Instructor
Phone: 309-796-5269
FAX: 309-792-3230
E-Mail: collinsx@bhc.edu
Black Hawk College
6600 34th Ave.
Moline, IL 61265
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Xixuan Collins
Instructor Phone: 309-796-5269
Black Hawk College
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I grew up in Sichuan province in the Southwest part of China. After getting a B.S. degree in Zoology and a M.S. degree in Cell Biology, I taught Biochemistry at Guangxi Agricultural University for about four and half years. During that period of time, I developed strong interest in human nutritional sciences and decided to pursue a doctoral degree in this area.
I came to Dr. Wendy White's Lab at Iowa State University in January 1997 and became a graduate student at the department of Food Science and Human Nutrition. For my M.S. degree in nutrition, I conducted a research project looking at the effects of different types of fats (vegetable oils versus animal fat) on the intestinal absorption of β-carotene, an important pro-vitamin A and antioxidant in women. The result was published on the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. My doctoral research was focused on the interaction of lutein and β-carotene, two predominate carotenoids in vegetables. I used state of the art analytical instrument, gas chromatography-combustion-isotope ratio mass spectrometer for this research. In 2001, I received a pre-doctoral fellowship from the American Society for Nutritional Sciences, a fellowship awarded to four graduate students nation-wide each year, for the merit of my research proposal.
After getting my Ph.D in nutrition in 2003, I joined Dr. Arthur Spector’s lab in the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Iowa as a postdoctoral research scholar. I conducted research on the enzymatic mechanism of the conversion of 20-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid, a potent constrictor of small arteries and arterioles to 1,20-dicarboxy-eicosatetraenoic acid in blood vessels, and has obtained preliminary data showing the alcohol dehydrogenase IV is partially responsible for the conversion.
I have enjoyed research enormously. However I do miss teaching at a college and decided that I want to teach again. I enjoy my new job as a teacher at Black Hawk College!
In my spare time, I enjoy spending time with my husband Conan, dancing, and practicing Yoga and Pilates. I have been dancing most of my life and have been focused on ballroom dance in the past four years. My husband and I have taught swing dance (http://www.swingoutiowa.com) in Iowa City and Cedar Rapids, and we now we are teaching Swing and Salsa dance in Bettendorf.
Courses Currently Taught at Black Hawk College
Biology 120 Nutrition
Biology 145 Anatomy and Physiology I
Biology 146 Anatomy and Physiology II
Biology 150 Medical Terminology
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