Eminent Scholar Frank Day Lauded by Ecological Society of America

August 23, 2016

Frank Day

Frank Day, an Old Dominion University Eminent Scholar Emeritus and Professor Emeritus of ecology in the Department of Biological Sciences was recognized this month with the "Commitment to Human Diversity Award" by the Ecological Society of America.

The ESA award recognizes long-standing individual contributions through mentoring, teaching or outreach that increases the diversity of future ecologists.

Day "is known for mentoring many graduate and undergraduate students as well as his stellar career as a wetland scientist," according to the organization. "For 14 years, he has been instrumental in obtaining National Science Foundation funding and developing and implementing wetland science career development mentoring programs for minority undergraduates."

The ESA's award description also noted that Day, as President of the Society of Wetland Scientists in 2002, started the SWS Human Diversity Committee and continues working on increasing minorities in wetland ecology in collaboration with ESA's Strategies for Ecology Education Diversity and Sustainability (SEEDS) initiative and NSF's Long Term Ecological Research Human Diversity Committee.

"Of the many students he has mentored in the study of wetlands, all have graduated with a B.S. or B.A. degree, 64 percent are currently enrolled in graduate school, and about half are employed in some capacity within a natural resource, wetland science or ecology field," the description stated.

Day was awarded Old Dominion's Eminent Scholar designation in 2002. Among other awards Day has received, he was recognized in 2012 by the University's Office of Institutional Equity and Diversity with a Champions of Diversity award for his support of an undergraduate mentoring program focused on students from underrepresented groups.