Greta Fryxell Honored

2008 — PSA member Dr. Greta A. Fryxell was honored by the publication of a Festschrift (“a volume of writings collected on honor of a scholar”) recognizing her long record of scientific achievement in the fields of phycology and oceanography. Greta received the PSA Award of Excellence in Phycology in 1996. The current issue of the European scientific journal Nova Hedwigia, Beihefte (Beiheft 133, 2008) includes articles by colleagues and former students that are dedicated to her and which recognize her many achievements both in teaching and in research. Dr. Fryxell is Professor Emerita of Oceanography at Texas A&M University and also an Adjunct Professor in the School of Biological Sciences, the University of Texas at Austin. She now lives in Claremont, California, where she resides with her husband, Dr. Paul A. Fryxell.

A formal presentation of the Festschrift was made at a dinner held in her honor in Claremont on February 14, 2008 when many of her former students, who received M.S. or Ph.D. degrees under her direction, were present, several coming from overseas. A unique feature of this Festschrift is that it will include invited papers from each of her three children, Dr. Karl J. Fryxell (George Mason University), Dr. Joan E. Fryxell (California State University, San Bernardino), and Dr. Glen E. Fryxell (Pacific Northwest National Laboratory) in their fields of biology, geology, and chemistry, respectively.

Note added by the Editor: You can read a review of the special issue dedicated to Dr. G. A. Fryxell “Phytoplankton Evolution, Taxonomy and Ecology” by A. Zingone in the Journal of Plankton Research 2009; 31(1): 119-120.