UNI alumnus recognized with national scientific award

Adding one more honor to what can only be described as a prodigious collection, Dr. Gary L. Floyd, a 1962 graduate of this institution, was honored with the 2003 Phycological Society of America's Award of Excellence. The award is given to individuals who have demonstrated sustained scholarly contributions to research and teaching on algae. In particular, the award recognizes Dr. Floyd's scholarly activity in cell ultrastructure and algal phylogeny, as well as his service to and leadership within professional societies, including the Phycological Society of America.

Myrna and Gary Floyd

One of the colleagues who nominated Dr. Floyd for the award described him as "one of those rare individuals who exemplify excellence in all three key areas of academics: scientific research, teaching, and service." He received the Distinguished Scholar Award from The Ohio State University in 1982 and the Darbaker Prize from the Botanical Society of America in 1993. He was most recently honored by having a genus of green algae named for him, Floydiella terrestris.

Dr. Floyd is one of the few people to have won both of Ohio State's most prestigious faculty awards: the Alumni Award for Distinguished Teaching in 1980 and the Distinguished Scholar Award. Another of his nominators for the Phycological Society award noted, "He aroused interest in the process of scientific discovery and secured from students a high degree of individual effort." In their retirement, Dr. Floyd and his wife Myrna Spurling (UNI '63) have established endowed fellowships for students interested in middle school science education at UNI.

In addition to serving The Ohio State University on numerous committees, Dr. Floyd was dean of the College of Biological Sciences there for six years. He has served the Phycological Society of America in numerous capacities, including board of trustees member, associate editor of the Journal of Phycology, National Lecturer in 1983-85, and the originator and curator of the PSA Teaching Slide Collection in 1984.

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Last modified: 12/19/03