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Dr. Robert Engel is the newly-appointed dean of the department of mathematics and natural sciences, which oversees the departments of biology, chemistry, computer science, nutrition, math, physics, psychology, and earth sciences. Entering his 42nd year at Queens College, he is a revered professor of organic chemistry, and has served as both dean of graduate studies and chair of the chemistry department. Engel spoke to the The Knight News about his new role, his work and bygone days.
KN: What’s your role as dean of DMNS?
E: My role is to organize and make sure everything is happening as it’s supposed to — that includes review of faculty, appointments, personnel matters, startup funds, where new hires go and budget matters. I need to keep the [department] chairs working in the right direction, and make sure they’re reasonably happy. One of the things that I wanted to do was to get a higher profile for the division as a division of math and sciences, and, of course, to ensure that we all get a reasonable science education.
We [also] have to raise money. This involves being part cheerleader and part drover, to get the faculty to apply for grants that bring money in, and to publish a lot of papers with undergrads as co-authors.
KN: Why did you take on this position?
E: I did it reluctantly. I had been dean of graduate studies for six years, and then I wanted to get back to my research. I look at it as community service. You have to have someone who understands what’s going on. I agreed to do one year starting July 1, and I go through June 30 next year. I hope somebody is appointed by then, because I want to spend more time with my students.
KN: How long have you been here at QC? Why here, and what is it that keeps you here?
E: I’m in my 42nd year here. I came here out of the army. I was looking for a job and I was applying all over. I’m glad I made this choice over the other offers. QC is constantly improving. We have improved with our presidency. In my time here, he[Muyskens] has been the best president I’ve seen. We’re on the upside.
KN: Can you tell me a little bit about your research and academic background?
E: I did synthesis as an undergrad in [Carnegie Tech]. And then I went to Penn State where I did no synthesis. Then I got into phosphorus chemistry, and synthesis and mechanisms — which I did the first years here, and later we started doing targeted synthesis for biological systems. I guess it was ’88, and we [started] making phosphorus and nitrogen dendrimers: no utility, just structurally cute things that are fun to do.
It was about nine years ago now that we started to see if we could make an ionic liquid. From this we got into modifying surfaces, which led to our patents and our work with anti-microbial surfaces. We’re now looking at pharmaceutical applications on this basis.
KN: Why did you decide upon a research career? Have you always been interested?
E: I enjoyed it. I started off college as a math major. I quickly realized the [mathematics] faculty really weren’t that interested in math and the chemistry faculty was, and a freshman chemistry [professor] talked me into being a chemistry major. I saw the research and what he was doing, how he lived his life, and this is what I wanted to do there. I’d be happy with that life. I can do that.
KN: What are you most proud of in your career? And otherwise?
E: The students that I’ve turned out: We’ve turned out a lot of good students here who’ve gone on to significant things. I’ve had 25 doctoral students. My first one was Dennis Liotta, who is a professor at Emory and patented the current major AIDS treatment. And there are others, [who] have done well.
Otherwise, I’m happy about my kids. My daughter’s a clinical psychologist, my son’s a civil engineer. They’re both gainfully employed, I don’t have to support them. They’ve done well, and I’m proud of them.
KN: What do you do when you’re not in lab, or the office? When you go home?
E: My wife and I like to go out to dinner. I enjoy good food. Other than that, I read voraciously: usually biographies or philosophy. And, semi-intellectually, I enjoy puzzles. I do enjoy sports , as you can see [by the sports memorabilia on the wall]. I was a professional soccer referee. I played semi-pro soccer. The legs are too far gone to do any of that anymore, but I do particularly enjoy hockey and soccer.
KN: You mentioned you were in the army for a while. Can you tell me a little bit about your experiences there?
E: I had no money to go to college. Unless I got a [Buhl and Carnegie] scholarship, I would have been working in the mills. I grew up on the south side of Pittsburgh. My parents, they worked hard but they couldn’t afford college for me. My father made it through fifth grade before he had to go to work, my mother through sixth. So I worked strange jobs: I was a distiller, I was a sign painter. And I signed up for the army. I needed the money. They let me finish grad school and then I had to go for two years.
Pittsburgh is an exciting town. When I was growing up I didn’t know snow was white until I was 11 because of the smoke. We lived in smokestack-height, on the south side on a hill right over the mills, and they blew right into it.
I learned a lot [in the army] about organization and physical, practical things. Maybe you don’t consider them practical. I was qualified in demolitions, the EOD, which was bomb squad. I spent two years here, and was G3 Operations Officer for the Munitions Command, emergency control.
KN: Any future plans? After this will you be going back to teaching organic chemistry?
E: I will go back to teaching. The schedule is up in the air. My wife is looking for a job, but it looks like we will work it out and stay here in NY. It looks like I will be staying here [in QC], teaching and working with the students in the lab.
I don’t have any real plans for retirement. We’ve talked about what happens when we get too old and feeble, and where we want to live. It’ll probably be some place in Pennsylvania. That’s only been a passing thought, though. I can’t. You know, I hate gardening, and I’m lousy at golf. So, what would I do? This is fun. Teaching and research is fun.
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