Dr. Jennie Leach is an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemical, Biochemical, and Environmental Engineering. Dr. Leach serves as an iCubed Faculty Mentor for the freshman Chemical Engineering and General Engineering majors. Dr. Leach’s research is focused on designing, synthesizing, and characterizing biomaterials for tissue engineering applications to develop strategies to repair damaged tissues and gain a more detailed understanding of neural and cancer cell behavior. Her research aims to elucidate key design principles that will aid in the development of improved therapies to treat nerve injury and tumor growth.
What is your mentoring philosophy? Professors in engineering have many aspects to their job, but mentoring students is one I enjoy most. My career has been profoundly influenced by several key mentors who have opened my eyes to options that I never thought about or had the confidence to choose on my own. My mentoring philosophy is to pass along their enthusiasm for engineering, encouragement to students to set high standards and believe in themselves, and knowledge about maneuvering through perhaps the hardest and most fun times in your life – college and becoming an independent adult.
When I was an undergraduate at Rensselaer, I did research in the labs of Drs. Georges Belfort and Todd Przybycien (now at Carnegie Mellon University). Both professors as well as their graduate students were invaluable mentors to me. They introduced me to research, but more importantly, encouraged and convinced me to go to graduate school.
My Ph.D. adviser at the University of Texas, Dr. Christine Schmidt, continues to be one of the most inspiring people in my life. Her advice and everyday actions convinced me to pursue a career in academia. She demonstrates life as a highly successful researcher and skilled educator who cares deeply for students and their success. She challenged me to do more than I thought possible. She knew when to be tough, when to be my cheerleader, when to give advice and when to let me forge out on my own.
What do you enjoy most about mentoring freshman students? I am honored to be part of the iCubed program and hope to help freshmen envision themselves as engineers. Many of our graduating seniors remark that our department is close-knit, supportive and much like a family. However, prerequisite requirements make it such that students take their first chemical engineering course at UMBC in their sophomore year. Through programs like iCubed, we are able reach out to freshmen and more effectively integrate new students into our departmental community.
