Two Researchers Receive National Recognition

Five UC Riverside alumni also honored as fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science

By Iqbal Pittalwala on November 30, 2012

RIVERSIDE, Calif. — Two researchers at the University of California, Riverside have been named fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Including this year’s fellows, the total number of UC Riverside faculty members who have been recognized with AAAS Fellow distinction is 196.

Election as a fellow is an honor bestowed upon AAAS members by their peers. This year AAAS gave this honor to 701 of its members “because of their scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications.”

The 2012 AAAS Fellows at UCR are:

Edith Bach Allen, a professor of plant ecology: “For distinguished contributions to research and outreach in restoration ecology, soil ecology, invasive species ecology, and impacts of anthropogenic nitrogen deposition on vegetation and soil.” 

Pingyun Feng, a professor of chemistry: “For distinguished contributions to the field of porous inorganic and materials chemistry, particularly for the rational design of semiconducting porous materials and chalcogenide cluster chemistry.”

Five UCR alumni were named AAAS Fellows this year: Bruce A. Freeman (’74 B.S. Biochemistry, ’78 Ph.D. Biochemistry), a professor of pharmacology at the University of Pittsburgh, Penn.; Todd D. Little (’83 B.A. English Literature, ’85 M.A. Psychology, ’88 Ph.D. Psychology), a professor of psychology at the University of Kansas; Lance C. Seefeldt (’89 Ph.D. Biochemistry), a professor of chemistry and biochemistry at Utah State University; Charles M. Thompson (’80 M.S. Chemistry, ’82 Ph.D. Chemistry), a professor of medicinal chemistry at the University of Montana; and George B. Witman( ’67 B.A. Zoology), a professor of cell and developmental biology at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.

New fellows will be presented with an official certificate and a gold and blue (representing science and engineering, respectively) rosette pin on Feb. 16 during the annual meeting of the AAAS in Boston, Mass.

All the 2012 AAAS Fellows will be announced in the Nov. 30 issue of Science, a weekly magazine published by the AAAS.

The tradition of AAAS Fellows began in 1874. Currently, members can be considered for the rank of fellow if nominated by the steering groups of the AAAS’s sections; by three fellows; or by the association’s chief executive officer.

Founded in 1848, the AAAS is the world’s largest general scientific society. It includes 261 affiliated societies and academies of science, serving 10 million individuals.

Archived under: Inside UCR, Science/Technology, AAAS, American Association for the Advancement of Science, Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, Department of Chemistry, Edith Allen, Pingyun Feng, press release

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