By LESLIE J. MINUS

Even while growing up in the island-paradise of The Bahamas, Marilyn Lillith Minus always knew that she wanted to be an engineer. What perhaps she might not have known was that one day she would be an award-winning presenter at and Ph.D. recipient from one of the most prestigious engineering schools in the world.

"While growing up, I loved my science classes." says Marilyn, who discovered Georgia Tech after following her brother to the State of Georgia when she graduated from high school in The Bahamas. "I always wanted to be an engineer."

Georgia Tech's School of Polymer, Textile & Fibre Engineering (PTFE) gave her the opportunity to do so. Marilyn, who entered Tech as a mechanical engineering major, switched to PTFE after only one semester.

"I wanted something more specific," explains Marilyn of her change in major. "PTFE allows me to look at polymers and apply mechanical aspects to them, which I've always been interested in doing."

She enjoyed her PTFE studies so much that months after she graduated with a B.S. degree in 2002, she returned to pursue a Ph.D degree.

Her ultimate goal was finally reached on Friday, August 1, 2008. On this balmy summer morning in Central Atlanta, Georgia Institute of Technology held its annual summer semester graduation ceremony for students who were eligible to receive doctoral, master and bachelor degrees. The doctoral candidates entered the auditorium first and Marilyn – with her vintage, easy smile – was among them.

Though outnumbered by students from China, India, South Korea and the United States, she had once competed against many of them as well as other engineering students across America and won every time she participated. In fact, in 2005 she placed first four times in four different regional symposia.

This young Bahamian female scholar had weathered the torrential academic storm of a most unusual discipline in engineering. She earned a Doctor of Philosophy: Polymer, textile and Fibre Engineering. Her thesis was entitled, "The Study of Crystallization and Interfacial Morphology in Polymer/Carbon Nanotube Composites." Her advisor was Dr. Satish Kumar.

Marilyn was taught by her parents and several other teachers at Alpha Omega Primary School. She wrote and passed the Common Entrance Examination to Freeport High School at the tender age of nine years and three months, but her parents decided to have her wait another year before sending her to high school. After completing her Junior High Grades (seven-nine) at Freeport High, she was transferred back to (an upgraded) Alpha Omega Christian School for Senior High Grades 10-12. She graduated from AOCS in 1994 after having passed 10 BGCSE subjects and 12 BJC subjects. She was accepted at Georgia Perimeter, where varsity participation in softball and soccer earned her scholarships to augment her academic credentials.

A true patriot, Dr. Minus returned to Freeport many summers and taught special science-based summer classes at Alpha Omega. Through-out her academic passage, she maintained a sober commitment to her faith in Jesus Christ and vibrant activity in Christian activities in the Georgia community. Somehow, she also found the time to tutor students in mathematics in the Atlanta area as well as complete a number of oil paintings.

Dr. Marilyn Minus is the fourth child of Prof. Leslie and Beverly Minus and sister of Dr. Indira Minus-Grimes, Iain L. Minus, Ianthe Minus-Bain and Megan Minus-Sweeting.

Although the Olympic Games in Beijing will eclipse Marilyn's success in publicity, she has taken The Bahamas to the top of the field of academics in one of the most current of technologies. Her numerous papers have appeared in a variety of scientific journals in the United States, Europe and Asia.

Some information for this article came from the website of Georgia Tech.