Dr. Gary N. Wells Scholarship
Purpose
Scholarship for students entering their senior year within the Biology Department. (GF000088)Description
An award committee will select the award recipient during the spring semester of their junior year.
History
Gary N. Wells worked at the Florida Institute of Technology for 34 years as a biochemistry professor, with 23 years as Head of the Department of Biological Sciences. During that time, he developed the Biology department from a teaching group to a powerful research-oriented faculty. Moreover, it was his initial approach to the F. W. Olin Foundation that later resulted in the largest donation to the school’s infrastructure, including the Olin Life Sciences Building.
Dr. Wells established the Sigma Psi chapter of Tri-Beta on campus in 1981. It includes activities that reflect the National Biological Honor Society’s objective as well as the diverse interest of the members such as camping and hiking trips, NASA tours, and Boo at the Zoo.
Aside from the administrative duties and teaching biochemistry, Dr. Wells’ greatest achievement was as leader of the faculty of disparate interest, providing them with a sense of unity and belonging. “Evidence of the cohesion of this faculty is a remarkably low turnover of members, with only two faculty members leaving to take other jobs.”- Mark Bush, Interim Head of Biological Sciences said in 2007.
