Featuring Dr. Mary Ettel, a professor of chemistry at Wayne State.
Ask Dr. Mary Ettel what 35 years of teaching at Wayne State College has taught her and she’ll say it’s how to be adaptable. Ettel, a professor of chemistry at Wayne State, is this week’s subject of the Faculty Spotlight Series.
“Students get a smaller class environment at Wayne State, with more direct interaction with their professors,” said Ettel, a native of San Diego. “In their laboratories, they get a hands-on approach to learning and using equipment and instrumentation that can carry them forward into advanced training and/or a career in a professional lab.”
“Students get a solid education in chemical theory and principles that can carry them forward into post-baccalaureate training such as graduate school and health professions,” continued Ettel. “Or they can enter the workforce as a chemist or technical professional in a laboratory setting emphasizing quality assurance, analysis, manufacturing support, or a variety of other aspects.”
Some of Wayne State’s success stories include a forensic chemist working in a crime lab in San Franciso, a research scientist employed at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, and a brewer/brewmaster apprentice at Johnnie Byrd Brewing Company in Wayne, Neb.
Ettel also serves as Wayne State’s contact for the Rural Health Opportunities Program (RHOP) pre-radiography program, and several students are pursuing their post-baccalaureate training.
A degree in Chemistry is a gateway to a world of discovery, innovation, and impactful careers. Whether students are passionate about developing new materials, creating life-saving medicines, or solving environmental challenges, chemistry is at the core of these exciting fields.
By choosing a degree in Chemistry with concentrations in Chemical Sciences, Fermentation Science, or Health Sciences, students can tailor their education to their unique passions. Dive into Chemical Sciences to explore cutting-edge materials, energy solutions, and sustainable technologies. Choose Fermentation Science and combine chemistry with biology to master the art and science behind brewing, winemaking, and biofuels – an industry seeing explosive growth. Or focus on Health Sciences to become a pivotal force in the development of life-saving pharmaceuticals, diagnostics, and healthcare technologies.
Each concentration equips students with specialized skills, hands-on experience, and a strong analytical foundation. Plus, the versatility of a chemistry degree ensures students are prepared for a wide range of career opportunities in rapidly evolving fields.
Ettel is a charter member of Wayne State’s Phi Kappa Phi honor society for all academic disciplines. Before beginning her teaching career at Wayne State in 1990, she was a research associate and visiting instructor at Utah State University.
Ettel has been a member of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences (NAS) for 35 years and serves as section chair of NAS. She has been a member of the American Chemical Society for 46 years and an associate of Sigma Xi for 41 years.
Ettel's research interests include chemistry and art (materials and methods), novel applications of anodized surfaces, multi-nuclear NMR, and polyphenolic metal complexes.
Ettel earned her bachelor of arts degree in Chemistry from Central University of Iowa in Pella, Iowa, and her Ph.D. in Inorganic Chemistry from Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas.
Fun Fact: “I was the first faculty sponsor for the WSC women’s soccer team when it was still a ‘club sport.’ I drove the van to games and informally served as a ‘coach.’ I supported the players when they petitioned Dr. Donald Mash (then WSC president) and the athletic director to move the program to intercollegiate (varsity) status, which would eventually happen in 1997.”