The grand new Pauline O. Lawrence Student Residence at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Tropical Research & Education Center broke ground on November 5, 2022, marking the start of construction on a landmark facility dedicated to graduate student housing. With construction now complete, the residence is slated for its grand opening on November 1, providing a modern, on-campus living environment that aligns with the institution’s commitment to advancing research and supporting its student community.
Grand Opening
Join us on November 1, 2025 to celebrate this momentous occasion!
Ground Breaking
View details and relive memories from the celebration!
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Dr. Pauline O. Lawrence
Professor Pauline O. Lawrence spent 35 years teaching and researching at the University of Florida. After earning a bachelor's degree (with Honors) in 1969 from the University of the West Indies in her native Jamaica, she was awarded an academic scholarship by the Government of Jamaica to pursue a Master of Science in entomology at the University of Florida, in the then College of Agriculture (now College of Agricultural and Life Sciences), graduating in 1972. She was one of a handful of female graduate students in the Department and the first female graduate student in Entomology to live at the UF/IFAS TREC campus here in south Florida. She later earned a Ph.D. from the same department in 1975. Dr. Lawrence joined the UF Zoology department as the first black faculty member and Assistant Professor in 1976 and attained the rank of Full Professor in 1989, where she continued to teach and conduct research until 1993. In 1994, she joined the UF/IFAS Department of Entomology and Nematology as Professor of insect physiology and biochemistry and continued her research, teaching, and international activities until she retired in 2011.
Dr. Lawrence is a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society. She has published numerous scientific papers, book chapters and abstracts and made invited presentations at conferences in over twenty countries. Her research was consistently supported by competitive grants throughout her career from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Washington, DC. She received numerous national and international awards and recognition for her teaching and professional and scientific contributions. These include an Excellence in Teaching Award from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, UF (1988-89), Distinguished Faculty Award from Florida Blue Key (1998), Outstanding Service Award from UF Foundation Board of Directors (2003) and other awards from the UF Athletic Board and Sponsored Research programs. She won several national competitive grants for her research on the physiology and molecular biology of parasite-virus-host interactions from the NSF and USDA. She was awarded a National Science Foundation Career Advancement Award for Women (1988-89) and in 1999 she was selected as the Pioneer Lecturer Honoree by the Florida Entomological Society at their international conference in San Juan, Puerto Rico (1999), and served in various elected leadership positions and on the Governing Board of the Entomological Society of America, Annapolis, Maryland, US.
Dr. Lawrence is a Professor Emerita, Department of Entomology and Nematology UF/IFAS.
Learn more about Dr. Pauline O. Lawrence with these resources:
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Dr. Carlton G. Davis
Joining UF/IFAS in 1970 as its first black tenure-track faculty and one of the first three at the University of Florida, Dr. Davis studied issues central to rural poverty, food and nutritional security, and housing equality in the US South. He was recognized by his peers in the American Agricultural Economics Association as the Outstanding Black Agricultural Economist in 1984. His groundbreaking research on USDA nutrition programs in low-income households influenced a change in the then USDA food assistance program guidelines and earned him the Southern Agricultural Economics Association's Lifetime Achievement Award (1996). He was also honored with UF's Alumni Association's Distinguished Black Faculty Award in 1993, and the Outstanding Contribution Award from the Caribbean Food Crops Society (2008).
Dr. Davis was a global thinker and advocate for equity in agricultural development. His research extended to Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in the Caribbean Basin, examining their competitiveness in global trade and the threats posed to agriculture by invasive species. He was inducted into the George Washington Carver Public Service Hall of Fame at Tuskegee University (2005), a testament to his commitment to improving lives through land-grant institutions. A Ford Foundation International Research Fellow, Dr. Davis served on editorial boards and held leadership roles in professional societies, including the Caribbean Agroeconomics Society and the American Agricultural Economics Association.
Professor Davis recruited and mentored numerous students of diverse backgrounds and national and international origins, from the Rockefeller Foundation minority fellows to Latin American, Caribbean, and African students. Upon graduation, many returned to their respective countries, and held distinguished policy making positions that benefitted their countries and created long term collaborative opportunities for the University of Florida.
His legacy continues to inspire scholars and practitioners dedicated to the intersection of agriculture, economics, and social justice. He was married for forty-seven years to Dr. Pauline Lawrence, Professor Emerita, Department of Entomology and Nematology UF/IFAS.
You can learn even more about Dr. Carlton G. Davis with these resources:
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Robert & Ida McMillan
A Miami native, Dr. Robert McMillan began his career as an Associate Professor with the UF/IFAS Tropical Research & Education Center in 1967. He rose through the ranks to become a full professor in 1995 and upon retirement in 2003, was awarded Professor Emeritus status. His tenure in the UF/IFAS Department of Plant Pathology spanned more than five decades. During that time, Dr. McMillan taught Plant Pathology courses at TREC and FIU and had several abstracts and presentations on various topics related to tropical fruit and vegetable pathogens at state, regional, national, and international meetings. Dr. McMillan also educated local growers, master gardeners, Extension agents, and the general public for over 30 years.
Among a few of Dr. McMillan’s accomplishments include
- Contributing towards the development of at least 10 snap bean germplasm lines;
- Contributing to patents related to the control of fungi and bacteria;
- Receiving over $1 million in contracts and grants funded;
- Publishing numerous articles in refereed publications;
- Serving in several positions of both the Tropical Pathology Committee and Caribbean Division of the American Phytopathological Society;
- Serving as Associate Editor of one of the American Phytopathological Society’s journals; and
- Consulting domestic industry leaders and international growers and governments.
Perhaps one of his greatest contributions to TREC and indeed the agricultural community, was the establishment of the Extension Plant Diagnostic Clinic in 1990. Dr. McMillan served as the first Director of the Clinic and initiated the excellent service in response to requests of both domestic and international growers that the Clinic continues to provide today.
The span of Dr. McMillan’s research made significant contributions in elucidating the cause, development, and control of several diseases of tropical crops, in evaluating the kinds, dosages, and timing of application of several fungicides for plant disease control. His research and extension performance on the causes of diseases and their control in tropical fruits and vegetables, excellent rapport with and outstanding service to the growers and to agriculture of south Florida, and his national and international recognition are the legacy that Dr. Robert McMillan leaves behind.
He was married to Ida McMillan and had 2 children: Robert T. McMillan, III, and Kathryn Rohan.
To support graduate students, research scholars, and people interested in the plant pathologies affecting tropical and subtropical crops at the UF/IFAS Tropical Research & Education Center, consider making a donation to the Dr. Robert McMillan Excellence in Plant Pathology Fund.
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Allen & Mary Schneider
Mary Schneider is much more than a retired school teacher--she is one of the most outspoken and ardent supporters of the agricultural industry of Miami-Dade County, specifically the ornamental industry. Mrs. Schneider has served on the Miami-Dade chapter of the FNGLA Board of Directors for many years in various positions, including as President twice. For over 15 years, she has served as President of the Dade County AGRI-Council, a non-profit organization that promotes and supports the agricultural industry in Miami-Dade County.
Mrs. Schneider produced the Miami-Dade Chapter Foliage Guide to help promote the county's foliage industry and was instrumental in the establishment of the Botanical Seed Bank, an online auction platform that helps with the collection and preservation of imperiled plants. Recognizing the damage that various pests and diseases cause to local agriculture production, Mrs. Schneider was instrumental in getting the Miami-Dade Chapter of FNGLA to establish an Endowment at the UF/IFAS Tropical Research & Education Center to fund pest management research.
Among the awards which Mrs. Schneider has won include the Babe Greer Award (twice), the 2013 FNGLA Outstanding Volunteer of the Year award, and the 2022 UF/IFAS Outstanding Volunteer of the Award. You can find her at any agricultural event in Miami-Dade County handing out programs, serving food, or ushering people to their seats.
You can learn more about Mrs. Mary Schneider with these resources:
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Dr. Pauline O. Lawrence
