Often considered the worst nightmare of homeowners, termites actually play an important role in the ecosystem. Termites contribute to biodiversity balance: in addition to being a food source for wildlife, termites decompose dead wood while increasing soil aeration. Margaret S. Collins was a zoologist fascinated by the natural world and passionate about termites. Her research has led to a better understanding of the role and diversity of termites.
Childhood and Education
Margaret James Strickland Collins was an African American born on September 4, 1922, in West Virginia (United States). She was fortunate to have educated parents. Her father, Rollins James, obtained a Master’s degree and taught agriculture to high school students. Her mother, Luella James, received an education but was forced to leave university due to the difficulties in accessing education for women.
Margaret received a quality education; her parents “encouraged her to develop her curiosity, empathy, and innovation. From a very young age, Margaret showed a natural talent for reading and collected insects that” she found in her yard and around her home. Passionate about science, she gained exceptional access to the West Virginia State College library to read and learn about the fascinating world of insects. As a “gifted student, she skipped two grades and obtained her high school diploma at only 14 years old, at” West Virginia State College. In 1943, Margaret obtained a Bachelor of Science in Biology from West Virginia State University.
She then joined “University of Chicago for a doctorate with Professor Alfred Edwards Emerson, an eminent zoologist in termite classification and social behavior. As Professor Emerson prohibited women from accompanying him on his expeditions, Margaret was content to” study termites in the laboratory using the collection he had assembled. She studied everything about termites: their diversity, anatomy, biology, and relationship with the environment. In 1949, she became the first African American woman to obtain a doctorate in Entomology.
Career
For 30 years, from 1953 to 1983, Margaret successively held positions as assistant professor and then professor at Howard University in Washington, in the biology faculty at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU) and at Federal City College in Washington DC. At the same time, she conducted fieldwork in North and South America. She discovered two new species of termites, the Florida damp-wood termite (or Neotermes luykxi) and Parvitermes collinsae, named in her honor.
In 1983, Margaret accepted a position as a senior researcher at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington. She continued her research on termites and greatly contributed to enriching the termite collection displayed at the museum. She published more than 40 articles that deepened knowledge about the physiology and diversity of termites. As a pioneer in Entomology and due to her important work on termites, Margaret was nicknamed the “Termite Lady”.
Family Life
Margaret first married Bernard Strickland. But she quickly faced challenges in life. Her husband, a newlywed, enlisted alongside the Americans to challenge Nazi Germany during World War II.
After divorcing Bernard Strickland, Margaret married Herbert L. Collins, with whom she had two sons.
Human Rights and Civil Rights Activist
As an African American, Margaret faced several challenges during these years. Racism and sexism, combined with professional segregation, affected her education and career. During her studies, she found support and inspiration from two mentors, Toye Davis and Frederick Lehner, who helped her obtain her degree in biological sciences. Later, as a professor, she saw one of her lectures canceled due to a bomb threat.
A woman of vision and character, Margaret was very active in the civil rights struggle taking place in Florida. In the fifties, racial segregation was very prevalent. City buses separated passengers based on their color. During the civil rights movement, the student council of Florida A University called for a boycott of city buses and organized carpools as an alternative means of transportation. Margaret took time off from her scientific activities and supported the movement by driving African Americans to work. Her actions were considered illegal by the police and the FBI. Inspired by the movement, Margaret continued her civil rights efforts by organizing conferences on “science and the question of human equality”.
Margaret is an extraordinary scientist, passionate about insects, who could be a nightmare for entomophobes among us. She is also a courageous defender of civil rights who dedicated years to the fight against discrimination, segregation, and racism. Margaret died on April 27, 1996, at the “age of 73, during one of her expeditions in the Cayman Islands. She continues to” be applauded for her contribution to science. The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History carefully preserves the “Collins Collection”, in her honor. She is now a reference for students in Entomology.
Sources
Vernard R. Lewis “Child Prodigy, Pioneer Scientist, and Women and Civil Rights Advocate: Dr. Margaret James Strickland Collins (1922–1996),” Florida Entomologist 99(2), 334-336, (1 June 2016). https://doi.org/10.1653/024.099.0235
Eric W. Riddick, Michelle Samuel-Foo, Willye W. Bryan, and Alvin M. Simmons ”Memoirs of Black Entomologists: Reflections on Childhood, University, and Career Experiences”, Entomological Society Of America, Annapolis, MD 2015
