Imagine being thrown into teaching a senior design course two weeks into the semester with no course materials or prior experience teaching the course — and on top of that, your school’s accreditation is being evaluated. This is the seemingly insurmountable challenge Bilgin was faced with during her first year of teaching at UIC. She not only overcame this challenge, but earned praise from the accreditation program evaluator for her dedication, effectiveness, and enthusiasm.
Despite her obvious resourcefulness and adaptability, there is never enough time for Bilgin to meet the high standards she sets for herself. She explains, “There is always a lot more that I really want to do and bring to my classroom. … I wish I had more time to learn about effective teaching techniques and tools.”
Bilgin is working to develop the next generation of chemical engineering students. She combines art and science in demonstrations for grade-school students to teach children about the profession in a fun and engaging environment. Although students of all ages have learned much from her, Bilgin says “learning from them is a wonderful gift.”