biology of Termites
56:Margaret S. Collins
1073:entnemdept.ufl.edu
945:"Studies Termites"
373:Two Little Savages
353:Tuskegee Institute
293:Collins taught at
549:species abundance
424:Howard University
398:Alfred E. Emerson
377:Rolf in the Woods
318:species abundance
299:Howard University
278:Alfred E. Emerson
222:
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203:Alfred E. Emerson
169:Howard University
141:Scientific career
66:September 4, 1922
16:(Redirected from
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89:Cayman Islands
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1022:. May 5, 1996
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161:Institutions
155:Entomologist
140:
83:(1996-04-27)
1180:1996 deaths
1175:1922 births
1026:January 29,
993:22 February
556:Later years
533:Puerto Rico
104:Citizenship
96:Nationality
1169:Categories
1078:2018-10-23
1051:2018-10-23
957:2016-02-01
698:1018944341
612:References
535:, and the
406:entomology
371:'s books,
339:Early life
310:Entomology
62:1922-09-04
1139:0036-8075
545:Key Largo
383:Education
314:Caribbean
250:zoologist
242:Neotermes
233:zoologist
151:Zoologist
1147:17821788
838:42976121
237:termites
130:termites
99:American
1155:9101839
1119:Science
876:1931492
856:Ecology
605:Science
600:(1969).
525:Florida
517:Florida
297:and at
287:Ecology
266:biology
214:Collins
1153:
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1100:
984:
874:
836:
808:
724:
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686:
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529:Hawaii
513:Guyana
501:Guyana
482:Guyana
246:luykxi
191:(1950)
189:
180:Thesis
147:Fields
1151:S2CID
872:JSTOR
802:52–66
268:from
72:, USA
1143:PMID
1135:ISSN
1098:ISBN
1028:2016
995:2018
982:ISBN
930:2015
834:OCLC
806:ISBN
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