Smith Students to Hear from Leading Federal Health Official About Challenges And Rewards of a Career in Public Health Engineering

Rear Admiral Robert C. Williams, assistant Surgeon General and Chief Engineer for the U.S. Public Health Service, will present "Public Health Service Engineers: Engineering for Life" at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 5, in Seelye 106.

The talk is free, wheelchair accessible and open to the public.

As the country's top public health engineer, Williams provides advice and consultation on public health engineering matters -- such as drinking water safety, waste disposal and air pollution -- to the Surgeon General and more than 1,100 engineers in the field. In addition, he is responsible for ensuring that public health assessments are prepared for all sites listed by the Environmental Protection Agency as posing immediate threats to people living or working near them.

Williams' presentation is part of a semester-long colloquium, titled "Executive Access," designed to give Smith students insight into some of the professional challenges of the engineering field. Established in 1999, Smith's engineering program is the first such program at a women's college and one of only a handful at liberal arts colleges. The first 20 students in the program entered this fall.

Williams, a Registered Professional Engineer and a Diplomat of the American Academy of Environmental Engineers, is a member of the Emory University Academic Advisory Council, responsible for developing the university's environmental health curriculum. He has served as the American Public Health Association Trustee to the American Academy of Environmental Engineers. He has written and presented more than 100 publications on a wide variety of environmental health issues, including the co-editing of two books.

Williams' awards include Federal Environmental Engineer of the Year, Public Health Service Engineer of the Year and Top Ten Federal Engineer. He is the recipient of the USPHS Meritorious Service Medal, Outstanding Service Medal, three Commendation Medals, an Achievement Medal and five Unit Commendation Medals.

Contact: Laurie Fenlason, lfenlason@smith.edu, 413/585-2190

September 27, 2000