UF Dormitory Named in Honor of Emeritus Entomology Professor Lawrence

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The University of Florida celebrated a historic milestone with the groundbreaking of a graduate student dormitory named after prominent Black scientist Pauline O. Lawrence.

Lawrence was the first female student to live and study on the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Tropical Research and Education Center (TREC) campus in the 1970s.

She earned her doctorate in 1975, became an assistant professor in the university’s zoology department in 1976, promoted to a full-time professor in 1989 and moved to the university’s entomology and nematology department in 1994.

Lawrence would go on to make discoveries in insect physiology and development, followed by numerous trailblazing discoveries and accomplishments, the university stated.

“Dr. Lawrence was a groundbreaker in many ways and on so many levels, as a student and as a professor of entomology at the University of Florida, she has given in so many ways,” said J. Scott Angle, the university’s senior vice president for agriculture and natural resources.

The dormitory began construction last year and will stand as the first building named after a Black person, the university stated.

Lawrence and her husband Carlton Davis, a distinguished professor emeritus in the UF/IFAS food and resource economics department, made a significant donation to the 2019 TREC Student Housing Campaign.

As a researcher and teacher, Lawrence was a founding member of the university’s Minority Mentor Program, called the University Multicultural Mentor Program where she recruited and mentored minority undergraduate, graduate students and postdoctoral associates.

Lawrence is currently professor emerita in physiology and biochemistry in the university’s department of entomology and nematology after studying the fruit fly and making major contributions to the field.

“Indeed, the naming of this residence not only recognizes the history of the University of Florida but marks the beginning of the making of a brand-new history,” said Lawrence at a recognition ceremony last month. “Today is a day of reflection and a day of celebration. I humbly accept this honor. I do so in the memory of the many who came long before me and on whose shoulders I stand.”

Edward Evans, TRECS’s center director, said graduate students are an essential part of research and education centers.

“At TREC, they play a critical role in our research supporting agriculture and natural resources in South Florida, all while receiving mentorship and professional development from our faculty,” Evans said. “She thought back to her own experiences as a graduate student. His vision of a new dormitory on the campus compelled her to help transform the vision into a reality.”