AMES, Iowa -- Five members of the Iowa State University faculty have been awarded the distinction of being named fellows by the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Newly named fellows from ISU are:
- Philip W. Becraft, associate professor in the department of genetics, development and cell biology - for insights into the developmental biology of cereal endosperm
- Marit Nilsen-Hamilton, professor the department of biochemistry, biophysics and molecular biology - for distinguished contributions to the fields of biochemistry, cell biology and mathematical biology
- David Lynch, distinguished professor emeritus in the department of physics and astronomy and Ames Laboratory - for using synchrotron radiation sources to elucidate materials and for service in charting the future of synchrotron facilities in the United States
- Gordon Miller, professor in the department of chemistry - for his achievements in combining theory with experiment to understand chemical bonding and electronic structure in complex, metal-rich solids
- Jacob Petrich, professor in the department of chemistry - for the use and development of laser spectroscopy for solving problems of broad and practical importance to society, notably food safety
Election as a fellow is an honor bestowed upon AAAS members by their peers.
This year, 471 members were awarded this honor by AAAS because of their scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications. New fellows will be presented with an official certificate and a gold and blue (representing science and engineering, respectively) rosette pin at the Fellows Forum during the 2008 AAAS Annual Meeting in Boston in February.
The AAAS is the world's largest general scientific society, and publisher of the journal, Science (www.sciencemag.org). AAAS was founded in 1848, and includes some 262 affiliated societies and academies of science, serving 10 million individuals.