Milton Sommerfeld, 76, passed away on May 16, 2017. Milt earned a BS in Biology from Southwest Texas University in 1962 and a PhD in Botany from Washington University in St. Louis in 1968. That same year, he launched what became an expansive career as an ASU professor, researcher and administrator. He served as Chair of the Department of Botany and Microbiology and Associate Dean in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. He was the founder and co-director of the Arizona Center for Algae Technology and Innovation. One of the nation's top experts on algae, Milt spent five decades researching and engineering uses of the plant, from biofuel to food to cleaning up environmental threats. At ASU he was known as "The Wizard of Ooze" because he was the green slime's top evangelist, illuminating the potential of algae with a showman's vibrant imagery, science jokes and – if you were lucky – an algae cookie, freshly baked by his wife, Carolyn. He received numerous awards over his career, including ASU's Outstanding Teaching Award in 1987 and Innovator of the Year in 2007. His work was also named the 11th best invention in TIME Magazine in 2008. He "retired" in 2016 but had yet to hang up his lab coat. He is survived by his wife, Carolyn, a son, a daughter, four grandchildren and a sister. A memorial service will be held Saturday, May 27, 2017, at 9:30 a.m. at King of Glory Lutheran Church in Tempe. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Milton Sommerfeld Fund to Advance Algae Research. Please make checks payable to the ASU Foundation and send to PO Box 2260, Attn Cash Receipting, Tempe, AZ 85280 with "In Memory of Milton Sommerfeld" noted, or online at http://asufoundation.org/miltonsommerfeld . Gifts will go to a permanently endowed fund to assist students. (Source: Dignity Memorial)