The University Record, May 8, 1995
Davis, Sellinger are granted emeritus status
Two faculty members were given the emeritus title by the Regents at their April meeting.
Those retiring are Roger E. Davis, professor of psychology and research scientist in the Mental Health Research Institute, and Otto Z. Sellinger, research scientist in the Mental Health Research Institute and in the Department of Psychiatry.
Davis joined the U-M as a research associate in the Department of Fisheries in 1961 and became an instructor in physiology in the Department of Zoology in 1963. In 1964-66, he served as a postdoctoral fellow and assistant research zoologist in the Mental Health Research Institute where he worked on biochemical correlative behavior in goldfish.
“During that time,” the Regents noted, “he participated in important experiments that led to the conclusion that a protein synthesis was required for the formation of long-term memory. Continuing as a behavioral neuroscientist, Prof. Davis worked on fish behavior, making important contributions to fish anatomy as well.”
“Dr. Sellinger made many contributions to neurochemistry, among them an understanding of methionine and glutamine metabolism in relation to seizure activity,” the Regents said. “He is also well known for his techniques for methods for isolation of neuronal and glial cells from brain tissue. Most recently, he studied carboxylmenthylation of proteins in relation to aging.
“He has participated in many professional societies, including service as a member of the Council of the American Society for Neurochemistry and the membership committee of the International Society of Neurochemistry.” He came to the U-M in 1965 as an associate research pharmacologist in the Mental Health Research Institute, rising to the rank of research scientist in 1969.
