Macon State College MVPs is a web feature that profiles notable students, alumni, faculty and staff.
Full Name: Sumitra “Sumi” Himangshu
Current Residence: Macon
Originally from: Calcutta, India
Family: “My parents live in Calcutta when they are not traveling. My brother, an economist who works for a multinational company, lives in New Jersey with his wife and my two darling nieces. I also have a cousin who lives in Atlanta with his wife and my darling nephew.”
Job Title: Assistant professor of education
Degrees: Doctorate in higher education thought and policy, University of Rochester, Warner Graduate School of Education and Human Development; master of science in biology, University of Rochester; additional doctoral work (ABD) in developmental genetics.
Year she joined the Macon State faculty: 2006.
Some of her professional career highlights are … Receiving the Edward Peck Curtis Award for excellence in graduate student teaching, University of Rochester, 1999-2000; receiving the Department of Biology Award for Outstanding Graduate Student Teaching, University of Rochester, 2000; developing CD-ROM content material for Introduction to Undergraduate Biology textbooks by Prentice Hall, Inc., 2005; and serving as Macon State’s representative on the Core Curriculum Committee for the University System of Georgia.
Some of the things students have said about her are … “A senior student said, ‘Dr. Sumi has made me enjoy science more than I ever have.’ A junior in the early childhood education program said, ‘Dr. Sumi has done everything in her power to help us and to make sure that we feel OK about how things are in the program.’”
She enjoys teaching at Macon State because … “I work with a group of extremely creative folks who care about the teaching environment and strive to address the needs of all learners.”
Her favorite course to teach is … “Science (in all its flavors!)”
One thing people don’t know about Macon State is … “The College has a mascot, the Mustang!”
One thing people don’t know about her is … “I am always observing and analyzing YOU!!!”
In her spare time she likes to … “Travel to exotic places and cultivate new experiences.”
The one person she’d most like to meet is … “Noble Laureate Richard Feynman. He was an outstanding researcher and teacher of physics. I wish I could have studied with him.”
If she wasn’t a college professor she would be … “A freelance journalist for the National Geographic because it would allow me to travel un-trodden paths and discover the wonders of nature.”