Davis, George K.

George Kelso Davis was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on July 2, 1910. He attended Pennsylvania State University and was awarded the B.S. degree in Agricultural and Biological Chemistry in 1932. He received a Ph. D. in Animal Science from Cornell University in 1937. After four years as a faculty member at Michigan State University, Davis came to the University of Florida in 1942. He was appointed Animal Nutritionist in the Agricultural Experiment Station in Gainesville and was largely responsible for the expansion of the Nutrition Laboratory. Davis is probably best known for his work on trace element nutrition and was a pioneer in the utilization of radioactive isotopes in the study of trace element nutrition. These studies had a major impact on Florida's cattle industry.

In 1960, Davis was appointed Director of Nuclear Sciences with the responsibility of coordinating and administering nuclear programs in six colleges. He served in that capacity until 1965 when he was appointed Director of Biological Sciences and was a key player in the restructuring of the programs. In 1970, he was named Director of Sponsored Research and held that position until 1975. He retired from the University in 1979.

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