Axe ’Em, Jacks!
NACOGDOCHES, Texas - The next in an ongoing science, technology, education and mathematics lecture series organized by the Stephen F. Austin State University College of Sciences and Mathematics will continue this month with presentations from two long-time ExxonMobil employees.
"The purpose of the Patent Lecture Series is to expose SFA students and faculty members to an array of professionals who share experiences of how a STEM background broadens career opportunities and increases marketability," said Dr. Jana Redfield, assistant director of the SFA STEM Center. "The speakers range from innovators to entrepreneurs, patentees, business owners, professors, legal counsel for major corporations, engineers, mathematicians and others."
Nancy Lin, retired ExxonMobil senior adviser, and C. Morris Smith, retired ExxonMobil venture technology manager, will give presentations at noon and 1 p.m. Monday, April 11, in the Math Building, Room 101. The pair is CEO and president of Lin and Smith Consulting Inc., respectively.
"The STEM Center is excited to host C. Morris Smith and Nancy Lin," Redfield said. "The lecture will highlight their many years and experiences working in STEM fields, how they attribute their successes to strong STEM backgrounds, and the emphasis on women in STEM-related fields and careers."
Holding a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering and a master's degree in finance from New York University STEM School of Business, Lin will give an overview of U.S. women in engineering today and a personal story of her own career at ExxonMobil and work-life integration. Lin is a member of the Society of Women Engineers and retired from ExxonMobil as a senior adviser in 2013, where she led the development of long-term global supply/demand outlook for natural gas.
As a retired petroleum engineer and now an adjunct professor at Princeton University, Smith will speak of how he attributes his many years of success to building fundamental knowledge through rigorous experimentation and mathematics modeling of complex systems, taking a "problem-solving" approach to the many issues he encountered during his career.
The Patent Lecture Series is made possible through funding provided by Deborah Nichols Pruitt and Tom F. Pruitt of Nacogdoches.
"This opportunity will further distinguish STEM education provided at SFA from that of other universities," said Dr. Kimberly Childs, dean of the college. "This generous gift will attract additional talent to our programs, in particular our engineering program, and SFA graduates who complete these studies will be able to take steps to qualify for lucrative employment in patent-intensive fields."
For more information, visit cosm.sfasu.edu/stem/lecture-series; or contact the STEM Center at (936) 468-5814 or STEMcenter@sfasu.edu.