The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) has named 10 University of Tennessee, Knoxville, faculty as members of the 2008 class of AAAS Fellows. All 10 of the new Fellows are faculty in the College of Arts and Sciences.
UT Knoxville has more new AAAS Fellows than any other college or university in the Southeast, and trailed only Ohio State, the University of California system and the University of Illinois in the number of 2008 Fellows.
"Our reputation as a leading research university continues to grow," said UT Knoxville Interim Chancellor Jan Simek. "These scientists have established themselves as national leaders in their fields, and their combined efforts speak volumes about the ways in which UT Knoxville research is driving our nation’s scientific leadership."
"We in the College are extremely proud of this wonderful external recognition of some of the best faculty we have at UT Knoxville," said Bruce Bursten, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. "As a group they epitomize the excellence in teaching and scholarship that is the hallmark of a great research university."
AAAS is one of the largest scientific organizations in the world, serving more than 200 individual science societies with more than 10 million members. It also publishes the prestigious journal Science.
Fellows must be nominated to membership either by three current fellows, the CEO of AAAS, or by the leaders of their specific section of AAAS. Nominations are subject to approval by the AAAS Council. The first class of fellows was named in 1874.
The appointment of 10 new AAAS Fellows gives UT Knoxville a total of 17.
The newly honored Fellows, and the citations on their awards, are:
- Jeffrey M. Becker, professor of microbiology: For distinguished contributions to the field of biological sciences, and for distinguished service to science administration.
- Robert J. Daverman, professor of mathematics: For distinguished contributions to geometric topology, and for service to the profession, particularly as secretary of the American Mathematical Society.
- Louis J. Gross, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology and mathematics: For distinguished contributions in mathematical and computational ecology, and for contributions to quantitative education for life scientists.
- George W. Kabalka, professor of chemistry: For distinguished contributions to the field of organic chemistry.
- Bruce McKee, professor of biochemistry, cellular and molecular biology: For distinguished contributions to the field of meiosis.
- Harry Y. "Hap" McSween, chancellor’s professor and distinguished professor of earth and planetary sciences: For distinguished contributions in cosmochemistry and the exploration of Mars, and as department head and interim dean at UT Knoxville.
- Earl W. Plummer, distinguished professor of physics: For the development of instrumentation and its use to illuminate new concepts in the surface physics of metals, and for the mentoring of promising young scientists.
- Susan E. Riechert, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology: For distinguished contributions to the field of behavior and ecology.
- Shih-Lung Shaw, professor and head of geography: For innovative contributions to the fields of geographic information science and transportation geography.
- Daniel Simberloff, Gore Hunger professor of environmental science: For distinguished contributions to the fields of ecology, biogeography and invasion biology.