ScienceMakers Toolkit Manual - The History Makers

Life Science
Handicapped in Science and Technology from 1987 to 1990. From 1989 to 1990, Williams was the senior science
advisor to the director at the National Science Foundation, and in 1990 he became the Foundation’s assistant
director of education and human resources, a position he held for nine years.
A respected science educator, Williams held numerous professorships and administrative positions at some of
the most highly regarded universities in the country, including Purdue University, MIT, Washington University
in St. Louis and the University of Colorado. Williams served as President of his alma mater, Atlanta University,
from 1984 to 1987. In 1988, Williams was the Deputy Director of the National Institute of General Medical Sciences.
In his capacity as a university graduate school administrator, Williams served as a member of the Council
of Graduate Schools’ Board and its committee on the Graduate Record Examination between 1981 and 1985.
Williams’ work in the education sector is matched by his public service efforts, as he has served as a member of
the Health, Safety, and Environment Committee for the U.S. Department of Energy National Laboratories, as
well serving on several of the White House’s science, education and technology committees.
In 1999, Williams served as a visiting scholar at the Payson Center for International Development and Technology
Transfer at Tulane University, and as Senior Vice President for Strategic Planning at Bingwa Software
Company. In 2001, Williams transitioned to a post as the Director of Education and Interpretation at the Missouri
Botanical Garden. In 2006, Williams was named Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at
Tuskegee University, where he had previously been the Dean of Graduate Studies and Director of the Integrative
BioSciences Ph.D. Program.
Williams authored over seventy scientifi c journal publications and more than twenty articles and reports addressing
science, mathematics, engineering and technology education. Williams held memberships in numerous
professional science organizations including the American Society for Microbiology. For his professional activities,
Williams was awarded many times by universities, professional organizations, and his fraternity, Sigma Pi
Phi, as well as having been named to several Who’s Who lists. In 2007, Williams was appointed a member of
the National Advisory Council for the National Center for Minority Health Disparity, NIH.
Discussion Questions
Personal:
1. What was the most compelling thing you learned about Dr. Williams?
2. Where was Dr. Williams born? Locate it on a map. How far away is this from where you live? What are
the names of his parents? Where did Dr. Williams attend high school? What do you suppose high school
was like for him?
3. How old are you? In what year was Dr. Williams your age? What was happening in the country that
year? What was happening in the world that year? What do you suppose his life was like when he was
your age?
4. Dr. Williams has had a distinguished career as an administrator of several important organizations and
universities. What skills would allow him to be successful as an administrator? Think about your
principal. What types of skills does he or she share with Dr. Williams? (See Biography)
Science:
5. What do you think a biologist does? Would you like to be a biologist? Why?
6. If you were a biologist, what kinds of questions would you answer?
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