Lee Raymond Dice (July 15, 1887 – January 31, 1977) was an American ecologist and geneticist who taught at the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

for almost his entire career. He is known for independently developing the Sørensen–Dice coefficient.

Education and career

Dice was born in

Savannah, Georgia Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the Kingdom of Great Brita ...

and studied briefly at

Washington State College Washington State University (WSU, or colloquially Wazzu) is a public land-grant research university in Pullman, Washington, United States. Founded in 1890, WSU is also one of the oldest land-grant universities in the American West. With an un ...

and

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...

before moving to

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

. He earned his A.B. from Stanford University in 1911, followed by an M.S. and Ph.D. from the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...

in 1914 and 1915, respectively. For his M.S. project, Dice worked on the movements of water fleas under

Samuel Jackson Holmes Samuel Jackson Holmes (March 7, 1868 – March 5, 1964California Death Records. – California Department of Health Services Office of Health Information and Research.) was an American zoologist and eugenicist. He was a professor at the Universi ...

. During his Ph.D., he worked under

Joseph Grinnell Joseph P. Grinnell (February 27, 1877 – May 29, 1939) was an American field biologist and zoologist. He made extensive studies of the fauna of California, and is credited with introducing a method of recording precise field observations known ...

on vertebrates in the Washington state. After graduation, Dice took on the role of an instructor in zoology at

Kansas State Agricultural College Kansas State University (KSU, Kansas State, or K-State) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Manhattan, Kansas, United States. It was opened as the state's land-grant college in 1863 and was the first public insti ...

(now Kansas State University) from 1916 to 1917 and later served as an assistant professor of zoology at the

University of Montana The University of Montana (UM) is a public research university in Missoula, Montana, United States. UM is a flagship institution of the Montana University System and its second largest campus. Fall 2024 saw total enrollment hit 10,811, marki ...

from 1917 to 1918. Between 1918 and 1919, Dice worked at the

U.S. Biological Survey The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS or FWS) is a List of federal agencies in the United States, U.S. federal government agency within the United States Department of the Interior which oversees the management of fish, wildlife, ...

and the Michigan Biological and Geological Survey as a field assistant. He began teaching at the

in 1919 as an assistant professor and became a professor in 1942. He taught at the

until 1957, during which time he founded the University's heredity clinic and served as director of its Institute of Human Biology.

Honors and awards

Dice served as vice-president of the

American Society of Mammalogists The American Society of Mammalogists (ASM) was founded in 1919. Its primary purpose is to encourage the study of mammal A mammal () is a vertebrate animal of the Class (biology), class Mammalia (). Mammals are characterised by the presence ...

from 1947 to 1951 and the vice-president of the

Society for the Study of Evolution The Society for the Study of Evolution is a professional organization of evolutionary biologists. It was formed in the United States in 1946 to promote the study of evolution and the integration of various fields of science concerned with evolution ...

between 1947 and 1948 and between 1953 and 1954. In 1948, Dice became the president of the Ecologists Union, later known as the

Nature Conservancy The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is a global environmental organization headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, United States. it works via affiliates or branches in 79 countries and territories, as well as across every state in the US. Founded in ...

. He served as president of the

Ecological Society of America The Ecological Society of America (ESA) is a professional organization of ecological scientists. Based in the United States and founded in 1915, ESA publications include peer-reviewed journals, newsletters, fact sheets, and teaching resources. I ...

from 1952 to 1953 and received its

Eminent Ecologist Award The Eminent Ecologist Award is prize awarded annually to a senior ecologist in recognition of an outstanding contribution to the science of ecology. The prize is awarded by the Ecological Society of America. According to the statutes, the recipient ...

in 1964. In 1957, the University of Michigan honored him by creating the Lee R. Dice Distinguished Professorship.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dice, Lee Raymond 1887 births 1977 deaths People from Savannah, Georgia American ecologists American geneticists University of Michigan faculty Stanford University alumni University of California, Berkeley alumni Mathematical ecologists University of Montana faculty American Society of Mammalogists