New scholarship to honor beloved chemical engineering professor

Dr. Helen K. Qammar joined The University of Akron's (UA) College of Engineering in 1989 and served as a professor in the Chemical Engineering Department for 23 years. From 2006 until her passing in January 2012, she also served as director of UA’s Institute for Teaching and Learning.

To honor Dr. Qammar, family, friends, and past students established the Dr. Helen Killory Qammar Memorial Endowed Scholarship, which will continue her lifelong mission of providing outstanding educational opportunities to UA students.

Dr. Qammar had a profound dedication to the UA community beyond her work as a professor. She was a founder of Rethinking Race, an annual series of events at UA that engages the public with rich and meaningful discussions of race and diversity. As a woman who received a doctorate at a time when few women were in her chosen field, she also was committed to increasing female participation in engineering and the sciences. Most of all, Dr. Qammar impacted others through the simple warmth and kindness that she brought to campus every day.

“Dr. Qammar’s dedication to student success was what made her ‘one of the greats’ says Dr. Craig Menzemer, Interim Dean of the College of Engineering. “It’s fitting that her legacy will live on through this scholarship as she will continue to help students achieve their dreams of becoming engineers.” 

Donations can be made online or by texting Qammar to 41444.