Wayne State remembers Biology Professor Dr. Carl Freeman
Wayne State lost a much-revered former colleague, an eminent researcher, administrator and public scientist who touched many lives on campus. Freeman published over 150 papers in the areas of botany and broader evolutionary biology. John Graham, a long-term collaborator of Carl Freeman, together published 44 research publications.
About Carl Freeman
Carl was born and raised in Utah and was interested in studying nature from a young age. He received his B.S. in Biology from the University of Utah and his M.S. and Ph.D. in Botany from Brigham Young University. By the time he graduated with his Ph.D., he had already published first-authored papers in "PNAS" and "Science." At the age of 26, he moved straight into a faculty position in what was then the WSU Department of Biology.
Carl served Wayne State in many capacities: as a teacher, researcher, advocate for environmental issues and innovator in education. He taught extensively in the undergraduate program (especially BIO 1500), where he was sorely needed as one of the few faculty who could teach about plants. He was an early advocate of using computer technology to deliver interactive biology education and won the Presidential Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2003.
Carl’s research was in plant ecology, and he is very well known for his work on the stable hybrid zone between basin and mountain species of big sagebrush in Salt Creek Canyon, Utah. He is also widely recognized for his studies of sex change in plants and how plants modify sex ratios in response to environmental changes. He was especially good at statistics and helped many graduate students (and faculty too) with their data analysis. Carl also devoted a lot of effort to public service.
During the nine years that we had undergraduate biology education grants from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (1989-1998), he ran a summer institute program for middle and high school science teachers. Over the years, hundreds of teachers participated in this program, along with an associated lab bank, a program that lent lab equipment to schools for short-term use. Carl also became a champion of environmental causes, especially water quality. This was recognized by a WSU Faculty Service Award in 2000. More recently, Carl served as a Senior Advisor in the Irvin D. Reid Honors College and got deeply engaged in studying what helps WSU students succeed.
Carl retired in 2018 after 41 years of service to WSU and our students. He spent his retirement reading and working with osteopathic specialists to develop treatments to speed recovery from surgery. Carl had a broad range of interests and thought deeply about many things. He was committed to making the world a better place and we are fortunate that Wayne State University was the focus of so much of his attention.
The Department of Biological Sciences will host a memorial symposium in Carl's honor on Sept. 27.